That's good to know, thank you.
How many 4ft strips at @1 amp would recommend for a 4x5 area?
30-35 watts/square foot is common for flower. The 98 CRI Thrives have lower lumen output but I'm not sure how much that effects PAR. I'd say a minimum of 16 strips on two 320 watt drivers, but I'd like to hear from someone more knowledgeable. Maybe @Rocket Soul or others can advise.
Rocket Soul
Well-Known Member
I dont know the specs of the thrive strips by heart but when i had a look and a bit of back of the hand calculations i gather that they are about the same efficiency as gen1 vestas (but somewhat better spectrum) So my advice is to run them softish, about 20w per 2foot. At this wattage yes, youd need some basic sinking. In fact id allways rec some sinking for Fr4 strips, if only for sturdiness.
For that space you could go for a 600w driver, 2x 320 drivers or even 3x240w drivers. For less efficient strips (thrive, vesta gen1), go for more watts. For better efficiency strips (vesta gen3 samsungs lm301b) use less watts.
If you want a ridiculously easy build with no heatsink look into meijius Fotop boards: 4 of those, a frame and 4 connections and that space is done. Strips are nice but a lot of connections, drilling and much more work to put together. The fotop build can be done in an hour.
For that space you could go for a 600w driver, 2x 320 drivers or even 3x240w drivers. For less efficient strips (thrive, vesta gen1), go for more watts. For better efficiency strips (vesta gen3 samsungs lm301b) use less watts.
If you want a ridiculously easy build with no heatsink look into meijius Fotop boards: 4 of those, a frame and 4 connections and that space is done. Strips are nice but a lot of connections, drilling and much more work to put together. The fotop build can be done in an hour.
Thanks for the help, I appreciate it!!
Chip Green
Well-Known Member
I did a few bare naked EB builds with 2 footers.
Whilst they still hang, and run to this day, in the event they ever get taken down from their current position, I would definitely add at least aluminum angle, so I'm not nearly as paranoid about breaking a strip.
cobshopgrow
Well-Known Member
i wonder you guys prefer adding a aluminium angle to a FR4 strip.
encountered pretty much the oposite myself.
as many here i prefer to use more leds instead of putting the weight and money in to the cooling which isnt really needed from a certain point.
so first 2 kingbrite 288 301b aluminium MPCB board led lights i build suffered from dim leds due to taking to many hits.
the frame was on the flimsy side, so thought ok, next try, build a more rigid frame and order new boards.
next frames where very rigid based on 2020 profile with very rigid interconnects, can stand on it without making it bend.
these lights lasted a bit longer but i also had dim leds after the first run, less but still some where broken.
some leds apear only dim on under 50% power, so its tricky to see but its clear, theyre partially broken.
in the end i had/have about 24pcs 288 boards showing this behavoir.
so i gave up on these boards and went with FR4, strips, mounted bare too, till today not a single broken led and they saw way more hits then all the other lights before and i dont have the feeling i could provoke a dim led that easy as it was with the mpcbs.
to my view the force on the rotation center is way higher on stiffer mcpcbs then it is on fr4, could be the chinese 288 boards would have done way better beeing 0.4mm thicker as some more quality boards are today.
saw quite a few mpcb boards in the menatime with dim leds.
good read
• What really happens to the component is dependent on the whole system of solder joint, PCB, and component. It is always the question of which part of this system takes on which amount of the distortion work. The highest amount always takes the weakest part.
theyre not comparing (while mentiioning) MPCB to FR4, they more evaluating how component’s behave on PCB in general.
somewhere the force have to go, in to your pcb or your smd part, prefer it to go in to weaker FR4 pcb then in to the part itself.
encountered pretty much the oposite myself.
as many here i prefer to use more leds instead of putting the weight and money in to the cooling which isnt really needed from a certain point.
so first 2 kingbrite 288 301b aluminium MPCB board led lights i build suffered from dim leds due to taking to many hits.
the frame was on the flimsy side, so thought ok, next try, build a more rigid frame and order new boards.
next frames where very rigid based on 2020 profile with very rigid interconnects, can stand on it without making it bend.
these lights lasted a bit longer but i also had dim leds after the first run, less but still some where broken.
some leds apear only dim on under 50% power, so its tricky to see but its clear, theyre partially broken.
in the end i had/have about 24pcs 288 boards showing this behavoir.
so i gave up on these boards and went with FR4, strips, mounted bare too, till today not a single broken led and they saw way more hits then all the other lights before and i dont have the feeling i could provoke a dim led that easy as it was with the mpcbs.
to my view the force on the rotation center is way higher on stiffer mcpcbs then it is on fr4, could be the chinese 288 boards would have done way better beeing 0.4mm thicker as some more quality boards are today.
saw quite a few mpcb boards in the menatime with dim leds.
good read
• What really happens to the component is dependent on the whole system of solder joint, PCB, and component. It is always the question of which part of this system takes on which amount of the distortion work. The highest amount always takes the weakest part.
theyre not comparing (while mentiioning) MPCB to FR4, they more evaluating how component’s behave on PCB in general.
somewhere the force have to go, in to your pcb or your smd part, prefer it to go in to weaker FR4 pcb then in to the part itself.
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cobshopgrow
Well-Known Member
4 t-slots, 2 each ledstrip for 2 fixing points, there are pics in my thread.
welight
Well-Known Member
what is a HIT?
cobshopgrow
Well-Known Member
a impact, collision with my head, alternating my elbow.
hit by these, am sorry if thats a complete wrong term.
in the old batman series it would had been probably a POW!, BANG! etc.
hit by these, am sorry if thats a complete wrong term.
in the old batman series it would had been probably a POW!, BANG! etc.