Need driver advice for EB Gen3 Strips

Ganjedi

Active Member
those strips can be run up to 700ma without a heatsink however it would not hurt to attach each strip to a 2 inch by 4 foot strip of aluminum
I ordered 12 strips , if they are 2 inch wide then 12 of those side by side would be 2 feet and for my 2x4 feet area I guess I will have to get a whole 2x4feet aluminum slab haha. Since I'm not using a grow tent for now maybe a whole 2x4feet aluminum slab might work , hmm.
 

cobshopgrow

Well-Known Member
The AB type drivers seems to be out of stock everywhere so I guess I have to go with the B type ones , also do I need heatsinks for the strips ?
I need to buy a knob for the potentiometer as well right ? (anything else I need apart from the knob if at all ?)
hm, would go with a AB type.
XLG 150 H and M fit your 6 strips each light (not the L).
both in stock.

better to get a knob, good point, btw 100k linear pots are cheap on ebay often.
 

Ganjedi

Active Member
hm, would go with a AB type.
XLG 150 H and M fit your 6 strips each light (not the L).
both in stock.

better to get a knob, good point, btw 100k linear pots are cheap on ebay often.
Some bad news , just got a mail from the seller saying theres some problem and that they cant complete my order ... So now ended up ordering 20x EB Gen3 3000K 90CRI 2Feet Strips - BXEB-L0560Z-30G2000-C-C3 , its a back order or something like that for next month ... Hope this time the strips get through ! So now the question is , am I still getting the same driver with 20x 2feet strips ?
 

cobshopgrow

Well-Known Member
you can consider L M and H then.
least wiring highest voltage is the L.
there the 5 strips in series, just 2 times each light. so 5S 2P = 10 strips on a 150W driver
 

mauricem00

Well-Known Member
Some bad news , just got a mail from the seller saying theres some problem and that they cant complete my order ... So now ended up ordering 20x EB Gen3 3000K 90CRI 2Feet Strips - BXEB-L0560Z-30G2000-C-C3 , its a back order or something like that for next month ... Hope this time the strips get through ! So now the question is , am I still getting the same driver with 20x 2feet strips ?
running in parallel can cause problems use a constant current driver and run your strips in series to avoid imbalance
 

cobshopgrow

Well-Known Member
there is likely no 150W driver delivering 380V.

Ganjedi, practically you will be fine with every mentioned driver.
lots people put all their strips in parallel, thats the ususal recomendation here as its low voltage.
in real world the inbalance is so small that you wont notice it.
am putting as much i can in series myself, but there are technical limits.
dont worry too much.
 

cobshopgrow

Well-Known Member
running in series dont cause problems, its the best way to drive a Led but you can of course also use some parallel circuit and mixes of S and P.
in fact all the boards and many strips out there are using a mix of series and parallel.
the argument for parallel beeing ok is that the tolerances are so tight nowadays that it works out fine.
 

mauricem00

Well-Known Member
I have been told the total opposite of that quite a few times by now that running in series can cause problem o_O
running in series requires a higher operating voltage producing a greater shock risk, running in parallel can result in one strip pulling more current than others. electrical engineers use ballast resistor when operating simi conductors in parallel to prevent this imbalance.many of the people building LED lights on this site have little knowledge of electronics.you can verify what I am telling you by asking any electrical engineer. a lot of bro-science on this site.do your homework. components on the strip are very closely matched (same bin and lot number) but there can be large variations in forward voltage causing large current variations between strips when run in parallel
 

cobshopgrow

Well-Known Member
there is still no 150W driver giving 380V to drive 10 strips in series, so he have to put some in parallel.

beside that the connectors arent rated that high, thats probably just cause no one tested/certified accordingly, idc.

all the strips he will get are matched well enough to be operated in parallel, were not speaking of stoneage china blurple leds here needing matching resistors.

go with the L AB driver variant Ganjedi, that the most in series and would be my prefered solution.
 

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
running in series requires a higher operating voltage producing a greater shock risk, running in parallel can result in one strip pulling more current than others. electrical engineers use ballast resistor when operating simi conductors in parallel to prevent this imbalance.many of the people building LED lights on this site have little knowledge of electronics.you can verify what I am telling you by asking any electrical engineer. a lot of bro-science on this site.do your homework. components on the strip are very closely matched (same bin and lot number) but there can be large variations in forward voltage causing large current variations between strips when run in parallel
How big is the variations in the blux strips? Have you measured them?
 

mauricem00

Well-Known Member
How big is the variations in the blux strips? Have you measured them?
no I have not my training in electrical engineering tells me this is a bad ideal. the data sheet does not provide that information.it does show a negative temperature coefficient so thermal runaway is possible when operated near maximum power with the heatsink being used.
 

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
no I have not my training in electrical engineering tells me this is a bad ideal. the data sheet does not provide that information.it does show a negative temperature coefficient so thermal runaway is possible when operated near maximum power with the heatsink being used.
Current hogging and thermal runaway was talked alot about back in the days but i dont know of anyone who actually had a problem with it. To me the high voltage in a humid/wet grow is more troubling. Also in a situation with loads of strips over a cannopy would a lets say 5% difference in wattage over 2 strips really matter all that much?
Afaik the forward voltage on these modern leds is pretty tight on the datasheet, what would be an unacceptable variance in voltage in your opinion?
 

1212ham

Well-Known Member
Some bad news , just got a mail from the seller saying theres some problem and that they cant complete my order ... So now ended up ordering 20x EB Gen3 3000K 90CRI 2Feet Strips - BXEB-L0560Z-30G2000-C-C3 , its a back order or something like that for next month ... Hope this time the strips get through ! So now the question is , am I still getting the same driver with 20x 2feet strips ?
You could use the same driver. Pairs of BXEB-L0560Z-30G2000-C-C3 can be connected in series and used as if they were the 1120mm/4 foot strips, it's common practice.

About your frame/heat sinks, those strips can be run up to about 1000ma with no heat sink of any kind and 1 inch aluminum angle is more than enough. At times I simply suspended them from the top of a tent or cabinet.
 

mauricem00

Well-Known Member
Current hogging and thermal runaway was talked alot about back in the days but i dont know of anyone who actually had a problem with it. To me the high voltage in a humid/wet grow is more troubling. Also in a situation with loads of strips over a cannopy would a lets say 5% difference in wattage over 2 strips really matter all that much?
Afaik the forward voltage on these modern leds is pretty tight on the datasheet, what would be an unacceptable variance in voltage in your opinion?
diodes have a logarithmic. response curve. a 38 volt strip would have 12 diodes in series so a 0.72 volt difference would result in a 10 fold difference in current
 

cobshopgrow

Well-Known Member
no one ever argued with you that going in series isnt the best option.
while you cant hardly aruge vs thousands using parallel only strips/boards lights with good results, as the matching is simply good enough for our needs, it far away from your 0.72V difference.

i am a fan of series wiring myself, the problem is more that people tend to understand parallel wiring easier, also it means a safe to play with voltage.
so you will find even technical very experienced people here recommending going all parallel.
some even use parallel only as its easier to expand later on with more strips in any number they want.
in the end anyone needs to decide for himself.

this topic leads to endless discussions here and isnt helping the OP.
the OP need a driver option he can buy, working with the strips he bought and it is pratically completly fine to use 2 strips in parallel and more.

btw.. i completly overlooked beside all this that there are 2 feet strips ordered now, thats fine!
btw makes the discussion obsoltete anyway.
XLG-150-L, same driver as before, 10 2 feet in series,, 10x19V, is okish high voltage for me,
otherwise all in parallel with the H driver, or the HLG 120 C700 AB if you can find it and are ok with less watt for a little more money.
 
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