Help Wiring TC420 into a LuminiAqua Pixie 30 LED

[CaptainScuba]

Good morning everyone!

I believe the question I have is fairly simple; I just need a little guidance.

I've drawn up a quick diagram of my LED fixture, the power supply, and the controller I'd like to wire in.

So I'm just a little confused on how to wire the TC420 into this setup. As you can see, there are 5-wires coming out of the OEM controller that go directly into the LED fixture. I believe that this controller also doubles as a power supply for the fixture?

The way I understand the TC420, is that I need to wire in V+ and V- from a 12v power supply to power everything. From there, I wire out towards the fixture? So my plan is to have the LED wires connected to the TC420 in this order:

Black VCC+ to Output V+
Yellow CH1 (Blue LED) to Output CH1
Red CH2 (White LED) to Output CH2
Green CH3 (Royal Blue LED) to Output CH3
Blue CH4 (Red+Green LED) to Output CH 4

So, that's the full range of power outputs going into the LED.

For the input power; I am thinking that I need to wire it like so:
Black VCC+ to Input V+
Yellow, Red, Green, & Blue all to Input V-

Does that allow the controller to receive power from the OEM power supply?

Or, do I need to completely remove the OEM power supply and use a different 12v DC power supply to power the controller + LED?

Or, does the TC420 act as a 12v power supply and I just need to cut the outlet plug off of the OEM controller and wire it into the Input slots?

Also, maybe I'm completely missing the mark... Hopefully someone here might have a little guidance for me!

 

[CaptainScuba]

So this is my original thought of how I would wire it in. Meaning that the LED would still have the original power supply & controller. I'm not sure if its possible to have two controllers wired into each other? My thought was that I would turn the OEM controller up to 100% on all 4 channels, allowing the down stream TC420 to have full control over the LEDs?

 

[oreo54]

Good morning everyone!

I believe the question I have is fairly simple; I just need a little guidance.

I've drawn up a quick diagram of my LED fixture, the power supply, and the controller I'd like to wire in.

So I'm just a little confused on how to wire the TC420 into this setup. As you can see, there are 5-wires coming out of the OEM controller that go directly into the LED fixture. I believe that this controller also doubles as a power supply for the fixture?

The way I understand the TC420, is that I need to wire in V+ and V- from a 12v power supply to power everything. From there, I wire out towards the fixture? So my plan is to have the LED wires connected to the TC420 in this order:

Black VCC+ to Output V+
Yellow CH1 (Blue LED) to Output CH1
Red CH2 (White LED) to Output CH2
Green CH3 (Royal Blue LED) to Output CH3
Blue CH4 (Red+Green LED) to Output CH 4

So, that's the full range of power outputs going into the LED.

For the input power; I am thinking that I need to wire it like so:
Black VCC+ to Input V+
Yellow, Red, Green, & Blue all to Input V-

Does that allow the controller to receive power from the OEM power supply?

Or, do I need to completely remove the OEM power supply and use a different 12v DC power supply to power the controller + LED?

Or, does the TC420 act as a 12v power supply and I just need to cut the outlet plug off of the OEM controller and wire it into the Input slots?

Also, maybe I'm completely missing the mark... Hopefully someone here might have a little guidance for me!

What does the power supply you have say as to output?
Off the cuff I'd just replace it with a better one anyways.


As long as the strands are run by constant voltage it's the same as any RGBW array/strip/ribbon.

FUNNY...

For Lumini / Lominie Pixie 30 (P30) her's how to add ramp up/down and timer with memory. Quite cheaply

Hi Guys, i've bought this light used for my first nano tank, since budget is what it is, and is low :) ...since i wanted a reliable timer and a rump up down function i've searched a bit and i came down with the solution. a 25€ TC420 controller. Very easy to setup, it controls the 4 channel, it...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[CaptainScuba]

What does the power supply you have say as to output?
Off the cuff I'd just replace it with a better one anyways.


As long as the strands are run by constant voltage it's the same as any RGBW array/strip/ribbon.

FUNNY...

For Lumini / Lominie Pixie 30 (P30) her's how to add ramp up/down and timer with memory. Quite cheaply

Hi Guys, i've bought this light used for my first nano tank, since budget is what it is, and is low :) ...since i wanted a reliable timer and a rump up down function i've searched a bit and i came down with the solution. a 25€ TC420 controller. Very easy to setup, it controls the 4 channel, it...

www.reef2reef.com

I know this is a red flag... the power supply doesn't say anything about output; just "Power Adapter".


I assume you're saying replace the fixture; which I will likely do eventually. It came with the tank when I purchased it, and I thought it could be a fun project while I save a bit of money for something nicer.

I'm not sure what you mean by, "it's the same as any RGBW array/strip/ribbon." My electrical knowledge is pretty much limited to marine diesel engines & associated connectors

And yes! That thread is where I was inspired to purchase the TC420, it's just not clear in the thread how exactly they connected the controller, and if they left the original power supply connected or not.

 

[oreo54]

I know this is a red flag... the power supply doesn't say anything about output; just "Power Adapter".


I assume you're saying replace the fixture; which I will likely do eventually. It came with the tank when I purchased it, and I thought it could be a fun project while I save a bit of money for something nicer.

I'm not sure what you mean by, "it's the same as any RGBW array/strip/ribbon." My electrical knowledge is pretty much limited to marine diesel engines & associated connectors

And yes! That thread is where I was inspired to purchase the TC420, it's just not clear in the thread how exactly they connected the controller, and if they left the original power supply connected or not.

What I gathered is it's a 24v switching power supply.
30 watts or better.

The controller tc420 is powered by the power supply .. any 24V (from the thread I linked) 2A or better power supply will work.

Got a VOM? Just check the voltage on the power supply.

Since your goal is inexpensive sure.. use the one you have.

You do have a windows computer to program the 420 correct?
Being a tc420 owner myself I find the process annoying.


TC420 is one in a family of dozens of like controllers. AFAICT pretty much the same.. Microcontroller.. MOSFET switching on the negative side. Positive ground basically. Like some marine systems I believe.

MiBoxer Wireless LED Strip Controller Optional 4 Zone RF Remote - RGBW LED Strip Light Controller - 6 Amps / Channel - 12-24 VDC

The MiBoxer RGBW LED Controller allows selection of RGB colors, smooth brightness and saturation control, and hue selection. The controller has a maximum communication range of 30m with a sync function for controlling multiple controllers simultaneously. The controller can be purchased on its...

www.superbrightleds.com

By changing power supplies you eliminate any possible hassles and don't wreak the original one.
Using the orig "box" (more than a power supply) and just 1 channel at 100% should give you a 24DC output to connect to the 420. But you could tax the mosfet running that channel. Unlikely . Could gang the 4 outputs and have them.... see just annoying.. Best to just get a new power supply. May be able to find one at a thrift store for pennies on a dollar.

In that other thread it's likely they used a new power supply.

 

[CaptainScuba]

What I gathered is it's a 24v switching power supply.
30 watts or better.

The controller tc420 is powered by the power supply .. any 24V (from the thread I linked) 2A or better power supply will work.

Got a VOM? Just check the voltage on the power supply.

Since your goal is inexpensive sure.. use the one you have.

You do have a windows computer to program the 420 correct?
Being a tc420 owner myself I find the process annoying.


TC420 is one in a family of dozens of like controllers. AFAICT pretty much the same.. Microcontroller.. MOSFET switching on the negative side. Positive ground basically. Like some marine systems I believe.

MiBoxer Wireless LED Strip Controller Optional 4 Zone RF Remote - RGBW LED Strip Light Controller - 6 Amps / Channel - 12-24 VDC

The MiBoxer RGBW LED Controller allows selection of RGB colors, smooth brightness and saturation control, and hue selection. The controller has a maximum communication range of 30m with a sync function for controlling multiple controllers simultaneously. The controller can be purchased on its...

www.superbrightleds.com

By changing power supplies you eliminate any possible hassles and don't wreak the original one.
Using the orig "box" (more than a power supply) and just 1 channel at 100% should give you a 24DC output to connect to the 420. But you could tax the mosfet running that channel. Unlikely . Could gang the 4 outputs and have them.... see just annoying.. Best to just get a new power supply. May be able to find one at a thrift store for pennies on a dollar.

In that other thread it's likely they used a new power supply.

Apologies it took me so long to get back on here.
I have a VOM and will check it before I do anything else. My neighbor has a box full of old electrical parts and I dug up a power supply which is 24v 2.0A 90w. So if the voltage is right, I'll wire this into the TC420 and try it out.

Yes I have windows PC and have already created a schedule and uploaded it onto the TC420, I used TC420App which made it very simple and intuitive (atleast I think so...) We will see how it turns out once I have it all connected and wired up.

I may or may not a have a chance to look at it / work on it soon. Otherwise I might have to wait until after the holidays to have the time to sit down and fiddle with it all. I'm not in a major rush as I only have the light on for 4hrs a day right now while the tank is cycling.

Thank you for your input & insight, hopefully this will all turn out great!

 

[oreo54]

Apologies it took me so long to get back on here.
I have a VOM and will check it before I do anything else. My neighbor has a box full of old electrical parts and I dug up a power supply which is 24v 2.0A 90w. So if the voltage is right, I'll wire this into the TC420 and try it out.

Yes I have windows PC and have already created a schedule and uploaded it onto the TC420, I used TC420App which made it very simple and intuitive (atleast I think so...) We will see how it turns out once I have it all connected and wired up.

I may or may not a have a chance to look at it / work on it soon. Otherwise I might have to wait until after the holidays to have the time to sit down and fiddle with it all. I'm not in a major rush as I only have the light on for 4hrs a day right now while the tank is cycling.

Thank you for your input & insight, hopefully this will all turn out great!

Power supply needs to be a switching power supply for stability.
Old ones may not be

W = V * A
24 x 2 is only 48 watts

 

[CaptainScuba]

Power supply needs to be a switching power supply for stability.
Old ones may not be

W = V * A
24 x 2 is only 48 watts

Well it must be a switching power supply, because it works perfectly! My programming turned out nicely & the TC420 is controlling everything without any issue.

Thank you so much for your help, I don't know if it would've figured it out without you! (It sounds like maybe my original plan may have worked, but you're right - it could have messed things up. Atleast now I still have the original remote controlled power supply intact in case I ever decide I would rather use that again.)

I'm uploading a video from my phone to my computer as we speak, showing the full lighting cycle from 9:00am-9:00pm; I'll share it here shortly!

And yes, the labeling on the power supply must be wrong and I didn't catch it. It reads 80w/90w 24v 2.0A; so strange.

 

[CaptainScuba]

Here is a video of it in action! This is 7:30am-9:00pm over the course of about 2 minutes.