[PSUBS-MAILIST] PWM

Thu Apr 6 19:17:04 EDT 2017

Hi guys, just a quick update. I received the LED drivers and just spent an
hour or so playing with them. Everything worked like a charm so tomorrow
they go into Shackleton. I was particularly pleased because running them in
air for a minute or so, both the lights and drives were still cool to the
touch. I was running two 5K lights off a shared drive, which I set at 34.1V
and 2.34A per the LED specs. That's 80 watts, and this is a 400 watt drive
so I guess that's how one ends up with cool circuitry. This is not going to
need a fan on its enclosure, just holes. My drive is a "MingHe D3806."

The drives came with no instructions whatsoever but there were reasonable
explanations online. Here is a video that will give you a pretty clear idea
of how they are configured. The video is of another model from the same
manufacturer, but the controls are identical. Mine is a combination step up
/ step down, which has the benefit of more input voltage flexibility but is
less efficient.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_KjmF1iI9w&t=201s

Best,

Alec

On Thu, Mar 30, 2017 at 7:24 AM, via Personal_Submersibles <
personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:

> Rick,
> He was referring to a Pulse Width Modulator to adjust the amount of power
> going to the lights.
> Jim
>
> In a message dated 3/29/2017 11:29:44 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
> personal_submersibles at psubs.org writes:
>
> Alec,
>
> I just met a guy in California that made his own underwater housing and
> LED lighting system for doing video and he is using an LED board that is
> about 3" square. He has built a PWM for it so he can dim it down and says
> it's a 10,000 luman 100 watt system that runs on 32 volts.
>  I don't know what a PWM is but he said that I didn't necessarily have to
> have one. I can step my thruster motor supply down from 36V but one of my
> concerns is how to get rid of the heat. He didn't seem to be too
> forthcoming with the system he built. I think the LED array was something
> like $15 each on Amazon. How are you controlling the heat in your housings
> and do you think I would need a PWM for my lite?
>
> Rick
>
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 29, 2017 at 3:34 PM, Alec Smyth via Personal_Submersibles <
> personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:
>
>> My lights are done, I put them on Shackleton earlier today and they are
>> wired through the hull with penetrators. However, the wires end inside the
>> hull because I'm waiting for the drives to arrive, which will be installed
>> inside the sub. I was able to test them with a lab type power supply on a
>> table top, and must say these Bridgelux leds are like a little sun in a
>> can, I love them. These two lights I made are 5K lumens, and I already have
>> 10K lumen Bridgeluxes which I bought by mistake. So I'll test these, and
>> probably make another set with those more powerful ones. If I do, the 10Ks
>> will be the forward lights and the 5Ks will be oriented out to the sides
>> for "peripheral vision". A dimmable driver is sounding like a good idea, or
>> maybe just sunglasses!
>>
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Alec
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 29, 2017 at 9:10 PM, Alan via Personal_Submersibles <
>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks Hank,
>>> Alec has been making good progress with Cliff's light.
>>> Last I heard 2 housings were being anodised.
>>> Any update Cliff / Alec ?
>>> Alan
>>>
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>> On 30/03/2017, at 1:30 PM, hank pronk via Personal_Submersibles <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> You will be our go to guy for lighting!
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wednesday, March 29, 2017 6:15 PM, Alan via Personal_Submersibles <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Still building lights Hank,
>>> have built a couple of housings but are doing a third revision &
>>> hopefully this one will be perfect. I am pretty happy with how it's
>>> going.
>>> Am getting a different LED driver made up with PWM dimming.
>>> Got off the motor project temporarily as my brother wanted one of
>>> the lights for his boat. 😐
>>> Alan
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>> On 30/03/2017, at 12:35 PM, hank pronk via Personal_Submersibles <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> Alan,
>>> Are you back to work on your motor?   or are you still building lights?
>>> Hank
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wednesday, March 29, 2017 4:44 PM, hank pronk via
>>> Personal_Submersibles <personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks' Greg
>>>
>>> Alan, my answer is who cares if some water gets between the seals.  The
>>> important part is to keep the oil inside the motor.  When the motor starts
>>> up at the surface, there is significant centrical force that pushes the oil
>>> out with the seal in its original orientation.  I should actually remove
>>> one of the seals and just have one seal holding oil in, just like a
>>> submersible well pump has.  Those pumps are VERY reliable.  Now having said
>>> all this, I could be wrong ;-)   Stay tuned for test results.
>>> Hank
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wednesday, March 29, 2017 4:31 PM, Alan via Personal_Submersibles <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> How are you doing that Hank?
>>> Are you compensating the gap between the two seals?
>>> Otherwise you are in the same situation as the Minn kota motors
>>> where one of the two seals will fail when you go beyond it's depth
>>> rating.
>>> Cheers Alan
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>> On 30/03/2017, at 10:40 AM, hank pronk via Personal_Submersibles <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> Greg,
>>> Good points, but I personally am not ready to give up on oil filling.  I
>>> have reversed one of the two seals in my new motors for Elementary.  One
>>> seal keeps the oil in and one seal keeps the water out.  I am confident
>>> this in addition to the compensation system will make for a clean leak
>>> proof set up.  The ice is off the lake by my house, so my test lake should
>>> be open in a week or so.  I will know then if my idea works.
>>> Hank
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wednesday, March 29, 2017 7:03 AM, james cottrell via
>>> Personal_Submersibles <personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> I have to say, I no longer think that WD40 is the best for compensating
>>> things underwater. Over time it causes plastics and rubber to harden and
>>> become brittle.
>>> Silicone oil is better but the other problem with oil compensation in
>>> general is that the smallest drop/leak makes a very visible oil slick
>>> around your sub (not good). Most guys are using trolling motors and they're
>>> not really tight enough to hold thin oil without leaks.
>>> Back in the 90s I was using air compensation- and it actually worked
>>> really well. As far as I know, Karl Stanley has also been using air
>>> compensation for a long time without problems.
>>> It's a clean system that's not hard to set up and a small bottle of air
>>> lasts for many dives.
>>>
>>> Greg C
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>> *From:* "MerlinSub at t-online.de via Personal_Submersibles" <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
>>> *To:* Personal Submersibles General Discussion <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
>>> *Sent:* Tuesday, March 28, 2017 12:55 PM
>>> *Subject:* Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] WD - 40
>>>
>>> On a brushless motor it will maybe work with mineral oil.
>>> On motors with brushes I have bad expierence with that.
>>> Mineral oil is a big problem in a lake if a motor is even a little
>>> untight.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original-Nachricht-----
>>> Betreff: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] WD - 40
>>> Datum: 2017-03-28T17:15:59+0200
>>> Von: "Brian Cox via Personal_Submersibles" <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
>>> An: "Personal Submersibles General Discussion" <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi Carsten,
>>>                         I did a small test trying to light the WD40 on
>>> fire.  It's not as flammable as I thought it would be.  I think they have
>>> improved it's non-flammability with new formulation. It's still somewhat
>>> flammable however.
>>> I will be using a light mineral oil in my motors.
>>>
>>> Brian
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --- personal_submersibles at psubs.org wrote:
>>>
>>> From: "MerlinSub at t-online.de via Personal_Submersibles" <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
>>> To: Personal Submersibles General Discussion <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] WD - 40
>>> Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2017 07:22:02 +0200 (MEST)
>>>
>>> Heat Vapor is may a problem with WD40.
>>> May ensure that the compensating back is big to handle that..
>>> We change to silicon oil for that reason.
>>>
>>> vbr Carsten
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original-Nachricht-----
>>> Betreff: [PSUBS-MAILIST] WD - 40
>>> Datum: 2017-03-28T04:56:46+0200
>>> Von: "Brian Cox via Personal_Submersibles" <
>>> personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
>>> An: "PSubs" <personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I just ran one of my motors filled with the WD40.  It seemed to be very
>>> happy.  I mainly just did it to clean the carbon build up out of the
>>> motor.  I was surprised how sealed the motor was, it is open at one end
>>> where it mates to the gear box.  I was able to fill it up without it
>>> leaking out anywhere.  That could be an issue later when I want the mineral
>>> oil to fill all the voids.  I might need to actually drill some holes to
>>> get some circulation .
>>>
>>>
>>> Brian
>>> _______________________________________________ Personal_Submersibles
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>>
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>
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