Yes.. yes I do. It means the Mean Wells are 94% efficient at converting 110 ac to 1400mA dc. But they're the same efficiency at 80%.I could take it no more you obviously don't know what you are talking about. Meanwell drivers well at least the HLG185 version is 94% efficient do know what that means? The drivers don't get hot thus longer life to the driver and they are designed to handle the rated forward voltage.
Yes.. yes I do. It means the Mean Wells are 94% efficient at converting 110 ac to 1400mA dc. But they're the same efficiency at 80%.
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If they calculate the lifespan of the product at 80% load, then you can be assured they calculated the 94% efficiency at the same load.
Look at the specs of your pc's psu.. it may say 650w or whatever, but if you add up all the 3.3, 5, and 12v rails.. at whatever current available to them... you come up with a bigger supply than what the manufacturer's labeled it as. Usually about 20% bigger. Hell.. just surf any serious diy pc forum.. they all say to give yourself headroom when buying the psu. Not because you may need more power down the road, but because of the safety factor.
When you buy components.. ie: resistors and capacitors, they're mass produced. They come with a certain +/- percentage beside their power ratings.. some say +/- 10%, while better quality components will be +/- 1%. That means some pieces in the assembly line get a little more of the active ingredients needed, and some get a little less. It's the ones that get a little less you have to worry about. Pushing them at 100% their rating will definitely make them die early. That's why if the circuit has a 1/4w signal, you use a 1/2w resistor. It's a safety factor.
While I agree with your logic, any component has a chance of failure at any percent load. If you are that worried about your components failing and the potentially massive loss that could ensue, you'll have a backup on hand anyway. My drivers are maxed and remote and are easily swapped and ive had zero issues. I also have a few replacements left over from cannibalising other projects.
In any event, i dont think its bad advice to tell someone to use up their headroom. In my case I can buy 3 extra hlg-185h-c700b's for the money I saved by not doing it your way. If the drivers fail I can swap them in 5 minutes and get a replacement sent to me.
I'm going to keep doing it my way for every project here on out, but to each their own!
lol... you have bigger balls then me then.Damn. You're dedicated. I like it! Still running 100%
Do you know the capacity that hid lights like gavita are designed at off top of your head? I've not heard of a failed meanwell.....other than human induced problemslol... you have bigger balls then me then.
Like I say.. an electronics guru helped me design my drivers back in 2011. The main point he stressed was that 20% headroom. Even when it comes to wiring.. you don't use a part that's going to be maxed out. You use something bigger.. for the safety measure.
Changing a driver is no big deal. Letting your light schedule get messed up.. even just for 1 day... is not something most growers would want to endure. No.. it doesn't mean automatic hermies... but why risk it? I'd rather pay a few extra bucks and have that safety net. Peace of mind.
cheers.
I have no idea of hids, other than the old style models... 1000W used 1140W total. Or something like that.Do you know the capacity that hid lights like gavita are designed at off top of your head? I've not heard of a failed meanwell.....other than human induced problems
Sometimes that headroom is essential. An example is the power circuit for main lighting, so when building my systems I'm mindful to leave some headroom. For my 5400W rack, I use a 30A circuit at 240V.Fair enough. I'd rather not come home to find the garden's been dark for 10 hours, only to have to fix it after the fact.
Talk to any electrician.. 20% headroom is important. It's not fantasy. If we have the cash to pay $50 a bulb, then a few extra dollars per driver isn't that hard to come up with. I know more than most how hard it is to pay for this shit.. I'm on disability.. I only get $906 a month, living in the most expensive city in Canada. When I bought my Cree XPE/XPG's in 2011, I made monthly purchases.. a little bit each cheque. It took me nearly a year to pay for it all, but I did it. I could have gone with ChinaCrap, but I wanted the quality. I bucked up.
Exactly. A licensed electrician will make sure your breaker box has breakers bigger than the load you'll actually need. Not just so the circuit won't trip.. but for safety reasons. It just makes sense. The way I look at it... would the fixture pass an electrical inspection? I'm licensed, but I'm subject to inspections. Using a diy panel is bad enough.. even worse if it doesn't pass inspections.Sometimes that headroom is essential. An example is the power circuit for main lighting, so when building my systems I'm mindful to leave some headroom. For my 5400W rack, I use a 30A circuit at 240V.
I'm not an electronics expert here or anywhere else, so I know that I don't have the expertise to weigh in on the debate about whether my drivers need extra headroom. I'd like to see hard numbers on relative durability under constant loads.
I give 20% headroom on my power circuits, but that's rather a different load than a COB LED chip needs. I have a lot of these drivers and if there was a problem with running them near 100%, I'm quite sure I'd have seen it by now.Exactly. A licensed electrician will make sure your breaker box has breakers bigger than the load you'll actually need. Not just so the circuit won't trip.. but for safety reasons. It just makes sense. The way I look at it... would the fixture pass an electrical inspection? I'm licensed, but I'm subject to inspections. Using a diy panel is bad enough.. even worse if it doesn't pass inspections.
I'm watching that diy tech talk #3 again.. I'll find the spot growmau5's driver died on him. I can't even remember if Greengene or robincnn mentioned if they've had a driver die on them as well or not.
Power usage is power usage. It doesn't matter if it's the main breaker, or an individual power source. And as I said.. growmau5's lost a driver, and a quick google shows a thread on this very site, where 2 36v CXB3590's were driven by a Mean Well ELG-100-C1400B... maxed out at the 72v/1400mA... his driver died within 2 months.I give 20% headroom on my power circuits, but that's rather a different load than a COB LED chip needs. I have a lot of these drivers and if there was a problem with running them near 100%, I'm quite sure I'd have seen it by now.
No, a licensed electrician would select breakers based on the conductor size they are designed to protectExactly. A licensed electrician will make sure your breaker box has breakers bigger than the load you'll actually need.
Fair enough. But a licensed electrician would also give themselves that 20% headroom when selecting a power supply.No, a licensed electrician would select breakers based on the conductor size they are designed to protect
It was because he over ran it. It maxed out at 72v and he had 144 so of coarse there was failure. It's all good do yo lol although your wrong that guy made a newbie and paid for it a lot of guys have. I've had PM from people telling me they wired it in reverse power in to the out and visa versa. I've been running my HLG not the ELG for a year and a half 100% no problems. I've made 16 lights and in the process of making a 500w CXA/2 3590 Studio 5700k BD 36v and using a HLG-240H-C1400A with reflectorsPower usage is power usage. It doesn't matter if it's the main breaker, or an individual power source. And as I said.. growmau5's lost a driver, and a quick google shows a thread on this very site, where 2 36v CXB3590's were driven by a Mean Well ELG-100-C1400B... maxed out at the 72v/1400mA... his driver died within 2 months.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/led-drive-elg-100-c1400-dead-wrong-setup.902504/
It happens. I'd rather prevent it beforehand, rather than deal with it after the fact.
36v * 2 = 72v. The supply was 72v @ 1400mA. He maxed it out, he didn't over run it. In fact, the 3590's use less than 36v @ 1400mA. They use 34.84v... x2 comes to 69.68v.It was because he over ran it. It maxed out at 72v and he had 144 so of coarse there was failure. It's all good do yo lol although your wrong that guy made a newbie and paid for it a lot of guys have. I've had PM from people telling me they wired it in reverse power in to the out and visa versa. I've been running my HLG not the ELG for a year and a half 100% no problems. I've made 16 lights and in the process of making a 500w CXA/2 3590 Studio 5700k BD 36v and using a HLG-240H-C1400A with reflectors
my bad thought it was 72v lol but still he was over at that current thus dead driver I just went back and reread the whole thread all 6 post lol as for the PCT it's not that accurate it has discrepancies just ask the led guru's I'll just give Growmau or Supra a call and ask.36v * 2 = 72v. The supply was 72v @ 1400mA. He maxed it out, he didn't over run it. In fact, the 3590's use less than 36v @ 1400mA. They use 34.84v... x2 comes to 69.68v.
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The driver was rated from 35-72v @ 1400mA. 1/2 the driver most use for their 4 COB strings. So.. if you think he over ran his driver, then so's everybody else using their 144v drivers @ 1400mA.my bad thought it was 72v lol but still he was over at that current thus dead driver I just went back and reread the whole thread all 6 post lol as for the PCT it's not that accurate it has discrepancies just ask the led guru's I'll just give Growmau or Supra a call and ask.