Ok looking at lights. Liking the quantum boards. Iām mainly about to see what is what with them. I see hlg qb 100 but coverage area is nothing for $150
Now I see a kit of 4 qb120 but no driver. Can I run em all from 1driver? If so which one? And there is no way to see the output of the models. What is better without a crazy tag on it. I want to start by saturating a 4x4area for flower. Once I run em I might fill 4x8 with them if they put out.
I run 4 of the QB120's with a Mean Well 240-2100 (B or C) (in series), or 6 QB120's with a 320-2100 (B or C) (in series as well) both B and C versions are dimmable if I remember correctly but one is nicer since you can hook a potentiometer (I think the "B" version) to it for dimming (much easier than the screws inside the driver case). for a 4X4 you will need about 600 - 650 watts so 3 X 150W panels (like the QB288) or 9-12 of the QB120's. When I was running 4X4 I had 50 watts to the sq foot. 40-50 w to the sq foot is kind of a general goal.
Drivers first number is the total watts (and they are conservative so you always get more).
Drivers second number is either constant current value ie: 2100, 1750 etc
Drivers second number is sometimes constant Voltage value as in: 24, 36, 54 etc.
Drivers letter designations sometimes means terminal type, dimmable with pot or PWM control signal or adjustment screws inside the drive (have to reach in with a small straight balde drive): A, B, C etc.
Mean Well has spec. sheets for each wattage of driver with all the options etc. the spec sheets can be accessed either on Mean Wells site or on sites such as Digikey and so on.
Constant current/Constant voltage (like the -24 -36-54) are generally for wiring in parallel and the constant current ones like 1750 -2100 etc are meant to put out fixed current and therefore are typically wired in series.
The advantages of parallel are its low non-lethal voltage (under 60V) but if a light goes out all the energy goes to the others and could overdrive them (rare but possible)
The advantage of series wiring is if a LED panel or COB fails the others power down protecting them. The disadvantage is your often dealing with voltages over 100 VDC and higher which can be lethal. Cover all exposed connections on the fixture (precautions need to be taken but no big deal, just common sense).
Just for general info, I typically see these fixtures come out to about $1.25 per watt to DIY. I have done it for as little as $1.00 per watt by scrounging around for surplus materials for the build like aluminum angle etc for the framing. The LEDs and drivers are pretty much whatever the market is asking. A good driver that is 240-320 watts is about $70-80. Panels vary according to wattage (your paying for light power).
Dee