the HLG-600H thread

[loftygoals]

i think you mean what most around here would call a "constant voltage" driver (even though in reality it is CV/CC)

yes they always beat the datasheet you gotta look at the test report to see the true upper range. and again it depends on your cob voltage. is that 630W input or output?test report says that HLG600 can put out 18.78A at up to 39.6V which is over 730W. if youre running at the typ. 36V the 630W sounds like max.

youd have to run 36ishV cobs with slightly higher voltage like 3070s to max out a 36V constant voltage driver

Im sure you know this but what is interesting to me is that you can't force more voltage through LEDs than the current will support. So I actually have my driver's set to max voltage (37.8V) and max current (supposed to be 16.7A).

CLU046-1212s are min 31.8V, type 34.6V, max 37.5V.

Running 30 of them in parallel the driver outputs 33.5V (despite being set at max). 18.8A (0.62A per COB). 630W total. At the wall I'm getting 659W.

 

[CobKits]

Yup im runnin all kinds of 36v cobs on 48v drivers

and on my power supply i just crank it all the way up then adjust the current

Running 30 of them in parallel the driver outputs 33.5V (despite being set at max). 18.8A (0.62A per COB). 630W total. At the wall I'm getting 659W.

love those 600s and their 95%+ efficiency

 

[febisfebi]

i believe they are actually rated 95.5% efficiency, and knowing meanwell, they probably go even higher most of the time, as the specs they list are always the guaranteed minimum. The highest efficiency of any meanwell driver I am aware of.
when your talking about a 630-730w driver, that extra 1.5+% means quite a few saved watts

 

[CobKits]

heck yeah a lot of the 100-200W drivers are 89-92% - 5% is a lot!

 

[febisfebi]

Yup im runnin all kinds of 36v cobs on 48v drivers

and on my power supply i just crank it all the way up then adjust the current


love those 600s and their 95%+ efficiency

okay so just so we are all clear then COB's are generally unable to be damaged by over voltage? as in they only take what they need. Are the drivers (meanwell specifically) smart enough to not waste the rest of the potential energy (electricity) they are capable of pushing/drawing? or is it just converted into current that you then adjusut accordingly?

I assume the same does not go for over current though correct?
So if you are trying to run over voltage and over current then your total output or wattage will be potentially enough to blow out the cob?

Just like what everyone is so afraid will happen if they wire their cobs in parallel, and one (or more) of them go out, or that part he circuit is otherwise broken, aka loose wiring/blown fuse, etc.

I am not one of those people, I just have seen a lot of people concerned about this. I think parallel is just fine, with some basic ground rules. unless your only driving 2 cobs AND your running them at over half their maximum rated wattage, aka half of 137w for cxb3590, or 364w clu058-1825, then you will not have a problem, even if one blows out. Most people growing plants, would never dare go near half the rated wattage anyways, even in series, let alone setting themselves up for failure in parallel.

I mean, you might have a bit of a heat issue if the remaining cob(s) are left on for 16+ hrs before you notice, depending on your cooling setup, but the cob's should power down when they hit 85c or very soon thereafter like at 85.1c, or 86c something like that, right?

 

[pop22]

But why would I want to run my driver over spec? And if so, wouldn't we want to improve cooling, etc just like over-clocking a computer? Are the gains worth the increased risk of part failure?

Im pretty sure A model with the manual current adjustment tops B model, i have an 185H-C1400A coming next week to run side by side.

the closed-dimming-lead bump you describe is documented in the test report and by many peoples experience here

View attachment 3767996


with the current adjustable A model should be able to get up to the full 1.57A, which is 112% of output current

View attachment 3767997

i know how the constant voltage "A" models work but i havent had a constant current "A" model to play with. constant voltage 185H-48A tops out at about 225W and ideally has less wasted voltage but again it depends how close your cobs are matched to the upper range of the driver current. this is why 50V citizens crush on a 48V driver that turns up to 53V - youre really hittin the limit at a realistic current

looks like for the constant current 185H-C1400 models we have
"B" = 1.4A x 143V x102-108% = 204-216W, avg 210W
"A" = 1.57A x 143V = 224.5W

That's IF you're lucky to have good driver utility on voltage, which is rare.
4 CXB3590s on a 185H-C1400B (1.47A): 205.6W

4 CXB3590s on a 185H-C1400A (1.57A): 220.8W

as you can see it works out well on the 185 which just so happens to max out at 200W which is a nice round number for the 50W cobs, but the 240 series hits 290W max and the 320 series hits 380W, so you have 30-40 unused driver watts there. none of this on the constant voltage drivers of course


^^above is all datasheet theoretical nonsense, ill report back when i get the 185H-C1400A in my hands, prob test it next weekend

 

[CobKits]

But why would I want to run my driver over spec?

to get more output

And if so, wouldn't we want to improve cooling, etc just like over-clocking a computer?

if its needed

Are the gains worth the increased risk of part failure?

meanwell datasheet says that lifetime is compromised over 70C case temp. you definitely want to stay in that spec. with good airflow youd be hard pressed to see 50C on any of these models even pushed to the limit

 

[Shugglet]

Im pretty sure A model with the manual current adjustment tops B model, i have an 185H-C1400A coming next week to run side by side.

the closed-dimming-lead bump you describe is documented in the test report and by many peoples experience here

View attachment 3767996


with the current adjustable A model should be able to get up to the full 1.57A, which is 112% of output current

View attachment 3767997

i know how the constant voltage "A" models work but i havent had a constant current "A" model to play with. constant voltage 185H-48A tops out at about 225W and ideally has less wasted voltage but again it depends how close your cobs are matched to the upper range of the driver current. this is why 50V citizens crush on a 48V driver that turns up to 53V - youre really hittin the limit at a realistic current

looks like for the constant current 185H-C1400 models we have
"B" = 1.4A x 143V x102-108% = 204-216W, avg 210W
"A" = 1.57A x 143V = 224.5W

That's IF you're lucky to have good driver utility on voltage, which is rare.
4 CXB3590s on a 185H-C1400B (1.47A): 205.6W

4 CXB3590s on a 185H-C1400A (1.57A): 220.8W

as you can see it works out well on the 185 which just so happens to max out at 200W which is a nice round number for the 50W cobs, but the 240 series hits 290W max and the 320 series hits 380W, so you have 30-40 unused driver watts there. none of this on the constant voltage drivers of course


^^above is all datasheet theoretical nonsense, ill report back when i get the 185H-C1400A in my hands, prob test it next weekend

I have this model(A) and my multimeter says its putting out 1.55a with pot fully maxed.

 

[CobKits]

seems about right

 

[pop22]

Good info, thank you!

to get more output


if its needed



meanwell datasheet says that lifetime is compromised over 70C case temp. you definitely want to stay in that spec. with good airflow youd be hard pressed to see 50C on any of these models even pushed to the limit

View attachment 3770148

 

[CobKits]

yes it is good to know that it will only last 25 years at 70C!

 

[pop22]

We don't know if we don't ask. And its good too, that something is built well these days..

yes it is good to know that it will only last 25 years at 70C!

 

[CobKits]

i wasnt being snarky, i am in awe of that kind of longevity. think of the redic high return rate on digi ballasts, upwards of 10% ive been told by store owners

 

[Shugglet]

We don't know if we don't ask. And its good too, that something is built well these days..

Id say its always a good idea to look over the specs sheet of products like this when building any project. Never hurts to ask but you have to know who youre asking is giving you the correct information or leading you to the right spot.

And yeah, its definitely comforting to know the Meanwell driver I recently bought will outlast probably every other component of my build lol. One less thing to worry about.

 

[pop22]

I agree completely! Have you ever seen a 2ghz computer processor driven to 6ghz? Amazing what a little liquid Nitrogen can do for cooling...lol! Every popular device has its hotrodders, those who push the envelope. Some products can take a hell of a beating and keep working, some cannot. You don't get that data from a spec sheet, you get it from the people on the cutting edge! And we have a few of those here!

Id say its always a good idea to look over the specs sheet of products like this when building any project. Never hurts to ask but you have to know who youre asking is giving you the correct information or leading you to the right spot.

And yeah, its definitely comforting to know the Meanwell driver I recently bought will outlast probably every other component of my build lol. One less thing to worry about.

 

[febisfebi]

what? there are dozens of choices. they make a dozen 48V constant voltage drivers that can drive these up to 3A+

and any of the regular constant current drivers like hlg-185h,240h, 320h all work fine.

since we are on the subject of running them hard, what driver would be a good match for the clu058 1825, that would give you a range starting at 50w(or thereabout) and max out at 140w per cob. could be a one, or two, or more driver per cob setup, but I kind of like the aluminun enclosed waterproof, bulletproof, HLG models rather than the open board HLP type. or plastic cased Meanwells.

Edit: also, what kind of cooling is neccesary when you are running these at 140w? I'm thinking maybe the 180mm massive passive sink Jerry has, but 180mm fans on top of each, something like that, or is that overkill? 180mm depending on the model, or rather the motor driving them, can be some serious fans

 

[CobKits]

the iceled actives i sell on my site can do up to 300 cob W

 

[febisfebi]

the iceled actives i sell on my site can do up to 300 cob W

nice! where would I find those? I only see three sinks on your site. they all look like passives, and the biggest is 80w. any driver suggestions for that range?

 

[CobKits]

look at the light engines, id sell those heatsinks separately for $16.50 (less riu 10%)

they are predrilled for 048 and 058 bare chips, as well as 048 in BJBs

 

[febisfebi]

look at the light engines, id sell those heatsinks separately for $16.50 (less riu 10%)

they are predrilled for 048 and 058 bare chips, as well as 048 in BJBs

those radials seem to do their job pretty well huh. i'v always been amased at the numbers they claim, and people claim to be able to use on them. whats the diameter on the 1825 one? it doesnt look that big for being able to handle 300w.
The only downside might be all that hot air fromt he sink being forceed downward forced going straight thru the sink down towards the plants, but i guess if your room has good airflow, it shouldnt matter.
for drivers though, I'm guessing something likethe hlg-185-48a, would be good, or maybe one of the other 48a models like you said a while back, but for the range I am interested in, ~50-140w adjustable, the hlg600-54a with like 4-6 cobs might be better? what do you think?