Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Fluval Pro LED Lights - PWM Walkthrough
#21
(09-25-2018, 11:31 PM)Rob F Wrote: Hi Fred, sorry about the delay, something came up and i have to leave for night.

That bluetooth module info looks interesting, the module has PWM channels of its own, those could be what's actually driving the lights as well. I would love to add a bluetooth module so we could communicate directly however I wouldn't know the commands the light response to. I know with lights using IR for a remote there are different commands sent so I'm guessing it's the same with bluetooth. If you could find that info then we would be talking. It wouldn't be too difficult to add the module to the controller but need to know commands to turn lights on/off and change the brightness.



I just sent a message to Fluval to see if they would send me the commands the light respond to.

Hi Rob

Yeah that would be great , i tried contacting the Chinese manufacturer but they didn't want to give me more details about the api 

So i am trying to get the codes by sniffing the Bluetooth communication from the app to find out what codes works. i have decompile the fluval app and trying to find the codes lol 
 
Else tomorrow i will hook up the lights to an oscilloscope to find out the pwm signals
Reply to top
#22
We shouldn't need any more info for the module in the light, since bluetooth is a standard I think we just need to codes the light wants. Sniffing the codes is a good idea, surely there is some app that gives that info, sounds like your hot on the trail lol... If we can find these codes it would be better and much easier to use the lights.
Reply to top
#23
(09-25-2018, 11:57 PM)Rob F Wrote: We shouldn't need any more info for the module in the light, since bluetooth is a standard I think we just need to codes the light wants. Sniffing the codes is a good idea, surely there is some app that gives that info, sounds like your hot on the trail lol... If we can find these codes it would be better and much easier to use the lights.

Hi Rob

Please find the voltage . So where do we go from here. I am still waiting for the new Robo tank module to arrive but i still have the old 2.0 version with the pwm module

The other side of the lights provide only 24V Dc current . I removed the top module and you can see underneath there is not much lol 

Thanks for you help 

         
Reply to top
#24
Ah there's the rest of it. Looks like that big transistor might be a MOSFET of some type, possibly those other 4 small ones as well. Can you read the part numbers off them so we can look them up? My guess is the PWM is driving those. Depending on the the MOSFET type it could be as simple as it controlling the GND to the LED's which is a common method.

How many controllable channels does that light have? I see 5 colors you marked so I'm guessing 5 which matches the number of transistors?

The 9.5v seems an odd voltage, is it 9.5v if light is full brightness and 50% brightness?

Hope you get the new boards soon, I see they were delivered in US last week, I thought USPS was quicker than Canada Post, I assume that's what you used to get it to Australia?
Reply to top
#25
Next I would put a volt meter on those transistors, looking at everything it must be setup for 5 channels. On each of those transistors one of the pins must have a PWM signal going to them. If you put the GND probe from meter on the common GND and then check the 3 pins on the transistor. Check with light full power and then check with light at 50% power. One of those should be different when light level is changed. And yes good luck checking those voltages with the module plugged in. :)
Reply to top
#26
One other thing, when you got that 3.3v on those 5 pins was the light 100% brightness? Did you check them at 50% brightness? Thinking those must be the signal to the transistors, if so it would be as simple as removing the bluetooth board and connecting to the controller from there. If the 3.3v drops to around 1.65v at 50% level and 0v when light is dimmed to off then I think we're talking.
Reply to top
#27
(09-26-2018, 10:57 PM)Rob F Wrote: One other thing, when you got that 3.3v on those 5 pins was the light 100% brightness? Did you check them at 50% brightness? Thinking those must be the signal to the transistors, if so it would be as simple as removing the bluetooth board and connecting to the controller from there. If the 3.3v drops to around 1.65v at 50% level and 0v when light is dimmed to off then I think we're talking.

Hi Rob

Yes the lights 0-100%  goes from 0V  - 3.3v  and the 9.5V stays constant 

It is only 5 channels. I reckon also we could bypass the Bluetooth module and hook up your pwm module

Im still at work so i will hook it up again and double check the voltages.

Hi Rob

Yes i can confirm at 100% its 3.3V and 50% around 1.6V and 0% its down to 0.006v

So we could bypass the Bluetooth circuit and hook up straight to it then

The Shipitto company screwed up with my parcel and it returned back to the US after 1 week ,

Now i am trying to get it shipped back again to AUS without me paying again shipping and all sort of fees
Reply to top
#28
Ah beautiful, the last thing to verify is that 0-3.3v is actually a positive voltage and not a negative, this is important. The other Fluval light had a negative PWM so it's possible on this too.

To verify positive voltage, make sure the GND probe from meter is definitely on a common GND from light which sounds like you have and then put the positive probe on the pin going to LED board, if you don't have a -3.3v on the meter it should be positive voltage. So make sure that negative symbol isn't on the meter with 3.3v or whatever showing.

You mentioned 24v on the LED board, where is that coming from, does the bluetooth module have anything to do with it? As in 24v goes into that board then from there to the LED board? Looking at the images I'm guessing the 24v goes directly to the LED board and 9.5v is sent to the module for power it up. If that's correct and you power up the LED board with the 24v power source you should still have 9.5v on that pin without the module plugged in.

So we know 3.3v is the max voltage but controller puts out a max of 5v on the LED channels which is too much. It's possible that PWM converter you have will drop the voltage to 3.3v but you'll have to play a bit with input voltage to converter but we can figure that out later.

If you can verify the 0-3.3v is definitely positive voltage and the 24v from DC adapter goes into LED board then all you should need to do is leave the bluetooth module unplugged, connect a common GND from controller to that GND pin on the 7 pin header on LED board. On controller you can connect to 1 of the 2 GND's beside the LED ports. Then set an LED channel on the controller so it outputs 1v, about 820 on the slider, and touch that wire to one of the 5 3.3v pins on LED board. Some of the LED's should light up about 1/3 brightness. If that works you can connect all 5 channels from controller and they should all work. Of course be sure not to set the LED sliders on display over 2500 otherwise voltage will start going about 3.3v and hurt the light. It wouldn't be a good idea to move the sliders with the controller connected, as you know sometimes the touch can respond somewhere else and a channel might go full level sending 5v to the light. If the light looks about a 1/3 bright it'll change with the slider no need to test unless you disconnect and reconnect first.

Now with all that said the disclaimer lol, this is all at your own risk, I would hate to see a message saying something went wrong. I'm confident enough if those other test check out that I would do it if it was my light but that doesn't say much. :) But yeah it's very simple setup, the only concern I have is the 3.3v signal is negative because the other light is but the volt meter should tell you that if used correctly. Also when you connect the first 3.3v to the LED channel from controller set at 1v for just a quick second, if light doesn't flash on something isn't right, if it does you should be ok to leave it. One day I plan to have some lights available and this is the method I was planning on using as it's common and cheap method, without the module there's 50 cents of parts plus LED's.
Reply to top
#29
Hi Rob

I will give it a go tomorrow. :) I will remove the Bluetooth module and use the current Robotank and the your pwm module to test and see if everything works

Thanks for all you help and time and effort.

Really appreciate
Reply to top
#30
Sounds good. If you lower the input voltage on the pwm module the output should drop as well, hopefully you can set it so max is 3.3v.
Reply to top
#31
Hi Fred,

So the way I was able to get the Robo-Tank to control my Fluval lights was with the plug. The Pro lights have a 4-pin plug that connects the light to the power supply. PIN out is (in no particular order) HOT, Ground, WHITE PWM, BLUE PWM.

If your light also uses the similar style plug then you have PWM control capable lights, and you can use the same method I did to control the lights. If you are in doubt, post a picture of the plug and I will tell you if you can wire it the same way I wired mine.
Reply to top
#32
(09-30-2018, 02:32 PM)jlysaght3 Wrote: Hi Fred,

So the way I was able to get the Robo-Tank to control my Fluval lights was with the plug. The Pro lights have a 4-pin plug that connects the light to the power supply. PIN out is (in no particular order) HOT, Ground, WHITE PWM, BLUE PWM.

If your light also uses the similar style plug then you have PWM control capable lights, and you can use the same method I did to control the lights. If you are in doubt, post a picture of the plug and I will tell you if you can wire it the same way I wired mine.

Hi 

My mine is the FLuval 3.0 Bluetooth and you can the pictures in this post. I should receive my new Robotank this week and will test the pwm :) 

Thanks for your help  K05164
[-] The following 1 user Likes fred73's post:
  • Rob F
Reply to top
#33
Any word on how this worked out for the Fluval W/Bluetooth?
Will driving each channel direct work?
I have a Fluval Flex 32.5 with that light and have a Robo-Tank on the way.

Thanks,

Cadmanj
[-] The following 1 user Likes Cadmanj's post:
  • Rob F
Reply to top
#34
Maybe fred73 can jump in, it sounds like he got it working but not sure.
Reply to top


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  LED dimming Skwerl77 13 11,540 06-18-2018, 08:12 AM
Last Post: Skwerl77
  LED DRIVER AND BOARD aron04 21 20,221 09-14-2017, 12:16 AM
Last Post: Rob F
  LED DRIVER 10PWM AND 10 ANALOG apanelmarcin 4 6,322 07-16-2017, 04:28 PM
Last Post: Rob F
  pwm fan Neongt 15 14,838 12-14-2016, 02:19 PM
Last Post: fietsenrex

Forum Jump:

Current time: 03-28-2024, 08:29 AM