Please help me connect diy cob set

[pollen205]

Hi rollitup

I need some help ,I am really bad at diy...

I buy 4 individual cob set with mean well HLG-185H-C1400A driver.
The guy in shop show me in that driver that I only need srew-driver for dimming cob-s..
So I am guessing that I dont need dimmer or ?

So I have 4 individual cob moduls assembled in the shop and hope so they put some thermal paste and clean heatsink before...
(I even cant see are cob are citizen 1212 like they say because they assembled cob to heatsink ...).. and I have driver,thats all in that kit no wire, no nothing else,even no reflector

So what else I need...??
Some wiring...(hard copper or soft). ?
aluminium l profile what dimmension? for growbox 80x80 cm
how many whole on profile and where?
how to position cob moduls...cross or 2 on left and 2 on right
How to connect all this...?
They told me plus to minus from cob to cob...???
what with driver.??..I have input side and outoput side...one side with 2 wire and second with 3 wire (ground)
Can I use 1.5 mm copper wire for the power from the wall or is the 2.5 mm better?

thank you very much for your time and help

 

[Aolelon]

You put the driver positive to the first cob positive, then go from the negative on that cob to the positive of the next cob, then negative of that cob, to the positive of the next cob, until you reach the last cob, then you go from the negative of the last cob, to the negative of the driver.
The driver with the ac (3plugs) needs to be wired to a plug that will fit into your wall. An AC plug.
I suggest watching growmau5 videos, or doing research on LEDgardener.com to help you hook your kit up.

 

[pollen205]

you help a lot men !!!

so in that case in first cob positive i will have 2 wire in one cob positive socket...the one from driver and the other one for next cob which I connect in negative ...?

ledgardener I read lot on that page...

 

[Aolelon]

Like this..Sorry I had it a bit backwards. you go from the positive of the driver to the positive of the first cob. Then the negative of that cob to the positive of the next cob, and so fourth till the last one, then the negative goes to the driver.
My apologies.

 

[pollen205]

no damage for me...
what wire do I need to use, and where to put the driver,,,inside or outside the growbox?

thank you aolelon

 

[Aolelon]

no damage for me...
what wire do I need to use, and where to put the driver,,,inside or outside the growbox?

thank you aolelon

Just some 18g solid core wire is fine. You can use stranded, but solid core is always easier.
Also anywhere you can mount the driver is fine. It's usually mounted on top of the grow light, somewhere on the frame.
You can use aluminum L angle iron as a frame.

 

[Aolelon]

http://ledgardener.com/build-frame-diy-led-light/
Here is a link showing how you can build a simple frame.

 

[pollen205]

that part I almost done

In the shop they say I must buy some kind device that I put in the wall plug and then I put plug from the cob fixture to that device and that device will tell me if I supply the fixture with 200w (4x50w cobs)...or if I supplying the fixture with less or more I can on the driver with screwdriver dimm it...
or they talking about V instead of W... or maybe A i dont know any more
I dont know but in the shop they have that device and they say it is realy importent

@Aolelon do you know what about this ?

 

[pollen205]

I buy some audio wire 0.75 mm for connecting cobs together...that is single copper cable with isolation
...the store did not have hard copper so i buy soft 0.75 mm..
Hope it will be fine !!!???

And i buy 0.75 cable for connecting driver to circuite...
That is cable 3 x 0.75...with plastic isolation..i just will need 2 of the wire in that cable but the sore did not have 2x0.75 without isolation around it...

Is this ok...?
Can i wire the fixture with 0.75 mm cable and be safe of fire and have best efficanty without big voltage drops thru my cable

 

[pollen205]

@CobKits
I dont see on bjb holder how to screw the cable to bjb holder...dont have any screw it to have a contact with copper just small whole for cable

 

[InTheValley]

the wire goes into the hole, and it is then PINCHED into the hole, so no fastening is needed. and, you wont be able to get the wire out. So if you mess it up, you must order more holders. I messed up my first couple myself, but Cobskit got me hooked up on the fast side with a new order and out as fast as lightning.

this is why its pretty much mandatory to use solid 18 core wire. They need to set stable, so you dont short them out by having loose, flimsy wire..

 

[CobKits]

the vast majority of customers reporting problems with holders are either using stranded wire or wire that is too big. in thousands of connections ive never seen an 18GA (1.0 mm diameter) solid wire not connect properly with a BJB or ideal on the first try. worth the investment

 

[pollen205]

Thank you very much

Today my cobs were on..i did it with 0.75 soft wire because I didnt find 1 mm hard wire...
I will continue looking...

First I connect minus on driver to plus on first cob...I go with the color of cable...
They did not light up...
Then I got paranoied soo much because I think i burn them down...
Then I see ledgardnere scheme for serirs eirining and connect plus on driver to plus on first cob...minus on last cob with minus on driver and then they work....

GREEAAT!!!!!!

I realy hope that I did not do some damage to my cobs with this mistake...

On first wrong try the wall meter give me just some little reading like 3-4 w so I hope that is fine...

On second good try my wall meter give me reading max 200 w when I dimm it on driver..
In the shop they say that every cob go up to 70 w so this fixture will be on 240 w when it is on max dimm.
Am I wrong?WHy cant i dimm it more than 200w?

 

[CobKits]

On second good try my wall meter give me reading max 200 w when I dimm it on driver..
In the shop they say that every cob go up to 70 w so this fixture will be on 240 w when it is on max dimm.
Am I wrong?WHy cant i dimm it more than 200w?

youre not wrong, they just dont know their product.

 

[pollen205]

@CobKits

ok my cobs are working and I can dimm it to 240 w...
so what do you suggest how many w I go with for 4 cobs ...
when I go with 240w on watt meter it is the brightess it can be but I read about 50 w so that is 200w all together?'?
And is it ok this way like on picture....I didnt go thru cob with wire this is just fast version that I must do it right way but for now I hope that is safe like this on picture...the heatsink just pressed cable to aluminium profile
I hope thahat isolation of wire cant burn from heat from heatsink

and is it the good distance 50 cm from top of the plant when I go with 200 to 240 w...
I dont have lux meter so I must buy it...

thank you very much cobkits and all the other good people on this super forum

 

[pollen205]

every cob press two wire , plus, and minus, to aluminium profile and then goes to bjb holder...I hope it is safe for couple a day when i find 1 mm thick hard copper wire then I got thru the cob in hole for wire....
Can this causse fire, melt cable isolation or anything like that because my heatsink are very hot after 3 h of working ?

 

[CobKits]

sorry im having a hard time understanding your questions, can you give it another try

heatsinks are supposed to be hot thats what they do

 

[pollen205]

Sorry cobkits and thank you again for all this help

I ask my self if the heat from aluminium heatsink can melt down the islotion on copper wire ...
Look at the picture and you will se how wire is pressed by heatsink to aluminium profile so I ask my self can heat from heatsink melt isolation or even worse catch a fire ?

 

[CobKits]

unlikely

your heatsinks are warm not hot

most insulation on wires is well over 100C, and even at high temps it will melt not burn

if wire insulation were combustible that would be very bad for every electrical installation out there