DiY LEDs - How to Power Them
- Thread starter SupraSPL
- Start date
valerakvini
Member
Need help!
What will be the best solution for 8 cob's per 4x4 tent?
2xHLG-185H-C1400B or 2xHLG-240H-C1400B? Maybe 2xHLG-320H-C2100A?
For example: MIGRO 600 has 3x250W 2100mA drivers with 6 cob's on small heatsinks and shows pretty nice PAR map on 4x4 tent.
What will be the best solution for 8 cob's per 4x4 tent?
2xHLG-185H-C1400B or 2xHLG-240H-C1400B? Maybe 2xHLG-320H-C2100A?
For example: MIGRO 600 has 3x250W 2100mA drivers with 6 cob's on small heatsinks and shows pretty nice PAR map on 4x4 tent.
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elkamino
Well-Known Member
Im rebuilding a light and have questions. I’ve decent enough LED fixtures with decent enough diodes but the drivers are failing. So I’m replacing 3 crappy drivers with one good one, but don’t know if I should wire it series or parallel and need advice.
I’m replacing these 3:
1. 100w 24v 4.00A (3.8A)
2. 100w 24v 4.00A (3.8A)
3. 50w 24v 4.00A (2.1A)
...with a Mean Well HLG-240H-24A (240w, 24v 10A)
Will this work? If so, parallel? Series? Thank you!
ChiefRunningPhist
Well-Known Member
It could work but it could also not work, it'll depend on the lights. Send pics or describe your light chip layout and specs.Im rebuilding a light and have questions. I’ve decent enough LED fixtures with decent enough diodes but the drivers are failing. So I’m replacing 3 crappy drivers with one good one, but don’t know if I should wire it series or parallel and need advice.
I’m replacing these 3:
1. 100w 24v 4.00A (3.8A)
2. 100w 24v 4.00A (3.8A)
3. 50w 24v 4.00A (2.1A)
...with a Mean Well HLG-240H-24A (240w, 24v 10A)
Will this work? If so, parallel? Series? Thank you!
ChiefRunningPhist
Well-Known Member
Most recommend ~35W/ft2. That's roughly 560W in a 4×4, so I'd grab a 600h.
What COBs?
elkamino
Well-Known Member
Thanks for taking my call, Chief.
I got the lights in a swap for buds a while back, lm happy with them but the drivers are blowing. So the two 100w drivers (2 @ 100w) each run 238 of the white diodes (yellow in the pic) while the one 50w driver runs 144 red diodes (white/silver in the pic).
Is that what you need for me to help you help me?
Thank you.
valerakvini
Member
8 or 9 cxb 3590 on 135mm heatsinks with arctic f12 fans on top for 4x4 tent, how many Amps 600W driver?
shimbob
Well-Known Member
You don't pick the driver based on amps, you pick by voltage. CXB3590 are ~36V, so..... -36
valerakvini
Member
Sorry for the stupid question, i'm noob in this)
so, my current driver is HLG-185H-700C for 8 3590, and this driver is 143V ~ 286V not 36v...
What is the error of my calculations?
shimbob
Well-Known Member
No error, different wiring. The 600 requires the cobs be wired in parallel, the 185-c700 in series.
valerakvini
Member
Puzzle solved, thanks!
coreywebster
Well-Known Member
You might be safer to go with a hlg185-24 driver for the white diodes and pic up a separate smaller 24v driver for the red channel..Im rebuilding a light and have questions. I’ve decent enough LED fixtures with decent enough diodes but the drivers are failing. So I’m replacing 3 crappy drivers with one good one, but don’t know if I should wire it series or parallel and need advice.
I’m replacing these 3:
1. 100w 24v 4.00A (3.8A)
2. 100w 24v 4.00A (3.8A)
3. 50w 24v 4.00A (2.1A)
...with a Mean Well HLG-240H-24A (240w, 24v 10A)
Will this work? If so, parallel? Series? Thank you!
Not knowing the max current on the reds. If you wired one 240-24 driver you would equal share its current between all 3, giving less current to your whites (not a problem) but more current to the reds which will push them harder and possibly fry them or at least shorten the life span.
It would be parallel wired.
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ChiefRunningPhist
Well-Known Member
Pre-lim:Im rebuilding a light and have questions. I’ve decent enough LED fixtures with decent enough diodes but the drivers are failing. So I’m replacing 3 crappy drivers with one good one, but don’t know if I should wire it series or parallel and need advice.
I’m replacing these 3:
1. 100w 24v 4.00A (3.8A)
2. 100w 24v 4.00A (3.8A)
3. 50w 24v 4.00A (2.1A)
...with a Mean Well HLG-240H-24A (240w, 24v 10A)
Will this work? If so, parallel? Series? Thank you!
Most mid size white CCT chips (look like 2835?) are rated up to 200mA. Reds will typically be under this, closer to 180mA max. This means that we could theoretically run both chips at 150mA and be ok.
Most mid size white CCT (color temp) chips require about ~2.9V to flow 150mA, while reds will typically be under this, closer to ~2.2V to flow 150mA.
Your white chips seem to be laid out 7S34P per board. I'm not sure what your reds are laid out like, I'm guessing 9S8P per board. All 3 of your drivers seem to be 24V, but I'm not certain what the actual forward voltage of the reds cct (circuit) is, nor am I certain what the white forward voltage is. 7 series whites could be 20.3V, and 9 series reds could be 19.8V. In this instance there'd be a bit more current directed to the red string but you should be ok. You'd add ~3Ω resistance to the red if you were trying to balance exactly.
If the reds are laid out like 12S6P, then 12 series reds may have a forward voltage of 26.4V (albeit the driver is only rated for 24V). This voltage difference (26.54v, or 24V, compared to 19.8V) could lead to thermal runaway if wired in parallel. If your heat mgmt is good you may be fine, but it's a stereotypical configuration known for thermal runaway. Your whites would be current neglected and your reds would be current abounding. The exact opposite dynamic of their rated maximums. Not ideal.
If you decided to daisy chain them, and run them in series, your white cct would blow your red cct because the whites are consuming ~3.5× more current than the reds.
The chips may have different forward voltage to forward current proportionalities. This means that the proprtional increase in voltage per chip may result in a different proportional current flow on one type of chip than the other. This would lead to unstable dimming and dynamic current distribution which could be problematic.
The only way it might be possible is like how @coreywebster said, and wired in parallel.
You'd need to probe individual chip V, and then string V, as well as total cct amperage (per channel, ie, for reds and then for whites) to determine for sure. From these metrics you could determine if wiring in parallel would be pragmatic or not.
You could get away with combining the 2 whites with a single 185h-24a, but to combine all 3 on a single 24V supply would be questionable without probing around and determining what the operational characteristics are currently.
ChiefRunningPhist
Well-Known Member
I was just asking what COBs because if you had the 72V 3590s a 600h wouldn't work.
If you have 36V 3590s then yep I'd run the 600h-36. Wire in parallel.
If you have 72V 3590s then you'd want to add a 480h-2100 to your 185h-700, but the COBs on your 185h-700 are going to be less bright than the COBs on the 480h-2100. Alternatively you could buy (2) 320h-2100's, and wire (4) 3590's to each 320h in a 2S2P configuration. 2 strings of 2 COBs per string. Then both strings wired in parallel to the driver.
elkamino
Well-Known Member
Thank you so much guys I really appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge!
I will not wire the two 100w and the 50w panels to my 240w driver, but I believe I have a solution based on your responses.
So...
What if I under-drive 3 100w panels with that 240H-24A? I believe that would be parallel wiring, right? Theyd be running at ~80%... so should work right?
I also have access to a Mean Well HLG 240H-C2100A and would use that to run two more 100w white panels AND two of the 50w reds- the reds wired in series and the rest wired parallel.
This would allow me to still run the same wattage (500), but instead of 4 white led panels running at capacity I’d have 5 running at 80%, along with two 50w reds, also running at 80%
Is that sound reasoning, electrically? Or am I missing something?
THANK YOU!
ChiefRunningPhist
Well-Known Member
You can get away combining the (3) whites on (1) 240h-24a driver. Yes you are correct, that would be wired in parallel. (refer to cheat sheet if needing a quick re-fresher)Thank you so much guys I really appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge!
I will not wire the two 100w and the 50w panels to my 240w driver, but I believe I have a solution based on your responses.
So...
What if I under-drive 3 100w panels with that 240H-24A? I believe that would be parallel wiring, right? Theyd be running at ~80%... so should work right?
I also have access to a Mean Well HLG 240H-C2100A and would use that to run two more 100w white panels AND two of the 50w reds- the reds wired in series and the rest wired parallel.
This would allow me to still run the same wattage (500), but instead of 4 white led panels running at capacity I’d have 5 running at 80%, along with two 50w reds, also running at 80%
Is that sound reasoning, electrically? Or am I missing something?
THANK YOU!
View attachment 4383014
As far as mixing the reds and whites with the remaining 240h-2100 in parallel, you'd first have to probe with your multimeter to make sure it'll work. You have to test what the voltage is for each channel when it's running at your desired level with the drivers it came with. You'd slide your leads out a bit to expose some copper where your multimeter probes could make contact, or you'd have to strip the leads a little so that there was some exposed Cu to make contact with.
If both channels, red and white, if they are both the same V, then yes you can run the last (4) lights with the 240h-2100c and wired in parallel. If there happens to be V differences, then you're going to be safest adding some R to the lower V channel. We can help you pick out resistors if that's the case. You'd not want to dim if this were the situation, you'd only want to turn on or off.
Taking a sec and zooming out, realistically, at 24V and 2.1A, that's only ~50W being split between all (4) lights. So you should be fine in terms of worst case scenario but probing will just allow you to ensure the distribution you want.
Just some random info...
Watts = Volts × Amps
50W could be 10V & 5A, it could be 25V & 2A, it could be 50V & 1A. Each scenario has different V & A despite being 50W, so when wiring LEDs you'd rather not use watts in determining whether a cct will be compatible to a power source, but instead you'd want to look into the V & A.
EDIT:
If you wanted to use more of the 240h-2100 then you'd want to wire it in series. You'd want to wire the 50W in parallel to each other but in series with the 100Wer's.
This config would be how I'd go. Be able to utilize 3× more of the 2100c compared to an all parallel wiring config of the 2100c (I did not draw an all parallel wiring config for the 2100c).
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valerakvini
Member
I'm not sure I understood correctly, wired like this?
ChiefRunningPhist
Well-Known Member
elkamino
Well-Known Member
Thank you... I appreciate you taking the time to lay this all out! I’ll get on it and be back with questions or pictures once there’s something to see... in the meantime, here’s some Farmhouse Cupcake we been diggin here...
