I have a couple of RPM’s 4ch AC DMX SSRs. They are a great concept for when you need a small channel count in a remote part of your display.
I predominantly use LEDs for displays. This means DC is king. So recently I set out to build a simple DC controller that would need to be small and have reasonable switching capabilities.
I cam up with this list of requirements
- Smaller is better
- Minimum of 2 Amps per channel
- Input supply voltage to be a minimum of 36Vdc, 48Vdc if possible
- Standard Diag lights
- Surface mount components
A couple of weeks ago, Rockby Electronics‘ weekend sale listed some small bulkhead plastic cases for 75 cents each. That was a steal! I bought 80!
The following story details the approach I took to create what will be the end result, starting with the initial PCB Design.
The Design has progressed somewhat. The final layout was changed somewhat to allow better cable entry from the box.
Top View of Semi populated Controller
To make assembly easier, I had the PCB made in panels of 6.
Panel - Bottom Side - All SMT
Panel - Top Side - All the Leaded components
So how does it Perform?