Can't post in the closed thread, looking for noob help.

RolledUhhp

RolledUhhp

Active Member
I'm struggling to understand how to size my driver to the strips I want to run.

I want to replace a 1000w HPS bulb, and if I'm on the right track I think I have a build in mind to achieve that.
I come from growing mushrooms, so I'm eager to learn, but light is an area I'm lacking in.

I'm going to build a rack out of Aluminum C channel to cover a 4x4 area.
I plan to wire according to this image:

1586060689259.png



12x BXEB-L1190U-40E3000-C-C3

1x Mean Well HLG-480H-42A Driver

~48 Feet of 1″ Heat Sink

1x Roll of Thermal Tape

1x LLT L20 Waterproof Power Connector for Driver AC Connection

8x 5-Conductor Wagos

1x 6-Pack of Ratcheting Hangers

I don't know if this driver is compatible with this setup though.
I over-estimated the wattage by a miniscule amount, coming in at 360w.

30w x 12 strips = 360w <---- is that 30w per strip at full power? I'd like to run them a bit soft.

I don't know what my next step is. I'm looking at the data sheet for the lights, and don't know which values I need to use next.

Ideally I'd like to be able to calculate the specs of my system on my own in the following way. These are the specs I based this off of, not my specs:


System Specs:
Type: C.V./Parallel

Diode Count: 2,688

System Voltage: 39.2V

System Current: 12,000mA

System Power: 470.4W

Lumen Estimate (3000K): 80,640

Efficacy: 171 lm/w



Any help is much appreciated! I'll be poking around the forum some more, see ya around!
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
We'll if those strips are 42V then you're set.
Wattage doesn't increase with each strip like on a Constant Current driver. You've got a Constant Voltage driver for parallel wiring. So it's a simple concept. Whether you run 4 strips or 20, the 480watts the driver can put out, will be divided amongst however many strips are there to accept it. Make sense?
Just like the pic, just be sure to bring a lead from the positive and negative to each and every strip. Unlike series wiring, where you'd start the positive on the first strip and connect the following strips using the first ones negative to the second ones positive and so on, until your last strip in the series negative connection returns to the drivers negative lead.
 
RolledUhhp

RolledUhhp

Active Member
Okay, so at 12 lights I'd be at 40w per. The typical power listed on the data sheet is just under 30w, should I try to get closer to this number, or is overhead okay here?

How can I tell if they're 42v? Sorry if that's a dumb question, I'm looking for it!

I'm on pages 5/6 of the data sheet: https://www.bridgelux.com/sites/default/files/resource_media/DS171 Bridgelux EB Series Slim Gen3 Data Sheet 20190620 Rev A.PDF



Something else I might be bungling. Am I adding the Max Forward Voltage for each of these strips? If so, I'm coming in at 502V and that driver is rated up to 305VAC. I feel like I'm misinterpreting something here...

EDIT: "To estimate the total voltage of the string, add the total vF or each LED in the string. If the voltage is of the LED string is too low the driver may flash. If it is too high the driver may flash or it may drastically reduce its current output. "

I'll keep scratching at this!

Just to confirm, I want to wire them exactly like the pic, and not jump them like if I were installing wall outlets on the same breaker.
 
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Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
RolledUhhp said:
Okay, so at 12 lights I'd be at 40w per. The typical power listed on the data sheet is just under 30w, should I try to get closer to this number, or is overhead okay here?

How can I tell if they're 42v? Sorry if that's a dumb question, I'm looking for it!

I'm on pages 5/6 of the data sheet: https://www.bridgelux.com/sites/default/files/resource_media/DS171 Bridgelux EB Series Slim Gen3 Data Sheet 20190620 Rev A.PDF



Something else I might be bungling. Am I adding the Max Forward Voltage for each of these strips? If so, I'm coming in at 502V and that driver is rated up to 305VAC. I feel like I'm misinterpreting something here...

EDIT: "To estimate the total voltage of the string, add the total vF or each LED in the string. If the voltage is of the LED string is too low the driver may flash. If it is too high the driver may flash or it may drastically reduce its current output. "

I'll keep scratching at this!

Just to confirm, I want to wire them exactly like the pic, and not jump them like if I were installing wall outlets on the same breaker.
Click to expand...
The 305v is the AC side. North America is 120V.
You add voltage of strips together, like I said, when using a Constant Current driver.
If you're using the strips with the numbers 3000 towards the end, they are 40ish volts and will work as I stated.
If they're not, you'll need to run a few in series together to add up to 42ish volts and run those series circuits like one strip in parallel with the rest of the series circuits you'll need to create.
 
RolledUhhp

RolledUhhp

Active Member
Okay, so adding watts AND voltages are both when dealing with Constant Current Driver. That was my first shot at digging deep into a data sheet, so I was getting pretty overloaded. The Drive Current had me tripping up for a minute too, but this would also deal with Constant Current, and not apply for my build, correct?

They are the 3000.

That driver has a built-in potentiometer that allows it to be tuned between 35.7 ~ 44.1V (<--- that would be VDC, because it's in the output section of the table, correct?) Does this allow me to dial in how hard I want to run them, or am I going to need a dimmer to run them soft?


Thank you so much for helping me make sense of this!


Edit: That driver is listed as Constant Current + Constant Voltage Mode Output, is that just going to be a switch selector or something I set?
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
RolledUhhp said:
Okay, so adding watts AND voltages are both when dealing with Constant Current Driver. That was my first shot at digging deep into a data sheet, so I was getting pretty overloaded. The Drive Current had me tripping up for a minute too, but this would also deal with Constant Current, and not apply for my build, correct?

They are the 3000.

That driver has a built-in potentiometer that allows it to be tuned between 35.7 ~ 44.1V (<--- that would be VDC, because it's in the output section of the table, correct?) Does this allow me to dial in how hard I want to run them, or am I going to need a dimmer to run them soft?


Thank you so much for helping me make sense of this!


Edit: That driver is listed as Constant Current + Constant Voltage Mode Output, is that just going to be a switch selector or something I set?
Click to expand...
It's CV. It just has parameters that keep the current constant among all the strips. A TRUE CC driver (HLG-480H-C1400) IS SET at 1400mA drive current. So that's why it's an actual CC. There's no changing it besides splitting the circuit into 2, halving the current to 700. But the CC drivers have a min/Max range of VOLTAGE that can be put on it. 40v per strip. Each one adds another 40. So you are limited to the amount of strips you can put on it before you'd have to as I explained above, split the circuit in to 2 700ma ones which woukd allow you to pit twice as many on it.

There's 2 plugs with pots under them. One for voltage adjustment and one for dimming. You can see on the data sheet at different currents the V goes up and that's why there's a pot for it. Also, current is still the driving force that creates light. So it DOES still apply here because that driver has 11.4 Amps(11,400 milliamps) it's gonna push out. So you wouldn't want only say 4 strips on it because each strip would receive 11,400/4=2,850ma each. Way over their Max of 1700ish. So you have the right strips, just get to building!
 
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