Apparatus and method for controlling and supplying power to electrical devices in high risk environments

An integrated power hub and device controller apparatus for controlling and supplying power to a plurality of electrical devices that are used in connection with an aquatic system, the apparatus comprising:

• an alternating current (AC) power input for receiving AC power from an external power source;
• a plurality of converter circuits electrically coupled to the AC power input and operable to convert the received AC power to direct current (DC) power, each converter circuit providing a respective DC output voltage for a respective electrical device of the plurality of electrical devices, each of the plurality of converter circuits including a step-down transformer so as to mitigate stray currents from flowing between the plurality of electrical devices;
• a plurality of DC power output connectors, each DC power output connector being electrically coupled to a respective converter circuit of the plurality of converter circuits and supplying the respective DC output voltage to the respective electrical device;
• a controller operable to generate control signals that cause the plurality of electrical devices to create visual effects with respect to the aquatic system;
• and
• a communication interface operably coupled to the controller and operable to provide the control signals to the plurality of electrical devices.

An integrated power hub and device controller apparatus for controlling and supplying power to a plurality of electrical devices that operate in environments which create a high risk for the plurality of electrical devices to generate stray voltages and currents, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of converter circuits that convert input alternating current (AC) power to direct current (DC) power, each converter circuit providing a DC output voltage for a respective electrical device of the plurality of electrical devices, each converter circuit including a step-down transformer and being configured so as to mitigate stray currents from flowing between the plurality of electrical devices;
• a first communication interface operable to receive host control signals from a remote host device;
• a controller operably coupled to the first communication interface and operable to generate device control signals in response to the host control signals so as to at least partially control operations of the plurality of electrical devices;
• and
• a second communication interface operably coupled to the controller and operable to provide the device control signals to the plurality of electrical devices.

A method for an integrated power hub and device controller apparatus to control and supply power to a plurality of electrical devices that operate in environments which create a high risk for the plurality of electrical devices to generate stray voltages and currents, the method comprising:

• receiving alternating current (AC) power from a single AC power source;
• converting the received AC power into a plurality of substantially isolated direct current (DC) output voltages;
• supplying each DC output voltage to a respective one of the plurality of electrical devices;
• generating control signals for at least partially controlling operations of the plurality of electrical devices;
• and
• communicating the control signals to the plurality of electrical devices.