Electronic – Anything special to consider when running a 12v “Bus” throughout the house

dcdc/dc converterlow-voltagemainswiring

I've recently begun playing a lot with tiny programmable computers/controllers (like the Raspberry Pi and the Arduino), and I'm planning to distribute several throughout my house as various sensors. So far as I have been tinkering with them I've been using a wall-wart transformer with a USB plug to provide them with 5v (like the one I use to charge my cellphone every night). The problem with doing this throughout my house is that I do not have an AC plug wherever I would need a device.

I've been thinking about running a 12v "bus" throughout my attic, which would allow me to branch off power for devices wherever I need it. This way I would just need a 5v regulator to pair with each of the devices. (The only reason I would run 12v and not straight 5v is because I already have a large 15-amp 12v switching power supply which I could use)

Is there anything special I should consider with this solution? I feel much safer running 12v around in my attic than I would running my own mains power lines. Seems like a no-brainer on the surface, but I may be overlooking something.

Best Answer

A few things come to mind:

  1. You need to protect the bus from overcurrent. Even if your power supply has its own built-in protection, I would use an additional fuse (or circuit breaker) at the output of the power supply. This way you can be sure the maximum current won't get away from you. This leads to:

  2. You'll need to use beefy wire. In the USA, 15A circuits are wired with #14AWG, minimum. If you want to use thinner wire, you'll have to fuse each leg appropriately.

  3. If you do use #14AWG wire (or your local equivalent), don't use the typical cable used for household AC! Although it would work out technically, it would cause major confusion and ambiguity. You don't want anyone expecting 12VDC and getting Mains voltage (now or in the future).

  4. At 12V, the current draw can quickly add up. Keep this in mind as you add devices. You may want to swap in a 24VDC power supply in the future. It is a common industrial standard, gives you twice the power over the same wires, and still falls into the "low-voltage" category.

Adding to Point #4: If you choose local 5V converters that accept a range of input voltages (including 12V and 24V, of course), then you won't have to change anything if you bump up the supply voltage.