How do i safely mount my remote drivers?

[ChrispyCritter]

Hello, I am moving two drivers off of my 400 watt COB fixture and out of my grow room to remove some heat. My plan is to mount them on a board with some type of insulation between the drivers and the board, such as
1" foil covered Styrofoam board or even just foil covered bubble insulation for safety to keep the heat off of the wood. Is this ok? Necessary? Or is it even enough ? Thank you.

 

[BobThe420Builder]

They get over 100f, no on the foam

Mine sit on a shelf on landscape blocks

 

[ChrispyCritter]

Thanks. Can you suggest something I can mount them on and then onto the wall? It's mainly for space reasons.

come to think of it I may do the same as you and put up a shelf. That's a great idea. Thank you for your time.

 

[BobThe420Builder]

In my bathroom I just hung them off the curtain rod

Or

Take some sheet metal, screw to a thick board like a 2x6, then mount to the metal/board

Not saying wood would burn, but I'm not taking that chance in my house

 

[ChrispyCritter]

Another great idea hanging them!

 

[BobThe420Builder]

I also have , one if my tents, a 4" screw in the closet door stud, and hang the driver off it.no chance if burning since it touches nothing

 

[SpawnOfVader]

Mine aren't too hot when mounted externally so I just mount the outer tabs to wood and let the inside/heat generating surface sit in open air. My original plan was to mount heat sinks to the boards and then the drivers to aluminum heat sinks but I got cheap/lazy.

FYI I rebuilt the frame of my tent out of PVC so that I would have something to screw into. I'm using rubber washers between the 2x4's and the tent where I screw in to prevent light leaks.

 

[BobThe420Builder]

That looks good too

Hardly touches the wood

 

[BobThe420Builder]

Mine aren't too hot when mounted externally so I just mount the outer tabs to wood and let the inside/heat generating surface sit in open air. My original plan was to mount heat sinks to the boards and then the drivers to aluminum heat sinks but I got cheap/lazy.View attachment 4710771View attachment 4710772

FYI I rebuilt the frame of my tent out of PVC so that I would have something to screw into. I'm using rubber washers between the 2x4's and the tent where I screw in to prevent light leaks.

That a home made filter with the buckets

Lol


Saweeeeetttttt

 

[SpawnOfVader]

That looks good too

Hardly touches the wood

Thanks, I like my wood warm but not hot

LMAO, it really was the laziest I could do it... I got done rebuilding the PVC frame (the original cheap topolite frame was collapsing inward) and I had no time, money, or energy left to do a good mounting point for the drivers like I had originally planned (aluminum heatsink mounted to an 80/20 extrusion frame).

 

[SpawnOfVader]

That a home made filter with the buckets

Lol


Saweeeeetttttt

Actually just a muffler for sound, cuts about 15 db off my exhaust noise (when my fan is running at full blast) and about 5 (when my fan is running on lower power settings)... acoustic foam squares and carpet pad (compressed shredded foam insulation).

Like $20 all included vs how much for a pre-built muffler lol

 

[HydroKid239]

That a home made filter with the buckets

Lol


Saweeeeetttttt

Was just thinking the same.

Also Wouldn't a few washers lift it off of the wood? Maybe a little fan blowing on them to prevent the heating up on the wood?

 

[BobThe420Builder]

Actually just a muffler for sound, cuts about 15 db off my exhaust noise (when my fan is running at full blast) and about 5 (when my fan is running on lower power settings)... acoustic foam squares and carpet pad (compressed shredded foam insulation).

Like $20 all included vs how much for a pre-built muffler lol

I fixed mine by getting an AC infinity fan.. mounted to walk with some 1/2" thick foam to baffle it

But my hurricane brand fan was like a race car in my tent...lol

 

[SpawnOfVader]

I fixed mine by getting an AC infinity fan.. mounted to walk with some 1/2" thick foam to baffle it

But my hurricane brand fan was like a race car in my tent...lol

I switched to terrabloom which is a lot quieter than my vivosun... I've been WFH since March though and my tents are in my home office so I wanted to get it as close to 0 db as physically possible.

 

[SpawnOfVader]

Was just thinking the same.

Also Wouldn't a few washers lift it off of the wood? Maybe a little fan blowing on them to prevent the heating up on the wood?

Totally, a little washer/riser would solve the issue of the wood heating up. I can touch my drivers with my bare hands without any real issues as is and they're on 100% power... but yea like a little 120mm computer fan behind each blowing away from the tent would be super solid. AC Infinity makes some nice cheap models with USB power.

 

[SpawnOfVader]

Hello, I am moving two drivers off of my 400 watt COB fixture and out of my grow room to remove some heat. My plan is to mount them on a board with some type of insulation between the drivers and the board, such as
1" foil covered Styrofoam board or even just foil covered bubble insulation for safety to keep the heat off of the wood. Is this ok? Necessary? Or is it even enough ? Thank you.

So going back to your problems instead of bragging about my DIY ... What is the space like where you're trying to mount them? Just a plain wall or are there already shelves or anything? Is cord length a limitation or can you run extra wire?

Absolute cheapest way I can think of is doing something with 2x4 like I did and either do like @HydroKid239 suggested and use washers as a riser or make cross pieces out of square aluminum and then mount the drivers to that.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Steelworks-1-in-W-x-8-ft-L-Mill-Finished-Aluminum-Square-Tube/3053565

**EDITED- working link now

 

[HydroKid239]

Totally, a little washer/riser would solve the issue of the wood heating up. I can touch my drivers with my bare hands without any real issues as is and they're on 100% power... but yea like a little 120mm computer fan behind each blowing away from the tent would be super solid. AC Infinity makes some nice cheap models with USB power.

I seen some today. I actually bought an ac infinity cloudline T4 yesterday for less than 100 with the temp/humidity control

 

[SpawnOfVader]

I seen some today. I actually bought an ac infinity cloudline T4 yesterday for less than 100 with the temp/humidity control

Nice, I use the S4 in my oyster mushroom enclosure.... I needed a fan I could drop the speed to almost nothing (don't need that much airflow and it makes maintaining 90 RH easier).... basically just to make sure spores exhaust out my window for allergy reasons.

I opted for the terrabloom for one major reason- my Home Assistant project... instead of being stuck with their software or power adjustment knob it comes with an optional replacement that just goes to like 3 pins or something.... I can wire it directly to arduino or a raspberry pi as the controller.

 

[ChrispyCritter]

I already have extended my wires so the drivers can sit outside. it's a bare wall I was going to mount something to. I can put a shelf or a rod or a 2x4 setup. So great ideas. Thank you!
All your diy ideas are cool and worth bragging about.

 

[SpawnOfVader]

I already have extended my wires so the drivers can sit outside. it's a bare wall I was going to mount something to. I can put a shelf or a rod or a 2x4 setup. So great ideas. Thank you!

DIY projects are half of what makes this so interesting... let us know what you end up doing.

If you opt for the washer/riser idea these are what I'd recommend. Just make sure you account for the thickness of where the screw goes through your driver + the spacer + at least 1" into the 2x4 for secure mounting (might have to get a thicker/thinner riser- it needs to be just barely wider than the threads on the screws.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-3-8-in-x-1-2-in-x-1-in-Seamless-Steel-Spacer/3012477