HLG 600 R Spec & Mars Hydro FC4800 questions

MintyDreadlocks said:

Ok thanks for the read.

Do manufacturers usually advertise it? Or put in in there specs?

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The good light manufactures will tell you on the specs however most Chinese companies will not. From what I have found HLG uses top bin, however mars hydro and spider farmer do not. I’m sure someone else will chime in as to what other manufacturers use top bin diodes in their lights.

*note* Samsung’s lm301b diode that is top bin is equal to their lm301h diode which are probably the best ones at the moment but im sure someone else can chime in with other good options

MintyDreadlocks said:

Ok thanks for the read.

Do manufacturers usually advertise it? Or put in in there specs?

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They usually only advertise it if they use top bin diodes. No one wants to advertise the fact that they are using substandard diodes.

Dreminen169 said:

So HLG doesn’t advise removing the driver. That fucking sucks cuz if you do and something goes wrong I bet they would use that against you to void the warranty.

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Ofc they wouldn't suggest it then your diodes wouldn't be running hot and wouldn't burn out that much faster. There is literally no reason to not mount your driver remotely besides that. My f10 is cool to the touch with the drivers removed at 1k watts.

Drivers wall mounted, wago's, cable to suit - easy to extend...

Stephenj37826 said:

No we will not void your warranty.

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This is why you go with one of the "Legacy" sponsors of this forum, the ones that actually developed out of this forum: they actually answer your questions, whatever they might be instead of only answering questions that are "comfortable" to answer. Not too long ago stevo was just another forumer who started making lights, a part of the community. Seems like some newer sponsors just have a community manager who dont have the same commitment to the community.

Roshambizzle said:

Ofc they wouldn't suggest it then your diodes wouldn't be running hot and wouldn't burn out that much faster. There is literally no reason to not mount your driver remotely besides that. My f10 is cool to the touch with the drivers removed at 1k watts.

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ive been here for years and have literally never heard one complaint of an HLG diode burning out but okay lol

madvillian420 said:

ive been here for years and have literally never heard one complaint of an HLG diode burning out but okay lol

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Cool story you do know how mass production works right? Yearly they need to make more money hence making a worse product. Also most people here can't afford to run HLG.

Roshambizzle said:

Cool story you do know how mass production works right? Yearly they need to make more money hence making a worse product. Also most people here can't afford to run HLG.

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If you can plug in a few wires, HLG's DIY options are less costly than lower quality fixtures of the same wattage. Fact.

Rocket Soul said:

This is why you go with one of the "Legacy" sponsors of this forum, the ones that actually developed out of this forum: they actually answer your questions, whatever they might be instead of only answering questions that are "comfortable" to answer. Not too long ago stevo was just another forumer who started making lights, a part of the community. Seems like some newer sponsors just have a community manager who dont have the same commitment to the community.

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I can get a hold of Ruby from Meijiu when she's at home not on the clock but okay.

madvillian420 said:

ive been here for years and have literally never heard one complaint of an HLG diode burning out but okay lol

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I know Moflow had a dead row.

Roshambizzle said:

I can get a hold of Ruby from Meijiu when she's at home not on the clock but okay.

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Ive dealt with Rita ever since my first go with meijiu. Never had a prob with their stuff. I like them but i still wouldnt buy a driver from them, prefer a proper qc process for my gear.


There seems to be some pent up tensions here. Im going to skip on the hlg versus cheap flavor of the month

Roshambizzle said:

You buy your warranty-less shit and enjoy. I'll be here to laugh when it burns out.

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My driver has a 7-year warranty, and HLG will replace the boards if they burn out prematurely for some reason.

So I just found out that HLG is doing a 20% sale for thanksgiving

Roshambizzle said:

Its cute you think USA has some super awesome QC secrets no one else could possibly have. BTW 90% of drivers if not more come from the same place. I wouldn't trust an American to Qc my jockstrap the only thing the states knows is war. Lmao

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Meanwell drivers are not made in the US and i dont subscribe to your strawman position: some (if not the most) of the gear you buy in alibaba is available for cheapo due to having failed some part of THEIR MANUFACTURERS qc process and cant be sold on to end clients.This the same kinda process which results on different bins. Some of them just come out better and worse. Im not someone who mix reason with some kinda patriotic sentiment, apart from that here in Euro you never hear anyone asking "is it US made?" expecting magical quality. Why would we, we got germans.

In the case of ali-diodes: since there are so many things a diode can fail qc which doesnt affect growing (cct/spectrum outside error margins for example) and cause there are ways to mitigate quality problems (run your diodes at nominal, not nominal x2) i dont have a problem with the diodes. Its also where you can make most money: difference in price is much bigger.

Drivers:
A: you miss out 5-7 years of actionable warranty by buying from china: having to send driver to china for warranty is a moot point for me.
B price difference is really low, like 10-15%.
C if your already mitigating as above, then this is the likeliest and only fault point.
D: more likeliness of zapping me.



Please leave me out of whatever problem you have with other forumers and please do not missconstrue my words.

Roshambizzle said:

Cool story you do know how mass production works right? Yearly they need to make more money hence making a worse product. Also most people here can't afford to run HLG.

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Our products absolutely don't get cheaper. As a matter of fact our products have continued to give more for less money since we started. Yeah we build our stuff here in the US and pay a living wage. No we can not complete with the Chinese Communist Parties 20% subsidized products price wise but again they can't truly offer the same components because they are 100% not available in China or through distribution at all as a matter of fact.

Stephenj37826 said:

Our products absolutely don't get cheaper. As a matter of fact our products have continued to give more for less money since we started. Yeah we build our stuff here in the US and pay a living wage. No we can not complete with the Chinese Communist Parties 20% subsidized products price wise but again they can't truly offer the same components because they are 100% not available in China or through distribution at all as a matter of fact.

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Thank you Stephen. Well said.

Roshambizzle said:

So your investors are fine making less money yearly or you just don't have any? If its the first im gonna go on a limb and say bs.

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If you reduce your profit margin from 20% to 15% but you sell twice as many units, you've made more money. This isn't rocket science, it's basic math.

PJ Diaz said:

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This is literally the only time I would consider buying one, but even then the non removable driver is a fairly big no go for me. As per migro test, the more heat that the diodes are subjected too, the quicker the diodes become less efficient. The hlg board in the test, which was subjected to the highest amount of heat, actually showed higher levels of diode degradation after 6k hours then the other fixtures.
I'm on the prowl for a good board, but told many people jump on the hlg bandwagon. Hlg makes really expensive lights and they are simply pricing me out of buying one.

SpideyManDan said:

This is literally the only time I would consider buying one, but even then the non removable driver is a fairly big no go for me. As per migro test, the more heat that the diodes are subjected too, the quicker the diodes become less efficient. The hlg board in the test, which was subjected to the highest amount of heat, actually showed higher levels of diode degradation after 6k hours then the other fixtures.
I'm on the prowl for a good board, but told many people jump on the hlg bandwagon. Hlg makes really expensive lights and they are simply pricing me out of buying one.

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I noticed something under the diodes on the HLG. Wouldn't that capture a ton more heat and screw the diodes up faster?

V256.420 said:

I noticed something under the diodes on the HLG. Wouldn't that capture a ton more heat and screw the diodes up faster?

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Absolutely. Heat is the number one killer of diode efficiency.

Edit: lol I thought about what I wrote and I didnt mean to rail on hlg specifically. There a ton of manufacturers who dont consider this as well, but unless you have a ppfd meter and do a before and after one year test, how are you going to know how the diodes are performing?