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Safety

These controllers run on low-voltage DC (5ā€“24 V) but can switch a lot of current. A K32 with every port loaded can deliver well over 100 A across its banks. At that level, the hazards are fire from loose or undersized wiring, and the mains (AC) side of your power supplies.

Mains voltage

  • Never connect household AC (120/230 V) to any terminal on the controller. The controller only accepts DC from a power supply.
  • Have the AC side of your power supplies wired by someone qualified. Use grounded (3-prong) cords and close the terminal covers on the supply.
  • If a supply has a 115V/230V input switch, set it to match your mains before you plug it in. The wrong setting can destroy the supply.
  • Unplug the AC before you touch the supply's output terminals or the controller's power terminals.

Fire prevention

  • Never fit a larger fuse than the one supplied, and never bridge a fuse holder. The fuse protects the pixel wiring; a bigger fuse lets that wiring overheat.
  • Use wire rated for the current it carries (see Power ā†’ Wire size). Tighten every screw terminal firmly. A loose terminal heats up under load.
  • Tin or ferrule stranded wire ends. Stray strands can short to the next terminal.
  • Mount the controller in an enclosure, away from flammable material. Leave room for airflow, especially around the power terminals and the eFuse/fuse area.

Polarity and voltage

  • Check V+ and G/Vāˆ’ on every terminal before you power up. On the K8, K16 and K32 boards the power inputs have reverse-polarity protection, so reversed power won't damage the controller; that bank simply stays off. The K8-PB and K4-PB have no such protection, and a reversed supply can damage them. Pixels have no such protection either. Wiring a pixel string backwards, or running 5 V pixels from a 12 V bank, will destroy the pixels.
  • Every pixel port on a bank gets the voltage of that bank's power supply. Check that the supply voltage matches the pixels on every port in the bank.
  • The K40D-PB and the PocketScrollers accept 5 V only. Do not connect 12 V or 24 V to them.

Outdoors

The controller is not waterproof. Outdoors, mount it in a weather-resistant enclosure with drip loops on every cable, and keep the power supplies in an enclosure too. Condensation and insects cause more failures than rain does.

Making connections

Turn the power off before you plug or unplug pixel connectors, receivers or power terminals. Network, USB, audio and DMX cables can be connected with the power on.

Storage

If you store the controller for a long time, take out the clock (RTC) coin cell. That keeps it from draining and leaking.