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ONF Flat Nano with 3rd party dimmer

Ray

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Joined
31 Oct 2007
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Location
Switzerland
I've got the ONF Flat Nano, not the plus, the basic one with no app control - only a 4 stage dimmer (100%, 75%, 50% and 25%).
I've added one of the 3rd party Chinese made dimmers, the S2 Pro model reviewed by both Jurijs Jutjajevs and Filipe Oliveira in YouTube videos.
It works but the ONF seems to get to full power going from 1% to 10% in roughly 10% incremements with the rest of the range 10% to 100% being at full power. I can't be sure about that without some kind of light meter, but that is what my eyes are telling me. Can anyone explain this?

Also if anyone is using an ONF Flat Nano on a low tech tank I am very interested at what level they are running it at. I'm currently at 25%.

Thank you,
 
OK so I downloaded an iPhone PAR meter app called “Korona”. I’m not sure if it and/or the iPhone are any good for this but it should give us an idea. Results taken 3 inches directly below the light at the water surface:

1% = 47 PAR
2% = 143
3% = 205
4% = 300
5% = 358
6% = 445
7% = 490
8% = 569
9% = 627
10% = 707
11% = 800
12% = 875
13% = 970
100% = 972 PAR

This isn’t bad performance from the iPhone - in similar circumstances AQUAPROS used an Apogee PAR meter on YouTube and found this light had a PAR value of 817 on full power:



So this confirms it is not an optical illusion. So why is my dimmer hitting full power at 13%?
 
Has anyone else got the ONF to work with the S2 dimmer? I think the S2 is a PWM dimmer so might not work with certain circuitry although not sure how it works. I think there is a difference between constant current vs constant voltage driven LEDs.
 
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Has anyone else got the ONF to work with the S2 dimmer? I think the S2 is a PWM dimmer so might not work with certain circuitry although not sure how it works. I think there is a difference between constant current vs constant voltage driven LEDs.


No both use PWM (for the most part, there are exceptions).
Anyways this might be a nice visual.
TC-420 dims constant voltage arrays by PWM switching the negative side of a strip.
So constant voltage array control.

To run a constant current driver like a Meanwell LDD-h you just "tap" the 5V PWM feed to the MOSFET and use that .
tcmod1.jpg


Manual dimmer running both a 24V constant voltage ribbon and a LDD-HW on a 3V star in constant current mode.
 
Hi Folks,

I'm dipping into this thread as often as I can because lighting is one of my great interests in aquatics. But I am very actively involved in other UKAPS threads right now. Keep up the good work, guys!

JPC
 
No both use PWM (for the most part, there are exceptions).
Anyways this might be a nice visual.
TC-420 dims constant voltage arrays by PWM switching the negative side of a strip.
So constant voltage array control.

To run a constant current driver like a Meanwell LDD-h you just "tap" the 5V PWM feed to the MOSFET and use that .
tcmod1.jpg


Manual dimmer running both a 24V constant voltage ribbon and a LDD-HW on a 3V star in constant current mode.

Sorry to be dumb, but I need this spelling out more clearly. Is the S2 Pro just a TC-420 in a different case? And how does that explain what I'm seeing?
 
Sorry to be dumb, but I need this spelling out more clearly. Is the S2 Pro just a TC-420 in a different case? And how does that explain what I'm seeing?
Inside the s2 Pro you will probably find the same type of circuit.. 1 MOSFET output per channel.
Dimming is done by pulsing the gate thus pulsing the power supply output..50% on/ 50% off.. 50% dimming..


Most of the constant voltage dimmers are built on the same principals.. Using "digital logic" to pulse a MOSFET thus dimming..
The constant current drivers just have added circuitry to keep the current constant.

Constant voltage arrays use a series resistor..catch is this resistor is picked by the voltage one uses and the current one wants the strings at.
One could current dim them by lowering the power supply voltage. Or increase current by raising it.
Problem is the voltage range from too little to too much isn't very big.



This is probably a better explanation about the tc420.

https://www.tc420.net/connecting-high-power-LEDs-to-the-TC420.php
 
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