DiY LED - Cree CXA3070

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
Thank you for the clarification Happy. You pose a darn good question, where are those extra lumens coming from? If the BB bin has a color tint closer to green while the AD bin might be closer to red, that would explain the lumen difference and the CRi difference. Is there any indication in the part number that one is 50F (4 step) and the other 50H (2 step). There is also the possibility that they have different color tints AND that the BB bin is simply more efficient of an emitter.

theoretical example
CRi possibilities.png
 

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
Good penetration data @kkman . I have a variety of drivers at the moment, 700mA 800mA and 900mA. But I will be switching one of the rooms completely to 700mA so I will be able to add a data point then.

I think a short conical reflector is a great idea even at 700mA. You can make a simple one from cardboard and heat paint and there is no worries about it getting hot at 700mA (I did measure some serious heat in the reflector when running a Vero29 @ 2.55A.)
 
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happy75

Well-Known Member
Thank you for the clarification Happy. You pose a darn good question, where are those extra lumens coming from? If the BB bin has a color tint closer to green while the AD bin might be closer to red, that would explain the lumen difference and the CRi difference. Is there any indication in the part number that one is 50F (4 step) and the other 50H (2 step). There is also the possibility that they have different color tints AND that the BB bin is simply more efficient of an emitter.

theoretical example
View attachment 3318957
BB's 5000K: 50H = 2-step
AD's 5000K: 50F = 4- step

The colortemps are almost the same, but the 4-step is closer to red, very small difference. The BB is just more efficiënt I think.
 

Romz1

Member
Hey guys I am new here :) I am planning to get 5 CREE CXA3070 for my upcoming grow, which setup will work best? 4x3000k and 1x5000k or 5x3000 or maybe something else?

And I am also looking for a passive heat sink that can support a single Cree CXA3070 powered by Meanwell LPC-60-1400 driver. Will Cree LMH02 (height 55mm; diameter 110mm) work for that purpose? Or is there any other options?

Thank you for your help! :)
 
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SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
Very interesting heatsink. It is pretty small though so at 50W I suspect it would be running very hot without active cooling. I do like the idea of a round heatsink for passive cooling, it would give us great adjustability and access to the canopy, along with a more efficient use of the heatsink material. Bu tthat said, it is tough to be the Alpine 11. Even with the fan running at 4V it does an excellent job of cooling 50W for only $10.
 

Romz1

Member
SupraSPL thanks! But what about noise of the fan? How loud is it?
Just don't want to have to noisy 'vacuum cleaner' growbox, like I had with HPS setup before :)
 

kkman

Member
Ya my Inventronics 700mA X4 is only 89% efficient which was disappointing compared to the big Mean Well HLG. And it is strange that Inventronics tends to be spendier.

I agree regarding Vero29. In my mind it presents a very cost efficient opportunity but as you said it is not suitable for those geared toward efficiency. I broke the cost down for someone in a PM:

Vero29 $32
Mean Well HLN-80H-36 $41
Heatsink $10
Total $83 for 100W @ 34.1% typ = 34.1PAR W = $2.43/PAR W

CXA3070 AB :$42
Mean Well PLP-60-48 $16
Heatsink $10
Total $68 for 52W @ 43.3% typ = 22.5 PAR W = $3.02/PAR W

So for DIYers, I think the CXA is still where it is at :)
Super I have looked at the plp-60-48 but was worried it would not dim down towards 900ma as the driver min is 36V which I thought was too high. Am I wrong? Likwise I thought the plp-45-68 would be a good choice it the min voltage was lower, do you thing it would work dimming between 715 - 950ma.

Thanks
 

Elibrium

Member
cxa3070 driven each by the Mean Well PLP-60-48. That puts me roughly at 50w per cob correct? So to get the required voltage to each alpine, would something like any old 12v power supply work for running all 8? Still around the learning curve a bit here, but I want to build one of these lights. They are killing it
 
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ballist

Well-Known Member
Yes it would work. You would need approx 1,6amps for 8 fans. An old computer psu would be able to do that but not the greatest for efficiency.
 

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
I would recommend running at 6-7.5V the alpine 11 fans at 6V I would recommend .7-1A.
At 7.5V I would recommend 1-1.2A

OEM quality power supply will say efficiency level IV or V or just have symbol "V"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ac-adapter-7-5V-1A-31124123w104200auv-/281510790161?pt=Multipurpose_AC_to_DC_Adapters&hash=item418b59c411

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Infant-Optic-AC-Adapter-6V-800mA-Model-SWP-22801-00-/331419550401?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d2a2502c1

You could even go with 5V tiny adapter like this, although the CXAs will run a bit warmer, from my testing I see no loss of efficiency overall.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-BlackBerry-750mA-Home-Wall-AC-Power-Charger-Adapter-Micro-USB-Data-Cable-/231070647791?pt=US_Cell_Phone_PDA_Chargers&hash=item35cce245ef
 
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SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
Super I have looked at the plp-60-48 but was worried it would not dim down towards 900ma as the driver min is 36V which I thought was too high. Am I wrong? Likwise I thought the plp-45-68 would be a good choice it the min voltage was lower, do you thing it would work dimming between 715 - 950ma.

Thanks
I have not tested the PLP-60-48 yet but I have one on the way to find out for sure.
 

Scotch089

Well-Known Member
Hey supe do you have another source for xm-l2 6500s? Willbuying fucked me months ago out of half my U3s and I've even purchased the other half and never recieved them. 20 some bucks out for nothin. Emailed them regularly and they're customer service simply doesn't exist. Preferably U3s or higher bins but obviously I'm just takin what I can get.
 

stock

Well-Known Member
Hello everybody ! Wow ,this one of the best LED threads ,so far which i can find on internet . Thank you for all valuable information !!!
I am plan to build one panel with cxa 3590 ,but when i go to digikey to buy some it is few of them available . Which one i should get ? And i will use it for flowering only . Also what driver will support them ? Say if i do 10-12 cxa per panel ? And if anybody have schematic to how to connect them ?
Thank you in advance
 
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