DiY LED - Cree CXA3070

avnewb

Well-Known Member
Jamco is cheaper $61:
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?search_type=jamecoall&catalogId=10001&freeText=hlg-185h-c1400a&langId=-1&productId=2189302&storeId=10001&ddkey=http:StoreCatalogDrillDownView

Not sure cost of ship:
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/PageDisplayView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&content=international

Been looking at drivers for a while now...

So I just realized I can power three vero29 or cxa3070 cobs on the HLG-185H-C1400A right? So would bring relative cost down to $20/driver for each COB. If I got 10 would be $18 but only need 8. Close to the $15.5 each for 10+ of the PLP-60-48 driver that are only 1.3amp and 89% efficient.

So would need five for the 15 vero29s and if I replaced the LPC-60-1400 I am using ti drive the cxa3070s would be another two to drive the six 3k and one to drive the two 5k (can do two cause min voltage is 71v and would be 77v to 84v for two). I also could use a HLG-120H-C1400A to power two but it is more expensive than the 185H anyways. So looks like I will be smart and go with alk HLG-185H-C1400 drivers.

Anyone need 2 or more and I will ship to u when I get them to get cheaper price? Haha. Im cheap as fuk.
 

alesh

Well-Known Member
Yeah, it might seem so, but if shipping to EU, you have to add VAT and import tax. It's about 24% combined in my country. And shipping for 1 piece is at least $42, for 5 pcs $102.
Mouser has free shipping over 150E.
 

Greengenes707

Well-Known Member
Jamco is cheaper $61:
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?search_type=jamecoall&catalogId=10001&freeText=hlg-185h-c1400a&langId=-1&productId=2189302&storeId=10001&ddkey=http:StoreCatalogDrillDownView

Not sure cost of ship:
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/PageDisplayView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&content=international

Been looking at drivers for a while now...

So I just realized I can power three vero29 or cxa3070 cobs on the HLG-185H-C1400A right? So would bring relative cost down to $20/driver for each COB. If I got 10 would be $18 but only need 8. Close to the $15.5 each for 10+ of the PLP-60-48 driver that are only 1.3amp and 89% efficient.

So would need five for the 15 vero29s and if I replaced the LPC-60-1400 I am using ti drive the cxa3070s would be another two to drive the six 3k and one to drive the two 5k (can do two cause min voltage is 71v and would be 77v to 84v for two). I also could use a HLG-120H-C1400A to power two but it is more expensive than the 185H anyways. So looks like I will be smart and go with alk HLG-185H-C1400 drivers.

Anyone need 2 or more and I will ship to u when I get them to get cheaper price? Haha. Im cheap as fuk.
Just a heads up if you do run only 2 COBs(vero or cxa) on an hlg185-1400...
The voltage might not be enough once dimmed below about 800ma.
 

avnewb

Well-Known Member
Just a heads up if you do run only 2 COBs(vero or cxa) on an hlg185-1400...
The voltage might not be enough once dimmed below about 800ma.
Good to know.

I should buy one or even 7 more vero29 5k to use with the extra two 185H power supplies i bought while on sale but they only have 70cri and figure 80 better. 70 prob fine. Just realized I ordered 70cri on my vero 10s by mistake. Digikey has the 80cri. I just didn't know better at the time when I ordered. Newark only has 70cri for vero10 and 29. Need 5 more 10s too...

Would have to pay $5.89 shipping cause the won't add to my other order but would save $43 with discount. Idk. Maybe best to wait. Sort of running out of sqft.
Also not sure want big cobs to veg but they have worked ok so far. And can turn down with the new power supplies...Decisions... think I should get them? Maybe just 4 more to have with the 40 vero10 5ks and 2 cxa3070s 5ks.../ramble
 
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Greengenes707

Well-Known Member
@avnewb
The 70cri is better. The reason higher K temps come in lower cri is because no matter what they are so blue heavy, that the red portion can't even it out and make a higher CRI. Spectrally speaking, 70cri 5K is exactly what people want and know about...No one here has seen a spectral graph of the 80cri in 5k or 4k...only the 70cri curves are shown in data sheets and everywhere else...the 3K is where the 80 comes in...and that is because it is red heavy, and balance out with the blue peak better.

The 70 CRI will delivers more photons...which is the whole goal of a light...spectrum is second. And as we have seen with the 93cri vs 80cri 3K's...the same applies for the 70 vs 80 in the higher K temps. No spectral gains available( as in 70 vs 80 in upper K's, or 80 vs 90 in lower K's) are worth the output loss.
 

avnewb

Well-Known Member
So the arctic alpine 11 plus also has a wedge on the bottom like the alpine 64 GT rev 2? So the vero 29 sticks off it? I think I need to get the 64 plus or 11 GT rev 2...danget, already shipped. Also forgot to order APP power supplies for fans with my jamco order.
 
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SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
No worries there, the Alpine 11 is a lot more heatsink for the money than the 64. Although the 64 works very well also, the Alpine 11 has a bigger fan and actually has a larger mounting area. The CXA3590 fits and the Vero 29 as well.

The efficiency of the fan PSU is very dependent on the size of the load relative to the maximum current of the PSU. So to reach those 80% numbers you have to load match very well. For example I tried powering a single 92mm fan with a high quality OEM, efficiency level iv, 180mA 5V adapter. The fan was only drawing 26mA at 5V (.13W) but the adapter was pulling .6W. So that is an abysmal 21% efficiency. No big deal it is less than a watt but we wouldnt want to scale that up for a large build.

As far as 5V vs 7.5V vs 9V vs 12V etc, if you are directly benefitting from the circulation then it is watts well spent. But if you already have a separate circ fan, then for the Alpine 11, 5V is enough to cool a COB running at 2.5A (100W). So if you are running at 1.4A, 5V is ideal to cool the COB.

Last night I did bump into the limitation for the 5V rule. I was testing a CXA3070 at 2.46A (99.6W). The fan on the heatsink is very low RPM (OCZ vanquisher) but the copper pad and heatpipe setup was pretty beefy. The fan was running so softly at 5V (.125W) that I measured 11% temp droop, not good and too hot to touch. When I bumped it up to 7.5V (.225W) it was only 5% temp droop and at 9V (.495W) it was only 2.6%. So that is a pretty extreme example but it makes the point that not all fans are created equal and that it only takes .5W of fan power to properly cool a 100W COB. Once we go above that we bump into the law of diminishing returns and system efficiency is affected.
 
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avnewb

Well-Known Member
So I guess I should just add fans and increase load and measure against kill a watt meter to find optimal # of fans to hit 83%. SO I will test running 6, 12 and 18 to test 1,2,3amps. Might end up better to go with a 12 or 25 as well so should order one each too. No idea what the efficiency of my current computer like one is but assume in the 50s. Will order kill A watt meter.
 

happy75

Well-Known Member
I will leave it up to smarter people to determine if 5v is better than 12v. I know 5v cools enough but for me 12v makes more sense with the fans moving more air in the room.
My experience with the Alpines is that they are only good for cooling of the heatsink, not for stimulating the airflow in your growroom. You would be needing an external fan in both cases (5V or 12V) because you want the air in the room mixed up. Maybe.....if you have a very small growroom or growcloset, it could work. Well, if you have a spare ATX laying around, you could experiment with that to see what works for you. Before buying something. I wish I thought of that sooner, it would saved me a lot of money.
 

reasonevangelist

Well-Known Member
My experience with the Alpines is that they are only good for cooling of the heatsink, not for stimulating the airflow in your growroom. You would be needing an external fan in both cases (5V or 12V) because you want the air in the room mixed up. Maybe.....if you have a very small growroom or growcloset, it could work. Well, if you have a spare ATX laying around, you could experiment with that to see what works for you. Before buying something. I wish I thought of that sooner, it would saved me a lot of money.
I can attest to the inadequacy of a single alpine 11 fan, for room-circulation purposes, even at 12V. Definitely not enough, though it's certainly making a relevant contribution. It's 'somewhat' helpful, if you're not using a big gusty fan... or you could just use one big fan and not worry about that little bit shooting out the sides of the heat sink. :) (but it's still plenty enough to blast cann-a-roma Out of the box/room, when the door is open... which you probably don't want)

If you want more circulation in a small space, i recommend comparing flow versus power draw numbers, and strategically positioning the 'most efficient' fan you can find, near your passive intake vent(s). Still want it mostly passive, but giving it a little nudge just inside the vent, isn't the same as "forcing air into" the box. Comes in under neg pressure, then gets directed. Once the air casually meanders in, it's whisked away on an aromatic adventure, and eventually cleansed and returned from whence it came! (and if not, you're doin' it wrong)


If you wanted to get nuts, you could design a "cool tube" type thing, but for your heat sink. Intake from outside, exhaust to outside, all sealed, no leaks.

Consider the tendency of resin, in all its forms, to accumulate. Think of your favorite apparatus.

Can that same type of thing happen to a heat sink? Will the heat sink eventually lose cooling efficacy due to perpetual exposure to cann-a-roma? Does any of the sticky go airborne? Can the stink coat the heat sink to the point of compromised cooling capacity? Can anyone test the efficiency of identical heat sinks exposed to disparate levels of stank-film accumulation? Do we know the thermal characteristics of a sheen of cann-a-roma-resin covering a heat sink, after years of perpetual... service?
 

NapalmD

Well-Known Member
That's strange avnewb when I ordered mine from jameco they first said they drop ship from meanwell every Tuesday and Friday, then when I ordered she said they would ship the following week . needless to say they were shipped the next day after my phone call on Thursday with a delivery date of this Wednesday.
 

avnewb

Well-Known Member
My experience with the Alpines is that they are only good for cooling of the heatsink, not for stimulating the airflow in your growroom. You would be needing an external fan in both cases (5V or 12V) because you want the air in the room mixed up. Maybe.....if you have a very small growroom or growcloset, it could work. Well, if you have a spare ATX laying around, you could experiment with that to see what works for you. Before buying something. I wish I thought of that sooner, it would saved me a lot of money.
Ya, I have been going back and forth with it as seems to make more sense to power them at 5v and figure the rest out with other fans.

I agree, thinking the fans will help with circulation is stupid and plan to get external fans to move air around.

Area is ~44" x 18 ft so not small. Headroom drops from 8' to zero on about 8 feet of room, the rest is 8' hight.

Currently using a honeywell turboforce fan from the ground pointed at the 30 Vero 10 "passive" heatsink light I made and room peaks around 82 to 84 but drops down to 61 (with heat off) which is more than I want it to so will probably program heat to come on during lights off....


I can attest to the inadequacy of a single alpine 11 fan, for room-circulation purposes, even at 12V. Definitely not enough, though it's certainly making a relevant contribution. It's 'somewhat' helpful, if you're not using a big gusty fan... or you could just use one big fan and not worry about that little bit shooting out the sides of the heat sink. :) (but it's still plenty enough to blast cann-a-roma Out of the box/room, when the door is open... which you probably don't want)

If you want more circulation in a small space, i recommend comparing flow versus power draw numbers, and strategically positioning the 'most efficient' fan you can find, near your passive intake vent(s). Still want it mostly passive, but giving it a little nudge just inside the vent, isn't the same as "forcing air into" the box. Comes in under neg pressure, then gets directed. Once the air casually meanders in, it's whisked away on an aromatic adventure, and eventually cleansed and returned from whence it came! (and if not, you're doin' it wrong)


If you wanted to get nuts, you could design a "cool tube" type thing, but for your heat sink. Intake from outside, exhaust to outside, all sealed, no leaks.

Consider the tendency of resin, in all its forms, to accumulate. Think of your favorite apparatus.

Can that same type of thing happen to a heat sink? Will the heat sink eventually lose cooling efficacy due to perpetual exposure to cann-a-roma? Does any of the sticky go airborne? Can the stink coat the heat sink to the point of compromised cooling capacity? Can anyone test the efficiency of identical heat sinks exposed to disparate levels of stank-film accumulation? Do we know the thermal characteristics of a sheen of cann-a-roma-resin covering a heat sink, after years of perpetual... service?

I am doing it wrong but havent finished the room yet as just started a few months ago. Put a wall up, hung shelves on it and created the room. Covered wall in panda film and roc-lon blackout curtain. Final part is figuring out ventilation and odor control

I dont want to intake from outside or it will be too cold in winter and too hot in summer.

Plan was to use soffets as intakes from adjacent unfinished basement room with PVC J pipe to keep light out.

Just not sure how/where to vent yet.

I had bought a temp controlled fan to exaust clean air back into same unfinished room but I dont think it has the power to do that even with 3 more that can be added to it as im sure I wont properly remove smell 100%.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QFWLGPU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Maybe something like this that runs a proper fan that can pull thru air thru a good filter so no smell and exhaust outside.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E7NYY8/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

But I might need exhaust running 24/7 for smells, however I cant have the room get too cold in winter which is why I felt I needed something that would regulate the temp.

Or figure out a way to exhaust out sewage vent pipes or some shit...honestly I have thought about pluming a Y into my radon pipe coming from room and having it suck it out as the fan is outside and vent goes to roof line 2 stories up. But if unfiltered smell could still linger over to neighbors or something dangerous.
Thinking a dryer vent exhaust is my only option. Wasted heat...
OR can I actually vent out CLEAN air to the adjacent unfinished room?

IDK, work in progress. Hope to finish soon but struggling with the ventilation aspects as need smell to be 100% removed because there is a finished guest bedroom right next to secret room.

Sorry to get OT.
 
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