Let's talk DIY lights

Yep, that’s were their market is. 10% is just for people who want to do weird experiments. Probably 90% of the market never dims. Probably most of the other 10% would be happy with a 50/100% switch.

I bet you need at least 25% to do any photosynthesis.

2 Likes

A style driver is built in 5-100%, also no coincidence I typically recommend that one. Especially for first time builders, for the exact reasons you stated. The only real world benefit to the b style dimming is the extra 5-8% output current with dimming leads open.

I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite, because I usually get the b style. But yes, most people don’t need it, and are better off not having to fool around with it.

1 Like

So if you wanted to drive three of the Vero29-B COBs (the 50 volt ones) at 1.2 amps, what driver would you buy? I see a tier of the Mean Well drivers that top out at a lower drive current. It looks like to get 1.2 amps from their products you have to buy a lot more driver and turn it down. Is there some other seller that has better prices for low flexibility? Like fixed current and only the 133 to 151.5 volt range?

Something Chinese perhaps?

Ya the meanwell offerings are generally 300, 500, 700, 1050, 1400, 1750, 2100, 2400,… as far as the constant current divers go.

Would be this one at 1050ma

And this one at 1400ma

There are other cc drivers available, but those are the flagship. For someone like you that understands what you’re doing and why you would be doing it, a cv/cc driver from them may be a better option staying with the meanwells looking for that output.

There are other driver manufacturers out there, but I don’t mess with them very much at all. I use to buy a few from fast tech. But they seemed to have shifted most of what they carry to diy flashlights and stuff like that. Every time I check the bigger drivers are out of stock or discontinued.

3 Likes

question on milliamps @dbrn32
my driver is 700ma
so the question is; how does this value go with my lights?
example; my driver runs 700ma, is that 700ma to each light? or 350ma each?
and how is this noted in light code;bxebl1120= i think i get this describing light and length
35e4000c= 4000 is the spectrum, now the 35e does the 35 equate any to the driver?
i know this seems trivial to you but i’m really trying to wrap my head around things as i learn to fully understand what is going on…lol
my thinking/math is i would need at least a 1400ma driver to run four of these?
i understand math ok,it is the application of equations is where i get thrown from time to time.

1 Like

No. You wire them is series, so all 700 ma goes through each one in turn. Say if each COB drops 50 volts at 700 ma, then the first drops 50 volts, the second drops another 50 volts, so the driver is putting out 100 volts at 700 milliamps.

You can wire COBs in parallel so the current gets divided between them, but it’s not a good idea with a constant current driver. In that case the driver would have to supply 50 volts at 1400 ma. The reason it’s not a good idea is that the driver keeps on supplying 1400 ma even if one of the COBs is pulling a lot more current than the other. You might as well not have a constant current driver.

1 Like

@1BigFella is correct on the wiring. This should help understand the model number.

That comes directly from data sheet. If you plan on buying more or even just to have, that data sheet can be downloaded or printed for your viewing pleased.

3 Likes

@BIGE took me a little while and they’re kind of crude drawings but this should help. Here is what you want.

This is a series connection where the voltage of both strips will add and the current will be the same at each strip. So the driver will see 88.2 volts and current will be the same 700ma everywhere within the circuit. Don’t do anything to the connectors at other end of strip either. They are just additional taps on the same trace.

5 Likes

What you’re thinking of is a parallel circuit, and would look like this. @BIGE

This is how all of your lighting and receptacles in your house are wired, and for good reason. Probably where the confusion is coming in. In that circuit the voltage stays the same at each load but the available current will divide. So at each point the circuit the voltage would be 44.2 and the available 700ma will divide between the two strips for 350ma per strip. If you had 7 strips, still 44.2 volts but now 100ma per strip.

We could’ve done that with your setup, but it leaves you open for a thermal runaway potential. If one of your strips fails or part of your circuit opens, it leaves the rest of your circuit open for taking the entire load of driver. Using a series configuration if either of those situations happen your circuit will just be open and no electron flow.

3 Likes

yea,this is how i did it first…lol

2 Likes

I figured, no big deal. You get a chance to light them up yet?

1 Like

not yet @dbrn32,tonight my friend,tonight!

3 Likes

Cool! We’re having party tonight, but I’ll try to make sure and check in. If you run into issues, @1BigFella @MAXHeadRoom @Daddy @Bogleg @MattyBear have all made similar driver to led connections and I’m sure they’d be happy to help.

5 Likes

enjoy yourself @dbrn32
wear the lampshade in,not out!

5 Likes

Hahaha, will do my friend. Will do!

@Myfriendis410 if you have those pieces of aluminum in 4’ lengths you could do something like this with strips. Would give you similar performance to two quantum boards running about 75 Watts each. But for likely a little cheaper than you could get into one quantum board.

6 Likes

@fever in effort to not post something that may not be allowed in the wrong space, here is one of those filters I was talking about. Your local home improvement store likely has at least small selection.

I selected this one because it has multiple different filter options, but whatever you can find at a good price should help.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007VZ2O0Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1514755711&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=home+water+filtration+system&dpPl=1&dpID=41Nn7qeHteL&ref=plSrch

2 Likes

What if I did a footprint of 2’ X 4’? What kind of density could I run with basically a solid platform of 1 1/2" X 6" screwed together to get to24"? I think I chopped em down to 6’ lengths and there’s plenty.

Although realistically it would have to be a bit less than 4’ to fit front to rear. 3 of those would fit in my space.

2 Likes

I think one of those under sink filters is great if your tap or well water is nasty for drinking. It does a good job on sediment and chlorine. Very tasty with our tap water, which is pretty nasty. But I doubt it will do much for your plants. If your water really sucks, then you need Reverse Osmosis that delivers water almost like distilled. Then you always have to make sure your nutes include enough Calcium and Magnesium or add CalMag if not.

Many Southern California avocado growers run BIG RO equipment because the local water district water is too salty for avocados. It was mostly Colorado River water, but it’s better now in some water districts because they are adding in 5 million gallons a day of desalinated water from the Carlsbad Desal Plant. That stuff is just like distilled, too.

1 Like

You can space them as tightly as you’d like. For flowering I would space them pretty tight, they’re little less than an inch wide, and don’t need to be so close as they’re touching though. If flowering I would maybe do like 2-3”spacing in the middle and tighten it up to like 1” spacing right at the edge.

In that scenario, the 560mm strip may be a better option flipped the other way? They are same watt and efficacy per distance and like exactly half the cost. They also fit that driver a little better I think. As where you can get 4 1120mm strips on it, I believe 9 560mm strips will fit. I would have to double check though. For that matter, you could probably alternate some of the color temps too. That’s really a strong point of these.

2 Likes