DiY LEDs - How to Power Them

Greengenes707 said:

I'm not 100% sure, but you maybe could run all 24 of those vero10's @267ma with a hlg185-30.
4 parallel strings, one to each bar...then 6 chips parallel on each of the 4 main parallels.
6.2amps>>>>(4)1.6amps>>>>>>(6).26666amps (266.6666ma)

or do the same thing with the hlg240 and be able to go as high as 200w/333ma, then dim from there.

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Ya I had made a post about the driver choice in the new to LEDs thread. I was originally going to do 25 Vero 10 parallel strings in parallel to the driver on a HLG-185H-C1400, still not dead set on the driver choice with these cheap little drivers but going to test the ones I have coming when they get here and see. Might not even go with the multi Vero 10 setup but pretty sure it will be pretty good for my flowering space with relatively even coverage and multi point light sources for less shadows.

I appreciate the post, I will keep the idea in mind, still nothing set in stone.

Bueno Time said:

Ya I had made a post about the driver choice in the new to LEDs thread. I was originally going to do 25 Vero 10 parallel strings in parallel to the driver on a HLG-185H-C1400, still not dead set on the driver choice with these cheap little drivers but going to test the ones I have coming when they get here and see. Might not even go with the multi Vero 10 setup but pretty sure it will be pretty good for my flowering space with relatively even coverage and multi point light sources for less shadows.

I appreciate the post, I will keep the idea in mind, still nothing set in stone.

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I must of missed it, but your on it. Good luck, sounds like a cool light.

Greengenes707 said:

I must of missed it, but your on it. Good luck, sounds like a cool light.

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Ya I posted that question about those $2.92 30-65v 300mA drivers a couple days ago in another thread.

I was looking at your recommendations and I really like the idea of HLG-240H-30A (4-8A adj.) with the 24 Vero 10s in parallel. I like that I wouldnt have to bin and match even strings like I would have if I went with the HLG-185H-C1400 doing it like Mr Flux did. I think he has his COBs in parallel on the bars and the bars in series and he mentioned how he had ran individual emitters (COBs) to test vF of each COB in order to assemble the strings as evenly as possible.

That shouldnt be an issue with every COB in parallel on the 240H-30, if Im not mistaken. And I like simplifying the wiring with a single driver,too. I want to simplify the raising and lowering of my next light setup possibly all of it moving up and down as one unit. I like(d) the separate modules for adjustability over the canopy but its a royal pain in the ass during the stretch moving them up every two days or more at times.

Damn Digikey is always fast, picked the cheapest shipping option and it still came in 2 days. These Vero 10s are smaller than I was thinking they would be (knew they were small COBs but thought they would be a little bit bigger). The whole chip would fit on or inside the yellow part of a CXA3070 lol.

Now I just wait for the cheapo drivers to show up and play with these a little, hopefully the drivers come in a couple weeks not a couple months lol. Estimated delivery was Nov 25-Jan1 I think, thats a hell of a window for delivery.

More specific driver characteristics:

SupraSPL said:

More specific driver characteristics:
View attachment 3289035

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sweet, im still waiting on fasttech, but its all good, nice to see that I might have picked right with these. Not exceptional, but the best trade-off looks to fit the Vero curve to a T, so fingers crossed. I have no idea of the efficiency though for a Vero 10 @.265 +-.25mA, maybe 38-40%? So overall I would be pushing 33-35% efficiency, not bad for $3.50 drivers!

Supra, by the way, do you have a spreadsheet for Vero 10's where the LER, lumens and Voltage Forward are all listed? Or can they just be divided by 18's #'s?

Funny you should ask, just put this together this morning for Bueno Time

^ That was the reason I was asking ....I usually save all the spreadsheets you guys put out so I have a reference but had nothing on V10's.

No 3500k?

Has anyone ever used alibaba to source meanwell drivers?
And if so are they legit or are some scams.
I have never used ali or anything like it, but hlg prices are through the roof state side. The most expensive suppliers over there are cheaper than 100 units through the more reputable channels.
I need like 12 hlg185's and 4 hlg120's. So hitting the smaller mins shouldn't be an issue.

Anyone got experience with this?

EDIT
420 my time...light up gentleman

Greengenes707 said:

Has anyone ever used alibaba to source meanwell drivers?
And if so are they legit or are some scams.
I have never used ali or anything like it, but hlg prices are through the roof state side. The most expensive suppliers over there are cheaper than 100 units through the more reputable channels.
I need like 12 hlg185's and 4 hlg120's. So hitting the smaller mins shouldn't be an issue.

Anyone got experience with this?

EDIT
420 my time...light up gentleman

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I'm confused. The hlg-185 on jameco are $63 (i only use then because you can pickup @ the spot in belmont and avoid shipping). How much on baba?

nogod_ said:

I'm confused. The hlg-185 on jameco are $63 (i only use then because you can pickup @ the spot in belmont and avoid shipping). How much on baba?

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I got quoted $57 for 5 to my door. I figured if I was going over there I would just test the min before going all in, and I might need . I was hoping for a little closer to $45-50 based on some of the FOB price's, but my estimations of cost were a little optimistic I guess. Maybe with a bigger quantity, and I may need it based on how the first go. Time isn't an issue, I am going to have to wait on some other things. Just trying to save where I can.

Greengenes707 said:

I got quoted $57 for 5 to my door. I figured if I was going over there I would just test the min before going all in, and I might need . I was hoping for a little closer to $45-50 based on some of the FOB price's, but my estimations of cost were a little optimistic I guess. Maybe with a bigger quantity, and I may need it based on how the first go. Time isn't an issue, I am going to have to wait on some other things. Just trying to save where I can.

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GG what are you building ? sounds like sumthin big, maybe battlestar galactia ?

I see that the HLG series has an internal potentiometer to adjust the constant current function manually.

However, the max I have found is the 1400mA version, is there a line of drivers that are higher powered, up to 2.1 amps or higher, that could also be adjustable for starting out?

This thread is crack! Thanks to all who put it together.....

Yes there are higher amp adjustable drivers from MeanWell (HLN-80H-42 $42 is 1.95A) but it may be a tall order to beat the HLG-185H-C1400 because it can drive 3 CXA3070s at 1.4A for $69. Also the HLG-185H is 94% efficient which is a nice bonus(91% for the HLN which is still very good). So if we use a higher amp driver, we need 3X more drivers which very much raises the cost while at the same time reducing the efficiency of the COBs. So at the end of the day you are probably paying more for less photons.

HLG-> $69+150(CXA3070 AB X 3) = $219 for 66 PAR W = $3.32/PAR W

HLN-> ($42*3=$126)+$150(CXA3070 AB X 3) = $276 for 77.75 PAR W = $3.55/PAR W

So the HLN is slightly more expensive and will create a much lower efficiency lamp(34.5% vs 42%), but it does have the upside of running at a lower/safer voltage.

These drivers can drive most CXA3070s to 2.1-2.2A but they are not adjustable and about 89% efficient. They are power factor corrected. (Normally $33.99 looks like they have a typo).

Greengenes707 said:

I'm not 100% sure, but you maybe could run all 24 of those vero10's @267ma with a hlg185-30.
4 parallel strings, one to each bar...then 6 chips parallel on each of the 4 main parallels.

Click to expand...

That got me to thinking ...

Can I run 4 Vero 18s in parallel on a meanwell HLG-150H-36A ?

HLG-150H-36, 18-36V, 33 ~ 40V, 4.2A, 151.2W

If my understanding is correct each vero will run at about 1050 ma, average Vf ~30.

http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/Products/ProdDS/2148025.pdf

I really dig the prospect of running 4x cxa3590s @ 600ma with an hlg-185h-c700.

Is this too close to the max voltage of the driver? I remember supra saying something about cobs pulling too much and having to restart the driver to get it out of "limp mode".

Also, would a 30" x 6" heatsink with a 140mm phanteks fan be sufficient to cool 4 cobs [~168w]?

This forum is starting to put a strain on my relationship with my partner....have to sneak outside to post like a junkie....

That would be cutting it very close but it seems like at 600mA might work. Unfortunately there is only one way to find out in this case. You are correct that the Vf will change as they warm up and stabilize. I am not sure if the HLGs will come out of limp mode on their own as the COBs warm up, that is a very good question I have not tested that on those drivers (I will if I get a chance).

30" would give you 7800cm² which should be good for about 200W

SupraSPL said:

That would be cutting it very close but it seems like at 600mA might work. Unfortunately there is only one way to find out in this case. You are correct that the Vf will change as they warm up and stabilize. I am not sure if the HLGs will come out of limp mode on their own as the COBs warm up, that is a very good question I have not tested that on those drivers (I will if I get a chance).

30" would give you 7800cm² which should be good for about 200W

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Got it. I'll guinea pig it this round and post the results.

Backup plan is the hlg-120h cseries @ 500mA.

How is efficiency affecting the performance of the driver? Is a 150w driver at 93% efficiency only putting through enough power for the CoBs to dissipate ~140w?
Just trying to figure out how to calculate my heatsink needs...

In another thread you posted re: active/passive cooling it would take 65"x5.883" to cool 150w passively.

Does the 10" heatsink dissipate heat at the same rate for the sq/in or do the dimensions affect performance?

I like passive for peace of mind and ease of setup, and I like the coverage with 35w every 6" on the sink. Can i cool passively with the 30" x 10" wide heatsinks?

Please forgive the endless Q's....I usually just use the sun....

Awesome, will be very useful data. Regarding heatsinks, I always go by LED dissipation wattage ignoring driver/fan. Even then we still have a problem, some LEDs create more heat than others due the LED efficiency so going by dissipation wattage is just a guide. The higher the efficiency of the LEDs, the less heatsink that is needed to achieve Tj 50C.

What color temp and brightness bin of CXA3590s are you planning on? Generally I recommend 100-110cm²/dissipation Watt for passive cooling and 30-40cm²/dissipation Watt for active cooling.

Yes I would say the 10" profile will dissipate heat similarly to the 5.88" profile. But for active cooling, the 5.88" is preferred because it is a perfect fit for a 140mm fan and uses the air flow of the fan very efficiently because of the long channels the air can travel along. Another downside to the 10" profile, it spaces the COBs closer together which may not give you optimal spread depending on your drive current etc. Generally speaking, we want to space the COBS as far apart as we can so we can get closer to the canopy (unless you are using reflectors).

I agree I like passive cooling and that is what I currently use. I don't normally recommend it because of the high startup cost but if you catch a promotion at HeatsinkUSA, not quite so bad.

My flowering space is very long and narrow [30' x 3' usable grow space]. For now, im shooting for 2 x 30" heat sinks hung next to each other and 8-12" over the canopy. Each has a string of 4 cobs for a total of ~300w over 9 sq/ft. [2.5' x 3.5']
Starting small.

Hoping to run 8 x 3000k 77v BDs for this setup @ 500mA - 600mA.

Growing stocky indica dom hybrids that i bred for the greenhouse. Local purple variety crossed with a criminally tasty (now dead) kush that smells like raspberry yogurt.