Easy-to-use, adjustable voltage regulator for driving LED lighting products. The input takes any voltage from 5 to 36VDC, and the output voltage can be set to anywhere from 1.25 to 32VDC (note that the output voltage cannot be higher than the input voltage!). Can be used to provide a stable 3V supply to drive white LEDs directly, or can be used as a dimmer for 12V LEDs.
Simply connect your DC supply to the input screw terminals on the left (most model railway users will use a 12VDC input). Note that this is polarity sensitive, be sure to connect the correct way round! The output voltage can then be set using the brass screw adjustment.
The left-hand button turns the 3-digit voltage display on & off; the right-hand button toggles between displaying the input and the output voltages (indicated by the small LEDs above the buttons).
To drive our warm white LED string directly:
Connect your input, then display the output voltage (see above). Use a small screwdriver to adjust the output voltage (the brass screw on the blue component at the top). Turn the screw counter-clockwise until the output voltage is around 2.4-2.5V - this will take several full turns. Once this is done you can then connect the LEDs directly to the output terminals on the right, again observing the correct polarity. The output voltage can then be tuned to set your desired light level - we would recommend somewhere between 2.5 and 2.8V (most LEDs will happily run at 3V, but will likely be far too bright for model railway use).
DO NOT CONNECT ANY LEDs TO THE OUTPUT TERMINALS BEFORE REDUCING THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE! Doing so will likely destroy the LED lights.
Note that white LEDs have a forward voltage of 3.0-3.4V; for other colours/types of LED this value may vary. Please check the specifications for your LEDs before connecting.
Technical Specification Input Voltage: 5-36V, polarity sensitive Output Voltage: 1.25-32V (continuously adjustable; default factory setting 17V) Maximum Output Current: 4A Maximum Recommended Output Power: 50W Operating Temperature: -40 to +85 ° C Operating Frequency: 180KHz Conversion Efficiency : up to 96% Dimensions: 68mm x 38mm
