Driver confusion

  • Thread starter mxer.kx
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mxer.kx

mxer.kx

23
13
Hi everyone. To make a long storey short like a year and a half mayve two years ago I was upgrading my mars leds to cobs based om a tutorial put out by growmau5 on YouTube. i mixed up what I thought I was purchasing bought the wrong cobs thought damn that was cheap got the package completely wrong cobs and realised why so cheap. Got angry put the box away and forgot...untill today lol .. so currently i have

16 x bridgelux Vero 10 3000k Starboard

4 x bridgelux Vero 10 4000k Starboard

4 x bridgelux Vero 10 2700k Stsrboard


Now I've read through the guides and to be completely honest I really don't understand it at all. I am having a very hard time trying to grasp what I will need in terms of a driver. I have some but VERY minimal experience soldering but seen some great guides that have it explained it quite well. If anyone is feeling gracious enough to point me in the right direction or helping
Decide on the best way to use these and or best driver choices. Can use in flower or veg room but based on spectrum leaning towards flowering. Any assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
Hi everyone. To make a long storey short like a year and a half mayve two years ago I was upgrading my mars leds to cobs based om a tutorial put out by growmau5 on YouTube. i mixed up what I thought I was purchasing bought the wrong cobs thought damn that was cheap got the package completely wrong cobs and realised why so cheap. Got angry put the box away and forgot...untill today lol .. so currently i have

16 x bridgelux Vero 10 3000k Starboard

4 x bridgelux Vero 10 4000k Starboard

4 x bridgelux Vero 10 2700k Stsrboard


Now I've read through the guides and to be completely honest I really don't understand it at all. I am having a very hard time trying to grasp what I will need in terms of a driver. I have some but VERY minimal experience soldering but seen some great guides that have it explained it quite well. If anyone is feeling gracious enough to point me in the right direction or helping
Decide on the best way to use these and or best driver choices. Can use in flower or veg room but based on spectrum leaning towards flowering. Any assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

For us to sort this out, we need some details about the driver and the LEDs. I clicked on the link for the 2700l led. Unfortunately the information is not exactly complete. What is it's forward voltage range? Max current is .750 amps and it's showing that it was tested at 25.3 v running at about 1/2 its max amps rating.

I need the forward voltage range of the LED and the specs on your drivers to be able to tell you how to configure what you purchased.
 
mxer.kx

mxer.kx

23
13
Hi thank you. Dont have the driver yet thats where I need the most help. Need help deciding wich one/s
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
Hi thank you. Dont have the driver yet thats where I need the most help. Need help deciding wich one/s

Can you provide the forward voltage range for those chips? I have an idea about what it is, but I can give you a better answer once that information is provided. Thanks.
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
Can you provide the forward voltage range for those chips? I have an idea about what it is, but I can give you a better answer once that information is provided. Thanks.


I found it. Manufacturer says that chip typically runs at 26 v. Tell me more about how you want to run these? Are you planning on using multiple drivers?

To run 1 chip, you need a constant current driver that will provide 26 v and up to about 1 amp of current. (.750 x 1.33 to give you a 33% safety margin is .9975 amps) So, for every chip you want to run off that driver in parallel, you would need 1 amp of power approximately. For example, if you were to use a constant current driver that provides 26v DC and up to 10 amps of current, you can run 10 of those chips in parallel.

Things get a bit different if you want to run them in series. This is why I need some ideas of how you want to run them. Once we know that, we can design a wiring schematic and make an appropriate driver choice.
 
mxer.kx

mxer.kx

23
13
Thank you for your response is this the information you needed?
Screenshot 20200314 092605
 
mxer.kx

mxer.kx

23
13
We responded the same time lol...i was thinking in series i may be wrong but that will draw less amperage correct? I am some what limited on available amperage here untill i get my panel upgrade in a few months (woohoo lol)...was thinking of doing a board with them maybe actually come to think of it i got a perfect spot to use 2 panels 12 cobs each 8x3000k 2x2700k 2x4000k

I do appreciate you taking the time to help thank you
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
Your chips run between 26.3v and 30.5v at .7 amps. (I think all were "D" series chips).

Here's where it gets tricky. Do you have a drawing of what you want to build? We can use HLG series Mean Well drivers. If you plan to run in parallel, then your driver would need to have a max voltage rating at about 32v to drive a chip in that voltage range. (You use the trim pot to adjust your voltage to your desired level)

How many chips it drives depends on the amp rating of the driver.
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
We responded the same time lol...i was thinking in series i may be wrong but that will draw less amperage correct? I am some what limited on available amperage here untill i get my panel upgrade in a few months (woohoo lol)...was thinking of doing a board with them maybe actually come to think of it i got a perfect spot to use 2 panels 12 cobs each 8x3000k 2x2700k 2x4000k

I do appreciate you taking the time to help thank you

HLG series has a 48v DC driver in different amp ratings that will adjust to 52v DC. You can run 2 chips in series. The number of series you can run in parallel is determined by the available amps in the driver.

15 amps would be more than enough and give you extra room to add more later... or run all 24 chips off the same driver (2-chip series run in 12 parallel connections.)

You can get away with 10 amps though at 6 2-chip series run in parallel. If you chose to build 2 lights.
 
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mxer.kx

mxer.kx

23
13
Thanks for the reply was wondering could i go 2 boards 6 chips in series 2 drivers each board for a total of 4 drivers if i understand correctly i take the voltage per chip multiply by how many chips in series and matching driver needs to have more volts in the output then the total amount of volts of all chips in the series.? In terms of board do you think i need passive heat sinks or could i go say 1/4 inch aluminum sheet?
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
Thanks for the reply was wondering could i go 2 boards 6 chips in series 2 drivers each board for a total of 4 drivers if i understand correctly i take the voltage per chip multiply by how many chips in series and matching driver needs to have more volts in the output then the total amount of volts of all chips in the series.? In terms of board do you think i need passive heat sinks or could i go say 1/4 inch aluminum sheet?

In series, each chip draws 26v so 2 chips in series draw 52v. Your amp draw remains the same. In parallel, each chip draws 26v but since they are not wired one to the other where current is passing through both chips, the voltage remains the same. However for each chip, you will be using .7 amps of current. If you choose your driver properly for your configuration, you can run anywhere from 1 driver for all chips to 1 driver per chip. So yes, you could use 2 drivers per light as long as you choose the right drivers.

Using a 1/4 inch aluminum plate will absorb the heat from the chip but not release it into the atmosphere very well. This is why you see fins on heat sinks. A good heatsink absorbs the heat quickly AND quickly releases it into the atmosphere. I would use a regular heatsink sized to cool your chips. The heatsink itself will be chosen based on whether you decide to use active or passive cooling.


There are a number of things to consider in choosing your components.
 
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mxer.kx

mxer.kx

23
13
Thank you much appreciated
Still somewhat confused sorry if im being a pain here but to clarify is it when wired in series the driver output needs to be greater then (in this case) 25.3 v so i could use something like ameanwell hlg-185h-36a driver to power 6 of the cobs in series? Or can i do more ? Or less? ...Orrr alternatively is it the total voltage of the cobs in series so in this case 25.3v x6 cobs which equals 151.3 volts requiring a driver with an output greater then 151.3 volts.....sorry again for all the questions i dont know if im over thinking it or just really not grasping it... if at all possible can you recommend a driver to power 6 or 12 cobs in series?
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
Thank you much appreciated
Still somewhat confused sorry if im being a pain here but to clarify is it when wired in series the driver output needs to be greater then (in this case) 25.3 v so i could use something like ameanwell hlg-185h-36a driver to power 6 of the cobs in series? Or can i do more ? Or less? ...Orrr alternatively is it the total voltage of the cobs in series so in this case 25.3v x6 cobs which equals 151.3 volts requiring a driver with an output greater then 151.3 volts.....sorry again for all the questions i dont know if im over thinking it or just really not grasping it... if at all possible can you recommend a driver to power 6 or 12 cobs in series?

The volts don't require safety overhead. Think of volts as the size of the highway and the amps as the power that travels on it. You want at least a 25% overhead on amps or you could over-heat something. Since your chips run on DC current, you may struggle to find a driver that produces 151.3v DC. I'm not sure one is even commercially available. You're better off running a variable volt meanwell driver so you can adjust your volt output. Just be sure your driver has a constant current circuit or you will be using resisters on each to keep from burning up your LEDs. LEDs are hungry critters and will try to use every available amp in your driver unless it's controlled.

No worries, it can be a bit confusing until you get it all worked out. There's also much to learn.
 

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