I'd like to build a system that will "turn itself on" at a specified time. Of course something will have to be already "on" to trigger an event at the specified time - but when that happens, I then need to turn on several 120v power supplies.
My guess is that there's a lot of folks here with experience doing this type of thing. I will be controlling 4 Meanwell power supplies, each rated at 5A input (120VAC). I don't need fast switching, just low voltage/current to control on/off.
Is there an accepted "best practice" or proven design for this? I can see using a mechanical relay for the high current draw of the supplies, or perhaps a relay driven by a solid state device to further reducing the (low voltage) current requirement from the controller. I'm wondering if there is a need for opto-isolation.
Has anyone seen a plug-and-play device for this (i.e. a standard 2- or 3-prong outlet module that controls the loads plugged into it with a low-voltage control signal)?
Thanks for any advice on this.
My guess is that there's a lot of folks here with experience doing this type of thing. I will be controlling 4 Meanwell power supplies, each rated at 5A input (120VAC). I don't need fast switching, just low voltage/current to control on/off.
Is there an accepted "best practice" or proven design for this? I can see using a mechanical relay for the high current draw of the supplies, or perhaps a relay driven by a solid state device to further reducing the (low voltage) current requirement from the controller. I'm wondering if there is a need for opto-isolation.
Has anyone seen a plug-and-play device for this (i.e. a standard 2- or 3-prong outlet module that controls the loads plugged into it with a low-voltage control signal)?
Thanks for any advice on this.