4x2.5 cab outfitted with a diy cxa3070 build

Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
I am eventually going to replace four shite blackstar led's all together, starting with my largest cab where I flower my girls.

I also have two other cabs for veg and pre flower veg that will eventually get updated as well.

This thread will serve as my own guide into taking the plunge into diy lightning as well as a place for me to ask questions of knowledgeable folks regarding my particular setup.

Let's discuss the materials:

10x cree cxa3070's

10x arctic 11 plus coolers w/ fans

Either 2x HLG-185H-C1400A (5 COBs on each)

Or 10x 85-265V fasttech 50W (1 per COB)

I have a box full of 12v dc adapters that I can use for the fans.

I still need to get a solder iron, wire, and solder I would like to get some recommendations in this department.

I actually haven't purchased anything as of today. I'm mostly waiting on some funds from two of the blackstar chrome leds I'm trying to part with.

I think I have a good source for the cxa's I want to use so I had better jump on that quick.

Pics of the space that I want to fill and talk of designs are to come later tonight.

Stay tuned.
 
Nc87

Nc87

Active Member
Use resin flux core solder. I just built some cxas and used a 30 watt iron and it worked surprisingly well however others may recommend a 40 or 60 watt. Also I used 16 gauge wire cause it was free but I would try to get what supra uses. It looks easier to work with.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Rollitup mobile app
 
Nc87

Nc87

Active Member
Might be 18 gauge but I'm not sure if its hookup wire or stranded. Check into his build threads I'm sure its there.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Rollitup mobile app
 
SupraSPL

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
Hey AL, if you go with separate drivers you can use 18 gauge stranded security wire or similar. The security wire was not designed for high voltage though, so if you go with the 143V Mean Well you probably want to use 18 gauge wire with a jacket that is rated for 300V at least. I have used this 600V wire for example:
http://www.elecdirect.com/catalog/wire/mtw-tew-equipment-wire

If anyone has some other links to 300V wire or better that would be good for the high voltage Mean Wells/Inventronics please post them up. Home Depot sells wire for lamp cords that might be a good deal and if it is a short run you could use the wire from the cheap Walmart extension cords.
 
gk skunky

gk skunky

Well-Known Member
Yeah I went with SupraSPL and used 600v awg for the main supply from wall to drivers. Then 60v for fans and from drivers to cob. For those fans to run all 10 in parallel you will need a 2A 2012v dc adapter. Think supra said he measured them to .185A each.


Ordered my wire from radio shack. Used a 60w iron. After I ordered my wiring I saw home depot carries 600v on a spool sold by the foot. Lowe's did not and no one else seemed to carry higher than 300v.
 
epicfail

epicfail

Well-Known Member
xcord.jpg​
I get $3 12' 300V 16/2 extension cords from the dollar store like this and just cut the ends off. Its the cheapest source of wire I could find locally, works out to $0.25 a foot. On the label it says its rated for 13A/125V 1625W max. The electrical supply store near me wanted close to double the price for wire with the same rating, but they wanted me to buy a minimum amount. I like how flexible and soft this wire is compared to what the electrical place had anyway.
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
Sorry, had a rough couple days. Those pics are coming up tonight once the girls are awake. I really want to get this design off of the ground asap.
 
SupraSPL

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
epicfail said:
I get $3 12' 300V 16/2 extension cords from the dollar store like this and just cut the ends off. Its the cheapest source of wire I could find locally, works out to $0.25 a foot. On the label it says its rated for 13A/125V 1625W max. The electrical supply store near me wanted close to double the price for wire with the same rating, but they wanted me to buy a minimum amount. I like how flexible and soft this wire is compared to what the electrical place had anyway.
Click to expand...
Good info, sometimes I use similar wire from Walmart, $1.37 for 6 feet but sometimes 6 feet is not enough, I will check out the dollar store.
 
AquariusPanta

AquariusPanta

Well-Known Member
Al Yamoni said:
I am eventually going to replace four shite blackstar led's all together, starting with my largest cab where I flower my girls.

I also have two other cabs for veg and pre flower veg that will eventually get updated as well.

This thread will serve as my own guide into taking the plunge into diy lightning as well as a place for me to ask questions of knowledgeable folks regarding my particular setup.

Let's discuss the materials:

10x cree cxa3070's

10x arctic 11 plus coolers w/ fans

Either 2x HLG-185H-C1400A (5 COBs on each)

Or 10x 85-265V fasttech 50W (1 per COB)

I have a box full of 12v dc adapters that I can use for the fans.

I still need to get a solder iron, wire, and solder I would like to get some recommendations in this department.

I actually haven't purchased anything as of today. I'm mostly waiting on some funds from two of the blackstar chrome leds I'm trying to part with.

I think I have a good source for the cxa's I want to use so I had better jump on that quick.

Pics of the space that I want to fill and talk of designs are to come later tonight.

Stay tuned.
Click to expand...
Your making the right choice ditching the BlackStars and Chromes and instead building your own light fixtures. I'll be watching from a distance.

:joint:
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
There are two six inch ducts pulling air constantly, one on each side of the ceiling.

I have decided to power them each separately for safety reasons as a priority.

The space is 4' wide and 2'9" deep. I have a little over 4' of headspace in the cab.
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
I was thinking that 8 COBs running @ or around 950mA would be a nice setup? What do you think? I want it to be stellar and I am not a fan of moving my lights up and down much. I would like to discuss this topic as well.
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
I'm wide open to any and all ideas on this one because I'm no where close to being an expert on the subjects at hand.
 
epicfail

epicfail

Well-Known Member
I don't think you can use the 50w fasttech driver with the CXA3070. The 30w works but I believe at 1.4A the 3070 draws more than the 36v peak that driver has available. There are a few options available on eBay that work though.
 
SupraSPL

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
Yep, the vF range on the 50W driver is too low. It may still work, but you likely get only 1A - 1.2A out of it. Since you would be ordering from China anyway, you can get the full 1.45A from these and power factor corrected:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/171401815098?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

But since you are aiming for 950mA, the 30W Fasttech drivers will give you about 850mA. Or you could use these 30W enclosed drivers shipped from Cali and they put out about 800mA at 90.5% effciency:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/30W-Watt-High-Power-LED-Driver-AC85V-265V-50-60HZ-Waterproof-USA-Seller-/310948865469?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4865ff25bd
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
Since I am almost completely new to this and a good light comes just before efficiency for me, would I be better off with the first recommendation or the second, fasttech 30w?

Again, Im not set on 950mA exactly,I just want them to last a long while being as cool and as powerful as possible.
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
With 8 COBs running @ 1.4A, would that be a cool running setup that will saturate my space with light and last years?
 
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