See also: Control Panel/Raspberry PI Shelf
See also: 5.2 V Regulator
See also: Robust Power For Raspberry PI
See also: Assembling the Switchover Circuit

Purchasing and Wiring Meanwell RS-15-15

We use the Meanwell RS-15-15 to power the Raspberry PI and digital section of the node, and also to trickle charge the small Gel-Cel used for backing up the Raspberry PI.

This page is about hooking up AC and DC power to the Meanwell and tuning it's output to the appropriate 14.2V for our backup circuit. Specifications for the Meanwell RS-15-15 are available at
Specifications at meanwell.com

Purchase the Meanwell
Meanwell RS-15-15 from Mouser

Meanwell RS-15-15 from Digikey

WARNING!!!!
This process needs to be handled very carefully as 110VAC is dangerous.
I am not qualified to describe this at all and I'm completely unfamiliar with the wiring requirements outside the USA. Please consult local information to determine if you can safely and legally use this kind of power supply.

Even inside the USA, I'm not qualified to do anything like this, much less advise you to do it. Proceed at your own risk.

Please be prepared to survive screwing up, and then do not screw up. Check and doublecheck.

Obtain a NEMA 5-15P power cord such as used for a PC power supply or AC powered test equipment.
Cut the socket off the cord.
Strip the cord to show the 3 color wires inside the outer jacket.
These colors must be black, white and green, else discard the cord and find another.
Route the AC cable in such a way that stress cannot be put on the wires where they connect to the Meanwell, even by pulling the cord at the plug end.

The Meanwell must be solidly attached to the node box and the wires should be strain relieved. Either drill two holes into the shelf, left and right of the power wire, and then use tie wraps through the hole and around the wire, or drill a hole through the cabinet and run the wire from the outlet, through that hole, and then to the Meanwell.

Wiring: The color codes of the wires are not obvious though they are supposed to be obvious. While the Wiring-Code that describes safe electrical connections is quite clear about the colors expected in AC power cables in various countries, the color codes are not the same in the different countries. In the USA, where there is supposed to be one standard, I have found power cables that have correct colors for the European market, and they are not the same as USA colors. Either way, I don't trust that the colors are wired to the pins they should be wired to.

Wiring Color Codes [allaboutcircuits.com]

Before wiring to the Meanwell supply, use an ohm-meter to verify that the color wires are correctly wired to the plug. Refer to the 3-prong plug diagram for white, black and green colors.

If your cable is appropriate for this task with the proper white, black and green and they are connected to the plug in the USA standard order,
Solder tin the 3 wires and hook them up so green goes to ground, black goes to L load and white goes to N neutral.

Connect a red wire to the V+ terminal and a black wire to the V- terminal. Attach a volt ohm meter to the other end of the black and red wire. Measure the DC volts while adjusting the white potentiometer on the wiring-side of the Meanwell. Tune the DC volts to 14.2 V DC.