DiY LEDs - How to Power Them

kushandej

kushandej

Member
alesh said:
MW HLG-185H-C1400B + 4x Cree CXB3070 AB is good price/performance ratio and would fit your space @~13PAR W/sqft or ~650 µmol/s/m^2. Or if you want to get the maximum out of your space, you can get this setup twice to double the values to ~26PAR W/sqft or ~1300 µmol/s/m^2. Could also be dimmed and doesn't have to run at max all the time.
Click to expand...
Thanks for all the great info @alesh! I can only afford 2 right now. so i might just start with 1 plant. What driver would you recommend for 2? What would be the cheapest route to get going? also Is this the right COB? ab bin? http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?mpart=CXB3070-0000-000N0HAB30G&vendor=90
 
SupraSPL

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
Kapton + paste will give you an excellent thermal transfer. It will hold together as long as the kapton is applied correctly. Kapton keeps a tenacious grip on clean aluminum and will last for many years even if the heatsink gets hot and even after years it can be removed with no residue left behind.

The things to look out for, clean the surface first if there is any oil or thermal paste on the surface of the heatsink it will compromise the kapton grip. Tape at least two corners so the COB cannot slide or move in any direction. Make sure the COB base is thoroughly coated with thermal paste and press down on the corners to thin the layer and squeeze out any air bubbles.
DSC07739a.jpg
DSC08141a.jpg
 
Last edited:
cbizzle

cbizzle

Well-Known Member
Currently on page 18 of this thread so I don't feel entitled to ask any questions yet but I am compiling them for sure. Currently feel like Donny Kerabatsos...out of my element. Hopefully I'll be up to speed more in another 50 or so pages!
 
Blakhash

Blakhash

Well-Known Member
cbizzle said:
Currently on page 18 of this thread so I don't feel entitled to ask any questions yet but I am compiling them for sure. Currently feel like Donny Kerabatsos...out of my element. Hopefully I'll be up to speed more in another 50 or so pages!
Click to expand...
Just ask, it can't hurt.
 
BecauseIgotHigh

BecauseIgotHigh

Well-Known Member
can i use the wires that supra suggested from elecdirect.com on the cob holders? Or do i need solid copper wires to fit them in? cost to ship to my location $60 for the 50v and the 600v wires. Will any 18ga wire work? i can only find 18ga up to 300v though?
 
caretak3r

caretak3r

Well-Known Member
caretak3r said:
hey guys, just got these in:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pcs-new-100W-LED-Driver-Light-lamp-Driver-Power-Supply-Heatsink-30V-36V-110V-220V-AC/2055286402.html

funny story-- I attempted to turn amperage all the way down and connected it to an old 10x cree xpg "cob" I bought a year and a half ago. Good thing was, it was already damaged goods - 1 of the 10 LEDs was out. Anyway, it flickered a bit, then went dark and I smelled that 'something burned' smell. I then tested on a newer VANQ full spectrum phosphor cob - lit up nice and bright and I noticed on my KillAWatt 130W. Quickly turned the little screw the other direction until it went down to 50W. Only then did I notice that the driver is actually marked 150W on the PCB. Long story short, i think these will actually do 3.5A at only $15 a pop. Not bad, and I don't feel too bad for the old XPGs i burned up in the process.

I don't yet have a Vero29 to test with, so I'm not sure how high vF will go.
Click to expand...
FYI, I blew one of these up last night. I had it hooked up to my killawatt and kept turning up the amperage pot. It got to about 160W at the plug and then i heard it pop and that's all she wrote. I'm only out $15 but I'm a bit bummed that I broke it.
 
SupraSPL

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
BecauseIgotHigh said:
can i use the wires that supra suggested from elecdirect.com on the cob holders? Or do i need solid copper wires to fit them in? cost to ship to my location $60 for the 50v and the 600v wires. Will any 18ga wire work? i can only find 18ga up to 300v though?
Click to expand...
If I recall, some DIYers had issues with stranded wire and COB holders. I tried the 50V 18 gauge wire from elecdirect on an Ideal COB holder (thanks @Mellodrama ) and sure enough it pulls right back out. So I tried it with the wire tinned and it held fast, I really had to work to get it back out.
 
BecauseIgotHigh

BecauseIgotHigh

Well-Known Member
hey Supra, could you check on this site, and send me the links to the correct wires for the COB holders? I have already ordered from elecdirect, the 50v & 600v wires that require soldering. Just saw your post and its too late, as the wires have already been shipped, so I could forget about using the COB holders as I have the incorrect wires for them at the moment and will use them in the future once i get the wires for them. Already got 4x cxa3590 5000k cob, just waiting for my heatsinks, 185-C700B driver and wires.

http://www.jaycar.com.au/
 
alesh

alesh

Well-Known Member
UKpeanuts said:
the only difference is adding in a correction factor for the lagging PF on the AC side. Lets assume this is 0.9. That still means someones math is way off?

e2a: I just looked at the recom racd100-700 datasheet and it takes 138W on the ac side and 108W on dc side. :S
Click to expand...
AC current mentioned in data sheets is just an approximate value.
edit: And intentionally higher so you can choose circuit breakers properly.
 
Last edited:
UKpeanuts

UKpeanuts

Well-Known Member
alesh said:
AC current mentioned in data sheets is just an approximate value.
edit: And intentionally higher so you can choose circuit breakers properly.
Click to expand...
Thanks Alesh, but to be honest I'm still not happy. (datahseet, not you :P )
there is a 70W difference in the first example

AC120W
DC 50W

85% efficient apprently...
I don't understand.
 
uromastyx

uromastyx

Well-Known Member
So i built my first little led light using cxb3070's, thanks to all of you. Now I would like to add 6x far red epistars 3w. I've been having problems finding a driver to run them, would a
XP POWER DLE15PS700-A LED DRIVER, 15W, 0.7A, 22V work?

thanks for your help
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top