There are several brands of drivers with good build quality, some Chinese. Meanwells are easy to get ahold of, but vendors here carry other brands. They're all generally 5+ year warranty well potted aluminum cased drivers, generally constant current high voltage. You would use them in a series circuit. The driver's current output is the desired current, whether 1400 or 1750 or 2100, etc. and the drivers voltage output is the sum of the voltage of all cobs.
It's not "whatever" or my opinion, it's just the way it is. Meanwell, HLG's included, are made in taiwan(meanwells base country) and china(where they pump out product). It's not like a box of chinese hlg's and a box of taiwanese hlg's, they come in the same case from meanwell. And there is no difference between them...they are the product they are supposed to be.
Maybe you could restate or explain why you said "All meanwells are made in taiwan and regarded as the best"? Inferring that being made in taiwan is the reason for them being the best. If not that, then why would you say that all are made in taiwan, when they are not? What was the purpose?
not in the slightest. 95+% of american consumers equate made in taiwan with made in china and my point to the OP was that that is not a reason to disqualify them as a manufacturer. for example the chips you use that you believe to be the best are made in asia and i believe you said youve only ever seen one bad one out of 1000.
Yes. The HLG185 can run 4 3590's, the HLG240 can run 5. But I think the drivers are more efficient when you use them at full (or almost) capacity... So get the 240 only if for sure you are going to upgrade from 4 to 5 COBs.
actually if you look at a datsheet the efficiency is almost flat down to 50% load fo rmost models (then rapidly falls off)
Thats in the 185 and at 115V. Not so flat at 230V, and even less in the case of the HLG240 which is the one I was talking about in that statement.