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Thread: Trouble Dimming LED with Mean Well Driver and VDM

  1. #1
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    Trouble Dimming LED with Mean Well Driver and VDM

    I'm new to the VDM and dimming LEDs so I would like to lay out everything I've done and see if anyone can please tell me what the problem is.

    I have an LED pendent that was sold as Apex Ready. It has a Mean Well HLG-120H-36B driver. That driver was three cords: 1 is the power cord, 1 connects to the LED pendant, and one has an RJ45 jack for connecting to the VDM module.

    If I plug the light in without connecting the RJ45 to the VDM the light turns on at 100% intensity. If I plug the RJ45 into the VDM the intensity of the light appears to be about 10% of max.

    I had initially intended to create three profiles: Sunrise, High noon, Sunset. But, since I ran into this issue with me not being able to control the light via the VDM I decided to first just get it the light to output 100% intensity when the RJ45 from the driver is connected to the VDM.

    I am plugging the RJ45 from the driver into the V1/V2 port of the VDM. I have attached images of my driver, VDM, and screenshots of my programming.

    Please let me know if you have any solutions to this. Thank you.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
    Master Control Freak RussM's Avatar
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    You’ll need to provide a good clear description or diagram with wire colors of how the dimming cable is wired to the driver and the RJ45 male. Pics would be a good alternative.
    Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.

  3. #3
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    Thanks a lot Russ. I attached a photo of the RJ45 male plug. Do I need to open the driver? I'm to new to this stuff.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  4. #4
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    Yes. We need to see everything. It already doesnt look right because the green/white wire is crimped to an unused pin.

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  5. #5
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    Thanks a lot. I have the driver mounted to the ceiling so I'll take it down and open it tomorrow. In the meantime, it looks like the RJ45 male plug is wired according to T-568B if that is of any use - sorry my photo was blurry and didn't quite capture the striping in the wires - from left to right they are white with orange stripe, solid orange, white with green stripe, space, space, solid green, space, space.

  6. #6
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    I opened one up. Unfortunately it's filled with epoxy.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  7. #7
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    The driver is only 1 channel, so the unused G/Wh might not actually be a problem unless that cable is split to more than one driver. They shouldn't have crimped that pair in the first place if it is unused though, so I don't know what they were trying to do there without seeing what's under the epoxy. I would contact wherever you purchased this from and request a return or repair.

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  8. #8
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    Thanks a lot Zombie. According to what I described doing in the OP, I should be able to get the light to produce 100% intensity while the RJ45 is connected to the VDM, right? Did that part look like I had set things up correctly? I wanted to confirm here before I told the manufacturer that something was wrong - wanted to make sure it wasn't me.

  9. #9
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    You had it plugged into the right part, set to 100% and programmed the correct port, so I dont see a user error problem.

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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by zombie View Post
    Yes. We need to see everything. It already doesnt look right because the green/white wire is crimped to an unused pin.

    Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
    I think this is the problem?

    With the cable that connects the VDM to the driver, I took apart the plug that connects to the driver - meaning the opposite end of the cable that has the male RJ45 (picture attached).
    IMG_1851.jpg IMG_1849.jpg

    That plug has pins #1-4.
    IMG_1843.jpg

    #1 is empty, #2 is white/green, #3 is white/orange, #4 is orange. In the cable there is a green wire that isn't connected to anything.

    From Zombie's post and from the attached image from Reefs.com, it looks like my cable is not wired correctly for Apex. There's only two wires in that RJ45 male plug that the VDM can use (orange and white/orange). Is this correct?

    IMG_1853.jpg 2.jpg

  11. #11
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    I think I was wrong there. Wires 7 and 8 are enough to drive one channel via the VDM, correct?

  12. #12
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    Can you see into the other side of that connector?

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  13. #13
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    Zombie, thanks a lot for continuing to follow this. I think your last question lead to the answer.

    I was able to expose the connector on the driver.

    Here is a diagram of what I found

    VDM Diagram added.JPG

    In the image from Reefs.com (below) I think the numbering designation for the pins of the RJ45 are not conventional, but it seems to make the point that my cable is only communicating to the VDM via two grounds (indicated as 3 and 7 in the reefs.com image).

    2.jpg

  14. #14
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    Move the Wh/OR where the Green is and that should fix it.

    Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by zombie View Post
    Move the Wh/OR where the Green is and that should fix it.

    Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
    Thank you very much Zombie. I will then be appropriately using the pair of pins designated as #7 and #8 in the reefs.com image for V- and V+ respectively, correct?

    So, I damaged the connectors while doing all of this. Do you happen to know the names of these connectors so that I can buy them and learn how to replace them?

  16. #16
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    I dont know the name of that one off hand. You could use any ip67 rated connector you want for this.

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  17. #17
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    Thanks. To make things simple, I'll just connect directly with wire nuts I think. I'll be looking to make it the simplest way because I'm pretty bad at soldering.

  18. #18
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    Woohoo. After making the connections with the wire nuts things are now dimming like they're supposed to. Thanks for the help, Zombie!

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