Bridgelux EB Series Build

BuddyColas

BuddyColas

Well-Known Member
Light 1 - Copy.jpg Light 2 - Copy.jpg
So I had this old T-5 4 bulb fixture with a burned out ballast, sooooo I ripped everything out. Then I turned it over and screwed in the cable hangers. Then I taped on 12 each 2 foot 3000K EB strips. And I powered it with a 320 watt 1050ma Meanwell driver. Total dissipation watts about 285. And the fixture is remarkably cool. About 99F on the back of the fixture with full power. Voltage droop is about 1.5%, so the strips are staying cool.

Note: wiring is not "pretty"...this is only a test, but if you have any old similar fixtures, they make a great heat sink for the EBs running at 45 watts! And the fixture could easily handle 2 more strips at 45 watts each. And 2 of these fixtures as is could cover a 4x4 pretty well...just saying.
 
Last edited:
PicklesRus

PicklesRus

Well-Known Member
Danielson999 said:
What does your parts list look like for a 2'x4'?
Click to expand...
That's what I'm trying to find out.

Aluminum sheet looks cheaper than channels.

8 bridgelux 3000k
4 bridgelux 4000k
3x meanwell hlg-120-c700

Should be around 52,000 lumens.

I have 380w of cheap eBay LEDs coming, so I think my final product will be more like 4 bridgelux strips + all the other blurple LEDs

Looking at the last post here I might try to find some broken fluorescent fixture to mount them to instead of buying aluminum.
 
Crazaer

Crazaer

Active Member
PicklesRus said:
Looking at the last post here I might try to find some broken fluorescent fixture to mount them to instead of buying aluminum.
Click to expand...
Heck, I have the aluminum for mine already and I'm thinking about stripping out an old fluoro fixture. Just for ease of use.
 
PicklesRus

PicklesRus

Well-Known Member
BuddyColas said:
View attachment 3914213 View attachment 3914214
So I had this old T-5 4 bulb fixture with a burned out ballast, sooooo I ripped everything out. Then I turned it over and screwed in the cable hangers. Then I taped on 12 each 2 foot 3000K EB strips. And I powered it with a 320 watt 1050ma Meanwell driver. Total dissipation watts about 285. And the fixture is remarkably cool. About 99F on the back of the fixture with full power. Voltage droop is about 1.5%, so the strips are staying cool.

Note: wiring is not "pretty"...this is only a test, but if you have any old similar fixtures, they make a great heat sink for the EBs running at 45 watts! And the fixture could easily handle 2 more strips at 45 watts each. And 2 of these fixtures as is could cover a 4x4 pretty well...just saying.
Click to expand...
I've been investigating what to buy to mount the LEDs on for my 2x4. This is perfect - a quick check on the classifieds I found a bunch of used floroescent fixtures dirt cheap. No sense reinventing the wheel if they are already light fixtures *thumbs up* awesome find.
 
PicklesRus

PicklesRus

Well-Known Member
Danielson999 said:
What does your parts list look like for a 2'x4'?
Click to expand...
Actually after seeing a couple of these last posts I'm thinking 8 eb strips at 1050ma = 6600lumens each equals 52,000 lumens

Slap those on a gutted fluorescent fixture - pretty simple

6eb series 3000k
2eb series 4000k
Meanwell hlg-xxx-c1050

Gutted fluorescent fixture.

I don't know if I'd get one driver or a couple. I like the idea of more drivers to lower the overall driving voltage. Lots of room to mount everything inside an old fluorescent fixture.
 
PicklesRus

PicklesRus

Well-Known Member
Crazaer said:
Heck, I have the aluminum for mine already and I'm thinking about stripping out an old fluoro fixture. Just for ease of use.
Click to expand...
The only problem with that is the costing reduces thermal transfer performance between the strip and metal. But it sounds like it's a non issue.
 
BuddyColas

BuddyColas

Well-Known Member
PicklesRus said:
I've been investigating what to buy to mount the LEDs on for my 2x4. This is perfect - a quick check on the classifieds I found a bunch of used floroescent fixtures dirt cheap. No sense reinventing the wheel if they are already light fixtures *thumbs up* awesome find.
Click to expand...
As a followup, the actual current is 1.08 amps and the voltage to the 12 EBs is 273 volts for 295 actual watts to the strips. The former 4-lamp fixture is just over 13" wide. I used clear shipping tape to mount them. The edges of the strips are barely warm. I do have Kapton tape, but it was not needed. The thermal transfer with just tape is good. As mentioned just 99F on the backside of the fixture at full power.

There seems to be a debate going regarding COBS and the QB boards. I think strips are the way to go...cheap, versatile and easy to cool. This whole fixture cost me about $100 for the Meanwell (free shipping from Arrow) and about $90 from Digikey for the strips. Pretty cheap for a 300 watt light complete. I think this would light up a 2x4 really well.

Thanks to all who have contributed and helped me in this thread.:mrgreen:
 
Last edited:
Chip Green

Chip Green

Well-Known Member
(lengthy applause).....As a new DIY'er I am intrigued by this, I'm jumping on board..... I've been staring at data sheets for COBs, for hours per day, for WEEKS, and I feel like I'm splitting hairs. Relentless obsessing over l/w at given driver amperages, matching forward voltage totals to combinations of every series, and brand of COBS, calculation after calculation, heats sinks, CPU fans AAAARGH... driving myself to the edge of intellectual sanity!!!!
I'm refocusing the attention towards this method, all I ever wanted was a simple way to illuminate a few areas of 2'x4', and this is it. I'm doin it...........
EB series.
 
nogod_

nogod_

Well-Known Member
The EB series are great but you can eek out a few more photons and free shipping with some samsung Mseries from Arrow...or what about the new samsung H series...if you buy 3 its almost like buying 4 eb strips but for 2/3 of 3/2 the price...

Chip Green said:
(lengthy applause).....As a new DIY'er I am intrigued by this, I'm jumping on board..... I've been staring at data sheets for COBs, for hours per day, for WEEKS, and I feel like I'm splitting hairs. Relentless obsessing over l/w at given driver amperages, matching forward voltage totals to combinations of every series, and brand of COBS, calculation after calculation, heats sinks, CPU fans AAAARGH... driving myself to the edge of intellectual sanity!!!!
I'm refocusing the attention towards this method, all I ever wanted was a simple way to illuminate a few areas of 2'x4', and this is it. I'm doin it...........
EB series.
Click to expand...
 
Chip Green

Chip Green

Well-Known Member
Oh I'm certain Ill do my best to eek out as many photons as I can find LOL
I was more referring to abandoning the obsession with COBS themselves, these strips, whatever the manufacturer, are way more manageable.......
 
PicklesRus

PicklesRus

Well-Known Member
nogod_ said:
The EB series are great but you can eek out a few more photons and free shipping with some samsung Mseries from Arrow...or what about the new samsung H series...if you buy 3 its almost like buying 4 eb strips but for 2/3 of 3/2 the price...
Click to expand...
Actually it's more expensive to buy the Samsung isn't it? You end up paying much more right for better efficiency right?
 
PicklesRus

PicklesRus

Well-Known Member
Chip Green said:
(lengthy applause).....As a new DIY'er I am intrigued by this, I'm jumping on board..... I've been staring at data sheets for COBs, for hours per day, for WEEKS, and I feel like I'm splitting hairs. Relentless obsessing over l/w at given driver amperages, matching forward voltage totals to combinations of every series, and brand of COBS, calculation after calculation, heats sinks, CPU fans AAAARGH... driving myself to the edge of intellectual sanity!!!!
I'm refocusing the attention towards this method, all I ever wanted was a simple way to illuminate a few areas of 2'x4', and this is it. I'm doin it...........
EB series.
Click to expand...
We got lucky here... this is way simpler than the big cobs
 
PicklesRus

PicklesRus

Well-Known Member
Just checking it works out to about 40$ CDN per 4 foot eb strip including 1050 driver @ 6600lm per strip

Nice thing is it's pretty much the same price if you get one big driver or individual drivers, so you can go with individual drivers and scale up or down easily.
 
Last edited:
PicklesRus

PicklesRus

Well-Known Member
Chip Green said:
(lengthy applause).....As a new DIY'er I am intrigued by this, I'm jumping on board..... I've been staring at data sheets for COBs, for hours per day, for WEEKS, and I feel like I'm splitting hairs. Relentless obsessing over l/w at given driver amperages, matching forward voltage totals to combinations of every series, and brand of COBS, calculation after calculation, heats sinks, CPU fans AAAARGH... driving myself to the edge of intellectual sanity!!!!
I'm refocusing the attention towards this method, all I ever wanted was a simple way to illuminate a few areas of 2'x4', and this is it. I'm doin it...........
EB series.
Click to expand...
I was comparing the Samsung M series gen 2 which are slightly better than the EB strips.... but the Samsung work out to be quite a bit more expensive up front. Even though the EB aren't as attractive when compared to the Samsung M gen2 in the big picture they are still excellent and much better priced.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top