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QuinLED-Dig-Octa System
Power-7HC
Specifications

Lots of projects need power, especially LEDs! For this I have designed several powerboards which can be used to distribute and safely use the required power.

The power-7 is available in a normal (50Amps) and HC (High Current) 100Amps version, this article is about the HC version when a few Amps just isn’t enough!

[board shot]

[board shot with connected cables]

Design Goal

The power-7HC is built with 4 banks of 8 times a 7.62mm screw terminals. Comprised of 2 separate positive banks and 2 separate negative banks which are divided over 3 sides of the board. Because of this it will in some cases require a slightly longer wire then for instance on the power-5 where + and – are right next to each other.

The power-7HC in the series of powerboards has been designed for high terminal density providing up to 16 fused outputs. The downside is that this required normal screw terminals and that in turns means is not well suited to be stacked unless used as the top board. (Brainboards do not obstruct the screw terminals and output fuses)

All input and output terminals are equipped with individual fuse sockets allowing you to select the individual value fuse per output terminal.

HC version

The HC versions of the powerboards have been designed with a 100Amp target in mind. That is a lot of current and required a re-designed input stage vs the normal version. The HC versions of the boards also have thicker copper layers and some other changes to make sure voltage drop remains low even with that much current running through the board.

For the same reason the HC version of the board also doesn’t have screw terminals but features 2 M5 bare screw terminals. These bare screw terminals can only be used with ring, fork or lug style connections. These are then connected through a Midi style fuse which can handle much more current then the ATO style fuses that the normal boards have on their inputs. By default the HC version comes equipped with 2x 60Amp fuse which also means this board is meant to be used with AWG6 to AWG10 cable. Anything thinner could result in a dangerous situation where the wire would melt before the fuse would pop. In that regard 8AWG and 6AWG are highly recommended! Please see this article that goes into detail how to specifically connect this.

Advised Power Supply

What power supplies are ideally suited to deliver this kind of power? The MeanWell HRP-600-5 comes to mind (125Amps @ 5v), the LRS-600-5 (100Amps @ 5v) or the MeanWell SE-1500-12 (125Amps @ 12v). I have also read a lot about HP server power supplies which should be able to supply 1200w so 100Amps at 12v.

*Connecting multiple power supplies to a single powerboard is not allowed, if you wish to use multiple power supplies (even with different voltages) this is allowed within a stack so will require multiple boards.

Specifications

  • 2x M5 bolt lugs for both positive and negative
    • Positive side has 2x input and 2x after fuse lugs
    • Supplies bolts are M5 size
  • Board recommended max 100Amp continuous load total
    • Fore more detailed power handling rules please see the following article
  • 16x 7.62mm output screw terminals
    • Allows up to 12AWG/3.3mm2 cable with ferrule
    • + and – negative are divided on the board in banks
    • Fuse socket per output
    • Max 10Amps fuse recommended
  • 5v-24v capable
  • “Broken Fuse” light per output
    • Custom independent “constant brightness” circuit
  • Onboard capacitors
    • Features 2x 1500uF 35v big capacitors
      • Smooths high transient loads and voltage spikes
    • Per output 1uF 50v capacitor
      • Provides noise filtering on output ports
  • Onboard Voltage display
    • Shows actual voltage including potential voltage drop
    • Easy to identify voltage of powerboard in a mixed voltage stack!
  • 4x M3 mounting holes
    • Connected to GND

Specials

  • Equipped with QPowerPost feature
    • Allows sharing power from powerboard to brainboard stack
      • Output only
    • Fully protected (Max 1.5Amps out, PTC auto-reset fuse)
    • 5x M2.5 screw holes
      • Outer 4x GND
      • Inner 1x VCC
  • Extra 1x 5.08mm pluggable terminal
    • Provides VCC and GND out
    • Protected against input and max 1.5Amps (PTC auto-reset fuse) current
    • Ideal for hooking up brainboard if you do not wish to use QPowerPost
  • Double up feature
    • If more power (up to 20Amps) or a thicker cable is required, using a SV5.5-5 fork crimp 2 positive and 2 negative output terminals can be combined allowing up 10AWG/5.2mm2 cable to be connected over 2 output ports

Suggested handling capabilities

Please see this dedicated article for the power handling capabilities and suggestions.