awesome thank you guys so much - i quit my job as it technician working for NOAA fisheries for about ~10 years and looking to go full time with gardening and maybe even lighting - huge open market for it in alaska right now … most people i know are using HPS with no hvac , etc. moved to montana with my wife and will be here for another ~6 months so i have plenty of time to read 
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So an HLG-480-24A would power (10) Solstix x2 so they are 48w each? But if I were to use that same driver to power (12) that would be 40w to each board?
Are they like QB where they are more efficient when run soft?
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The added benefit of using more strips is you can usually get better coverage as well.
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And probably closer since they aren’t generating as much heat running less than their rated capacity
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Yeah, My strips run hotter than most like to run theirs.
I didn’t end up getting the 480w when I was doing my build, i got a HLG-320h-24A and it tops out around 400w (good batch) or so.
At 300w:
I can tell you now that i’m running them at 385w they are significantly warmer. The strips with the least airflow in my setup are uncomfortable to touch for very long, but won’t outright burn you. The LM561C is a durable little diode, even running close to max operating temp, I see these still lasting longer than any other light i’ve ever used.
The two outside strips on each end in my setup would be the first to burn out, even If in two or three years I had to replace them, i’m out a max of 80$ over 3 years. No biggie to me.
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@Baudelaire also designed these so that running them at 48w is pretty close to max efficiency anyway. You’ll gain a bit of penetration running them harder too.
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So another user said his 320w does 380w or so. Say you match the (10) x2 to a 480w driver and it does more say 540w is there some sort of override built into the chips so they don’t run at 54w?
It would be wise to get one of the dimmable drivers. You can drive them a little harder, and the loss in efficiency isn’t that bad. The lifespan goes down a tad too, but we’re talking a seven year lifespan.
As ReikoX said, you will need to get a dimable/adjustable driver. That just means you get one that allows you to change the power output to the lights.
Im not a big fan of grossly over driving LED’s or running the drivers too far beyond spec. They have an upper limit to the power rating for a reason
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The light @anon58740919 built for me was meant to be 500w but I can push them to 520+w without problems. When it arrived and I wired her up It was running at 516w so I dialed her back to 500w and she’s sitting nicely now at around 78 degrees (I have located the driver outside the grow area though).
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It was pushing 24v exactly on my multimeter when I sent it out mate. Guessing the Vo. Adjust must have slipped a touch in transit. Glad she’s doing well. To be fair Im running similar and it’s making 3500k rigs look weak 
@anon32470837 I’ve used non dimmable drivers too brother
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Oh, for sure. Its not a requirement to have a dimable driver, but it is a nice up-grade that you probably wont regret.
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oh wow i would have assumed opposite.
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If you have a dimable driver, you can use the same light to start clones or seedlings at low power levels, then gradually increase the power during veg and again during flower. With a fixed driver, you’re stuck with what ever power level it drives the lights at - unless you go to a lot of extra trouble, and expense to add an external dimmer circuit. You could also be stuck with over driven or under powered lights if they are not matched perfectly to each other. You can also add a sunrise/sunset option where the light gradually comes on or goes off.
Dimable adds a whole extra layer of options, and flexibility to the light.
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this stuff sounds really interesting… i think im going to build a prototype while im here in montana just to tinker around
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@Baudelaire new shipping method with the mailer tubes is definitely better than the old method 
.
Also i know its just business as i use to run a past online one myself.
Pretty hefty materials and handling extra you have worked in there if looking at percent.
Ps. Got hit with duties too but that’s normal when packages get open up by customs.
Oh well the price we pay up here. Still gonna be put to good use though 
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Hey, anybody considered lens or reflector packages on these? @Baudelaire did you use a common width pcb? I looked for PCB specs but couldn’t find it in the product info.
I will measure and compare when I get home later but I am hoping it is zhaga compliant. I wanna try a reflector package on the strips closest to the walls for better perimeter penetration.
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I cant remember for sure, but I think there was some discussion about reflectors and lenses early in the thread.
Hey everyone, nearing the end of a two-week jaunt to Spain so pardon my response time here, looks like a lot of interest in SolStrips, and a lot of good advice from the community also.
On overdriving, the Samsung is a tough chip, I’ve never fried one by overdriving and boy I’ve tried… However, anything above 50w per strip (X2) is mostly burned off as heat not light. If you want more photons, get more strips rather than adding watts.
@Mr.Sparkle Re: shipping , without getting too specific on individual orders, I can only say that I base shipping charges on actual cost plus $2 for packaging and handling- and the label you show doesn’t look like mine. Not saying its not the label that came on your order, but it seems to be added by your domestic postal service, perhaps once it reached your shores. It may not have included the cost of shipping to the port of export in the US. If you have concerns about it, I can check when I’m back in California later this week. The stated cost for the weight is very low, I often can’t ship 2 lbs across the US for that much via first class post.
However, sometimes my intl shipping calculator used on the webstore is off, if anyone ever feels their shipping quote is too high, just drop me a line and I’ll double-check.
-b420
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