actually looking at the video the spine build is going to be 100x easier for me to do.
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i’ve gone down a rabbit hole. i can sill do the spine with 8 strips. yeah if you think this is enough light for the space this is probably the ticket.
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They are fairly equal when on same playing field. So full 320 watt driver isn’t going to be huge difference from the strips to the boards, other than coverage.
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ok. so i guess my question is coverage. sorry if i’m driving you crazy, i know i’m driving myself crazy.
I can do two fixtures with 5 strips each or one with 8.
here’s what i’ve narrowed it down to:
8 Strips, 1 driver
A- strips running end to end along the long 60" edge
-7" between strips
-2" to the long sides of the tent
-6" to the short sides of the tent from the ends of the strips (how far do these spill off the ends?)
B- spine running the long 60" width and 8 24" strips running short length
-6.5" inches apart
-2" from the short edge
-3.5 from the long edge
this seems like the winner if 6.5 or 7" isn’t too much distance between strips
10 strips, 2 drivers
-5" between strips
-3.5" to the long edge of the tent off the ends of the strips (too far?)
-3" to the short edge
obviously the 8 strip would be cheaper. benefits of two fixtures is the ability to raise or lower different heights and more light. IF that light is beneficial. i don’t run CO2, not sure where we hit diminishing returns.
Thank you!
Also, i just looked at my driver for the 320XL and I have the 320H-C1750A and the driver recommended for 8 strips is Meanwell HLG320h-c1400. I take it can’t use the 1750A…
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Correct, won’t run 8 photo boost strips in series.
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ok tx. if it’s you, which of the 3 configurations would you run? i panicked the strips would sell out so i bought 10 just in case. the rest i’ll pick up after i figure out a configuration. do you have a sense of how far they put out light out the ends? sounds like you don’t think the extra two strips in there would do much?
I believe you would be better off with 10 strips than 8. It just makes your build more expensive and more complicated.
If you’re going with 10, I don’t believe it matters much which direction you mount them. The best driver option i see for 5 strips is hlg-185h-c1400a. If you do that and plan on spine style build, making 2 fixtures would simplify build and give you a little flexibility to adjust. Making 1 fixture either way is still an option though.
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awesome thank you! i’ll do a price comparison. i bought the ten strips and that driver you just recommended is almost half the cost of the one they recommended on their site, so that chips away at things. the shipping is also a huge chunk of this and adding a few more sinks and frame may not affect it that much… but let’s see. your input is so very appreciated.
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Driver I recommended will only run 5 strips, so you need 2 of them for 10 strips.
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Yep, got it, thanks. they’re $50 (so $100). the one that’s on PLCs site is almost $100 for the 8 light setup. so it breaks almost even. i’m coming up with around $600 for the (2) five light set up vs $510 the single 8 light set up.
this started with me wanting to cut up my 320xl and suddenly i’m at $600 lol.
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You could probably do a little cheaper if you ditched some of the fancy parts in video.
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i think some of the fancy parts will let me build this without tools. are you referring to the extruded aluminum?
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Ya, the t-nuts and plc heatsinks cost decent money. Some of the e I electrical connectors too
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out of curiosity what else would you use for heat sinks? i know you’re a fan of angled aluminum for the frames . went to buy some the other day and Lowe’s had ONE piece. a lot of the cost with these things comes in with shipping. pretty much the same as the material.
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Heatsink usa sells extrusions cut to custom length. For that style of light I typically get from them and rivet to aluminum angle. The aluminum angle you can get just about anywhere. Big box home improvement stores stock it. Ace hardware, even smaller local hardware stores usually keep it in 4’ lengths.
I’m sure I have pics in diy thread. I lost my phone last weekend, so none on me to upload.
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thanks. i think i have pictures from awhile back. i just don’t have the tools. i have some time before i can buy the rest of this stuff so i will check it out. cheers.
hope you find your phone… what a PITA!
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It’s gone, pretty sure at bottom of local river.
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yikes. hopefully it was having a nice time before the final dive?
one more question that’s been on the brain. do you know what has better penetration… dimming vs raising the light up? that’s been bugging me for awhile. at least raising would increase the footprint. never sure which one to do when there’s light stress.