QB96 Elite V2 w/ SSTX heatsink question

yummy fur

Well-Known Member
What is the preferred position to mount the qb96 onto the sstx heatsink, either actual LED's centred, or entire backplate centred. I know it's only 1/4" difference. It looks better with the base centred but it makes more sense to have the LED's centred.
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
What is the preferred position to mount the qb96 onto the sstx heatsink, either actual LED's centred, or entire backplate centred. I know it's only 1/4" difference. It looks better with the base centred but it makes more sense to have the LED's centred.
Preferred is whatever you want...

Didn’t you see that on the instructions hlg sent with the light?


;)
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
Day 14 from cloner...these girls are going nuts under 96s...18:6 400ppfd, 20mins/day uvb @ ~100uw/cm sq:

E8510173-BCB8-42F8-9571-98732EEE0AB2.jpeg

Will be culling/transplanting to 8-gal ez-stor buckets in next day or two, 2nd of 3 toppings shortly thereafter....gettin closer and closer to the 288 vs 96 flowering smackdown...


Now, if only i could get my replacement 96s...

C24E49BF-422A-43CB-9E08-DD13D98F17A1.gif
 
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yummy fur

Well-Known Member
Preferred is whatever you want...

Didn’t you see that on the instructions hlg sent with the light?

;)
Just went and had another look no instructions :( hope I did it right I cleaned the surfaces with acetone and used the screws as studs to line everything up. Poked a few tiny bubble with a pin and smoothed it all down.

I've read a few giant threads but I am yet to discover how the wires attach to the QB96. There's that little porcelain connector on the board but it does not appear to have any moving parts. How does it grab the wire when it's inserted into the connector?
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
Just went and had another look no instructions :( hope I did it right I cleaned the surfaces with acetone and used the screws as studs to line everything up. Poked a few tiny bubble with a pin and smoothed it all down.

I've read a few giant threads but I am yet to discover how the wires attach to the QB96. There's that little porcelain connector on the board but it does not appear to have any moving parts. How does it grab the wire when it's inserted into the connector?
Check this out, then ask remaining questions:

https://forum.grasscity.com/threads/qb96elite-v2-no-bs-information-only.1521830/

2 things:
If the pads are rubbery, those have been recalled, don’t use them or you may have a cleanup mess on your hands, call hlg if you have any questions.

I was joking about instructions, hlg has not moved to that building yet.....
 

yummy fur

Well-Known Member
Check this out, then ask remaining questions:

https://forum.grasscity.com/threads/qb96elite-v2-no-bs-information-only.1521830/

2 things:
If the pads are rubbery, those have been recalled, don’t use them or you may have a cleanup mess on your hands, call hlg if you have any questions.

I was joking about instructions, hlg has not moved to that building yet.....
OK, yeah I've been through that thread and plenty of others the past two months. I'm still more confused now about the connectors on the qb96, I was thinking that they must grab onto the wire from the side automatically and release through that hole in the top. But now I see what looks like two qb's in parallel and it appears that the top holes also have wires going into them.
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
OK, yeah I've been through that thread and plenty of others the past two months. I'm still more confused now about the connectors on the qb96, I was thinking that they must grab onto the wire from the side automatically and release through that hole in the top. But now I see what looks like two qb's in parallel and it appears that the top holes also have wires going into them.
Use solid core wire, push in to appropriate +/- hole, pull back lightly to make sure wire was inserted well, it should resist coming out.

6E8C5F16-E809-4D43-8592-0CDFD6C617F5.jpeg

1BEF4B4D-4BA3-4F6C-BA16-3184558E955A.jpeg

There are little dimples on the socket, that you press while pulling wire, to release.

Not sure what your second point is, can you post a pic?
 

yummy fur

Well-Known Member
Use solid core wire, push in to appropriate +/- hole, pull back lightly to make sure wire was inserted well, it should resist coming out.

View attachment 4270070

View attachment 4270071

There are little dimples on the socket, that you press while pulling wire, to release.

Not sure what your second point is, can you post a pic?
OK thanks yeah that's what I thought but I wanted to check. Now that I go back an look at the photo that confused me I see that I just assumed that the second pair of wires were going into the top of the connector but now I see that I can't really see that because of the glare.
connector.jpg
I was thinking of using 1mm copper wire and tinning the end but I'll just use solid core and attach it then to a more flexible wire with a wago. Looking forward to seeing these lights in action.

As far as I ca understand the "A" type drivers (as in 185H-54A) have dimming only on the driver itself, and that maximum dimming using that control is 50% of the amperage. Is this correct?
 

grotbags

Well-Known Member
man im so close to pulling the trigger on a qb96 elite + far red build, just i know as soon as i do someone will release a board/strip with the red/deep red/far reds on the same package. preferably with the far reds on a separate channel so we can use them for end of day treatment
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
OK thanks yeah that's what I thought but I wanted to check. Now that I go back an look at the photo that confused me I see that I just assumed that the second pair of wires were going into the top of the connector but now I see that I can't really see that because of the glare.
View attachment 4270647
I was thinking of using 1mm copper wire and tinning the end but I'll just use solid core and attach it then to a more flexible wire with a wago. Looking forward to seeing these lights in action.

As far as I ca understand the "A" type drivers (as in 185H-54A) have dimming only on the driver itself, and that maximum dimming using that control is 50% of the amperage. Is this correct?
The “A” has separate voltage and amperage dimmer screws, you can check on mfg spec sheet about what the range is. But on my hlg-240h-54A i can dial down to at least 10-12 watts (for propagation), and up to above 300 (for stupidity).

“B” type drives have 2 dc outputs, one for light other for amp dimming on a remote potentiometer.
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
man im so close to pulling the trigger on a qb96 elite + far red build, just i know as soon as i do someone will release a board/strip with the red/deep red/far reds on the same package. preferably with the far reds on a separate channel so we can use them for end of day treatment
There will always be new prods. You have to decide when you actually want to start growing and when you want to wait for perfection.
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
Day 15 from cloner: Final selection, 2 clones per strain.

View attachment 4270249
Gonna be topping for 4 mains in next few days, then last topping for 8 in another 7-10 days.

I have proven to myself that the 96 elites are great lights, without supplementation, for seed, clone, and veg.

I can’t wait to see how they do in flowering against 288s, where both types will be supplemented with additional reds (288s with hlg 35s and eod fr, 96s with similar fr), co2, and uva/b.

The same 288 config, using diff strains, deliverd 3.8lbs, @ 2.2g/w last grow, w 4 plants in 4x4.
 

grotbags

Well-Known Member
There will always be new prods. You have to decide when you actually want to start growing and when you want to wait for perfection.
yer man tell me about it... i keep checking in on the progress of leds every year or so and last year seen the various strip builds which peaked my interest. so i ended up buying some samsung h influx strips and built some veg lights and was really impressed with the plants response to them so much so that i am now looking to build a flower light.

i was going to build a flower light out of the Samsung strips but then seen the qb96 elites launch and have been tracking how they are performing and they look very impressive.
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
yer man tell me about it... i keep checking in on the progress of leds every year or so and last year seen the various strip builds which peaked my interest. so i ended up buying some samsung h influx strips and built some veg lights and was really impressed with the plants response to them so much so that i am now looking to build a flower light.

i was going to build a flower light out of the Samsung strips but then seen the qb96 elites launch and have been tracking how they are performing and they look very impressive.
I haven't finished a flowering cycle w 96s yet, and my upcoming comparison of 96s vs 288s should be a good data point.

But, i think it’s clear from intensity and spectrum that either light is great...i’d give the prop/veg award to the 96s, as well as the flexibility award (due to small form factor).

Appropriate number of 301b boards for your footprint combined with 1 hlg 18/35 per pair of 288s will give you emerson effect; add in appropriate amount of separately controllabe far red will give you initiator (eod) effect.

Appropriate number of 96s for your footprint combined with appropriate number of far red diodes (timed for full lightson plus 1st 5-15 mins of lightsoff) will give you both emerson and initiator effects.

More info can be found in “the far red thread”.

You made a great comment about controllability earlier. Imo the diodes and boards are commodities that any company can throw together.

What will separate the best lights from the rest won’t be the dijdes, it will be the controllers for the diodes (built-in or standalone), controllers that can independently switch, dim, and tune each spectral band.....
 

grotbags

Well-Known Member
I haven't finished a flowering cycle w 96s yet, and my upcoming comparison of 96s vs 288s should be a good data point.

But, i think it’s clear from intensity and spectrum that either light is great...i’d give the prop/veg award to the 96s, as well as the flexibility award (due to small form factor).

Appropriate number of 301b boards for your footprint combined with 1 hlg 18/35 per pair of 288s will give you emerson effect; add in appropriate amount of separately controllabe far red will give you initiator (eod) effect.

Appropriate number of 96s for your footprint combined with appropriate number of far red diodes (timed for full lightson plus 1st 5-15 mins of lightsoff) will give you both emerson and initiator effects.

More info can be found in “the far red thread”.

You made a great comment about controllability earlier. Imo the diodes and boards are commodities that any company can throw together.

What will separate the best lights from the rest won’t be the dijdes, it will be the controllers for the diodes (built-in or standalone), controllers that can independently switch, dim, and tune each spectral band.....
thanks for the input, i have been doing my research and i think i have a pretty good handle on it all.

which ever route i went i would take the "more 301b strips/301b boards/qb96 and drive them softer" approach.
and if you go the strip/board route you start to get to quite a large, dense build almost like an artificial ceiling which might start messing with air circulation. i think i can build a more minimal neater rig with the qb96's that will allow for better room circulation.

as for controlability i think thats defo where the market is going, chilled led are going in the right direction with thier boards and controllers with the separate channels.
is their controller currently about the best that is available?
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
thanks for the input, i have been doing my research and i think i have a pretty good handle on it all.

which ever route i went i would take the "more 301b strips/301b boards/qb96 and drive them softer" approach.
and if you go the strip/board route you start to get to quite a large, dense build almost like an artificial ceiling which might start messing with air circulation. i think i can build a more minimal neater rig with the qb96's that will allow for better room circulation.

as for controlability i think thats defo where the market is going, chilled led are going in the right direction with thier boards and controllers with the separate channels.
is their controller currently about the best that is available?
Yep, the small size of the 96s opens up the space near the ceiling for other uses: fans, airflow, other lights, etc.

I’m not the right person for rating led controllers. I have a bluefish i got from rapidled, but haven't reached that part of my to-do list yet...

@Randomblame or others: care to reply?
 
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