i just bought 20 pcs of CXA3070-0000-000N00AB30H .Now i need to find out which drivers i can use MeanWell preferable ,say to plug 4-5 pcs LED's per driver . May be this one HLG-185H-C1400B ? i want to get most efficient driver .
DiY LED - Cree CXA3070
- Thread starter SupraSPL
- Start date
Dloomis514
Well-Known Member
Seems that one will do 4-5 3070s with a nice efficiency
REALSTYLES
Well-Known Member
I have the HLG-185H-C700A for 3 CXA3590's. That's what supra suggested for me and read through some of his other threads it will help you. I don't know if it would work for you but wait someone will be able to answer your question.
and i like to use this driver in 220 volt ,,not 120
so which one is going to be ? this one HLG-185H-C1400B or something else ???? i love to buy drivers tonight ,so when i get my LED ,i will have all parts
And i will run them against 1k hps and mars 1600
so which one is going to be ? this one HLG-185H-C1400B or something else ???? i love to buy drivers tonight ,so when i get my LED ,i will have all parts
And i will run them against 1k hps and mars 1600 
Abiqua
Well-Known Member
3x AB's @1.4Amps 50C = [3][37.30] =111.9v's... 4x = 148+volts [too much]
As far as I am aware of, to run 4, you would need the 185h-c1050 with 176vf....
http://www.powergatellc.com/mean-well-hlg-185h-c-power-supply.html
can i use holders with cxa3070 : http://www.newark.com/ideal/50-2234c/led-holder-cxa30-array-series/dp/90W0065?MER=ACC_N_L5_Optoelectronics_None ???
Abiqua
Well-Known Member
Yes, that is what they are meant for. I just picked some up a day or two ago.....I will drop some datasheets......I also picked up some lense adaptors for reflectors and included a pdf for them as well 
what drivers did you buy ?and where did you buy reflectors ?Yes, that is what they are meant for. I just picked some up a day or two ago.....I will drop some datasheets......I also picked up some lense adaptors for reflectors and included a pdf for them as well
i just order 5 pcs of this drivers : HLG-185H-C1050b
i guess ,what is left is heatsinks and wire ,i think i need 16 gauge wire
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alesh
Well-Known Member
That's because there's no such driver. It's Vf would exceed 500V -- not very suitable for LED use.
HLG-120H-C350B, however, can be dimmed to about 35mA (B version only).
SupraSPL
Well-Known Member
Whoops I forgot the smallest 185H was the 500, you are right it is the HLG-120H-C350 I am referring to. If you use the B version, you could dim as low as 35mA, although I am not sure how the efficiency would hold up driven that low (I will check). I have the HLG-185H-C1050B on hand and have tested the potentiometer method for full dimming to make sure. You could dim it even lower but I hear it is not advised to go below 10%.
Yes the AB is still a lot cheaper/PAR W, for example if you compare the $/PAR W at any given efficiency. The Z2 at 46.7% (350mA) cost $6.37/PAR W and the AB at 46.9% (900mA) cost $3.45/PAR W. I believe as you go even lower in drive current the AB would gain even more ground because at the lowest drive currents there is not as much gain from current droop.
I usuallly base the spacing between COBs on the drive current. If the drive current rises high enough, the cones misses the canopy and reflectors are required. I am not exactly sure at what current that happens but in my application (700mA) I find it tricky to implement reflectors effectively. You could use very short reflectors in that case, to try and shape the light to your canopy without reducing the even spread.
It is very hard (for me) to say how much reach into the canopy you will get or need. I havent sorted it out in my head whether the reach into the canopy would be reduced when we run softer, even if we maintain the same PAR W per area. But I can say this much, I run my CXA3070s at 700-800mA (24-28W ea) at about 30W/ft², with no LST or SCROG and my ladies sometimes finish up to 5 feet tall when they are from seed. As long as I cut out some of the underbrush, I get no larfy buds. In other words, as long as the bud site is directly illuminated it works out great, even from quite a distance from the COB (2.5 feet). But if the bud site is shaded out, I try to move it or prune it away. Since you are planning to use LST you should have no worries there
SupraSPL
Well-Known Member
Seems like powergate has some kind of mis info there? It should be:
HLG-185H-C1400 143
HLG-185H-C1050 190
HLG-185H-C700 286
HLG-185H-C500 400
I wonder where they came up with those numbers? Maybe Mean Well updated them at some point but I can verify the HLG-185H-C1050 maxes out at 191Vf and it is a hard cap.
SupraSPL
Well-Known Member
All of the HLG line is very efficient (93-95%) and compatible with 240V mains. The HLG-185H-C1050 can run (5) CXA3070s at 1050mA. That is a pretty good match and a pretty good compromise. The HLG-185H-C1400 can run (3) CXA3070s at 1.4A. That approach reduces the CXA cost but increases the driver cost. That raises a question I have not considered before, how much more does it cost to run at 1050mA with driver and heatsink cost included?
HLG-185H-C1050 = $70
(5) CXA3070 ABs = $245
(5) Alpine 11s = $50
Cost = $365
Total dissipation W = 190.3
Total PAR W @ 46.7% = 88.87
$4.10/PAR W
HLG-185H-C1400 = $70
(3) CXA3070 ABs = $147
(3) Alpine 11s = $30
Cost = $247
Total dissipation W = 156.66
Total PAR W @ 43.3% = 67.83
$3.64/PAR W
So in this example it cost 12% more to run at 1050mA. You get 7.9% more light/W, 6% less heat, a better spread and more complex install.
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SupraSPL
Well-Known Member
I extrapolated (tedious pixel counting) using these graphs from the Cree PDF data. There is some fuzziness because of the unfortunate and inconsistent use of Tc instead of Tj in the PDFs, with no clear data about the relartionship between the two. Also, it seems like the PCT does not always agree with the PDFs, but the PCT does not even take color temp into account so I prefer using the PDF data.
CXA3590 3000K CB bin, the most efficient warm white LED ever released? (200lm/W) The numbers at low currents should be significantly higher in practice because they would be running well below Tj 50C. From my measurements they may be experiencing less than 1% temp droop so we could actually use the Tj 25C numbers.
(Typical figures at Tj 50C)
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Greengenes707
Well-Known Member
I'm out of them right now but have more coming...I want to see if I can get 4 3070's on a hlg185-c1400...it's 5V over the rated. The current of some drivers can be over the rated...I would be perfectly fine with it dropping some current to get it done.
I'll let you know in ~7days. If anyone has tried it already let me know if I'm wasting my time.
Great analysis as usual supra.
I'll let you know in ~7days. If anyone has tried it already let me know if I'm wasting my time.
Great analysis as usual supra.
SupraSPL
Well-Known Member
Hey GG, that would be cool to see what it would take to get 4 running on the C1400. The "typical" figures are just a guide as you know, the actual Vf varies quite a bit from batch to batch and from COB to COB. So if you could sort through a batch of CXAs and pick out the lowest, and dim the driver a bit, it should be possible. But if we have to dim below 1050mA as the PDF data suggests, I guess that would be a bust. All in the name of science 
SupraSPL
Well-Known Member
Congrats on your COBs
If they are AB bin, at 1.4A that is 43.3% efficient "typical" so 416W @ 43.3% = 180PAR W or 22.5 PAR W/ft². I use about 13.5 PAR W/ft² so you should have some serious intensity in that 2X4
SupraSPL
Well-Known Member
Blowing the where its at. I have experimented with reversing the fans and it is no bueno time.I got a question about fans, to blow or suck through a heatsink? I know a lot of computers blow and some suck. I have mine all blowing on the heat sink and they seem to be running pretty cool to me. I looked around on the internet and blowing was the most as answers went. Does anyone knowbetter?
SupraSPL
Well-Known Member
Congrats on your purchase! Here is how they perform at each current using the "typical" figures at Tj 50C
Regarding the water cooling, if for some reason the pump failed, is there a way to make a backup and would the water stay in the pipe?
That driver you linked is 36V but those CXA3590s are ~72V. Also it is only 83% efficient so it would create quite a bit of heat and the COBs as well. Even if it were 72V, each parallel string would have to be balanced somehow (circuitry that is over my head). So to give fair warning, if run hard, we could be flirting with a design where the (cutting edge 1000W DE) HPS could be a threat and certainly the commercial LED lamps. It is some tough competition I will admit.
You could use something like these $7 drivers to really keep driver costs down and they run 88-89% efficient. You could put (2) CXA3590s on each driver and it will put out about 280mA
http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10008079/1714900-18-36-1w-85-277v-36w-high-power-constant-current
At that high of an efficiency (47%) your setup would be sure to 1000W HPS and it would dissipate 608W. With driver cost included = $6.88/PAR W
Another option would be the Mean Well HLG-185H-C700. They cost $70ea and can run (4) CXA3590s at 600mA. Your system would dissipate 1308W @ 40.7% efficient. Driver cost included = $4.54/PAR W
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nogod_
Well-Known Member
That question has been torturing me for weeks. That philips xitanium driver didnt make the decision any easier.
The real question is when is cree going to start manufacturing enough of these things for everyone to get their fill?
Id love to make a 60% efficient light but not at the expense of total output.
The real question is when is cree going to start manufacturing enough of these things for everyone to get their fill?
Id love to make a 60% efficient light but not at the expense of total output.
Mechmike
Well-Known Member
16 gauge is overkill. 18 gauge will work just fine.