The PMMI Lighting System is DC powered. PMMI can supply AC/DC supplies needed to operate the system, and can purchase as a pass through cost and install and preconfigure with your system. If you desire off grid or solar, we do not provide the equipment needed, but will help you design and find vendors for all products needed.

Power Requirements

The PMMI Lighting System requires two sources of DC power.

  1. Electronics – 12V DC 3A power source for Arduino controller, Raspberry Computer, and other electronics
  2. LED Drivers – 12, 24, 36, or 48V DC power source to power LED drivers. This power source connects only to LED Driver boards or Single Board system.

PMMI LED Fixtures have a voltage drop across the fixture from 6.4 volt to 48 volts. Thus, the number of fixtures per Channel (daisy-chain of LED fixtures) varies by the fixtures being connected. Please check fixture specs for the number of fixtures that can be connected to each channel output.

LED Drivers

Driver Boards can use different sized drivers for each Channel — 300ma, 500ma, 700ma or 1000ma. The choice of driver will determine the maximum current and thus level of illumination for each fixture. This can be used to cap the light level in a space. Since the voltage drop across each fixture is 6.3 volts, and using a string of seven fixtures on a Channel, the maximum power is:

  • 1.89 watts or a total of 13.23 watts using a 300ma driver
  • 3.15 watts or a total of 22.05 watts using a 500ma driver
  • 4.41 watts or a total of 30.87 watts using a 700ma driver
  • 6.3 watts or a total of 44.1 watts using a 1000ma driver

120V and 240V AC Grid Power

PMMI Lighting Systems can operate under grid-based power through the use of AC to DC power supplies.

Two power supplies are required for the PMMI Lighting system.

  1. 12V DC power supply for electronics – We recommend the Meanwell RS-50-12 which works for 120V or 240V AC grid power.
  2. Depending on installation size (i.e. number of fixtures) and LED driver voltage (V2 = 12, 24, 36, or 48V DC), Meanwell offers a variety of power supply options. We recommend the Meanwell LRS, SE, or RSP Series products for V2 power supply.

Solar or Wind Power

Because of its high-efficiency operation, the PMMI Lighting System is an excellent match for off-grid and eco-friendly applications. This involves the installation of solar panels, solar charge controller and batteries. With modest capital investment up front, recurring monthly cost for power are eliminated.

We have purchased solar panels from Sun Electronics for less than .30 cents per watt which makes for a very affordable solar power system. And we have been running these panels for over 17 years with no noticeable change in output.  Sun Electronics is also a good source for Charge Controllers and Batteries.

Because solar panels can operate at 24V DC or 48V DC, a DC to DC converter is also required to provide a step down to 12V DC for electronics. We have been using the Meanwell SD-50C-12 to supply 12V DC power for electronics in the 48V solar system in our show home with excellent results. The Meanwell SD-50B-12 can be used for 24 Volt solar systems. 

We also recommend Schletter for solar panel mounting hardware.