@Baudelaire it someone doesn’t beat me to it I will fix your thread up for you this evening 
3 Likes
There may be a safe and efficient alternative to Mean Well drivers out there somewhere, but make no mistake. SolStrip Photon Solutions, at this point, does not recommend any other brand of driver to power SolStrip systems than Mean Well drivers. The only exception is a single-strip 70w driver we have tested and stocked for low-wattage applications. We tried and threw away drivers from almost a dozen different suppliers over a year’s time before settling on those we stock. More on my reasons for using Mean Wells versus cheap generic LED power supplies in this thread in the grow room design forum.
2 Likes
SolStrip X3s back in stock
Just wanted to let everybody know that we’ve restocked the X3 strips, just in time for your holiday shopping pleasure. Free shipping on $50+ orders to the US, $100+ worldwide. Available as components in our SolSheet X and SolStix Racks as well.
We cleaned up the PCB graphics and added our CE and RoHS certs, printed on a bright white mask. I think they’re prettier.
11 Likes
Making a new veg light, wanted to show just how easy it can be. For the design of this light, I wanted to replace my 4-bulb 2’ T5HO veg light. I decided to use three SolStix (5000K) and a 120-watt dimmable driver (HLG-120H-24B). I probably could have replaced the lamp with two SolStips attached to baking sheet on an 80-watt driver for a lower price.
First thing first, I opened the box and had to split two of the strips. They are already scored, all you have to do is gently bend them back and forth a few times. Make sure you received everything in your order.
Next, use the included nylon screws to connect the strips to the heat sinks. No thermal compound is necessary, though you can certainly use it.
The aluminum angle iron was cut to length with a chop saw. Then the holes were measured and drilled for the heat sinks, (measure twice, drill once). Finally, I attached the heat sinks to the angle iron.
Next, I cut some lengths of 18-gauge thermostat wire. The ends were stripped and gently inserted into the connectors on the strip. These were run along the inside of the angle iron and connected in parallel with the lever connectors.
Finally, I connected the light to the driver. Using the lever connectors, I was able to connect a power cord and the dimmer to the driver. The driver was then connected to the strips for a test fire. Here she is all the way dimmed down.
All that’s left is to install the driver in my cabinet and hang the light.
16 Likes
Nice, sleek, simple SolStrip rack build. 5000K should be a great replacement for those T5s.
@ReikoX you’ve done a few of these racks now, ever thought of using 80/20 extruded aluminum for the frame? I’ve bounced it around- it’s no more expensive, and there’s a whole ensemble of associated hardware and molding attachments that could make for a very attractive finish, but I can’t figure out a good way to attach the SolStix.
4 Likes
No, the angle iron is easy to get at Lowes so I’ve just used that. Maybe a mounting bracket that is compatible with the Rapid LED rail systems could be made easily?
1 Like
8 x SolSheetX putting in the work…a mix of 5 x 3500K/ 2 x 5000K/ 1 x 2700K , you can see the 2700 on the front right corner… pretty nice growth considering its only about 1300 watts at the wall in total… I have most powered by 320 Meanwells running dual X-Sheets…I don’t even have them fully cranked up…Anyways I am super happy as these sheets just work perfectly in my particular grow space.The grow area is roughly 10’ x 7’ …as you can see I have 2 separate rows down each side of the room with a nice walkway down the middle, just perfect for the room … I will eventually power up another 2 or more sheets… This crop had a rough start and the plants got a little stretchy on me, took me a little bit to get a handle on the plants and by the time they got their vigor back they had grown a little too big… I am using 2 gallon square pots roughly 2/3 filled, drippers and coco…seeds are some no name brand seeds from a local store, Blueberry Cheezecake and Diesel …BBCC is a taller Sativa. the Diesel has a range of hybrid Indica style growth from medium height and slightly lanky to super short and compact… exactly 4 weeks into flower right now… substantial resin formation all over the crown leaves… I was planning to wait to post any pictures till things were finished but I figured it was worth the picture…
21 Likes
Nice work! 
2 Likes
Would love to build my light 
I’m sure my plants would dig them as well
2 Likes
All you would need to do is add more drilled holes in the ends of the sol sinks. Maybe make them a little longer then we would totally be rail mountable. So sell a 2 inch longer solsink with holes for rail mounting
4 Likes
All that loose hardware violates my KISS design sensibilities. I like 80/20 rails, but not that much. I think I just need to find a different rail profile that mimics the interior-lip feature of angle stock. The tech is really developing in this space, it isn’t that expensive (relatively) to design your own extrusion dies anymore.
4 Likes
That’s deffo a cannabis plant bro 
6 Likes
Had a quick look into this for you and i believe that many folks could make a nice frame from this profile. They would still need to drill holes in the flange to attach the strips but it would look very neat. Especially with the wiring run inside the tubing so it was concealed 
https://8020.net/shop/9005.html
2 Likes
I like that profile a lot. Thanks for pointing it out.
@Athos that’s great looking bush.
5 Likes
@Albannach
I am missing something here… If I attach a solsink to my strip how do I then attach to this tab?
3 Likes
I would make a rectangular frame using the correct corner joints. Obviously the lip on the inside and sit the ends of the sink bars on the lip. mark where the holes are to be, remove the bars, drill the holes and then bolt the strips to the frame.
3 Likes
Oh yeah… The sinks are longer than the strips…I forgot
3 Likes
I’ve two questions.
Can I run 6x solstrips X3 on 1x 240h-36A?? and which cable size should I use??
Many thanks
1 Like
They would run nice and cool at around 40W each so you’d get maximum life from the strips. You need 1mm (18awg) wire to connect the strips to a junction box mounted on the frame. Your total current draw would only be 6.6A so you can use 1.5mm (16awg) flex cable between the driver and the strips to avoid any voltage drop
3 Likes