[OldSkool]

EDIT: I Did something wrong. Sellers stock photos showed LED driver case with the input/output reversed. But a closer look at the customer review photos showed it the other way.

Maybe it was covered here and I missed it, but just in case:

**The white corded plug end on the LED driver is OUTPUT to IMA.

**The red and blue end is INPUT from mains.

Hopefully no one else makes the same noob mistake I did going forward.



-------
So I hooked up one of those drivers to a multimeter to get a voltage reading.

Soon as I plugged in the mains end. POP! poof of smoke, and that was it.

Looks like the ones I got are no good.. unless I did something wrong.

 

[NY-Z]

Did you accidentally have the meter set for current instead of voltage? That would short out the supply and let the smoke out if it didn't have good protection.
The load from a properly connected voltmeter is negligible and should not cause anything bad to happen.

 

[OldSkool]

Did you accidentally have the meter set for current instead of voltage? That would short out the supply and let the smoke out if it didn't have good protection.
The load from a properly connected voltmeter is negligible and should not cause anything bad to happen.

No, it was on DC volt for sure. Nothing happened on the voltmeter end.

It looks like I forced full 120V AC through the 280mV DC end.

 

[NY-Z]

Oops that would do it.

 

[OldSkool]

Oops that would do it.

Yea

The drivers had covers that popped on and off easily and would snap back on either way.

 

[OldSkool]

Went ahead and just ordered some new constant current drivers from Amazon.

Othmro LED Driver 2pcs 12-18W Power Supply Transformer Adapter 85-265V DC Low Voltage Output for LED Light,Computer Project,Outdoor Light Othmro LED Driver 2pcs 12-18W Power Supply Transformer Adapter 85-265V DC Low Voltage Output for LED Light,Computer Project,Outdoor Light: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement


Readings on the multimeter are all over the place. Suspecting blue wire has something to do with it. Decided to post here for help before proceeding further.
included a picture of the small wiring diagram on the driver cover

Any ideas?

thanks!

 

[PeterPerkins]

The specs are strange from that link you provided.

Blue and brown at one end are the AC input.

What DC voltage do you get out at the other end between red and black and red and blue wires?

Post a pic of the underside of the board.

 

[OldSkool]

So far
red and black: voltage is jumping all over the place
Red and blue: no reading
Red and blue+black: voltage is jumping all over the place

 

[PeterPerkins]

No idea.. Third time lucky.
Make sure you get constant current drivers with no third wire!

 

[OldSkool]

Looks like problem maybe solved. I noticed the negative symbol next to that top right solder point so desoldered the black and blue wires. Then resoldered the black to that negative point. Now getting a constant 74-75volts.



Could use some pointers on how to properly connect to read amps though. Much appreciated!!

 

[PeterPerkins]

Just connect them up now as per my video/this thread and measure the combined series output voltage. ~150V
Connect them carefully to the IMA and see what happens. Remember rubber gloves etc when fiddling around with these supplies/IMA.

In the event the supplies are rubbish the IMA pack will kill/vapourise them very quickly without itself sustaining damage.

If you want to prevent any possibility of power flowing back from the IMA into the LED supplies then add a 10 cent 1N4004 400V 1A series diode in the LED driver + output lead..

supply1 + --------Diode-[ >| ]--------- IMA +
supply1 - Connect to supply 2+

supply2 + Connect to supply 1-
supply2 - -------------------------------- IMA -

 

[driverman4life]

I want to know will these work
Amazon.com: eBoot 2 Groups 1M Test Leads Set with Alligator Clips Double-ended Jumper Wires (2 Groups) : Industrial & Scientific

Amazon.com: 1ft ETL Listed Indoor AC Power Electric Cable Short Extension Cord 16 Gauge 3 Prong 125 Volts, 13 Amps 1 Foot (1,2,3,6,10,15,25,40,50,75,100 ft) : Tools & Home Improvement

uxcell LED Driver 12-18W Constant Current 300mA High Power AC 85-265V Output 36-65V DC Connector External Power Supply LED Ceiling Lamp Transformer 2Pcs - - Amazon.com

On the led driver only two wires for the input and output. I see you have 4 wires for input and output.
Do I connect the red and black wire to the alligator clip, then connect to the battery?
The red and blue to the power outlet? Which color are L and N?

 

[Jeffd]

You need 2 LEDs. Wired in series to give the 120v+. How you connect to mains input and battery output is up to you. Here is a picture of what I bodged up. Do not forget the discharge lamp.

 

[OldSkool]

I clipped insulated alligator clips as per instructed to the IMA battery terminals, then to the multimeter probes to test for voltage, flipped the switch and wires instantly lit up burned up. Positive completely burned and broke up. Negative melted. Got a face full of toxic smoke and cars gonna smell like like that for days. Man, what am I doing wrong here?

The multimeter wires seem okay and still work, so I am presuming the alligator wires are too thin? They look as thick as the output wires on the LED drivers. So now I'm scared to hook anything up.

 

[PeterPerkins]

Without knowing exactly how you wired and connected your setup we can't do a post mortem.
Please post pics of the LED drivers and how you wired them.

It really should be very simple.

 

[OldSkool]

Hey Peter thanks for replying so quickly. I haven't connected the LED drivers to the IMA yet. I wanted to get a voltage reading as well as ensure I was tapping the correct terminals. So the alligator clips/wires that burned up were connected to the multimeter instead of the LED drivers.

Heres a pic of the IMA terminals I tapped circled in BLUE. Negative on top, Positive on the bottom. Maybe I got them wrong?

 

[PeterPerkins]

You must have had your multimeter on the wrong setting or with the probes in the wrong sockets on it.

Also post pics of your led drivers so we can check you have wired them correctly.

 

[OldSkool]

I haven't finalized soldering the AC input ends but is it correct as photoed? Also, does polarity matter at this end?

I was thinking of repurposing a couple of these extra HID connectors to use for this project. What do you think?

 

[PeterPerkins]

Multimeter probes in wrong holes!!!!
You have it in the amps ones causing a direct short circuit. Ouch...
The red wire should have been in the other socket!!

Polarity is not super critical at AC input end. But brown is live.

Those HID connectors look reasonable.

 

[OldSkool]

I should really stop listening to friends that supposedly know more...

I'll wire brown to black. Don't want anymore potential factors for hiccups.

Did I damage the IMA... Sigh.

Thank you so much Peter. You have a way we can donate. Feel I owe you a little something at least.