MelI have been active in the garden again and created a small bed which I would like to illuminate with an Outdoor LightStrip. This led me to a problem which I was able to solve with a hint from Hueblog reader Alexander: a self-built power supply for the 24 Volt system.
Actually, I planned to use the 100 watt power supply that Philips Hue wanted to launch in April. Unfortunately, delivery seems to be delayed until May. Needless to say that you become impatient because you want to get your projects finished.
To supply three Hue Calla, one Hue Impress wall lamp, two Lily spots and one Outdoor LightStrip with enough power, a power supply from Meanwell is now used. This one offers a proud 150 watt of power at 24 Volts, including one or the other reserve. You never know what future light projects may come.
Installation is very simple. The outdoor-suitable power supply unit needs to be connected with a power plug on one side and a low voltage cable on the other side. I used the cables that are built into the power supply of the Outdoor LightStrip, because I had those left over anyway. To connect the cutted cables with the new power supply I used these outdoor-suitable cable connectors.
A first test with a measuring device at light setting “Concentration” with 100 percent brightness consumes 85 watts. Of course, you probably don't use this setting outdoors very often, which is why I used two other scenes with 100 percent each: the setting “Read” consumes 69 watt, the scene “Soho” sums up to 33 watt. So I wouldn't have been able to get by with a 40 watt adapter.
Why not just a second 40 watt power supply, which would have been sufficient? Another socket would have been available, but for the Outdoor LightStrip I would have had to lay 20 metres of additional cable around the garden and the terrace. So I simply connected it to the end of the already existing low voltage chain.
I'm also on the safe side: if another outdoor lamp is to be installed, I definitely have a few reserves – even more than with the 100 watt power supply that Philips Hue will be launching in a few weeks.
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Fabian
