DIY strip build help

Hello all looking to make a new light for my 2x4 tent full cycle grow, I decided to go with a strip build after seeing one that was done with pacific lighting concepts. I basically looking to do something like that but with different strips ( those are nice but a little priceyer then what I was looking for). I have the supplies and should have the frame done soon. So I have 5 2inch by 46 inch heat sinks on an aluminum frame 2 strips per heat sink (10 total). I was point in the direction of BXEB-TL-2750G-3000-A-13 as it’s cheaper and should work nicely but was wondering how to wire 10 of them should I use hlg320h-c1400b in series like the pacific build? Or is there a different driver to wire them in series? I’m not the greatest with electric but I can wire is told and have a friend that’s an electrician but I’d like to put it together then have him just check it at the end as I don’t see him often.
Thanks again in advance for the help

I would highly recommend you read this thread before you consider just jumping into it.

After you've read the first page or so you'll know exactly what you need and how to do it. That thread is great for asking these types of questions also. Good luck!
I built a light exactly as you have described for my 2'x4' tent but I used 5 of the longer strips instead of 10 short ones. All the wiring is on one end of the fixture and there's half the work to wire them up.

It kinda depends on how youre planing on powering them. I generally stay away from powering strips all in series: long series can mean voltage drop and exceeding max voltage for the connectors. Also remember, the cool thing about the vesta strips is that they have 2 separate 90 cri spectrums. If you want full control over them you would need 2 drivers.

My suggestion is to group all warm whites and all cold white channels together in parallel connections. That way you can at least switch between full warm white, full cold white or half and half. This gets a bit messy with loads of strips, this is what we did in a similar build:

12 strips, 6 heat sinks, approx 2.5 " wide and 2.1 foot long. I prefer the strips across the 2 foot side rather than the 4 foot side, it makes it much easier to get even spread. You increase the spacing between the middle heatsink so the sides arent under lit. A decent lux meter is all you need for this.

The strips were taped on to the heatsinks in pairs which were connected in series, for aprox 50V operation per set and channel. This reduce the amount of parallel connections in half and you can easily power them with a hlg 240-48A if you adjust the voltage up a little.

In your case: you can use the same idea, only that instead of having the 2 strips side by side you put them.in sseeries length wise.

As for driver: hlg240-48A, hlg320-488A would both work. Avoid the b version, it wont give enough voltage. The AB version seems ideal but i havent tried it myself. For us 240w was fine, but wouldnt mind having a bit extra.

The lrs-350-48 is also a good fit, and very cheap as well

Spectrum: 2700k 90cri: flowers like a beast. The "half and half" spectrum flowers more or less the samee aas 3000k 80cri. Havent tried in veg.

shouldnt the voltage drop be lower the higher the voltage is?
i mean, higher voltage means less ampere for same wattage, so less drop, as the drop is normally related to high loads, means high ampere , high heat = more drop.
but right, goin far above the 200v dc region is a tad too much for my taste too.

cobshopgrow said:

shouldnt the voltage drop be lower the higher the voltage is?
i mean, higher voltage means less ampere for same wattage, so less drop, as the drop is normally related to high loads, means high ampere , high heat = more drop.
but right, goin far above the 200v dc region is a tad too much for my taste too.

Click to expand...

Its not this kind of voltage drop, it has to do with putting a lot of chips with a long form factor in a long series of connections. I cant say im a 100% but its the answer i had from people who know better than me.

technically there is just one kind of voltage drop, according to Mr. Ohm.
Still putting more in series gives you a lower drop normally, as the A are low.
The trick is to keep A that low that restistance of wires and traces dont matter that much, even in long series = less drop/resistance.
So raising the voltage compensate for the long line, or make it easier to drive, this effect is quite significant.
You can also see when comparing different lengh led strips datasheets, the longer the more in series while not more drop.
Problem with parallel is that you never have equal distributed resistance, practically often ok, technically not the best and a cause for more voltage drop/heat/resistance.

Dont get me wrong mate, you know all this., youre a led think tank
Just, i have some background in this and i am quite sure the info you got isnt 100% correct.

or even simpler, on a long form factor strip, same trace with, putting all in parallel will have the highest drop to the end, as resistance increase with A not with V.
sometimes i am abit long winded, sry.

BXEB-TL-2750G-3000-A-13 is 24.9v typical @ 500mA?
HLG320 1400b is 229v max right? 9 strips.
You will drive them @ 1400mA so voltage will be even higher.
Hm, the hlg320 48 , as suggested is the better choice.

hlg320 2100 would be a choice for 12 strips.

Hello all quick thanks to rocket soul moflow and cobshopgrow you guys have helped a lot through this process for me. I decided that maybe I would go with a different strip just because to get the full advantage of the BXEB-TL-2750G-3000-A-13 is having the control to run the separate spectrums but with it being my first build and even though after reading a lot and talking to people to help I’ve decided that maybe it would be better to have a one driver build with all the same strips so I’ve been looking at one driver builds of strips
So I went back to the basics at read more in the led threads and also reread this article https://ledgardener.com/diy-led-strip-build-designs-samsung-bridgelux/.

I’m thinking of just doing the Bridgelux build as is in this article (once again this is just to keep it simple for me to get my first build under my belt.I will be building at least one more light over the next few months also and then after I feel more comfortable with a build of different currents, drivers, strips extra.) I was thinking tho after looking would I be better off going with BXEB-L0590U-30E1500-C-C3 and doing the same thing? Basically looking to keep it simple and ether do exactly as it says in build or maybe the same build but with BXEB-L0590U-30E1500-C-C3. If I do I know the other bulls will work and be fine I’m sure but if I do the BXEB-L0590U-30E1500-C-C3 strips should I still do 15 strips with the HLG-320H-48B
Or a different amount of those to a different driver? And I know is a B driver series which was pointed out to maybe stay away from

That will work, but I'd consider the 4 ft long strips and use half as many. Also, the Gen-2 are 30mm or 60mm shorter than Gen-3 and will be easier to fit in your tent, plus they are nearly half the price. Nothing wrong with the B type driver. B driver uses a remote mounted dimmer, A driver has little adjustment screws on the driver and it can put out a little more than rated power

560mm long Gen-2
1260mm long Gen-2

Rocket Soul said:

Its not this kind of voltage drop, it has to do with putting a lot of chips with a long form factor in a long series of connections. I cant say im a 100% but its the answer i had from people who know better than me.

Click to expand...

It's just that the voltage of a long series string can exceed the max voltage capability of the driver. "Voltage drop" typically refers to the voltage drop and corresponding power loss in the wire.

Thanks again guys for the help I have ordered the strips, driver, and heat sinks. So I’m just waiting now for everything to come in to put it together. I already have my wagos and everything else as far as hardware and supplies needed but was wondering what gauge wire you all use for your lights. I was about to pick up some 14 gauge. (I know the wagos are able to take 12-18 gauges)

check which size the strips take, normally its max. awg18 for the litetraps.
For interconnects betwenn the wagos awg 14 or whatever thick wire fits.