18 AWG does the trick…Like @legalcanada wick the wires with solder
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Thanks @Enstromentals…Nice to see everyone is starting to get on board with the SolStrip (no pun intended)
I’m trying to help out with tech questions but I’m very busy and cant get to the questions as fast you guys can…Nice to have lots of knowledgeable people here on OG 
I do have lots of helpful information from technical to assembly that I came across when building my own SolStrip System LED 150w SolStrip X1 Build
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Are those 1Watt LED’s ? Better go for 3Watt LaserLEDs for serious Flowers.
Yeah the wire I had on hand was 14 gauge stranded. I tinned it but it is just too big. I went and got some some 16 gauge and that worked. I’m running a fairly long lead as my driver will be outside the box and my light will be adjustable in height. These lights are very bright. I made the mistake of watching it light up. Just a fraction of a second but I had to wait 10 or 15 seconds before I could find my screw driver after I turned it on…
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Thanks @Roux your first post on these things was very informative and much appreciated. I appreciate the insight from all you guys!
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Now I just gotta get this thing set up in my cabinet. Trouble is it’s currently night time in the cabinet so I’ll have to wait till the next daylight period to try and get it mounted.
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Your rig looks great @2RedEyes! As for the connectors, they are made for 18-22 AWG wire. Well-tinned (see @ReikoX for perfect technique) stranded wire will probably work, but after futzing with dozens of these connectors over several months, I now use solid core wire exclusively on all leads which terminate at a connector. Life is much better now. “T-stat” wire, which is 18 gauge 2-conductor insulated cable used on residential thermostat runs, works well and is available most anywhere.
-b420
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I hung the light last night but it is just temporary until this little grow is finished. I’m going to be moving the cabinet and changing several things to make it more accessible and making the light height adjustable. I have a question for @Baudelaire though. According to my wattage meter, when it is adjusted to max current, it reads 240 watts even though this is a 185 watt driver. I remember you telling me over the phone that it would exceed the stated output but I wasn’t expecting that much. Does this seem right? I’m currently running it at 185 watts.
I had these two struggling girls from th previous lighting system and am hoping they will fatten up with the new light.
On the left, Harlequin and on the right Blue Dream CBD.
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I can assure you that this is normal and okay!
I really like your screen setup. Simple and tidy. What is your material for the screen?
I see someone else likes using PVC elbows for ventilation too! 
(knuckle bump) lol
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@Jellypowered the screen is just a pvc frame and some string wound on a 2” grid, this plant was really stretching so I had to get its height down. Those things on the top are not vents, they were the sockets for my old led light bulbs. I’ve since removed them and installed an exhaust fan as the temps were getting up over 100f. After I harvest what little these girls give me I plan to rebuild this cabinet and move it off the floor onto a counter to make it easier to work in. Also I’m going to change the ventilation a bit. So I’m interested in your blumat system, have you got that working yet? It sounds like something I need to do as I’m gone quite a bit during the summer.
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i have 2x HLG 320 and get ~700 total. 185->240 is a nice jump!!
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Any automatic watering system is worth it once setup, i enjoy having to only flll my reservoir once every 2 weeks, did so specially for the same reason as i was constantly away from home in summer.
I run a diy arduino system but still automatic watering is worth it.
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I’ve even seen an increase after a “break in period” on Vero 29 s.
Looks bright as heck man!
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Couple things I got done today. My heatsink compound arrived so I removed the strips and re-installed them with the compound. I had been trying to be a little conservative with my power level and I hope to bump it a bit now. I also know that I could use a little better ventilation as well. Just a little move even distribution of moving air should help. Also I dissected a couple of my a19 led bulbs in anticipation of my micro bucket project. I ordered some heat sinks for that so not much more to do till I get them.
I found a brick of burpee coco coir at HD for $2.98 so I bought it. Stuck it in a bucket and added water after breaking it up and getting it rehydrated I checked the ph and ppm’s. It needed washing a bit so I did that and it’s draining but I think it’s ground pretty fine and not going to be something I like much. I’d like something a bit more chunky so I think I’ll try to find coco chips if I can.
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With the burpee coco I’ve found 70 coco/ 30 perlite works fine. Might try that out.
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Question for @Baudelaire the temps taken on the face of my strips with a cheap laser gun vary from about 100f in the center of the box to mid 130’s at the edges of the box. I do hope to rearrange my vent fans to help airflow around the LEDs… are these temps going to be a problem? The ambient temps at the canopy level are mid 60’s to mid 70’s. I’m mostly worried about the lifespan of the LEDs.
operating temperature is -40 to +185 F for LM561C - mine run at ~165F all the time
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Quoting from an email exchange I had with @Baudelaire
" Keeps strip temps below 50C, which is the upper end of the strips rated operating temperature."
122f is the max id be comfortable letting them run. You just need a little more airflow and you should be golden.
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from his solstrip thread - 65c would be 150f - you’ll be fine @2RedEyes
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