Just finished building, testing and hanging my missis new SolStrip rig. I got her a type B driver cheap off ebay so shes got a volume control 
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It has 2x 2700K strips and 7 x 3500K. Itâs running soft just now at around 250W but it could run at up to 450W. I might get her a bigger driver at some point but not until the weather has returned to normal.
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Nice rig!
Looks like you have this down.
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Cheers pal i wished i had used flex instead of solid core wire for the strips but apart from wrestling with stiff wires in that wee junction box for ages, the actual build went very well.
A quick peek in her wee auto tent with itâs new lighting.
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Woo hoo! @Albannach I love your L.E.D magic you inspire me to eventually get a rig like your! Awesome manđcanât wait to drool some more
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What is that 4 in 1 meter you have hooked up? Got a link for it?
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Thanks, @Jellypowered.
Hereâs a question for you, I may be able to get my hands on some of the Chinese 110V Driverless COBs (a friend got some for a spotlight project and he may have some extras) to mess around with. Will this meter work with those? Be looking at 50 or 100w strips and or squares.
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Take this with a grain of saltâŚ
I have played with the driverless cobs (the square ones, havenât played with the strip versions), and I will tell you the few things I discovered.
- They run hot. I mean HOT. Adequate heatsinking is REQUIRED.
- The ones I played with ran true to their âratedâ wattage at the wall. (Rated 50w, pulled 50-55w at wall)
- They arenât very intense.
- They WILL grow weed, but itâs not optimal lighting. Theyâd make a good veg light.
- You can dim them!
Absolutely, this meter will work on anything that take AC 110-240V. Install it inline with a supply cord or even a power strip and boom, you can monitor multiple things you plug into the strip 
Good luck and please share your results
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I really havenât seen them, but free is free. My idea was to run them to a terminal strip (parallel), then run a wire to a dimmer, then to the outlet. I would think I would put it between the dimmer (pot) and the terminal strip, correct? Where would I run the wire through the CT?
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(Plug)-(meter)-(dimmer)-(terminal strip)-lights
The ferrite core (round thing that goes around one wire) needs to be before the meter so it accurately measures ALL the power consumption.
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Being before the dimmer will read reduced power to the cobs? I would think it would have to be between the dimmer and the cobs, but I think I have forgotten pretty much all of my electrical/electronic knowledge I ever had.
It doesnât work between the dimmer and the cobs. It works on the AC side. If you were using stuff you had data sheets to hand you could read up on the efficiency of both drivers and chips and get close enough to Knowing your actual output.
Letâs look at citiled cluo38âs for a second. Rated at 58.8w @36v I always drive at 700ma constant current.
36 x 0.7 = 25.2W see how many will run on a driver.
A HLG320h36A/B will take between 8 and 12 cobs. 8 would give you around 200w. 12 just over 300w. Thatâs using series wiring too not parallel so no resistors are needed. Radio shack over here do a solderless holder cluo38 too. And the actual chips are ÂŁ5 each delivered. ÂŁ6 each for Gen 6.
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The whole thing is AC. The cobs are driverless. They hook directly to a 110v power source.
BTW⌠YOU STILL HAVE RADIO SHACKS??? I used to love going in there, as a boy, and get all kinds of electronic parts. The guys who worked there WERE electronic guys, they knew every capacitor, resistor or diode by sight, touch and even smell. I used to tell a story about going into RS looking for a resistor or something and they were out. The guy behind the counter knew what I was looking for and realized he had taken the last few, some days before. He told me, âCome back tomorrow and I will have one for you.â The next day I rode my bicycle back to RS and as promised he had two for me. I asked how much, and he just gave them to me. There are a few, I think, here in the colonies, but I doubt you could find a resistor, or capacitor, or diode.
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Then I would imagine using the built in shunt in the ammeter would work to give you your output reading.
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No brick and mortar radio shack but the service is quality online.
I would reconsider the 110v ac direct to chip cobs. Look on YouTube at them exploding etc. Itâs not a principally safe idea imo. If you wanna cheap out. Citileds are about as bottom end as I would go personally. If you decide that youâre going to work with them. Please above all else. Keep yourself safe brother
They were something I was going to be getting for nothing, so I thought I would play with them.
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so how much was this build total? if you dont mind me asking
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Knowing the value of most the items there. Youâd be looking around ÂŁ400. With slight fluctuations depending where you sourced your driver and angle etc.
I know from your other posts that you are stateside. Which would mean you would have to deal with @baudelaire for your strips etc. It will cost you much less stateside as you wonât have to pay duty. Handling charges etc
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looks real professional.
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He really knows how to build them doesnât he?
How are you this morning brother?
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