4x2.5 cab outfitted with a diy cxa3070 build

[Al Yamoni]

Still need to decide whether I want the Meanwell A or B with an external dimmer.. anybody want to chime in on this one?

 

[epicfail]

The B drivers have a wider dimming range, I have been very happy running 4x3070 on the HLG-185H-C1050B, you can 5 of them off of that driver or 3 off the HLG-185H-C1400*. I ordered from powergate and my order came correct and on time, one think I should point out is if you're not in the USA you better organize your own shipping. I requested the cheapest shipping they send it FedEx International Priority, cost me over 120$ for the shipping/import of 2 drivers. When I asked powergate they said that is the cheapest available option they have and I should have organize my own pickup (awesome customer service by the way ). Supposably if I would have organized my on shipping I could have had fedex deliver it for around $45 using their cheapest service. I found my experience with Jameco.com to be smoother and cheaper and I would recommend them over powergate as they ship with USPS and that its always a cheaper option than Fedex/UPS. I only used powergate because they had what I wanted and didn't feel like waiting 2 weeks for Jameco to get them in stock, my mistake I should have been more patient.

 

[Al Yamoni]

The B drivers have a wider dimming range, I have been very happy running 4x3070 on the HLG-185H-C1050B, you can 5 of them off of that driver or 4 off the HLG-185H-C1400*. I ordered from powergate and my order came correct and on time, one think I should point out is if you're not in the USA you better organize your own shipping. I requested the cheapest shipping they send it FedEx International Priority, cost me over 120$ for the shipping/import of 2 drivers. When I asked powergate they said that is the cheapest available option they have and I should have organize my own pickup (awesome customer service by the way ). Supposably if I would have organized my on shipping I could have had fedex deliver it for around $45 using their cheapest service. I found my experience with Jameco.com to be smoother and cheaper and I would recommend them over powergate as they ship with USPS and that its always a cheaper option than Fedex/UPS. I only used powergate because they had what I wanted and didn't feel like waiting 2 weeks for Jameco to get them in stock, my mistake I should have been more patient.

Are you positive that I can run (4) cxa3070 ab bin on the HLG-185H-C1400 series? A page back Supra stated that I would be able to string (3) on that driver.

I'm still a giant noob though so just checking your info for my own sake.

 

[epicfail]

Sorry man surpa is right, 3 is the most you can run off of it. I must have been stoned or something thanks for pointing that out, I edited the original post to fix the mistake.

I knew this already as it is the reason I went with the HLG-185H-C1050*, I run 4 per driver.

....Basically what I am asking is if I dim the HLG-185H-C1400* down a bit could a run 4 cxa's off it?

I guess if I dim them enough that each cob's draw is less than 35.75 Vf I should be able to run four, I just can't max them out. I still haven't decided on which ones to get.

190vf remains the cap, but when dimmed the COBs have a lower vF so you can squeeze more of them on the string. Yes I believe if you dim the C1400A you could fit 4 3070s, although I am not sure how far you would have to dim it. If it is below 1150mA then you would be better off with a C1050A (which outputs up to 1150mA at 191vF).

 

[Al Yamoni]

Thanks for clearing that up brotha

 

[churchhaze]

If would be great if HLG-185H-C1400 supported just a few volts higher, then it would support 4 cxa 3070 or 4 vero 29

 

[Al Yamoni]

Will this wire be sufficient for running strings of three cxa3070 powered by the Meanwell HLG-185H-C1400 driver?
View attachment 3286427

This wire will not work as far as I can tell but I'm still a bit confused. For some stupid reason it isn't labeled on the jacket but I read that it's rated for up to 150v. I need a minimum of a 300v rating, correct?

 

[epicfail]

If you look at page 1 on this thread I posted the cheapest source of wire available, Dollar stores. You can get twelve foot 16 gauge extension cords for 3$ ($0.25 /ft) here in canada, so cheaper down south for sure. Supra also mentioned on the first page about 6 foot extension cords from walmart, the wire is rated 300v and is cheaper and thicker than the homedepot link you provided.

 

[SupraSPL]

Nice soldering iron and tools AL. If the wire jacket is rated for 150V that should be sufficient for the HLG-185H-C1400. I only mentioned 300V as a guideline and in truth I have used 50V hookup wire for 191V during a few quick tests with the HLG-185H-C1050A (I do not recommend this, just a data point that it will not arc through the jacket). Worst case scenario if both the wire got pinched, jacket breached and conductors shorted, a fastblow fuse can shut down the circuit. Also, the Mean Well drivers have built in short circuit protection so it would be redundant. If you are expecting your install to get moved around a lot or take a beating, it might be worthwhile to go with a tough jacket like the extension cord wire which is 16 gauge.

As far as A vs B, there are pros and cons. The HLG-185H-C1050A I tested was adjustable from 485mA to 1150mA. The HLG-185H-C1050B I use to grid charge my hybrid batteries is adjustable from 35mA to 1065mA with a 100K pot + 18K resistor. Those are the only two I have tested so it makes me wonder if the HLG-185H-C1400A could put out quite a bit more than 1400mA.

If I understand correctly, another advantage of the B version is you can dim multiple drivers from a single dimmer, which may be handy if you are planning on using the dimming feature very often. Also, the B version is more water resistant than the A version, although the A version has a rubbber plug that protects the internal dimmer.

 

[SupraSPL]

Good info regarding the international shipping issues EF. The HLG-185H-C1050As that I tested and always refer to were shipped to me in the US ($20) and then I shipped a pair of them to Canada ($25 USPS Priority International). Seems ridiculous to pay for shipping twice but it was actually cheaper for him that way. The point is, these companies are not trying very hard to service international customers and that is very unfortunate. Maybe Jamecos USPS price would be more fair.

 

[churchhaze]

A vs B is sort of meaningless to me. It's rare I ever want to dim. I paid too much for these power supplies to drive them at lower than their max current.

I've just been getting A. If you ever want to have 1 control for dimming all your supplies with 1 signal, B is the way to go. It just seems so unimportant though.

 

[Al Yamoni]

Here comes a little side diy that I am going to throw on this thread simply because I have too many as it is.
I am starting this because it will be a might bit cheaper and I can get some experience.

My new Shitstar board came yesterday from the warranty. It turns out I contacted them on the exact date the warranty was going to end.
SO, I have an extra piece of aluminum so called heatsink and an led board that is begging to be fixed up (Currently has only 1 of 4 strings in working order and its not the drivers..)

I also have some fans and cpu heatsinks laying around so the only thing is identifying the best possible drivers to match with the board. That is if it could be worth it.

anyways I would have 4 cpu heatsinks w/ fans bolted on the top side side of the aluminum (one on each corner) with a large pc fan in the middle. I need to route around the dead LEDs and get it working again. Just gotta muster up the courage to start poking.

 

[Al Yamoni]

Ok, so I have cleaned the LED board really well with alcohol and paper towels. I also found a couple AC/DC adapters and I understand the basic concept of volts to watts to amps and their relationship with each other, (extremely basic!) I just don't know what to look for with my fans to be able to pair things together quite yet? can anybody link to a preferably non forum based read for me or help me out a bit?

First one is INPUT 110-12-VAC 60Hz 180mA
OUTPUT 12.0VDC 750mA
Second one is INPUT 120VAC 60Hz 29W
OUTPUT 12VDC 1200mA

 

[Al Yamoni]

is it really just as simple as finding out what amps the fan will draw and matching what the output of the DC is?

 

[epicfail]

Always get a power supply that can handle a bit more amperes than the fan will draw. If you want to run 2 or more fans you can run them both in parallel but you need to add up the current of all the fans and match it to a PSU that can handle enough amps for both.

 

[Al Yamoni]

So I have a 200mm 3 speed pc fan and a few acdc adapters. The first one I hooked up wouldn't power the fan. Its output is 12vdc @1.2A which I thought would be more than enough.

The one that ended up working was rated at 110-240v @1A output. Why did this one work and not the other?

 

[epicfail]

Some power supplies are just made cheap and can't hold up to their specs, I had a couple of cheap wall wart types at first and one also that failed, I can only recommend getting yourself a good reliable PSU because if the fan fails your light will quickly overheat. Supra has tested and was recommending these 12v 2A power supplies, you have to select it from the drop down menu.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/360766354787?var=630171481098&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

 

[Al Yamoni]

Thought I was having another "slow" moment.

 

[Al Yamoni]

So I tested the board and found 4 dead leds out of a total of 168.

#'s
39
104
110
136
Looking at the pic, what is my best course of action at this point? I'm reading that I can solder a wire bridging the anode and cathode, but is this my only option? My soldering skills aren't the best just yet even though I've been practicing..

 

[Al Yamoni]

What would I have to find out about this board to match it with drivers?
There are four strings total. Which, if equal have 42 diodes per string.
It came from a blackstar 500w "HO veg" model.
I'd like to run it softer though because these things have obvious heat issues..