Samsung 5 dollar strip builds

CaliWorthington

CaliWorthington

Well-Known Member
Since I started this $5 strip trend, here is my mea culpa. When I bought them, I didn't realize they're less efficient than some other strips. There seem to be a lot of different series of strips, so it can be confusing which ones to buy. Now I've seen a spec sheet for H InFlux L09 strips that have better efficiency than the $5 ones on Arrow. So I guess the $5 Arrow strips are InFlux L09, but not H-series, or something. You have to lookup what the bar codes mean and read them carefully.

Anyway, they do work. I'm getting perfectly good results, even running them soft at 0.83 amps. They're just not the last word in efficiency. So if your aim is to lower your cost of electricity, the F-series Gen3 would be better. OTOH, if you're doing a large build and electricity cost isn't the main issue, the $5 strips might be just the ticket. My electricity is expensive, so I wish I would have bought the more efficient ones in the first place.

Someone told me they bought some $5 strips, but weren't sure they were going to use them. I'm sorry if I misled anyone into thinking these were the most efficient strips available. Now I know better.
 
Chip Green

Chip Green

Well-Known Member
It doesn't really matter. It's splitting hairs, it really is. I understand efficiency is a factor, but my honest opinion is, that factor can be greatly over emphasised. Even the "shitty" strips at this point are kicking serious dope growing ass.
I've been running mostly BXEB Gen1 strips over more than 1 area, for going on 3 years, and have no qualms about it.

I also have, BXEB Gen2, Sammy F strips, HLG V1- QBs, HLG QB96s, and they ALL kick ass.
But I really couldn't tell ya, which one is the "best".
Other than numbers on paper.
Use everything.
 
CaliWorthington

CaliWorthington

Well-Known Member
Chip Green said:
It doesn't really matter. It's splitting hairs, it really is. I understand efficiency is a factor, but my honest opinion is, that factor can be greatly over emphasised. Even the "shitty" strips at this point are kicking serious dope growing ass.
I've been running mostly BXEB Gen1 strips over more than 1 area, for going on 3 years, and have no qualms about it.

I also have, BXEB Gen2, Sammy F strips, HLG V1- QBs, HLG QB96s, and they ALL kick ass.
But I really couldn't tell ya, which one is the "best".
Other than numbers on paper.
Use everything.
Click to expand...
Right on! They do kick ass. Even if I bumped my strips up to 1.1 amps (if I got new drivers), the 15-strip system would only be drawing 800 watts, compared to over 1,200 watts when I had COBs on the same heatsinks.
 
CaliWorthington

CaliWorthington

Well-Known Member
Airwalker16 said:
Those strips at 800mA without heatsinks?
Click to expand...
No I have 3 strips on each 5.88" x 24" heatsink. If I get an HLG-320 and a 480 I can run 15 strips at 1.1 amps each instead of 0.83 amps. That would probably be more in line with the COBs I had on them before.

Thing is, my drip tray setup takes up almost 2' in vertical space, so I do like being able to put the lights closer to the plants (because of the lower current/efficiency).
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
CaliWorthington said:
No I have 3 strips on each 5.88" x 24" heatsink. If I get an HLG-320 and a 480 I can run 15 strips at 1.1 amps each instead of 0.83 amps. That would probably be more in line with the COBs I had on them before.

Thing is, my drip tray setup takes up almost 2' in vertical space, so I do like being able to put the lights closer to the plants (because of the lower current/efficiency).
Click to expand...
Pretty sure @lukio said he runs his 2Gen EB strips at 700ma without heatsinks with no issues at all. So that's why I asked.
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
CaliWorthington said:
No I have 3 strips on each 5.88" x 24" heatsink. If I get an HLG-320 and a 480 I can run 15 strips at 1.1 amps each instead of 0.83 amps. That would probably be more in line with the COBs I had on them before.

Thing is, my drip tray setup takes up almost 2' in vertical space, so I do like being able to put the lights closer to the plants (because of the lower current/efficiency).
Click to expand...
I also have some 36"x5.88" profile sinks from one of first builds. Also have 2 140mm PC fans on them both so maybe I should put them to use? A 2' &1' strip end to end and packing as many as will fit, could handle some serious current.
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Here's a question I've never thought of before, but say I did use the heatsinks I've got and used gen2 EBs. Since voltage is the same on them all, but Max current is 700ma on the 1' but 1400ma on the 2', would I be able to connect them all in series on a Constant Current HLG-185H-C1400B, could I in the middle of or multiple times on the series circuit, SPLIT the 1' strips into a parallel circuit of 2 of them, then bring the wire back to a single wire and continue the circuit to a 2' strip? I'm pretty sure its fine, but id never thought about it in the MIDDLE of a series circuit. Only as a whole, like splitting cobs into parallels of 2 to use twice as many on a CC driver. Which has been fine.
 
CaliWorthington

CaliWorthington

Well-Known Member
Airwalker16 said:
They actually state that no heatsinking is necessary? Up to what mA though, that is the question?
Click to expand...
That's what GBAUTO says. He says the strips are designed to replace fluorescent/T5, and those don't have heatsinks, so.... I've never not used heatsinks, myself.
 
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B

B|uDreamer

Well-Known Member
CaliWorthington said:
Since I started this $5 strip trend, here is my mea culpa. When I bought them, I didn't realize they're less efficient than some other strips. There seem to be a lot of different series of strips, so it can be confusing which ones to buy. Now I've seen a spec sheet for H InFlux L09 strips that have better efficiency than the $5 ones on Arrow. So I guess the $5 Arrow strips are InFlux L09, but not H-series, or something. You have to lookup what the bar codes mean and read them carefully.

Anyway, they do work. I'm getting perfectly good results, even running them soft at 0.83 amps. They're just not the last word in efficiency. So if your aim is to lower your cost of electricity, the F-series Gen3 would be better. OTOH, if you're doing a large build and electricity cost isn't the main issue, the $5 strips might be just the ticket. My electricity is expensive, so I wish I would have bought the more efficient ones in the first place.

Someone told me they bought some $5 strips, but weren't sure they were going to use them. I'm sorry if I misled anyone into thinking these were the most efficient strips available. Now I know better.
Click to expand...
No mea culpa necessary. These are still a great deal. I ran the calculations several times before purchasing. I'm getting 90% of the performance for 60% of the cost compared to LM301Bs and I can spread it over 2-3x the area. Drivers last awhile and heatsinks and wiring basically last forever. When the next gen hits people can spend top dollar for 10% more efficiency and I'll upgrade my strips for a fraction of the price.
 
B

BlackmoreRulz

Active Member
The heat sink thing is one of my hold ups on what I am trying to do. I am trying to build a light for flowering a 3x3 (actually 42"x42") space, I have a piece of 24gauge aluminum that is 24" x 36" that I was thinking of building a frame for and attach the strips to that with the thermal tape. I know it is not much but it would be a small improvement over using nothing at all wouldn't it?

Also, can anyone point me to an economical driver that I could use to run only 2 or 3 of these strips by themselves, trying to replace a T5 fluorescent fixture that my wife has used for years for her house plants that is woefully underpowered

Obviously I am trying to do this on the super cheap
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
BlackmoreRulz said:
The heat sink thing is one of my hold ups on what I am trying to do. I am trying to build a light for flowering a 3x3 (actually 42"x42") space, I have a piece of 24gauge aluminum that is 24" x 36" that I was thinking of building a frame for and attach the strips to that with the thermal tape. I know it is not much but it would be a small improvement over using nothing at all wouldn't it?

Also, can anyone point me to an economical driver that I could use to run only 2 or 3 of these strips by themselves, trying to replace a T5 fluorescent fixture that my wife has used for years for her house plants that is woefully underpowered

Obviously I am trying to do this on the super cheap
Click to expand...
That aluminum sheet will help a LOT. And what strips?
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
sethimus said:
the ones you are constantly bashing while not being able to argument why the more expensive ones are "worth" it instead. see your non existing reply on my ROI calculations. because you are not able to think for yourself for one minute and just repeating what you read somewhere else.
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I don't understand why all you can ever do in this forum is Shit post hate about me.
 
S

sethimus

Well-Known Member
Airwalker16 said:
I don't understand why all you can ever do in this forum is Shit post hate about me.
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because all you do in this forum is giving shit advices to noobs. i asked you a specific question you refused to answer properly. because you usually don‘t think before postin, i.e. your "worth it" claim which you couldn’t base on a simple calculation. which you usually do when you compare two products. instead, you just babble something about efficiency without acknowledging the longer amortisation period. just because something is more efficient doesn’t justify investing in something that costs twice as much.
 
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