Q and hopefully A about my new led light

[benbud89]

Hello,

Just before placing my order with Jerry, do you all think this looks correct?

12 @ CXB3590 3500K CD BIN
3 @ MW-185h-c1400 A or B ?
12 @ Ideal holders
3 @ APV-12-12 (to power 4 fans each)

Now, this has to travel a long way to get to me, and it is already getting somewhat expensive, ~840USD
I still have to order the fans-heatsink combo, and what else do you feel that I need for this?

I will be building three closetoidentical bars to cover hopefully a 4x4 area, 4x3 the least. Or perhaps 5x3 would make for better coverage. What do you think? For now, I plan to leave them without lenses and reflectors.
Does that seem to be a viable plan? What am I leaving out? Do you have any good safety tips and ideas? This is my first DIY, and I hope that the proverb, "where theres a will, theres a way", will see me through this.

I hope for some input, I read on most LED threads daily. I guess that what Im hoping for is some partners in crime, which I can get anonymously here on RIU.

Thank you very much!

 

[Rahz]

What you have is slightly more light than a 1000w HPS. 4x4 = over 1000 PPFD 5x5 = around 750 PPFD

As for safety tips, take your time with it and make sure the connections are solid, ground the units well (ring connectors are cheap). Make sure you have proper gauge and voltage ratings on the wire you choose. What are you using to connect the cobs to drivers? I used to use terminal blocks with plastic covers but have switched to Wago 222.

 

[HockeyBeard]

You'll just need the odds and ends. Some wago lever nuts, 18ga wire, something in mind to connect the fans together, etc. I'm not exactly up to speed on the 3590 specs, as far as their PAR coverage. When I was doing my research, the 3070s were top dawg. I've got to go back and study it.

What are you using to house the lights?

 

[JimmyIndica]

Hello,

Just before placing my order with Jerry, do you all think this looks correct?

12 @ CXB3590 3500K CD BIN
3 @ MW-185h-c1400 A or B ?
12 @ Ideal holders
3 @ APV-12-12 (to power 4 fans each)

Now, this has to travel a long way to get to me, and it is already getting somewhat expensive, ~840USD
I still have to order the fans-heatsink combo, and what else do you feel that I need for this?

I will be building three closetoidentical bars to cover hopefully a 4x4 area, 4x3 the least. Or perhaps 5x3 would make for better coverage. What do you think? For now, I plan to leave them without lenses and reflectors.
Does that seem to be a viable plan? What am I leaving out? Do you have any good safety tips and ideas? This is my first DIY, and I hope that the proverb, "where theres a will, theres a way", will see me through this.

I hope for some input, I read on most LED threads daily. I guess that what Im hoping for is some partners in crime, which I can get anonymously here on RIU.

Thank you very much!

Very nice parts list

 

[NapalmD]

The A driver has the dimming knob within the driver which I find easier all around.
It won't dim as low as running an external dimmer with the b version but how low do you really want to go is the question.

Sounds like a great set up. When using separate pcu coolers/fans it may look like spaghetti night at your favorite pizza place but you'll have a lot of flexibility for spacing. You could also do 4 cobs on a heat sink as well and still get some nice spread. Choice is yours.

 

[benbud89]

What you have is slightly more light than a 1000w HPS. 4x4 = over 1000 PPFD 5x5 = around 750 PPFD

As for safety tips, take your time with it and make sure the connections are solid, ground the units well (ring connectors are cheap). Make sure you have proper gauge and voltage ratings on the wire you choose. What are you using to connect the cobs to drivers? I used to use terminal blocks with plastic covers but have switched to Wago 222.

Thank you! Im probably going with some wagos as well, seems really easy and I shouldn be needing that many of them. Im about to get my head around the wiring part right now, Id like to have it all premeditated, so I dont end up with a huge mess, which I wont feel at ease with being turned on when being out of the house.

 

[benbud89]

You'll just need the odds and ends. Some wago lever nuts, 18ga wire, something in mind to connect the fans together, etc. I'm not exactly up to speed on the 3590 specs, as far as their PAR coverage. When I was doing my research, the 3070s were top dawg. I've got to go back and study it.

What are you using to house the lights?

Im not too much into the specs either, but I think they are supposed to emit 182lm/w when driven at 1.4A, which I really find attractive. Ive got to keep studying this as well! Regarding the housing, I dont want to trap any air, so I will just find some long 90 degrees aluminium panels onto which I will screw the heatsinks. Does that seem problematic to you? I figured it would allow for better handling and air movement. Thanks for helping out!

 

[Getgrowingson]

I built this exact light a couple months ago. You can search 1000w hps killer and see some pics. Very happy so far

 

[benbud89]

The A driver has the dimming knob within the driver which I find easier all around.
It won't dim as low as running an external dimmer with the b version but how low do you really want to go is the question.

Sounds like a great set up. When using separate pcu coolers/fans it may look like spaghetti night at your favorite pizza place but you'll have a lot of flexibility for spacing. You could also do 4 cobs on a heat sink as well and still get some nice spread. Choice is yours.

I was looking into the heatsink deal for a long time, considering passive, or semi-passive (which should never have been a word, passive or active, lol) cooling. But locally the heatsinks are extremely expensive, and heatsinkusa is too expensive to send to South America, especially with customs.... Thats why I feel I have to do the cooler setup, which is just fine, if I manage to wire everything correctly About the dimmer, does that mean, that I will not have to do any further installation, but that it is simply plug and play and dim ?

 

[benbud89]

I built this exact light a couple months ago. You can search 1000w hps killer and see some pics. Very happy so far

I have been onto your thread, dont expect that I invented this combo myself. hehe, your light along with Bruce's, despite him using 3000k, is one of those that convinced me to go bigger. Originally I was only in for four cxb3070s , which still seems appealingly cheap. hehe

 

[benbud89]

Guys, can I count on this info for the fans:
"I always hear people shouting about cell phone chargers.

Most Cell Phone chargers are 5v too little to run a PC fan at its optimum.

If you have an old internet Router that has its own little power supply then these usually are 12v DC 1000mA rated supplies.

This would be a better choice for running your PC fans. I personally use old Router power supplies or Print server power supplies. They are all rated at 12v DC usually 1000mA as already mentioned.

Other than that you can go into any electrical store such as RadioShack if you're in the US or Maplin in the UK and purchase a 12v DC supply.

Depending on the types of PC fans you choose they will usually have 2 or 4 wires on the block for connecting.

2 wire fans will usually be RED WIRE BLACK WIRE red is live black is neg. You would cut the end off your Power supply so that you have 2 wires. You bare them and connect them up to the fan and turn it on. If it does not spin the fan then change the wires around.

4 wire fans will usually have YELLOW WIRE BLACK WIRE GREEN WIRE BLUE WIRE.
Yellow is LIVE
Black is Neg
COnnect these 2 wires to your supply if it doesnt spin switch them around.

The GREEN wire is the sensor wire for the PC you do not need this wire.
The BLUE wire is the speed control for the fan. If you connect this wire also to your LIVE wire on your supply then this will slow the fan speed down to half speed. This is good if you want to control the noise level of your fans."


Hope this helped."

Just before I order my fans, Id like to know that they are easily connected to the apv 12-12 and that I dont need to buy any molexes or whatnot, that I can simply and easily wire it all up according to these steps? Thanks

 

[Getgrowingson]

Yes you can. They are tiny wires tho so expect to solder them

 

[benbud89]

Yes you can. They are tiny wires tho so expect to solder them

The wagos would not do this well? Im only asking questions to make my order placing easier. Jerry cannot give me what I want for another week, so I have time. And I still got stuff to smoke

 

[Getgrowingson]

Never used them. I just know they are very small. Check out the meanwell data sheet. It will tell you the wire size. Then look at the datasheets for the wago and see if you can use whatever Awg the meanwell is if it's compatible with the wago

 

[alesh]

Guys, can I count on this info for the fans:
"I always hear people shouting about cell phone chargers.

Most Cell Phone chargers are 5v too little to run a PC fan at its optimum.

Depends on what you call optimum When only a slight breeze is needed, there's no reason to have them running at high RPM.

The GREEN wire is the sensor wire for the PC you do not need this wire.
The BLUE wire is the speed control for the fan. If you connect this wire also to your LIVE wire on your supply then this will slow the fan speed down to half speed. This is good if you want to control the noise level of your fans."

I don't think that this part is correct. Actually I think it might be harmful. If you connect PWM input to +12VDC, you're sending always high (aka ON) signal to the fan so it will run at full power. The second and more important part is that the PWM ON signal should be 5.25V max so with a 12V signal you're exceeding the fan's maximum rating. I'd certainly try to avoid such a situation.

 

[benbud89]

[QUOTE="alesh,
I don't think that this part is correct. Actually I think it might be harmful. If you connect PWM input to +12VDC, you're sending always high (aka ON) signal to the fan so it will run at full power. The second and more important part is that the PWM ON signal should be 5.25V max so with a 12V signal you're exceeding the fan's maximum rating. I'd certainly try to avoid such a situation.[/QUOTE]

How would you go about this situation then? Is there anything I can add to the circuit, or is the driver simply a poor choice? I figured that since the Arctic 11 plus go at 12v/0.16A, they, the APV12-12, should be able to run even five or six without being jeopardizing the drivers and fans. This is the trickiest part, IMO, I am unsure how to go about the installation of the fans, and most of the guides that I like the most are using passive cooling.
Should I add a speed controller with 4 fan inputs?

 

[benbud89]

Thank you for helping me out, I appreciate that I come off as someone who's taking on more than he/she is capable of doing, perhaps. But I wont know before I have tried, and I would hate to chicken out, knowing how much I want to build this amazing light. I appreciate all the help I am getting, and I should like to report in detail once the light is built to show that your help was not in vain, and possibly also to help out other noobies like myself.

 

[Abiqua]

The wagos would not do this well? Im only asking questions to make my order placing easier. Jerry cannot give me what I want for another week, so I have time. And I still got stuff to smoke

Wago's are good from 10-30AWG.....

Also you could build an Arduino PWM fan controller for about $10...using a Arduino Nano and a PWM servo motor controller. Or you can just power the fans [Red/ Black] and tape off the yellow/blue wires....without PWM control....

I run 5volt constant power to 40w Cob's....small enclosed space, where heating gets tricky and they have worked very well. I say 5volts for the win unless you are just running high amounts of PAR watt/per sq. ft.

 

[benbud89]

No, Im only planning to run them at ~50W (36v x 1.4A) My space is going to be 2-3 cubic meters, with twelve of these. Another concern is plugging it all into the wall, if I go with the 5 volt constant current PSU at 1 A, it is still viable to power 4 fans in a parallel circuit? They are just so cheap that it worries me, perhaps it shouldnt. I wont be able to sleep the first three days after hanging up this light, I just know it. 50% fear of a fire hazard, 50% admiration to keep me up at night. We do 220v and normally at 10 A, where I live, so with drivers Im at 4,2 A and 3 A more with the 5v psus, it still seems pretty safe, right? 7.2 A should be just fine, supposing that Im calculating it correctly. I doubt the PSUs use the full amp since the fans only go at 0.16. Im very tired, so it got very rambly. Sorry, and thank you!

 

[benbud89]

Ill take the like as a yes!