DIY with Quantum Boards

[daveybc]

Happy 420..

Don't use stranded wire into the Molex connectors on the board, use solid copper wire. I connected a tinted stranded wire from the driver to a board and it was a bitch to remove. THe Molex really grabs onto the edges. I had to remove the plastic on the Molex to remove strands of wire left behind. If 1 stranded wire gets loose and touched the board, the board could become live.

is there a benefit over solid wire over stranded wire?

 

[music64]

Happy 420..

Don't use stranded wire into the Molex connectors on the board, use solid copper wire. I connected a tinted stranded wire from the driver to a board and it was a bitch to remove. THe Molex really grabs onto the edges. I had to remove the plastic on the Molex to remove strands of wire left behind. If 1 stranded wire gets loose and touched the board, the board could become live.

thank you for that. definitely do not need that.

 

[pop22]

I run 18 gauge stranded from my externally mounted drivers to just short of my lights, then transition to solid core from a Wago to the light, as solid core is what is needed at the molex connector. I run stranded between the 2 light sets I use ( 4 QB in parallel ) also. solid wire SUCKS if you need to raise and lower your lights, its messy and always in the way. The stranded hangs and moves easily. Running stranded from driver to light also reduces wiring losses.

 

[Growbi wan kenobi]

I have a newbie QB question I was hoping someone could help me with

I am quite retarded when it comes to technical stuff...

I had a pre assembled HLG 600H light which has 4 288 boards driven by the Meanwell 600watt 54B driver. I removed the driver when I moved and it got lost.

I ordered a new driver, but was by accident sent the Meanwell 600watt 48B driver. The store did not have any 54 volt drivers left but let me keep the 48 volt driver for free

My question: Is it possible to use the 48 volt driver on this set up and if so. Will I loose lots of light output?

All help is highly appreciated!

Thnx

 

[Frank Nitty]

Quantum Bud Porn ....

GSG
Girl Scout Glue

( Girl Scout Cookies x Gorilla Glue ) .... aka Cookie Glue
50/50 Indy Sativa

QB 96s ( 320 watts ) + QB 304 ( 4000k ) - 120 watts
440 watts ( 9 sq. Ft ) corner space
Vivosun Mylar walls

Been a little bit since I dropped a post. This strain has hit the 4th week of cure and time to
roll some up for Good Friday !

Smell is deep spice with a pungent sweet note. Definitely a full body stone , face heavy feel but somewhat clear headed. Very chill . Tight nugmeat.



Megacrop and MAXIBLOOM
Soil : EB Stone / FFOF

View attachment 4320287 View attachment 4320288 View attachment 4320289

Looking at maybe Lemon Venom , The Deputy and Russian Rocket Fuel to soak for next run.

Still at it I see...

 

[Rocket Soul]

I have a newbie QB question I was hoping someone could help me with

I am quite retarded when it comes to technical stuff...

I had a pre assembled HLG 600H light which has 4 288 boards driven by the Meanwell 600watt 54B driver. I removed the driver when I moved and it got lost.

I ordered a new driver, but was by accident sent the Meanwell 600watt 48B driver. The store did not have any 54 volt drivers left but let me keep the 48 volt driver for free

My question: Is it possible to use the 48 volt driver on this set up and if so. Will I loose lots of light output?

All help is highly appreciated!

Thnx

Yes, you will lose a lot of light. If its the V2 boards youre fixture will run around 70w per board for aprox half output. V1 and the output will be around 30w. If they can do a hlg600-48A you would be a bit better off and would be able to adjust the voltage up a little.
If it was free, keep the driver for another project or if youre able to swap with someone. But youd need another driver for sure if you wanna run it like it was before

 

[music64]

I run 18 gauge stranded from my externally mounted drivers to just short of my lights, then transition to solid core from a Wago to the light, as solid core is what is needed at the molex connector. I run stranded between the 2 light sets I use ( 4 QB in parallel ) also. solid wire SUCKS if you need to raise and lower your lights, its messy and always in the way. The stranded hangs and moves easily. Running stranded from driver to light also reduces wiring losses.

what size solid wire do you use?

 

[daveybc]

Here is a picture of my 18 gauge solid copper. I find it not too rigid. Perhaps 16 or 14 gauge would be more of a problem. Personally I would minimize connections and just use solid.

Edit: I only raise/lower my lights 3 or 4 time during a grow. THe rigidity of the wire never even crossed my mind as a problem with the 18 gauge solid wire. I sure you will find different preferred ways on this subject.

what size solid wire do you use?

 

[pop22]

18gauge twin lead for the stranded, 18 solid from the wago to the boards.

what size solid wire do you use?

 

[music64]

Here is a picture of my 18 gauge solid copper. I find it not too rigid. Perhaps 16 or 14 gauge would be more of a problem. Personally I would minimize connections and just use solid.

Edit: I only raise/lower my lights 3 or 4 time during a grow. THe rigidity of the wire never even crossed my mind as a problem with the 18 gauge solid wire. I sure you will find different preferred ways on this subject.

thank you for that i think i screwed up my qb96 elite v2 by putting 14 gauge solid wire into the molex connector and cracked the negative terminal, its not fully cracked just at where you put the wire in. do you think i should still try to use it or is it garbage?

 

[daveybc]

To clarify the lower the gauge number the thicker the wire. Solid14 gauge is typically used in older homes and is quite rigid and thick compared to 18 gauge. Sadly it sounds like 14 AWG should not be attempted for use on the QB96E Molex. I would send an email and pic to HLG and get a proper diagnosis from them. I am in no position to answer the question unfortunately. Put up a pic of the damage and gauge used for reference sake. You can also try @ followed by
Stephenj37826

As Stephen from HLG frequents this thread.

From HLG website for QB288 304. I think the same applies to QB96E:

"Board Connector
Board uses Molex Lite-Trap connector 104188-0110 rated max 300V AC (RMS)/DC and 9A with 18 AWG wire.18-24 AWG Solid (recommended) or 20-22 AWG Strand Wire."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=88&v=t_KgtXwbMD4

thank you for that i think i screwed up my qb96 elite v2 by putting 14 gauge solid wire into the molex connector and cracked the negative terminal, its not fully cracked just at where you put the wire in. do you think i should still try to use it or is it garbage?

 

[ReubenIsMyDog]

Built up my Far Red light today. 2 x HLG QB 3 Far Red in series with a Mean Well APC-16-700 on a hacked up T-12 work light.


This way I can hang one board on either side of my QB288.

 

[music64]

well thanks everyone for the help, house did not catch on fire but the qb96 run way too hot for my tent to justify using them. if is looking for hlg 185 54a drivers i got two brand new and one qb96 elite v2 brand new in the box.

 

[Budzbuddha]

This is why I always use “ dimmer “ controllable B TYPE drivers .... to “ adjust “ output for conditions inside tent.

 

[daveybc]

You can dim the "A" type drivers by removing the black plug and turning down the "IO" "current" dial inside the driver. I have that same drivers and run them probably 1/2 - 3/4. There is a "Voltage" dial as well. My Voltage dial is turned all the way up. This driver runs those boards pretty hard and the light and driver will get hot. You must turn the dial down. Use a No 1 Phillips head screwdriver or mini flathead to turn dial inside driver. Remove black plug, look with a flashlight and you will see the potentiometer inside.

Also mounting driver outside tent will help with heat. Not only does the light gets hot, the driver does as well ( unless dimmed ).

Use a exhaust fan and thermostat to control tent heat. I use a "Inkbird ITC-308. THis was the best $50 Cdn I ever spent.

well thanks everyone for the help, house did not catch on fire but the qb96 run way too hot for my tent to justify using them. if is looking for hlg 185 54a drivers i got two brand new and one qb96 elite v2 brand new in the box.

 

[daveybc]

I thought long about "a" vs "b" drivers. I was thinking on the line of auto dimming if high heat condition ( broken exhaust fan etc ) occurred. Or control of the external Pot with an app and have a camera on the heat thermometer for remote viewing. Someway to turn the light down remotely if heat gets out of control. I didn't see anything suitable so got the "a" driver as is just easy to deal with. I don't see any reason to change the brightness more than 4 times or so through a run. This is a preference of coarse as some may want to dim lights before entering room.

External potentiometers can be a point of failure though ( even out of the box failure too ). Especially with all the cheap crap out there. As well, if you are new to DIY and just want the project done, this would be another complicated issue ( perhaps the most complicated ).

If you have to install your drivers on your fixture inside your tent I think "b" drivers would be highly recommended. It is nice we have the choice of one or the other.

This is why I always use “ dimmer “ controllable B TYPE drivers .... to “ adjust “ output for conditions inside tent.

 

[Ryante55]

well thanks everyone for the help, house did not catch on fire but the qb96 run way too hot for my tent to justify using them. if is looking for hlg 185 54a drivers i got two brand new and one qb96 elite v2 brand new in the box.

So your just not going to grow? Seems like you should just spend a little time figuring out what your doing before you throw money away. I'll buy it all $20

 

[daveybc]

Don't sell your lights these are some of the finest on the market. You can control your heat as mentioned. Heat will be created from any quality light. I am not sure if you stated if plants were present or not but they will help cool the environment ( absorb heat ).

What size is your tent btw? Have you grown with other lights in there? If so what type of lights?

thank you for that i think i screwed up my qb96 elite v2 by putting 14 gauge solid wire into the molex connector and cracked the negative terminal, its not fully cracked just at where you put the wire in. do you think i should still try to use it or is it garbage?

 

[Budzbuddha]

I thought long about "a" vs "b" drivers. I was thinking on the line of auto dimming if high heat condition ( broken exhaust fan etc ) occurred. Or control of the external Pot with an app and have a camera on the heat thermometer for remote viewing. Someway to turn the light down remotely if heat gets out of control. I didn't see anything suitable so got the "a" driver as is just easy to deal with. I don't see any reason to change the brightness more than 4 times or so through a run. This is a preference of coarse as some may want to dim lights before entering room.

External potentiometers can be a point of failure though ( even out of the box failure too ). Especially with all the cheap crap out there. As well, if you are new to DIY and just want the project done, this would be another complicated issue ( perhaps the most complicated ).

If you have to install your drivers on your fixture inside your tent I think "b" drivers would be highly recommended. It is nice we have the choice of one or the other.

Mine are all remote mounted drivers .... one rig has dimmer control for QBs and COBS and can be separate run or together. The whole idea of dimmer control is flexibility. No need to run wide open ... all the time.



Besides... if pot “ failed “ .... dimmer wiring would run OPEN ( as it would be undimmed).
And one could add a SWITCH ( toggle ) for both OPEN \ DIMMER controlled use.

Those pots have been running daily for 4 years on perpetual grows ... as are the QBs .
Those are OG boards .... not one issue with them .... and never had to run balls to the wall even with extra power available. These are mid power leds ..... so nominal watts ( 50-75 watts ) per QB has obviously lessened the wear and tear. Besides the efficiency of the leds are higher at “ mid power “ levels. Same way with the cobs.

 

[daveybc]

Nice build, Good to hear you have had no issues for that amount of time. I had also looked at "Invertronics Drivers" which have a blue tooth app to dim. Apparently can schedule as well. HLG used this on the Elite360, at least the one sent out for testing. I was considering but I bought 4 hlg 185h 54a instead. I dial them down and the temperature is good ( that's what I wanted ). A little redundancy is good too. Pop22 mentioned some pages back about using lower wattage and achieving excellent results with healthy plants. My best looking Blueberry this run was the one in the corner with less light. This got me thinking.. Although Blueberry can be finicky and other strains may differ.

May I ask how low is your light to canopy running them a little softer? I usually stay 18-24" running harder( but not max ) into flower. I have a mix of QB96E and QB288V1. I try to keep the driver temps with in reason ( mounted remotely ) but the 240h c2100a tend to get a little hot when dialing up.

Fact is I knew nothing about DIY LED builds 18 months ago. After lurking here for over a year I learned a ton off this community. I just took the time to read and try to comprehend, between here and watching Growmou5/LED Gardener youtube vids etc. What I really liked most was the different builds posted. It made it easy to visualize the task. Thanks again to any who have contributed.

Mine are all remote mounted drivers .... one rig has dimmer control for QBs and COBS and can be separate run or together. The whole idea of dimmer control is flexibility. No need to run wide open ... all the time.

View attachment 4322627 View attachment 4322628

Besides... if pot “ failed “ .... dimmer wiring would run OPEN ( as it would be undimmed).
And one could add a SWITCH ( toggle ) for both OPEN \ DIMMER controlled use.

Those pots have been running daily for 4 years on perpetual grows ... as are the QBs .
Those are OG boards .... not one issue with them .... and never had to run balls to the wall even with extra power available. These are mid power leds ..... so nominal watts ( 50-75 watts ) per QB has obviously lessened the wear and tear. Besides the efficiency of the leds are higher at “ mid power “ levels. Same way with the cobs.