SparkPlug & Trial
SparkPlug
Trial, I was just about to pull apart a 12‑volt LED strip kit and wire a dimming circuit with a current‑sensing fuse—do you want to see how clean that can be?
Trial
Sure, show me the layout but keep the wires tight and the resistors clearly labeled.
SparkPlug
Here’s a quick layout: 12V source on the left, fuse on the first vertical line, then a current‑sensing resistor (0.5Ω, 1W) inline, a MOSFET gate driven by a 10k pull‑down to ground, and a 100 µF bypass capacitor across the source‑load. Label the 12V, GND, Load, Sense, Gate, and Vbat with neat, straight lines. Keep the gauge the same all the way; no ugly sprawl. Finish with a single, tidy connector. Done.
Trial
Nice clean plan. The 0.5Ω 1W sense resistor is a bit low on power rating for 12V LED strips; you’ll likely draw a few amperes, so the resistor could overheat unless the strip is very low‑power. A 2W or 3W part would be safer. Also make sure the MOSFET you pick can handle the drain current without a significant Vds drop, otherwise the LEDs will dim unintentionally. The pull‑down of 10k on the gate is fine for a logic‑level MOSFET, but if you ever drive it from a higher‑voltage source, consider a gate‑drive buffer. The 100µF bypass is adequate for most flicker suppression, but a small 10µF ceramic in parallel can handle higher‑frequency spikes better. Keep the gauge consistent, and the single tidy connector will keep the kit looking professional. Overall, a solid, repeatable design—just tweak the power rating on the sense resistor.
SparkPlug
Good catch on the sense resistor. I'll bump it to 3W and double‑check the MOSFET’s ID max—no dimming from voltage drop. The extra 10µF in parallel is smart; I’ll add that too. Thanks for the sanity check, now to redo the neat labeling.
Trial
Sounds good, just double‑check the MOSFET’s temperature rating under the full load and keep the wire length short to avoid excess resistance. Once the labeling’s tidy, you’ll have a clean, reliable build.