Thanks in advance OG’ers for any knowledge,info and help.Okay I’m just getting back into growing indoors after a very long layoff. So after some reading I’ve decided to go with “boards and strips” type lighting. My reason for choosing this is from what I read seems OG’ers prefer this type for more fruitful grows. So I’m wondering what type of setup would you recommend for a 4x4 tent. Also I consider myself very green when it comes to knowledge on this subject. So is this even feasible or economical for this size tent. Once again thank you for any help… Micjugglar
5 Likes
I just hung a light for my 2x4 yesterday. This is the thread you want to check out. Cheap LED Strips : A Viable Alternative
In fact that link should take you to a 4x4 build another OGer did. It’s actually pretty straightforward. Just make sure you buy the right drivers. 
@Gpaw really helped me out on getting mine going after I bought the wrong one.
Here are some pictures. Good luck man!!!
11 Likes
That looks awesome. Hows the temp in that 2x4 i was afraid to mount drivers in tent them little buggers get f ing hot. thats cool did you mount dimmers on frame?
1 Like
Definitely check out the link @Guitarzan posted. The first bunch of posts covers most of what you need to know!
150 watt for my 2x2
7 Likes
Nice and tidy work! Are you running a mix of leds?
2 Likes
Nice looking light bro! I got the QB 96 V2 Elites as my first venture into LED… I love them, and the added red is amazing I think but i’ve been super interested in the strips.
I kinda want to build a little one just for some micro greens / clones to try out.
You will find tons of info and help im sure from everyone in the thread listed above!
1 Like
If your handy with a solder iron, go with the strips. Otherwise, I went with bathroom vanity lights and screw in led bulbs with plastic domes removed.
You could get just the sockets and screw and wire them together too.
1 Like
It was running right at 70 degrees when I turned it on, it’s running around 72 now. I hit the drivers and the strips with a temp gun, and they were both around 80. 
It’s amazing how cool it runs when you see how bright it is.
I have seen the light!! (literally), I’ll never buy another pre-made light. Ever. 
Nah man, that’s one of the great things about them, no solder at all is needed to hook these up. There’s a positive, and negative connector on each strip. You just strip the end of the wire, and push it into the connector until it seats, then strip the other end and it goes to the wago.
Those things are neater than shit too. I’d never heard of them until I started looking at making a light. I wired mine parallel, and those make it a snap. A 5 connector wago will wire three strips in parallel, with a power jumper on ports 1 & 5.
These strips aren’t designed for this application, but they go together like they were. The trick for me was deciphering the driver designations. I ordered drivers twice, and still didn’t get exactly what I wanted. The first one was for a series config, and the second ones don’t have an external dimmer, so I had to use the little adjuster screw. I can live with that but I couldn’t mount my kick-ass knob to my frame. That pissed me off.
4 Likes
Oh, even better, didn’t know that about the strips. The drivers drove me nuts when I was trying to put a dimmable fixture together for my reef tank close to 10 years ago.
Yes I am. I’m running 15 5000k, and 6 3500k strips. I’d planned on running 20 strips, but miscalculated on the layout. But it works. I worked out the wiring by looking at the pics you posted of your light, so thanks for that man.
2 Likes