The G3 Thrives can even push 4k no problem because the blue peaks at about 65% max (with added deep royal blue) without degrading red output. Holy close internodes, batman. Add a gaggle of 660s and you have you a diesel little lamp.
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How do I match the driver voltage to the strips properly? The EB gen2 strips I’m looking at are all like 19-22V but the drivers are way higher. I noticed in Mr Sparkles original build he used a 70W driver with 22W strips…does it not matter?
I know I need to match the wattage requirements + 20% but I don’t get the whole voltage thing lol
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I like a larger driver than necessary, it runs cooler but you need the dimming option. I can give you a hand with that if you like.
Cheers
G
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You want to match the forward voltage of the strip, or set of strips in series, to the driver’s output range. So for the EB gen2 2ft at 19.5v you can run a HLG-XXXH-42 (2 strips in series). The 4ft strips work well with the HLG-XXXH-42, just run them all parallel. The XBG series, also meanwell driver, has something in that range too, but I think the HLG is more efficient power wise?..been a while since I messed with them.
For an HLG-320H-42 you want something like 16-18 strips in 8-9 parallel runs of 2 2ft strips in series. Getting the AB version gets you both dimming options, I think A is onboard and B is wired remote, don’t quote me on that though.
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So if you go with the Meanwell H line of the hlg or the xlg, that’s a good match for running two strips in series to get around 40v. Basically, it would be a wire from the driver/terminal to one strip’s positive, then from that strips negative to the next strip’s positive and then that second strip’s negative back to the driver/terminal; that’s let’s say one unit. That unit will have approx 40v which will work with the H series I mentioned.
Now if you can, you figure out the wattage of that unit (2 two footers would be approx 2x13watts nominal for instance, see data sheets; can go higher but gets hot and def needs heat sinks), and then multiply that out to see how many units your driver can handle or what driver you need for how many units you want with the 20%+ factor.
Hope that breaks it down enough for ya, feel free to ask whatever questions…
In fact, I have a question for everyone, wondering if anyone has thought about using these to build a studio/camera lights?
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When you’re looking at the spec sheets for both the drivers and the strips, the first step is knowing which strips you want to use so you know their voltage and current requirements. Sounds like you already did that.
Then you gotta figure out how much light you want to produce and how much money you gotta spend. This will help you figure out how many strips and then size the driver accordingly.
The driver spec sheets are usually pretty straightforward if you know what to look for. With MeanWell drivers, the first three letters are the series of drivers (they have lots of different series for different applications), then a - and a series of numbers which is usually the wattage at max output, then another - and some modifiers that detail constant voltage or constant current, dimming capabilities suffix (a, b, ab - this is spelled out on the first or second page of the spec sheet), and then a few other modifiers.
Let’s go thru an example. For example, you have an HLG-240H-20ab. Here’s the spec sheet for the HLG-240 series:
hlg-240h-spec.pdf (227.0 KB)
This is what we know about that model# from the spec sheet’s first page
HLG series
240W output
20v rated voltage output
Has both internal dimming pot(s) and an external lead for 100K ohm potentiometer dimming.
Then, going to page 2 of the document we look for the important info highlighted:
This one’s constant current output region is “10-20v” but the voltage adjustment range (meaning the range that the internal pot controls) is actually “18.6 - 21.4v” which covers your EB2 under all normal use circumstances if you run them at nominal 700ma current.
Then, importantly, this driver can put out around 12amps at anywhere in that voltage range, which if you run your strips at 700ma, gets you 12/.7 = 17 2ft eb2 2ft strips powered at nominal by this one driver. You don’t want less than 17 strips on that driver because they would be run above nominal current and would, therefore, need more robust cooling. But, keep in mind that with a constant voltage driver, you can add as many of the strips as you want (within reason) and it will power them from the pool of available current. And then you get the benefit of higher efficiency from the strips the lower current you run them. So, round that 17 up to 20 and you have a nice even number of strips running at 600ma.
Also, one last thing about MeanWell spec sheets. Since we’re building strip LEDs for both the better light spectrum/output AND efficiency compared to other lighting options, you don’t want to hamstring your build by using inefficient drivers! In this example, the HLG-240H-20AB driver operates at around 93-94% efficiency if you plug it into 230/240v AC, slightly less if you run it from 110/120v AC (bottom right corner graph on pg 6). So keep that in mind when building and when plugging it in. 
So that’s how to read the spec sheets. Hope that helps. A few other notes to keep in mind:
The AB versions are often more expensive, and some are always out of stock everywhere (maybe they were never released?) I like the A versions because they dim down to 50% of max or less with internal dimming pots, and many of the higher wattage drivers allow you to set a max voltage with an internal voltage pot.
When designing a build, you want to consider a few different things up front. Start with what space (sqft) you want to illuminate and for what purpose (veg/flower/veg+flower/clones+seedlings), then how much do you want to spend, which will then let you know how many strips and drivers and of what price level you can afford based on how much PPF you want to produce.
You shouldn’t try to buy things piece by piece because it’s technology, and even waiting a couple months could mean the parts you wanted to buy are no longer in stock, or have been discontinued, or are replaced by something else that has slightly different specs. And specs are the most important thing when designing builds that actually work. If you don’t spec out the parts right, they won’t work together.
Hope that helps!
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Holy shit haha. That does help alot thanks everyone. I didn’t know it was so involved lol. I guess like any good thing it’s that barrier to entry keeping stuff cheap for us. I will likely be back with more questions eventually 🤷
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Excellent post Professor Nube, @nube , most folks get payed for quality instruction like that!!!
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Sun System New Wave 48" t5
Safety Question? Ballast?
Running an 8tube t5,
Can I pull 4tubes and not start a fire?
If it is a parallel circuit? it should be OK?
Also thought to convert these to LED tubes but, ($28 US/tube) Seems a little steep.
I hate throwing out stuff…rather repurpose. Any good ideas on this?
Thanks, Guys
I have two 8ft housings for fluorescents and I think I might totally gut them and repurpose them as housings/frames for a bunch of 2, 4ft EBs with HLGs… thinking about using that as supplemental lighting in a green house. Maybe you can do something similar, my housing already has a driver in it, so hope the location is good enough to just swap out.
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https://www.digikey.cz/product-detail/cs/bridgelux/BXEB-L1120Z-35E4000-C-B3/976-1732-ND/7907661
Hi to all. Can anyone advise me tapes and stuff from this site? I don’t understand much, but I can put it together. I would like it in a 4x4 tent.
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Have a look at this, see if it does what you need.
You can use wood for the frame instead of aluminum if that helps.
I can walk you through the build and answer any questions if you like.
Cheers
G
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Has anyone had their driver give a slight charge when you touch. It reminds me of my dogs e collar. Not a shock more of a pulse. Driver is Meanwell hlg 320h-2100a.
I did contact Meanwell and the seller. Warranty went out last month.
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Do you have the ground connected (from the wall to the driver)?
The chassis is internally connected to the frame ground.
Cheers
G
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Hey all!
@JohnnyPotseed sent me. I’m going to be setting up a new room on a Poverty Mountain budget and was looking for some used lighting.
This alternative was suggested and sounded doable.
Any interest in helping guide an old fart through the process y’all?
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Post # 1190
This may help? I was able to complete a light following @Gpaw project.
Look at @nube and @Mr.Sparkle posts also.
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How big of a space are you trying to cover?
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It’ll be a 4x4x8.
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Thanks @iggypuffs and @ChronicMcBudz
Sorry it took a bit to respond.
Had to get back to paying the bills for a bit.
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@MoBilly
LED gardener has some build suggestions posted here: https://ledgardener.com/diy-led-strip-build-designs-samsung-bridgelux/#
The diagrams are nice.
They’re mostly solid designs as far as I can see but I prefer to run the strips without any backing/heat-sinking. The strips are cheap enough to just add more to builds to bring temps down.
An example would be an HLG-320h-42 with 12 Bridgelux EB gen2 4ft strips, which is a pretty bullet proof build. Put all the 4ft strips in parallel with each other, the driver can be run full out and nothing gets too hot to touch with the back of a hand (except the faces of the diodes).
Use 2 2ft pieces of angle aluminum to attach strips to, attach near the middle of strips not the far edges unless you want to fully frame them with more aluminum. I recommend locking nuts for attaching the strips to the “framing”.
For safety I like to use 14 AWG to get from the driver to the first distributor wagos (first DC power split). Don’t let the run between the driver the strips be of excessive length, 4-8ft total works fine for me.
You would want 8 5-way Wagos total: 2 Wagos to split power off the driver, from those run thermostat/doorbell wire to the 6 Wagos that in turn power the strips in parallel with more solid core thermostat/doorbell wire. (You’d need 2 2-way Wago’s if you wanted to also extend the drivers DC power
cable.)
Wire on a power cable (3 2-way Wagos) and test it out. Running 230v vs 120v gets you more driver efficiency (the HLG series drivers can do both).
2 lights built like this would cover a 4’x4’ well, each one costs ~$250 or less
If you have enough ceiling height, QB96 “pucks” are also worth considering but they cost more for the watts, I wouldn’t use them with an 8ft tent. The EB Gen 2 builds are some of the cheapest per watt and have an output efficiency that is close to or better than the other strip options. I like CRI 90 if I can find them, but CRI 80 strips work fine.
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