BXEB gen 2 4x4 build

Hey everyone. I finally got my Fseries strip light build all straightened away, everything is ordered. Thanks for all the help. I expect they will be great lights. This DIY racket is Still not overly cheap once everything was purchased tho lol.

Now i am looking to source/ build another light for a different spot ,I want to cover a 4x4 canopy. I was looking at the different strips, I was hoping to find a cheaper solution then fseries and came across the BXEB gen 2s from Bridgelux.

Would prefer to run them soft and as efficient as possible.

How many BXEB strips would you use and what driver to get maximum coverage/lighting over a 4x4 canopy?

if you have a better idea, im open to suggestions and advice.

Thanks bros and gals

I noticed Ledgardener suggests using 12 x 4` bxeb strips on a 480 driver

I can only assume by upping the strips to say 20 per driver would make them that much more efficient?

So i guess the real question is how many strips can i cram in a 4x4 fixture safely and for maximum coverage

diggs99 said:

I noticed Ledgardener suggests using 12 x 4` bxeb strips on a 480 driver

I can only assume by upping the strips to say 20 per driver would make them that much more efficient?

So i guess the real question is how many strips can i cram in a 4x4 fixture safely and for maximum coverage

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Ya, if you've basically decided that the 4' gen2's are what you're planning to use, then it's really just deciding how many you want to run. But definitely use an HLG-600H driver so you have extra wattage if you want it. Because if you end up using a LOT of strips, they will be running at a fairly low current and even being at Max wattage, you'll be nowhere near their Max current limit.

In a 4x4 I'd use 560mm over the 1120mm. And put space between the ends like 4 inches. The bridgelux shine light out at 118° with their 120° lens. And I'd run 30 of them. On 15 sinks. 2 per sink. That are 46" long. Run soft. 1050mA is the sweet spot for bridgelux gen 2s. When you go past that the heat they make to the photon count isnt worth going higher than 1050mA. Jus my opinion.

whytewidow said:

In a 4x4 I'd use 560mm over the 1120mm. And put space between the ends like 4 inches.

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If you run the 560mm strips, I'd run one wire between the ends to connect in series, and use a 42v driver. Or use the 1120mm long strips. 700ma is rated current, 1.4A max. People have reported that temperatures are ok running at 1050ma naked, no heat sink.

480 or 600 watt driver, it's just a matter of personal preference and cost. Some of our most respected members say 30w/ft, others say 50, but that's a lot of light and several people have had problems disappear after turning down the power.

1212ham said:

If you run the 560mm strips, I'd run one wire between the ends to connect in series, and use a 42v driver. Or use the 1120mm long strips. 750ma is rated current, 1.4A max. People have reported that temperatures are ok running at 1050ma naked, no heat sink.

480 or 600 watt driver, it's just a matter of personal preference and cost. Some of our most respected members say 30w/ft, others say 50, but that's a lot of light and several people have had problems disappear after turning down the power.

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Very informative...

Cmon Diggs, you gotta be able to figure this out by now!!!!! he heee….

whytewidow said:

In a 4x4 I'd use 560mm over the 1120mm. And put space between the ends like 4 inches. The bridgelux shine light out at 118° with their 120° lens. And I'd run 30 of them. On 15 sinks. 2 per sink. That are 46" long. Run soft. 1050mA is the sweet spot for bridgelux gen 2s. When you go past that the heat they make to the photon count isnt worth going higher than 1050mA. Jus my opinion.

Click to expand...

As a longtime BXEB whore, I concur with everything said here. The 560mm at 1050, or thereabouts is the boner zone....

whytewidow said:

In a 4x4 I'd use 560mm over the 1120mm. And put space between the ends like 4 inches. The bridgelux shine light out at 118° with their 120° lens. And I'd run 30 of them. On 15 sinks. 2 per sink. That are 46" long. Run soft. 1050mA is the sweet spot for bridgelux gen 2s. When you go past that the heat they make to the photon count isnt worth going higher than 1050mA. Jus my opinion.

Click to expand...

Hey bud, thanks for responding
Its not actually going in a tent, just gonna be covering a 4x4 footprint/scrog screen. Not sure i clarified that or if it even matters.

My main reason for picking 4` strips, i assumed it would be less work/wiring/connecting etc. if you say use the 2` because it will suit the build better, i will use those.

1212ham said:

If you run the 560mm strips, I'd run one wire between the ends to connect in series, and use a 42v driver. Or use the 1120mm long strips. 750ma is rated current, 1.4A max. People have reported that temperatures are ok running at 1050ma naked, no heat sink.

480 or 600 watt driver, it's just a matter of personal preference and cost. Some of our most respected members say 30w/ft, others say 50, but that's a lot of light and several people have had problems disappear after turning down the power.

Click to expand...

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I was planning to use the 4` strips , mainly to make things easier during the build. Ideally i would like to run them without heatsinks and super soft if possible. I can tho if its a must and will create a better light.

Chip Green said:

Cmon Diggs, you gotta be able to figure this out by now!!!!! he heee….


As a longtime BXEB whore, I concur with everything said here. The 560mm at 1050, or thereabouts is the boner zone....

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Hey Chip, thanks for posting bud.

LOL ive come a long way CHIP, atleast now i can understand the parts im looking at, well most of the time lol.
Still dont quite understand how to find the sweet spot as you guys say, so im banking on you fine gentlemen helping me through that technical jungle and telling me whats best.

Airwalker16 said:

Ya, if you've basically decided that the 4' gen2's are what you're planning to use, then it's really just deciding how many you want to run. But definitely use an HLG-600H driver so you have extra wattage if you want it. Because if you end up using a LOT of strips, they will be running at a fairly low current and even being at Max wattage, you'll be nowhere near their Max current limit.

Click to expand...

Thanks AW

How far apart is the minimum spacing for the strips? I would like to use as many as i can fit and run them super soft on the 480 or 600 driver.

diggs99 said:

Thanks AW

How far apart is the minimum spacing for the strips? I would like to use as many as i can fit and run them super soft on the 480 or 600 driver.

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If you wanna SERIOUSLY run as many as you can, find how wide they are and see how many will fit on a 44-46" wide frame. I imagine it's a lot.

Airwalker16 said:

If you wanna SERIOUSLY run as many as you can, find how wide they are and see how many will fit on a 44-46" wide frame. I imagine it's a lot.

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they are 24mm

i can build the frame 48x48, im just not sure if the strips require a certain amount of spacing between them

I thumb my nose at thermal management, within reason... up to say 1100ma(ish) with all my 560mm BXEB Gen1 3500K.
Widow had it tho, when you get past that point, it becomes a point of dimininshing return situation.

They're workhorses. They have a more rigid structure than the Samsung Fs.I have never regretted buying one, ever....not one time......I just got an email from Arrow, more on the way. I cant stop.

Chip Green said:

I thumb my nose at thermal management, within reason... up to say 1100ma(ish) with all my 560mm BXEB Gen1 3500K.
Widow had it tho, when you get past that point, it becomes a point of dimininshing return situation.

They're workhorses. They have a more rigid structure than the Samsung Fs.I have never regretted buying one, ever....not one time......I just got an email from Arrow, more on the way. I cant stop.

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Still trying to understand the lingo

So let me see if I got this. The strips are max rated for 1.4 and current test 700ma

we are trying to hit the middle ground (1050-1100ma)to find our sweet spot?

16 x 4' bxeb on a 600h would run them at 37.5 each. Would this be considered the sweet spot?

Ledgardener is using 12 x 4' bxeb on 480 driver, claims the strips are running at 75%

Lol I'm not sure even I understand my own post.

The understanding is there.

Chip Green said:

The understanding is there.

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I knew I'd start getting it eventually lol
Gonna have a look at the cutter strips before I buy the bxeb strips.

Is there much more work/difficulty involved using 2's instead of 4's?
are there pros/cons to using one size over the other? If space isn't an issue?

@TEKNIK Which model strips should I be looking at on cutter electronics, I want to make sure I'm looking at the right strips that you tested. Are they all 560mm? Are they sold in 1120mm?
This light will be covering a 4x4 footprint.

diggs99 said:

I knew I'd start getting it eventually lol
Gonna have a look at the cutter strips before I buy the bxeb strips.

Is there much more work/difficulty involved using 2's instead of 4's?
are there pros/cons to using one size over the other? If space isn't an issue?

@TEKNIK Which model strips should I be looking at on cutter electronics, I want to make sure I'm looking at the right strips that you tested. Are they all 560mm? Are they sold in 1120mm?

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They're 560mm
That is if he's talking about SolStrips which I think he is.

https://www.cutter.com.au/product/cutter-3030cree-3k90560/

And no on size. they're literally just half the length. The cutters are only 14mm wide though and at 1050MA you'll probably need heatsinks.

Airwalker16 said:

And no on size. they're literally just half the length. The cutters are only 14mm wide though and at 1050MA you'll probably need heatsinks.

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Cool, thanks for the link, i wasnt looking at right strips lol.

So 24-28 x 2` cutters on a 600h driver would get me in that sweet spot and do the trick covering the 4x4 footprint?

Aluminum U channel would still be fine for heatsinking?

Airwalker16 said:

They're 560mm
That is if he's talking about SolStrips which I think he is.

https://www.cutter.com.au/product/cutter-3030cree-3k90560/

Click to expand...

After reading his thread, it seems cutter is completely backlogged with orders, so that may be a determining factor.

May be back to bxeb or f series again lol

diggs99 said:

Is there much more work/difficulty involved using 2's instead of 4's?
are there pros/cons to using one size over the other? If space isn't an issue?

Click to expand...

I don't know the advantage to 560mm strips end to end, other than spreading them a little for slightly better light distribution. A 44" is normally cheaper than two 22". Sometimes, it's just a matter of what's available or on sale. 22" strips would be double the wiring in parallel, unless you daisy chain them, but then there's a voltage drop going through the first strip. If you connect pairs of two in series, it's just a matter of adding a short piece of wire between the two.

Also, with strips, aluminum angle is considered a heat sink. When I refer to no heat sink, I mean strips suspended on a frame.

The so called sweet spot is a matter of opinion, how many more strips do you want to buy for a small efficiency gain? Most run them at 700-1050ma.