Lightning help for non-weed setup

[Airwalker16]

Hello Friendly, why not choose Mars Hydro?Most people know Mars Hydro lights are used to grow cannabis indoors. Actually there are also lots of growers growing non-cannbis plants, like lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumber, orchids, tulips, succulents, carnivorous, basil, clover, ornamentals......
I will live the video about it.hope it is good for you to make the decision.

Because he's BUILDING a fixture.

 

[cobshopgrow]

with probably better diodes then in the mars hydro lights.

should be possible that you can limit the current a bit by setting the voltage screw on the AB driver slight below limit if in maxed out CV mode.

 

[eLod]

@cobshopgrow what i mean is even if i use AB and i limit the current/voltage to whatever and i leave the fixtures alone and some strips die, it would behave the same as a B right (given i have 9 strips all parallel)? once i can attend them i can limit both again to whatever i want. am i missing something here?

edit: just to be clear, by "i can limit both" i mean both AB and B type

 

[cobshopgrow]

hm not really.
B type, no overdrive possible anyway, always delivering the current whats printed on the case.
AB type have the A type functionalities, so you can overdrive and still limit it a bit by leaving the CC region, B type is always CC no matter what, no need to limit, no sense there.

 

[eLod]

@cobshopgrow ok but you have dimming on B type, isn't that effectively limiting the current also? or you mean with AB i have more way up? can you give me some example where this would help me or allow me extra stuff? sry but i am really trying to understand if AB has any benefit for me, i can wait that 4-5 weeks for it if it's really worth it. thanks

 

[eLod]

so i'm a bit confused, rewatched ledgardener's video (

) these are CV drivers (hlg-320h-4 not CC (i know CV+CC). trying to piece it together bear with me. so what you are saying is because i am using all of the current available on the driver i am running it in CC mode all the time (as in the video from around 8:15), now using the dimming would simply limit the full amount of current further driving the strips on even lower current (and volt).

now with the A type the Io adjust is just the same as the B type external poti (though with smaller range?) and on top of that i have the Vo adjust as well. in theory i could get more W from an A type by driving it on higher voltage (than Bs can), but that is not an option for my current setup as the voltage the strips need are lower than 48V right?

edit: so just to be explicit, the strips (chips on them) "decide" about V & A right? i mean giving them some voltage and current they will "find" some state that they can work on (given it's a valid configuration). or i am totally misunderstanding

 

[jarvild]

hm not really.
B type, no overdrive possible anyway, always delivering the current whats printed on the case.
AB type have the A type functionalities, so you can overdrive and still limit it a bit by leaving the CC region, B type is always CC no matter what, no need to limit, no sense there.

My HLG 240-24B pulls 268 watts from the wall, so I think overdriving is possible with B version drivers.

 

[jarvild]

Lettuce will perform best at 20 watts sq. ft. and a DLI of 18-20 moles per day

 

[eLod]

hmm there is no Vo on AB type, so the only built-in poti is the Io right? but that "does" the "same thing" as the external poti i can wire up, no? i feel like the more i look into it the less i understand...

 

[eLod]

is the difference like i can fine tune the current with the Io built-in poti and furthermore dim with the external, so it's a comfort function? with B i only have the external poti so i need to ensure i don't go over a given current? and bc i don't have enough current in my driver to do anything harmful it's not a problem for me right now with this setup, but if i were to drive less strips it would come handy (like building further, adding more strips and needing an extra driver). is that right?

 

[Barristan Whitebeard]

hmm there is no Vo on AB type, so the only built-in poti is the Io right? but that "does" the "same thing" as the external poti i can wire up, no? i feel like the more i look into it the less i understand...

AFAIK the HLG 320 watt CV + CC AB models are the exception to the rule in that they have no onboard voltage adjustment.

I have HLG-240H-54AB and HLG-185H-54AB and both of them have onboard voltage adjustment.

 

[eLod]

well of course. anyways where does that leave me? does what i've described above hold? so with AB i would get the added benefit of reusing it if anything changes in the setup and i need less current (and still have the external poti to dim). in that case i can just wait out those 4-5 weeks.

 

[cobshopgrow]

yes the B types external dimmer will limit the current/voltage.

"now with the A type the Io adjust is just the same as the B type external poti (though with smaller range?) and on top of that i have the Vo adjust as well.
in theory i could get more W from an A type by driving it on higher voltage (than Bs can)"
yep, btw rocket soul just gave a good explanation how to get more W of A type driverb by using the Vo adjustment.
but good hint Baristan, the 320w version miss the Vo screw! then it dont matter anyway and it seems youre fine also with the B version you suggest.
basically if a AB type is there, i would probably always buy that even if i dont need the functionality, its maybe good for later use.

it is like you describe.
"is the difference like i can fine tune the current with the Io built-in poti and furthermore dim with the external,
so it's a comfort function? with B i only have the external poti so i need to ensure i don't go over a given current?"

all these set screws influence the same circuit in the driver (detection circuit in the block diagram), its like you describe more a comfort function.
i use a HLG-60-AB this way, i limit the output by using the Io screw so my external poti cant go full 100% i just need 30W out of it.
i havent touched the Vo screw as my leds are in the CC region anyway, 45V.
you have your setup better in your head then me, if your strip config is in the constant current region anyway, its all fine and you wont need the Vo screw (which seems to be not there on the 320AB).
you see what voltage your strips will pull and what the driver gives as ampere , multiply that and know how many watts you use of your driver (plus the usual conversion losses).

@jarvild , i dont think your b type driver is "overdriven" when he pulls 268W, especially not on 120v, if you factor in the losses (voltage conversion, cabling, etc.) and that these meters arent 100% precise.

 

[eLod]

@cobshopgrow thank you very much for the detailed answer. i take it you are talking about these posts https://www.rollitup.org/t/guide-me-to-the-light.1015437/page-8#post-15528992

so the f series 2ft strip (LT-F564B) datasheet says the min/max V is 43.7/48.4, but for example i cannot get a configuration in the samsung engine calculator that shows more than 48.1V. that said the driver says it can do 6.7A, with 9 strips thats ~750mA. if 3 dies that goes to ~1.1A per strip, that's still good enough i think. above that it starts to break down. so without Vo (which i don't have on even AB) i am fine until 3-4 strip dies (from the 9), i think that's good enough for me right now. the other option would be to go the A type, but that will loose the outer/extra dimming (but get the Vo safety). all in all i think i will go with the AB, it is better for reuse later, i can wait that 4-5 weeks for it.

 

[eLod]

just spoke with the shop i've ordered the driver from, they say they can ship the hlg-480h-ab in 3 weeks, so i think i will go with that. it's 5A-10A for the Io and i have the external dim on top of that right? so the 0.6A for the 9 strips is 5.4A, the total 10A would still give like 1.1A per strip which is still not that much. with the Vo poti set i can be sure it never goes above voltage (so wont take more current and etc) even if some die.

 

[rob333]

Mostly people prefer product with top efficiency diodes. Samsung has online calculators. I expect other manufacturers might offer similar tools.

Engine Calculator | SAMSUNG LED | Samsung LED Global Website

Engine Calculator - Support. Calculate engine at Samsung LED global website quickly and easily

www.samsung.com

LED Component Calculator | SAMSUNG LED | Samsung LED Global Website

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI and LED solutions.

www.samsung.com

Example using three different products here.

LED strip Lords. I need your guidance.

Im not sure if its automatic or if its screwdriver in hole dimming a la A-type meanwell dimming. Thnx , i looked earlier on that white knob but now i think that could be a voltage adjuster. I will check it out with the multimeter if i build this light and take a closer look how the voltage...

www.rollitup.org

Go to a gardning website or a led light web site this is a cannabis forum like asking about aids at a hardware store lol

 

[cobshopgrow]

am sure you will notice before 3 had died, have fun with the build.

 

[eLod]

hey @rob333 thanks for the response, i ask here because people have way more knowledge here than other "gardening" websites. i don't mean to disturb people here and i already got fantastic help and responses. hopefully it's okay.

 

[eLod]

@cobshopgrow thanks, the strips are already on their way from arrow, i need to finalise the order for the bigger driver and i need to get the alu channel stuff going, but hopefully in a few weeks i will start to build. thank you all for such a great help, really appreciate it.

 

[eLod]

just a little update here, started to build out the frame, shopped some parts in local hw stores. i am still waiting on a few things, most importantly the meanwell driver, so kind of blocked. also waiting on isopropyl alcohol (had to order, could only find ethyl in stores).

i am also waiting for the thermal tape, but i could find not just nylon washers but nylon screws in various sizes, m4 seems to fit the samsung f strips' wholes nicely, i can use those to fasten them even without a washer right?

i can also pick up arctic mx-2 30g for like 15-20$ it's not a problem. my concern is rather if i just make it worse trying to use thermal paste (vs the tape). if i understand correctly the paste has way better thermal conductivity and also it's easier to replace strips (i guess i could use a fishing line for the tape, but certainly easier with the paste).

i see people recommending the credit card / spread type of applying, tried to check videos, mostly done on cpus/gpus but i guess the techniques are the same (where applicable, e.g. single giant X / cross is not really viable for a 60cm long strip). obviously the more i research the more confused i get (how much paste, is spread/cc really good, etc.). i also see some people saying/hinting that the pcb may even have a good enough connection itself (eg not a single very hot spot as with cpu). anyways i am most likely just overthinking it.

apart from those i have almost all the stuff i need, and i am eager to start building it out. some pics of the frame (its 3 separate frames, just connected all together until i need them separately)