Mixed Voltage K32

[tetleytealeaf]

I must say, I am pleased with running K32 with different voltage on different power banks.  You need methods to make very sure you don't connect to the wrong one (particularly, 12v to the BBB or 5v pixels to the 12v power domain), but this has saved me multiple receivers.  And it lets me run a single K32 instead of two K16's.  

What I'm doing is placing the power supplies in separate enclosures, closest to.their first power injection points; and then I route wires back into the K32.  Reverse power injection, so to speak.  The current draw on the K32 is just not that high, so it can handle the long wires--which in turn lets me use closer to the full 32 ports, from far away.   The bulk of the current is at the first injection point. 

I'm using 5v for dense props (particularly, on the side of the house) and 12v for long runs that I don't particularly want to power inject much (also on the side of the house).  And 5v for any potential fire hazards.  I have never had a 5v catch fire.   Before, I was planning in zones, where this zone was almost all 5v and that zone was almost all 12v; because that's what the controller nearby was.   But with a mixed-mode K32 I can freely mix in one zone. Just have to be careful.