thanks, when I get home I’ll find my multi meter. then I’ll let you know what I find.
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so I had to get a new multi meter… voltage to the lights is 23.9. current seems low at 400-500 ma to the light. this is with both potentiometers at max. I noticed that it went up the longer the lights were on. which was wierd.
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Assuming things were measured correctly first voltage can will fluctuate when the strips heat up, but you saying your only getting 4-500ma at a strip that sounds like your on the low side on the amperage adjustment at 10a output for 24 strips which is the lowest that 480 will go.
also spec sheet wise 4-500ma you should be in the 22-23v range on the strips, typically they over state so its odd to me your at 23.9 at only 4-500ma unless you have some other losses or resistances else where.
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what I’m thinking is the wagos might be the culprit. looking at an extreme angle, the two sets of 12 look different. one looks more white when looking across them. the other looks a little lighter. so I’m going to write up the second light in series, only 2 connections that way.
I noticed that the wagos have an aluminum strip connection inside. going from copper to aluminum on every connection might be causing losses.
got the second light wired up. no lights work. it’s in series, when I try one strip, it works. add a second and both don’t work. I checked all the connections, they look good. I’m at a loss…
when in series the voltage will increase, aka two 24v 700ma strips in series will need 48v 700ma to run, if they are in parallel the current will increase as in two in parallel will need 24v but 1400ma to run.
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@Jdem075
I’m going to list some of your components below for myself. I’m a simple person and it helps me to better understand what is going on. And saves me from scrolling up to remind myself about your build specs.
You have a hlg-480h-24a driver
And you are using bxeb-l0570a-50e3000-e-c3 strips
Each strip runs on 24 volts
So your driver is putting out 24 volts all the time as long as it’s wired in parallel. When you wire it in series you are cutting the volts in half. So in series your driver is pushing around 12 volts to each light or “series” when you are using two lights.
So in short wiring in series effects the voltage output of the driver. Wiring in parallel effects the wattage the driver is putting out. Keep it wired in parallel. Maybe try 12 strips in parallel.
And basic electrical math is volts multiplied by amps equals watts. So for example 24v X 20 amps =480 watts. Your driver is a 480h.
So if you was going to wire up 20 led strips in parallel it would put approximately 20 watts per light at 24 volts per light.
20 strips @24v X 20 amps= 480 watts total light usage. So 24 watts each strip.
The driver will split the wattage equally between the strips when wired in parallel.
Don’t give up. It has to be something simple.
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Yes, you can. But it cuts the voltage in half to 12 volts each leg of the series.
That’s why @Mr.Sparkle said you would need a 48v driver if you want to run those strips in series.
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OK, what your info is telling me is that they need to be in parallel, and I have 4 extra strips. total of 24 strips
and max is 20.
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Yes to the parallel.
No to the 20 strips limit. I just used 20 as an example.
24 strips divided by 480 watts will give you 20 watts per strip. No problems at all and should be a killer light.
I say rewire it all up again in parallel and see what happens. Maybe try 10 or 12 strips just to test briefly.
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you could run 48 strips in parallel if you wanted, think of it this way the strips need a minimum voltage to operate if you can’t supply that they wont work, current on the other hand if that voltage is met fro the circuit can be adjusted you can underdrive or overdrive the strips if they are capable of it.
So take your driver for example its current adjustable range is 10-20amps , if say you had it set at 20a and had 24 strips in parallel each strip would get 833ma (20a/24strips=0.833a) if you had it set at 10amps then each strip would get 416ma (10a/24strips=0.416a), say you ran 48 strips not that you would need or want to but due to double the amount of strips even if your at 20amps each strip would get 416ma at 20a/48strips, or 208ma at 10amps for those 48 strips.
Now depending on the current supplied the voltage will change for what is need to drive each strip, higher the current the higher the voltage will be.
For your strips this is their chart, which imply they can be run as low as 200ma and as high as 1.4a even though their nominal (100%) amperage is 700ma, but if you notice say you had enough strips where your average current was only 600ma per strip you would only need 23v to support that on the other hand if your at 800ma a strip you need 24v to support that.
Now the question eventually you may have is well then i could of probably gotten away with less strips and driven them harder off the same driver, answer is sure but they will run hotter and will degrade quicker and you will already be running them a bit harder at 24strips as 20amp max / 700ma nominal would equal 28.57 strips if wanting them to run at that 100%, with your 24 strips they are at 120% or so which is perfectly fine.
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that makes sense. thank you.
so the problem with the other lights being a bit too dim must be from the cheap Waggo connections. so I need to look for a better way to make all those connections. off to the hardware store I go!
if the waggos are putting in enough resistance they could be upping the voltage required for the circuit, sayign that they may not full be the issue, but soldering and or wirenuts would be better for the initial connection where you driver meets the connection for your 24 strips, jsut consider the more direct you are the less resistance loss, like 1 going into 24 is going to have less resistance than 1 going to 3 splits then going to another 2 splits going to 2 then another 2 or whatever daisy chain layout, if soldered or wire nuts i wouldn’t be concerned as they are more direct connection, but with wagos they have to pass through each one adding resistance each time.
I still think you may jsut have the vo and io pots maybe set wrong but eliminating connection points is a good thing.
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I am in need of a little bit of guidance on a couple of things. I have a 4x4 tent, and I think the 1120mm strips would be touching the sides. I presume that is a no go? I would be running them at the recommended amperage but not sure if I’d be causing potential issues like fire! I could maybe run equal exhaust in and out but not sure if it’d still be too close for comfort.
Also this is maybe a silly question, but how likely are the strips to be damaged by unintentional splash-backs of water or high humidity in veg?
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They will definitely touch the sides. I leave the tent open and the light sticks out a little. I avoid spraying my lights with water, i think you will be ok with humidity.
As far as heat. Don’t let your driver touch the tent. I would be more worried about electrical fires than heat build up causing a fire.
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1120mm is 44 inches, so they will not touch the sides of 4x4 tent. Even with a frame for your strips (which you definitely should use) being an extra inch on each side, the tent will only touch the frame when it’s sucked in. Unless your tent isn’t actually 4x4 (48" x 48").
Direct water contact is bad, very bad. These are electronics so treat them as such - please don’t electrocute yourself or burn down your house. Do not spray them or splash them with water. Ever.
High humidity isn’t a problem unless there’s condensation, which there will be if there isn’t enough air movement and air exchange. Both air movement and exchange help your plants and your lights and their drivers, so get that up to snuff and you’ll be fine. The drivers aren’t very hot most of the time unless running at 100%, which is not suggested ever. Always run them a little less than full blast.
Last thing regarding DIY lights - don’t wing it. If you haven’t done a light build before, or you’re not familiar with electrical stuff, or you’re just not a very careful person, don’t build a light and then hurt yourself, your family, or your property. It’s not worth saving a few bucks. Better to buy a light from a reputable manufacturer and treat it with the same caution and respect as you would a bulb light.
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If by 100% you mean the “max” rating, then I’d be thinking of running at 50% or less.
To be clear, I wasn’t intending on spraying the lights, just wondered how wary you needed to be compared to the usual lights.
Your last point is a good one, and one I have in mind. I am certainly not an expert re electronics but I understand enough and more to the point I have a friend that is an electrical engineer and I would have him over to basically put everything together. I’d also run everything past him first (and already kind of have/checked my understanding of stuff).
My bigger issue is building a frame, but I have another friend or two who could help.
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what ill say is currently you can buy a premade light that will suit a 4x4 that will be on par as far as light output and efficiency at a price similar or not much more.
The efficacy of DIY strips setups at this point is really only if one you already have some parts on hand or you need to work light into some custom sized space.
If lighting tents or standard sized grow spaces id personally be just buying a prebuilt unit and plug and grow, and consider im the one who started this thread…
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I agree with this statement.
You can now buy an LED that runs off a hps ballast that fits a 4x4 perfectly and they are mega cheap for the output they produce. I personally just bought a lumii black 720w with a ballast included and I only paid £350 for it delivered. The levels are off the charts and I don’t think I’ll even go past the 400w setting in my 4x4. Your limited on its dimming capabilites though.
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