Cheap LED Strips : A Viable Alternative

How many devices can there be on each circuit in the UK? I imagine being 230v it’s double or more and accounts for why we use so many on a 120v system.

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Is this as simple as taping a wire to the driver or pigtailing to one of the screws on it and then to a zip screw into tent?

I’m electrical declined and so it’s hard to convey things properly. Do you mean does the transformer give me a tingle?

I very appreciative of the help! I know my skill set doesn’t make it easier to do that.

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You could attach a wire to the chassis of the driver then to the wall outlet box via one of the screws that hold the cover on. This should make the ground complete and stop the tingle. If that is the case? Then you will know the problem is between transformer and the driver. Or if you still get a tingle the ground is faulty at the wall outlet.

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I would try to attach a wire to one of the holes with a mounting screw.

However if you have a floating ground, this won’t help you really. It’s the kind of thing you really should get checked out, but maybe I’m being overfly careful. Cover that MFer with a plastic box to make sure you won’t bump it.

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Honestly I’d just re wire the driver with a new appropriate plug as running the conversion transformer is just wasting energy and another thing to cause issue.

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When I was in the UK, there seemed to be no limit I was aware of at that time, there probably is though. Until I came here and started to finish my basement, and was told you run a ring to each room, and was surprised.

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Hi
I have a ts-1000 in a 3 x3 and want to many be add another little 2x2 led
Would it be better to build with these strips
I seen some little leds for about 60-90 dollars that would work fine. Just very curious about the strips many thanks
For any input

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Prebuilt options are easier it just depends on your situation, though say you picked up a viparspectra p1000 or similar that would fit the bill, another option you could pick up a bigger light like a p2000 and migrate that ts1000 to the 2x2, or obvious build you own light for less.

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XEW Led Grow Light 600W with Samsung Diode UV IR Included, 2.5x2.5ft Coverage Sunlike Full Spectrum Grow Lamp Plants Growing for Hydroponic Indoor Seeding Veg and Bloom, Grow Light for Indoor Plants https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09369W2T5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_RG556HZG6DQ0T25RFV1D?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Thoughts seems very cheap but with the ts-1000 it might work well in a 3x3 as the ts does ok by itself

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Cheap garbage, 2Stars2ratings, AMAZON CRAP!!!
STOP adding to the global garbage problem…

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I’m just posting what I received… I know that it’s not a top line light but for 34$ if it lasts should get lots of use for what I bought it for.
I do want to save up and build a strip light for the 3x3 when I get enough saved up. I would be glad to send out some seeds for little help for picking up the right parts. Many Thanks

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Seconded, @MidwestMover

We wire Mean Well drivers for our UK customers all the time. Like any modern internationally-sold appliance, they are designed to accept a wide range of AC voltage/current inputs. All we do is add the appropriate country’s plug to any of our international orders, be it UK, Europe, South Africa, etc. The driver’s internal transformer takes care of the rest.

The old voltage transformers are no longer needed, and in fact will impede the operation of the driver, and could create a fire hazard. I’ve seen them melt when used to transform power for a laptop.

As for @MidwestMover 's tingling housing, make sure you have no cut insulation on the AC-side plug and cord splices. Even a slight cut from stripping the outer sheathing could cause arching from the load to the ground wire, which would energize the housing. A single strand of cord wire laying across the plug connectors would cause the same. Redo your AC wiring run before you start jerry-rigging another ground run to the wall outlet.

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Not the worst Q-board knock-off I’ve seen but still B-league stuff.

It uses Samsung LM281b+ diodes. Poor efficiency, 165 lm/w, compared to popular LM301B and LM301H chips used by most premium brands, HLG, Gavita, Fluence, SolStrips, etc., which are 33% more efficient. More similar to the EB strips than anything considered top-quality today.

65w draw is pretty dinky, even in a 2x2 that’s 16w/sf with below-average PPF due to the low efficiency diodes. I assume your 575 PAR reading is a centerpoint measurement - remember you need at least that intensity across the canopy to maintain healthy growth. Good for seedling, clones and early veg phrase but won’t deliver for you in flower. It certainly won’t replace a 600w HPS as the manufacturer advertises, nor will it come close to 2.7 umols/j system efficacy with old chips and a no-name driver. If it lasts, might be an ok seedling or mother light.

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Are the eb gen 3s that far behind the Samsung Lm301B/Hs?

If running at nominal power levels the gen 3 bridgeluxs are about 10% less efficient than 301b’s though most 301 built boards aren’t running near nominal and are typically in the 2x + overdriven range so they drop down to bridgelux range or lower if driven harder.

So comes out to be similar in the end.

And no argument at all against the bogus advertising on said light above, will it work as a light yeah probably though how long no idea and probably not anywhere near well for the area, two of them though…

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I was referring to the EB 2s which seem to be the chip used in most of the projects in this thread. And that 10% difference in efficacy (and PPF output) is magnified, not minimized, as the chips are driven closer to their full rated power, or “2x + overdriven” as you like to say.

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The company I bought it from is going to let me send it in and they’ll send it to Meanwell. I did try to use the EU plug and the lights didn’t turn on. I ordered a replacement from another company. I will wire it up when it gets here with the EU plug. I’ll have an extra driver now for a future light build.

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Yeah most are going gen 3s now or is the way to go, and regardless of light source typically the harder you drive it the less efficient it becomes.

Will say even if B rated boards for these cheapies coming out of China if they last a couple years and don’t degrade to much light output wise and the drivers aren’t absolute crap in efficiency, people won’t be caring if it grows some plants and was cheap on the pocket. As say they are in that 160-170lm/w range that’s what previous gen setups were of only a 3-5 years ago.

For myself I see some being at that $1/w range and if there decently efficient or say approached comparable to say the gen 2 bridgeluxs then , really is build vs buy at that point and the later is easier.

Another year or two and the cheapies will be at that point most wouldn’t think otherwise as the price comes down, we will just be nerding out over efficiency and trying to do cost comparisons vs electricity costs and intended run times, though we have already been doing that lol and for a long time.

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@Jinglepot more than you’ll ever want to know about leds

I’ve read this through a few tomes already, lol

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