Need driver advice for EB Gen3 Strips

[Ganjedi]

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.

Thanks , I'll still try to get the heatsinks , but at least now I know I'll be fine either way hehe.

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.

Thanks for your help again and again , I think I feel more comfortable going with parallel since its very humid where I'm at and guess its better not to mess with high voltage.

 

[Ganjedi]

@cobshopgrow shit gets confusing pretty quick about all these things , I think I would like to go for the HLG series ... so if going for 2 drivers with 10x 2feet strips on each then I should be picking HLG-150H-42AB/B and if going for 20x 2feet strips on 1 driver then HLG-320H-42AB/B correct ?
I think I got a hang of the AB/B variant but its still confusing with the 'rated output voltage' options (HLG-150H-42AB/B & HLG-320H-42AB/B)
Since I've come down to 2feet strips from 4feet strips , do I still order the 42 rated output voltage one or 24 , 20 ... ?

I havent bought any driver yet , so to specifically get a driver for :
2 fixtures of 10x 2ft strips on each driver I should be getting the HLG-120H-20B / HLG-120H-24B / HLG-150H-20B / HLG-150H-24B (which one)
1 fixture of 20x 2ft strips on one driver I should be getting the HLG-240H-20B / HLG-240H-24B / HLG-320H-20B / HLG-320H-24B (which one)

I have absolutely 0 electrical knowledge but since I started doing research for making this light I think I'm going in the right direction with this ? Or am I totally off ?

 

[cobshopgrow]

their naming is a bit confusing, the number in this case is simply the voltage, A or AB is the type of driver not the Ampere.

HLG-150H-20 is the option for all in parallel.
your 2 feet are about 19V each.
19Vx7.5A=142,5W 750mA max on the strips.

the HLG 120.-20 would be 6A therefore , 600mA.

so you basically can take simply the version with the 20 in the name and choose the wattage to your liking.

the problem with the low voltage is that the ampere get quite high.
f.e.
HLG-320H-20 , will be 15A at only 20V.

Enter the information below to calculate voltage drop across a circuit.
Voltage: 19V, 15A, AWG18 cable, 4 feet distance.

Voltage Drop	0.96 V
Voltage at Load	18.04 V
Percentage Drop	5.05 %

thats a bit high drop for my taste.

Voltage Drop Calculator

The purpose of this calculator is to determine voltage drop, percent voltage drop, and voltage at load based on the length of the circuit.

wiresizecalculator.net

goin higher with the voltage would solve this issue.
on a XLG-240 -H you would be able to use 2 strips each in series and still be on a very low voltage while having the ampere and cabling efforts halfed.
that only works with 20 strips, not 10, clear.
and only a option if you feel good building a mix of series and parallel.
for low voltage drivers its best to mount them nearby the fixture.

you have to compare the pricing and avaiability of the drivers to make a decission and decide for a wattage you want to use.
30W a square feet is the usual recommendation, cant tell you if you will need all 30W, but always better to have a few watt in reserve i would say.

 

[Ganjedi]

their naming is a bit confusing, the number in this case is simply the voltage, A or AB is the type of driver not the Ampere.

HLG-150H-20 is the option for all in parallel.
your 2 feet are about 19V each.
19Vx7.5A=142,5W 750mA max on the strips.

the HLG 120.-20 would be 6A therefore , 600mA.

so you basically can take simply the version with the 20 in the name and choose the wattage to your liking.

the problem with the low voltage is that the ampere get quite high.
f.e.
HLG-320H-20 , will be 15A at only 20V.

Enter the information below to calculate voltage drop across a circuit.
Voltage: 19V, 15A, AWG18 cable, 4 feet distance.

Percentage Drop	5.05 %
Voltage at Load	18.04 V
Voltage Drop	0.96 V

thats a bit high drop for my taste.

Voltage Drop Calculator

The purpose of this calculator is to determine voltage drop, percent voltage drop, and voltage at load based on the length of the circuit.

wiresizecalculator.net

goin higher with the voltage would solve this issue.
on a XLG-240 -H you would be able to use 2 strips each in series and still be on a very low voltage while having the ampere and cabling efforts halfed.
that only works with 20 strips, not 10, clear.
and only a option if you feel good building a mix of series and parallel.
for low voltage drivers its best to mount them nearby the fixture.

you have to compare the pricing and avaiability of the drivers to make a decission and decide for a wattage you want to use.
30W a square feet is the usual recommendation, cant tell you if you will need all 30W, but always better to have a few watt in reserve i would say.

I kept thinking about my setup last night and finally decided it would be better to go for 1 fixture of 20x 2feet strips on a single driver since even if I decide to extend or go for a bigger grow area in the future it would be another 2x4 or 4x4 all together so it would be better to make one 2x4feet fixture instead of going for two 2x2 fixtures. So now this brings me to narrowing down my driver to HLG-320. So now to finalize my driver I just need to know which of these to go for so that I can pull the trigger : HLG-320H-20B / HLG-320H-24B / HLG 320H-42B.
So if I'm getting it right , I should be going for HLG-320H-42B ?

 

[TintEastwood]

1 fixture of 20x 2feet strips on a single driver

Just wanted to mention fault tolerance. ex-IT guy.

Consider...
If a driver fails, how soon does it need to be replaced.
With 2 drivers, one driver can fail and we still have light on the grow.
Some might want to keep a spare driver on the shelf.

 

[Ganjedi]

Just wanted to mention fault tolerance. ex-IT guy.

Consider...
If a driver fails, how soon does it need to be replaced.
With 2 drivers, one driver can fail and we still have light on the grow.
Some might want to keep a spare driver on the shelf.

Yes I thought about that too and am considering a spare driver

 

[cobshopgrow]

I kept thinking about my setup last night and finally decided it would be better to go for 1 fixture of 20x 2feet strips on a single driver since even if I decide to extend or go for a bigger grow area in the future it would be another 2x4 or 4x4 all together so it would be better to make one 2x4feet fixture instead of going for two 2x2 fixtures. So now this brings me to narrowing down my driver to HLG-320. So now to finalize my driver I just need to know which of these to go for so that I can pull the trigger : HLG-320H-20B / HLG-320H-24B / HLG 320H-42B.
So if I'm getting it right , I should be going for HLG-320H-42B ?

if you want all in parallel the HLG-320H-20 is a option it will max out at 285W. 19V X 15A.
there i wouldnt mount the driver remote, cause of high losses due to the low voltage (voltage drop example above).
it also means 2 wires to each strip, but wiring is as simple to understand as it can be, all simply parallel.

HLG 320H-42B would mean 38x7.65 = 290W.
you would have the ampere load halfed to 7.65A and have less losses on the cable.
but you would need to take 2 2 footers in series each.
as long the number is dividable by 2 this works.
if you feel good with that, i think you will only have benefits choosing the 42 volt type.
its a percent more effieicent working, less losses and less wiring.

you will need 4 foot lengh anyway and connecting 2 strips there in series is simply better then do it in parallel, one reason more for 42V.

using only about 290W of the 320W driver probably enhance the lifetime also.
i use also mainly 320W ones and they almost stay cool to the touch if not maxed out.

 

[Ganjedi]

if you want all in parallel the HLG-320H-20 is a option it will max out at 285W. 19V X 15A.
there i wouldnt mount the driver remote, cause of high losses due to the low voltage (voltage drop example above).
it also means 2 wires to each strip, but wiring is as simple to understand as it can be, all simply parallel.

HLG 320H-42B would mean 38x7.65 = 290W.
you would have the ampere load halfed to 7.65A and have less losses on the cable.
but you would need to take 2 2 footers in series each.
as long the number is dividable by 2 this works.
if you feel good with that, i think you will only have benefits choosing the 42 volt type.
its a percent more effieicent working, less losses and less wiring.

you will mount need 4 foot lengh anyway and connecting 2 strips there in series is simply better then do it in parallel, one reason more for 42V.

using only about 290W of the 320W driver probably enhance the lifetime also.
i use also mainly 320W ones and they almost stay cool to the touch if not maxed out.

Thank you @cobshopgrow you have helped me a lot in this ! I think I will go with the HLG-320H-42B

 

[Ganjedi]

Hi guys , will this potentiometer work ? @cobshopgrow

 

[cobshopgrow]

yep, 100k, linear, should do the job.
they prob vary a bit, so if you want one with 100k, buy some more.

 

[Ganjedi]

yep, 100k, linear, should do the job.

phew thanks a lot ! also I was talking to a local electric hardware store and he had a 5watt potentiometer and not 1/2watt like I see suggested in DIY guides , will that work as well ? The pic i posted above doesnt mention any watt

 

[cobshopgrow]

wattage rating doesnt matter much as there is hardly any current flowing.
they all will work, the rating is just for how much the potentiometer can take, there wont be more then a few milli amp..

 

[Ganjedi]

wattage rating doesnt matter much as there is hardly any current flowing.
they all will work, the rating is just for how much the potentiometer can take, there wont be more then a few milli amp..

Thank you for your help again <3

 

[7CardBud]

You can always add a 10K resistor in series just to be sure. If you want it at 0% output you just shut the light off.

 

[tryproton]

Frame and mounting ideas...

DIY Guide - LED Strips

LED strip lights In this chapter, we build an efficient grow light using LED strips and an aluminum frame, that also serves as a heat sink. Power consumption varies between 180W - 480W depending on the LED driver selection and the number of LED strips used.

sites.google.com

Thank you for posting this step-by-step guide. It's so nice! I have a question relate to light intensity proposed in the guide. For instance, can someone tell me why does the optimal choice for a two plant grow tent of 60*60 cm is 320W light (11 strips)? Isn't it a bit overkill for such big space?

 

[TintEastwood]

Thank you for posting this step-by-step guide. It's so nice! I have a question relate to light intensity proposed in the guide. For instance, can someone tell me why does the optimal choice for a two plant grow tent of 60*60 cm is 320W light (11 strips)? Isn't it a bit overkill for such big space?

2x2 space = 4sqft
30 to 40 watts per sq ft.
So about 150 watts.

How many strips depends on the strips and the wattage you plan to run them.

 

[TintEastwood]

Used 5x eb 560mm gen3's for each of these panels.

Seven Sisters

While we are all *patiently* waiting for your garage to cool off was wondering what your thoughts are on when to harvest. How many days from flip do you normally go? The 9 strains I've grown are all done around the 75th day, I think. Tried to buy a mix of mostly indica and mostly sativa seeds...

www.rollitup.org

 

[bcr500]

I’m building 2 fixtures each with 10 2700k cri90 strips powered by hlg320h 42 ab. I got the drivers from TRC electronics.