Bridgelux EB-series on a 2' x 4' SCROG

[Artificia1]

Hey GG,

Did you use anything to protect the wires running to the driver? It looks like you have something on the 3rd page. I'm guessing you tinned the ends of the wires as well

 

[graying.geek]

Hey GG,

Did you use anything to protect the wires running to the driver? It looks like you have something on the 3rd page. I'm guessing you tinned the ends of the wires as well

I think you're seeing the shrink tubing I used to make 1-wire into 2-wire. I don't think I tinned the ends, but it wouldn't hurt.

BTW, I assume you're using the new, gen 2 strips? I'm sure you're aware, but thought it worth mentioning that the power specs are different from gen 1, so when you said you wanted to duplicate my build, I assume you were either able to get your hands on some gen-1's, or you've re-spec'd your drivers based on the gen-2's.

 

[nfhiggs]

The strips are 1120 mm, ~39"

1120 mm is 44"

 

[graying.geek]

1120 mm is 44"

Correct. I did the math, then copied a multiplier into my post rather than the product. Good catch on an obvious error.

Soooo... @Artificia1, you can cut your Al lengths down to just 47" to squeeze them into your tent.

 

[Artificia1]

LOL i did the measurements earlier and was getting 44" but I was excited when you said 39" because you had the strips. Should still be fine even if they are touching the tents. I thought the drivers would work for the gen 2 but the driver specs still confuse me on how to make them compatible. I am trying to be in the limit of volts I thought .

 

[graying.geek]

LOL i did the measurements earlier and was getting 44" but I was excited when you said 39" because you had the strips. Should still be fine even if they are touching the tents.

Yeah, I regret the transcription error. Thanx to @nfhiggs for catching it before you could make any cuts, but yes, you should still be fine in your tent.

I thought the drivers would work for the gen 2 but the driver specs still confuse me on how to make them compatible. I am trying to be in the limit of volts I thought .

I haven't spent any time matching drivers to the new EB's, but if you post the general specs of what you're looking to build with the gen-2 strips I'm confident you'll get all kinds of help; i.e.:

• size of your tent,
• for veg, flower, or both,
• do prefer cheap or efficient? (cheap pays off in the beginning, efficiency over time)
• do you add CO2?

Others may ask for additional info, but this'll get you started.

 

[Pistil Kid]

Yeah, I regret the transcription error. Thanx to @nfhiggs for catching it before you could make any cuts, but yes, you should still be fine in your tent.



I haven't spent any time matching drivers to the new EB's, but if you post the general specs of what you're looking to build with the gen-2 strips I'm confident you'll get all kinds of help; i.e.:

• size of your tent,
• for veg, flower, or both,
• do prefer cheap or efficient? (cheap pays off in the beginning, efficiency over time)
• do you add CO2?

Others may ask for additional info, but this'll get you started.

Congrats Mate you are an asset to this forum Thank you for your time and effort.
Cheers

 

[DefiantFate]

Good morning everyone! This is one of my first posts on this forum.
I must say, that this forum and all of the active members make this thread a treasure trove and wealth of information, with a strong sense of community and understanding for the new guys.
I have read this entire thread on the eb strips and would love to get some feedback on the light I am planning.
I pulled the trigger and picked myself up an assortment of different color temps. I bought from arrow on Sunday morning:
50-40k BXEB-L0280Z-40E1000 C-B3
20-30K BXEB-L0280Z-30E1000 C-B3
20-50K BXEB-L0280Z-50E1000 C-B3
5-35K BXEB-L0280Z-35E1000 C-B3
5-57K BXEB-L0280Z-57E1000 C-B3

I plan on using these lights in my 6x4 coal room grow room. This will be my first grow and I didn't want to waste my time using the hammy down hps and magnetic ballist, so I figured a nice and even balance of LED color and spectrum would give me some room to play around and and adjust a little throughout the grow.
Do you all think that I picked a good number of lights to fill my room? And did I pick a decent spread on spectrum?
I plan on running these lights with 5x hlg 120v 350ma drivers, but i am completely open to another driver setup that might work a bit better for my situation.
I haven't purchased the drivers yet, because I just want to ensure that I am matching them properly, and i wanted to ensure that I have enough lights to fill my space properly so I can grow some happy healthy girls.
I plan on starting my own build/grow journal thread here in the next week or two when I get everything together, so I will make sure to share that thread for anyone who is interested in following my adventure or maybe guiding my adventure a little bit! But I am a very "do it yourself" kind of guy and really appreciate learning through experience above all else.
But why let a forum like this go to waste! Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated, and I want to say thank you to everybody for being so amazing and helpful. All you active members are the real MVP. Not all hero's wear capes, some wear UV sunglasses inside lol

 

[DefiantFate]

Also, I purchased these lights for the simple fact that I can break them down and split my room in half after my first harvest, and also build a third smaller tent, for cloning. That way I can have a 3 stage set up with something being cropped out every 4 weeks roughly. But for my first crop, I want to maximize my space and lights.

 

[Chip Green]

5x hlg 120v 350ma drivers

Ok, I figured out that you are talking about the HLG 120H C350 driver. The total voltage of those units are 430v, that is some seriously dangerous, potentially lethal territory to work in....There are parallel wiring options, with a different type of drivers, that can get you into that 350ma per strip range with much less risk.

 

[DefiantFate]

Ok, I figured out that you are talking about the HLG 120H C350 driver. The total voltage of those units are 430v, that is some seriously dangerous, potentially lethal territory to work in....There are parallel wiring options, with a different type of drivers, that can get you into that 350ma per strip range with much less risk.

Thank you so much for the insight chip green. I really appreciate it and am thankful for your help!
If you had 100 of these 11" strips, what kind of drivers would you likely use and what would be the most efficient way to wire them in parallel? I planned on buying 5 of those hlg 120 c 350's and Running them in series, so I planned on spending close to $400 give or take on drivers. Can I light them up in parallel for the same price or less?
Also how do you like posts!!! I have to go back and reread this thread so I can give credit where it's due lol

 

[DefiantFate]

I plan on reading up on the parallel wiring thing tonight anyways. But I still appreciate any input, just because I want to do this right the first time and succeed, instead of wasting my time and energy.

 

[Randomblame]

You can take 5 HLG-150H-20A and wire the strips in parallel to be in the same ballpark. Price is almost the same!
You could also take a HLG-150H-42A and wire every two strips into pairs with series connections(39v at 350mA, 41v at 700mA) and then wire the pairs in parallel. Series wiring could be done with built-in connectors and for the parallel wiring you could use Wago's or distribution terminals + strips like shown below.
Less work and only half the number of parallel wirings.
The thing with so much different spectra is to get the light mixed properly. Each driver should have the same number of mixed strips. Two spectra would have been enough, 3000°k for bloom, 4000°k for veg. I'm using 3000°k only as all-in-one spectrum, it has plenty of blue and the plants grow just the way I want it. Tight nodial spacing in veg and a slight stretch in bloom.
But you already have the strips and you could use the 5 and 5.7k strips for the veg area later. And a mix of 3 and 4k strips would work very well in bloom.



BTW,
there will/should be a "like" button next to the "reply" button. Maybe it needs some posts and recieved likes before you can see it. Should not take long 'cause you already recieved a few..,lol!

 

[DefiantFate]

You can take 5 HLG-150H-20A and wire the strips in parallel to be in the same ballpark. Price is almost the same!
You could also take a HLG-150H-42A and wire every two strips into pairs with series connections(39v at 350mA, 41v at 700mA) and then wire the pairs in parallel. Series wiring could be done with built-in connectors and for the parallel wiring you could use Wago's or distribution terminals + strips like shown below.
Less work and only half the number of parallel wirings.
The thing with so much different spectra is to get the light mixed properly. Each driver should have the same number of mixed strips. Two spectra would have been enough, 3000°k for bloom, 4000°k for veg. I'm using 3000°k only as all-in-one spectrum, it has plenty of blue and the plants grow just the way I want it. Tight nodial spacing in veg and a slight stretch in bloom.
But you already have the strips and you could use the 5 and 5.7k strips for the veg area later. And a mix of 3 and 4k strips would work very well in bloom.

View attachment 4150666

BTW,
there will/should be a "like" button next to the "reply" button. Maybe it needs some posts and recieved likes before you can see it. Should not take long 'cause you already recieved a few..,lol!

That's perfect, You da bomb Random! I can't wait to start putting these bad boys together and start my build/grow journal to share this adventure with the group.
I am so excited lol

 

[Randomblame]

That's perfect, You da bomb Random! I can't wait to start putting these bad boys together and start my build/grow journal to share this adventure with the group.
I am so excited lol

Sounds like you got addicted from LED's just from the first try... Must be a really baaad aaass drug..,lol!

 

[InTheValley]

the struggle is real,

 

[DefiantFate]

So I ran into some issues with my order and things have been delayed an extra week, but that kinda works out because I have been pretty busy with work and haven't had much time to calculate for my drivers. I am thinking of using the HLG-150H-42A that was mentioned by random blame, but i am just trying to figure out how many 1 foot lights I can run per driver since I will have 150 lights coming in to use now.
Instead of dividing voltage, I need to divide current right? So if this can put out 42000ma, I should be able to wire in 60 of these lights running at 700ma? Or is my math off somewhere?

 

[DefiantFate]

Now that I am looking at it I can fit just over 22 lights per driver.
11 pairs wired in parallel. I just divided output of the driver in watts by the wattage of each strip and that gives me 22.205 per driver in watts.

 

[Nutria]

Now that I am looking at it I can fit just over 22 lights per driver.
11 pairs wired in parallel. I just divided output of the driver in watts by the wattage of each strip and that gives me 22.205 per driver in watts.

http://ledgardener.com/parallel-strip-build-tool/

 

[1212ham]

i am just trying to figure out how many 1 foot lights I can run per driver since I will have 150 lights coming in to use now.

Good morning everyone!
I pulled the trigger and picked myself up an assortment of different color temps. I bought from arrow on Sunday morning:
50-40k BXEB-L0280Z-40E1000 C-B3
20-30K BXEB-L0280Z-30E1000 C-B3
20-50K BXEB-L0280Z-50E1000 C-B3
5-35K BXEB-L0280Z-35E1000 C-B3
5-57K BXEB-L0280Z-57E1000 C-B3

Did you buy 150 or 100? Why use 11" strips rather than 44", in a 4' x 6' ? It's a LOT of extra wiring!
BTW, you don't need all the different color temps to create a good spectrum, most people are going with 3000k or 3500k.