DIY LED with COBs - small medium and large grows

SCalGrow · May 25, 2015

SupraSPL I want to know what do you think of the high density CXA 2590 in Cree's website it says it can replace a 150w CHM and also in the spec sheet is has the capability to surpass the CXA3590 in watts per lumens. Also I wanted to ask you how can you regulate the Amps that goes to the LED from the driver? say you have a 1.4 amp driver but you only want to feed the LED 1 AMP is that possible? And a last question, why didn't you used a secondary optic or at least a reflector? I know the LEDs come with a 115 degree beam angle but it seems to me that your light can benefit from some kind of cup reflector but then again I'm not an expert so I seek your assistance.

thanks for the time any help by any member will be appreciated.

Toaster79 · May 25, 2015

CXA2590 Vs. CXB3590

Both are 90W nominal power units with different footprints. Cree claims 33% higher efficiency in favor of CXB which is logical since the later has 34.8x34.8mm footprint against 24.8x24.8mm and with that better thermal management. CXA producing more lm/W than CXB probably results in higher CCT. I think you're looking at units with different color temperature for example 5700K against 3000K. Check datasheets and bins.

1400mA Vs. 1000mA

Get either a dimmable driver and turn it down to 1000mA or get a 1050mA driver and run it at full load (a bit better efficiency)

Reflector or not?

Without you simply set your lights so that you get the best coverage, most uniform. With reflector you're creating a cut off and collimating light. You'll loose about 10% of the reflected light and create a hotspot resulting in setting your lights higher.

Keep it bright!

budhaboy · May 25, 2015

Some of the Mean well drivers are adjustable via a nylon screw adjusting inside the driver case(my first set of LEDs for my reeftank featured this)

SCalGrow · May 27, 2015

Toaster79 by 90w nominal you mean that is the maximun watts whey can procude because in Cree's website they have different numbers for the CXB3590 here is the link .

Also what would be the best driver to use to run four packs? A seller in alibaba recommended the mean well HLG-185H-C700. But I want to run the lights at 1400mA so I' afraid those drivers are not gonna cut it.

Toaster79 · May 27, 2015

Run HLG -185-C1400. CXB2540 can run up to 2100 mA (i dare run it at 3500mA with emitter soldered to a copper core CPU heatsink) which is 79W at 38V, 3590 runs at 3600mA max which makes 140W at 39V.

2540 at 1100mA = 34.8V -> at 1400 = around 35.5 where the driver tops out (143V), running in "direct drive" with the least resistance on output MOSFETs just running at working temperature.

SCalGrow · May 27, 2015

Toaster79 I am planning on using the CBX3590 72v LEDs I found a supplier on alibaba that has them for 47.5 a piece.

Toaster79 · May 27, 2015

Then, if using HLG -185-C series driver you do have to get 700mA version to run 4 of them, since you're limited with 200W of power. That's why I suggested 2540. Less cost for same effect. If you plan to run 4x3590 at higher power you'll gave to look into another driver and maybe 36V version or two HLG-185C drivers. What's your goal power wise?

SCalGrow · May 27, 2015

Toaster79 said:
Then, if using HLG -185-C series driver you do have to get 700mA version to run 4 of them, since you're limited with 200W of power. That's why I suggested 2540. Less cost for same effect. If you plan to run 4x3590 at higher power you'll gave to look into another driver and maybe 36V version or two HLG-185C drivers. What's your goal power wise?

I want to run one CXB3590 or CXA2590 (which ever is cheaper I'm talking to the supplier about it) per plant at 1400mA.

I have a 8x10 room with 24 ebb and flow buckets so the plants will need all the light they can get.

For veg I have a 4x4 flood tray. so i want to make a four pack light for them.

I wan to run the higher volts LEDs because I only get about 100 amps to the place an I am hoping i can expand to 48 plants in two rooms.

I plan on doing individual light fixtures for the plants with remote drivers. I figure I can get the most light to each plant buy placing individuals lights as close to them as possible.

as far a cooling goes i want to do a cooling fan with a temperature sensor so it can run only when need be. The anvien temperature of my rooms is in the low 60s and I have ACs so i can manage the heat.

I am not to worry about durability with my LEDs, the market is changing fast and I figure in a couple of years better LED s will be available. So I want to get the maximum amount of light out of them for only one or two years and them upgrade.

with this info in mind what Drivers do you recommend.

Toaster79 · May 27, 2015

Ok. Let's try with another approach. How much power have you got avaliable for the LED setup you have in mind? Using higher voltage led emitter doesn't have much to do with your 100A panel. How much power have you got available and how many units do you want to build?

SCalGrow · May 27, 2015

What do you mean by power?

V, watts, mA, ?

I don't have any components yet I need to buy everything

Toaster79 · May 27, 2015

Oh my, oh my, ...

You really have no clue about lighting, electricity, growing, ...

Let's go:

You have 8x10 room which makes 80sqrft, right? Now you want about 50W/sqrft light minimum to get your plants some decent ammount of light. So you need about 4kW in lights distributed around your room. CXB3590 is capable of 140W power consumption ....

Do you see where I'm going with this? Can you continue yourself?

No, let me help you out. If a single CXB3590 can suck 140W of juice how many do you need to get to 4000W? About 28.5. So to be on a safe side, let's say you have 30 of them. Now let's go find a 140W+ 72V driver or even better 30 of them.

Did you decide yet what colour temperature you'll be running in your flower rooms? I'd say that's the first thing to deal with before you go negotiating for a 5000K COBs prices ;)

There you go, if that's not enenough info, I'll let someone else draw it for you.

SCalGrow · May 27, 2015

Toaster79 said:
Oh my, oh my, ...

You really have no clue about lighting, electricity, growing, ...

Let's go:

You have 8x10 room which makes 80sqrft, right? Now you want about 50W/sqrft light minimum to get your plants some decent ammount of light. So you need about 4kW in lights distributed around your room. CXB3590 is capable of 140W power consumption ....

Do you see where I'm going with this? Can you continue yourself?

No, let me help you out. If a single CXB3590 can suck 140W of juice how many do you need to get to 4000W? About 28.5. So to be on a safe side, let's say you have 30 of them. Now let's go find a 140W+ 72V driver or even better 30 of them.

Did you decide yet what colour temperature you'll be running in your flower rooms? I'd say that's the first thing to deal with before you go negotiating for a 5000K COBs prices ;)

There you go, if that's not enenough info, I'll let someone else draw it for you.

SCalGrow · May 27, 2015

Toaster79 thank you again for your help, I am new to the LED lightning so thank you for bearing with me.

Everything that you just said to me I already new, is simple math, but you still haven't answered the question of what do you mean by power? I am fairly falimiliar with measeurement units but I truly Don't know what you mean by power. Please expesify with exact answers so we don't confuse each other any longer.

I get the watts anf vots that I need for each LED but the mA comfuses me for example the HLG 185H C700 that the seller recommended. If it only has 700mA then how can I run four lights at 1400 mA?

I know this may sound like a stupid question. But I don't get it and I can't find any tools online to help me with this.

As of the color I want to order 3000K CRI 70 for flower. and 4000K CRI 93 for veg.

SCalGrow · May 27, 2015

As If I know how to grow, I can send you some of my medicine to taste and then you can tell me I don't know how to grow

Toaster79 · May 28, 2015

SCalGrow said:
Toaster79 thank you again for your help, I am new to the LED lightning so thank you for bearing with me.

Everything that you just said to me I already new, is simple math, but you still haven't answered the question of what do you mean by power? I am fairly falimiliar with measeurement units but I truly Don't know what you mean by power. Please expesify with exact answers so we don't confuse each other any longer.

I get the watts anf vots that I need for each LED but the mA comfuses me for example the HLG 185H C700 that the seller recommended. If it only has 700mA then how can I run four lights at 1400 mA?

I know this may sound like a stupid question. But I don't get it and I can't find any tools online to help me with this.

As of the color I want to order 3000K CRI 70 for flower. and 4000K CRI 93 for veg.

P=UxI

But you said yourself you've got all of that covered ;) You know those volts and amps and wattage

You can't run a COB at 1400mA if you have 700mA driver. HLG -185-C is a 200W driver and you want to drive each COB at 100W. Do the math, check datasheets, and do some more math. I've explained it to you once, read thorougly through what I've written and you m8ght just get the idea how things work.

superbudding · May 28, 2015

Have any of you guys tried these full spectrum 100W COB's from Aliexpress Link to Aliexpress I keep adding a few to a basket with heatsinks and drivers but never actually gone through with it! Although from China direct and not Cree or Bridgelux the range of spectrum looks good from searching around pretty complete spectrum.
Now they may be inefficient and not very good so just wondered if anyone has any experience.

Do you find that the 3000k or 6000k etc been a yellow with added blue to make white light and not the standard pinkle colour we see has wasted wavelength or do you find the balance to need upping with the individual RB and DR?
I have wondered about using the pure white 3k COB's but never tested the theory out.

Buddy Brain · Jul 1, 2015

Howdy all. I signed up for this website today, compliments of a Google search for Cree LED module grow lights. Have a small grow for several years now (legal in MI), and due to odor control issues have been trying somewhat unique lights requiring no AC. Currently running a 400W magnetic induction 3000K spectrum with just ok results. Started supplementing with a 32 watt LED panel (red/blue/white) a guy made for me, and saw some improvement. I am applying super-cropping/lollipopping techniques to keep the plants short, and the canopy in the same plane as much as possible.

But still too much heat to run more than one 400W light in my 6" x 10' flower tent, so just built a test light with (2) Cree 3070 COB modules. I bought the LMD 800 drivers from Cree as well, but I wish I had found this post sooner, then I would of found the less expensive drivers you suggested. I also would of splurged for more COB modules. My plan is to eliminate the 400W magnetic induction in favor of an all LED setup.

A twist to the story... the guy who made the 32W LED panel for me asked me to design an extruded aluminum housing with built-in heat-sink fins for a bar style illuminator, to go with the LED circuit boards he produces. He said he could sell 100's. Well after I designed it, spent the $$ to make the tooling, ran extrusions, and made prototypes for him - never heard from him again. Fast forward a couple years, and now there are these high power COB modules from Cree that don't require a guy to make any special circuit boards and LEDs - sweet!

So maybe there are some folks out there who would be interested in some of these nice extruded housings. The original design has the pocket too deep in the housing, as the best design (as already noted in the original post) is to run without lenses, using the natural cone angle of the COB module: 115 degrees to make a nice with splash of light even just 8-12" above the plant canopy, thus maximizing the light energy to the plants (for them awesome buds we all desire). So I went with a spacer setup- a 1/8" thick aluminum plate with (4) aluminum standoffs to set the right height. The spacer and standoffs are mounted using thermal adhesive, so the heat dispersion is passed through to the entire heat-sink housing. I attached a couple pics, sorry I am not an electrician, so the wiring is kind of ugly. But the light is very functional.

If you don't want to build your own light I can do it for you.

Toaster79 · Jul 1, 2015

Nice to have you around, but where the fuck were you two weeks ago when I was breaking my neck sourcing out heatsinks for my build? :D

All jokes aside, nice to have you around! Those files you uploaded aren't working, well atleast not for me, but maybe for someone else either. I'd really like to see what you came up with heatsink wise since I've got a build going on with 3070s right now. And yes, Cree drivers are ridiculously expensive, you should have done your homework prior to buying them. Meanwell is the shiznit now.

So you have bunch of those heatsink on heand with no purpose? Let's see what you got and there may be some interest here. How deep are those pockets? Maybe the surface can be milled and there will be enough material left. Puting inserts in and applying thermal glue isn't really the best choice so im thinking machining those to fit the needs.

Keep it shining!

Buddy Brain · Jul 1, 2015

Toaster79 said:
Nice to have you around, but where the fuck were you two weeks ago when I was breaking my neck sourcing out heatsinks for my build? :D

All jokes aside, nice to have you around! Those files you uploaded aren't working, well atleast not for me, but maybe for someone else either. I'd really like to see what you came up with heatsink wise since I've got a build going on with 3070s right now. And yes, Cree drivers are ridiculously expensive, you should have done your homework prior to buying them. Meanwell is the shiznit now.

So you have bunch of those heatsink on heand with no purpose? Let's see what you got and there may be some interest here. How deep are those pockets? Maybe the surface can be milled and there will be enough material left. Puting inserts in and applying thermal glue isn't really the best choice so im thinking machining those to fit the needs.

Keep it shining!

Toaster79 · Jul 1, 2015

You were sayin'?

DIY LED with COBs - small medium and large grows

DIY LED with COBs - small medium and large grows

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