Need some help on DIY led strip build

Hi

So I am growing some marijuanas and I want to add a led strip build. I've read some of the guides but am still confused about some stuff I need some help with. MY Growspace is 150x75 CM ( roughly 4x2 foot that is, I believe, so I want around 450W))

First off I ordered 20x Bridgelux EB gen 2 (3500k) from Digikey

(Bridgelux BXEB-L0560Z-35E2000-C-B3) They are 56x2.4 cm each.

Next thing I need is a driver, which is where my problems kick in. I live in Europe (Switzerland), meaning I have a 240V input from my plug. Therefore I was looking at a Meanwell HLG 480h 24a which I thought should work. I was, however, told, that I might be better of with a LRS series driver, since they are cheaper but not waterproof. Now I am unsure what would be the best (and most price efficient) driver to run my 20x strips.

Then the wiring. I initially thought I would/should wire in series (seems simpler) but was told I should wire parallel. Depending on that I need different items.

Also the heatsink think confuses me a bit. On/r/microgrowery I was told these strips need no heatsink, so a simple aluminium frame with thermal adhesive tape should suffice, however on here I have read about people using heatsinks for their bridgelux.....what do I do?

Lastly I'd like to thank you for your time to read through/answering my questions

yours sincerely

GlobalPotato

Edit:

could someone also recommend me a suitable wire from amazon?

Your space is more like 5x2.5ft, you could use less than 400w but hey 450 sounds nice enough.

Have you looked at http://ledgardener.com/diy-led-strip-build-designs-samsung-bridgelux/

@Randomblame

can walk you through the driver choices if nobody steps in before hand.

well to be honest I have a space of 150cmx150cm I run with 250 W cfl (I know, far too weak) I now want to upgrade 1 half and check the results and maybe add the exact same board for the other half later.

Also I have checked this guide (many times haha) before, but my questions remain

thanks coreywebster!!

I mean I know its not complicated stuff but I am a bit paranoid sometimes and honestly a mistake could cost me a lot...

The 4x4 design on ledgardener using the EB2 runs a total of 24 strips. Your design will drive the elements a bit harder but still within limits. I don't know how the added current will affect thermal management so hopefully, others who have used that strip can chime in.

hey GAUTO!!

could you link the mentioned build? I cant seem to find the build you are talking about

EDIT: I found it

So from what I've figured running them at 480W would require me to get a heatsink...

If I were to run the 20 strips with a HLG 320 24a would I come around using a heatsink if I used an aluminium frame and thermal tape..?

Edit: yes I do, since I only run them at 667 mA!!

I have figured now that a 320W driver would be suitable. My last question now is: is the HLG 320H 24A suitable?
I am confused because it says Voltage 21 - 26 V but the strips forward Voltage (whatever that is), is 19.5 ...

edit:

maybe HLG 320h 20A would be better??

GlobalPotato said:

maybe HLG 320h 20A would be better??

Click to expand...

That's your match for Gen2 BXEB 560mm.
I run BXEB 560mm strips @700ma with zero heatsinking whatsoever, have been for over a year.
For my single bushes, roughly a 3'x3' footprint, 16x of Gen1 3500K, on a 36" frame has been working pretty well.
20x of 3500K Gen2 at 667ma should work quite well over the space you're looking at covering.

A bit late...sorry!
Your area is 1,125m² or ~12ft². With 30w per sft you need around 360w! A HLG-320 is good for ~350w! So a siutable driver we already have!
You could use more watt per sft but it's really don't needed, IMO. Strips allows to hang the light much closer to the tops(6-12") when properly distributed which increase the intensity enormously.

You can use a HLG-320H-20A to wire all 20 strips in parallel but in your situation it would be smarter to use a HLG-320H-42A and wire each two strips in series and then connect these pairs in parallel to the driver. Would be a 2S10P circuit!
It's anyway needed to mount each two strips together in a row to cover your area nicely and using each two 2ft strips like 1 4footer makes wiring a lot easier because you only have 10 parallel connections. I also use two 2ft strips on 4ft alu c-channels in my current build but with different wiring and another driver(HLG240, see sig.).

I would make the frame at least 70cm/28" wide and 115cm/46inch long to cover the whole surface. 10 parallel rows allows small spacings. To avoid a center hotspot I would leave the widest gap in the center(between pair 5 and 6) and would mount the outer strips with a smaller gap.(strip pairs 1 and 2 and 9 and 10). These helps to get higher readings along the sides and reduce the hotspot in the center.
I use a similar layout and get still 80% of the center readings in the corners and ~90% along the sides. Some people also use a logarythmical layout, where there widest gap is in the center and the gaps gets exponetiell smaller. Both does the same the latter only sounds a bit smarter.

An HLG-320H-42A has a min. current of 7,65A, so 765mA per strip. Most Meanwell HLG-drivers have a bit more current so maybe 8Amps or a bit more. It's different from driver to driver but most of the time it's +5-8%! At 800mA you need no heatsinks, EBgen2 need heatsinks only above 1050mA.