Yep! Not sure whether he would have done if he wasn't a fairly new start up trying to build a rep for quality products and quality customer service tho!
Tim
Driver question
- Thread starter bblumberg
- Start date
Tim
oreo57
Well-known member
somewhat unfortunately a wise choice.. In the op's case a maj. discount is "minimum" as far as I am concerned..
Haha, yes. I do like lemonade... The vendor agrees that heat is unlikely to be the cause and doesn't have an explanation for how the drivers could have burned out one channel (chip3, channel 5) and weakened another so much that the chain can't light (chip 1 channel 1). I suggested that the most likely scenario is that there was a manufacturing defect and asked how we were going to handle that. I am waiting to hear what he says...
The most straightforward and least expensive option for me would be to simply use the 3 chips for blue/violet and replace the white channels with 3separate Bridgelux Vero29s run on the existing drivers. Not as good a solution as having the chips replaced, but easier than redoing everything from the start. I ordered the Veros anyway and will use them on my new FW build if not here.
If he were to replace the chips, my best long-term solution would be to do this the standard way and run each Dreamchip on its own driver and use the HLG drivers for something else or sell them to someone who can use them. This will cost more but be more reliable and probably safer.
I am not sure that the wisest option isn't to scrap the whole mess, either now or in the not too distant future and do this build correctly with either high quality COBs (e.g., BlueAcro or what O2surplus is planning) or go the big heat sink and individual LEDs route.
All in all a huge waste of time and money, although, I did learn a lot.
Hopefully they will agree to replace, but as you suggested it is very easy to suggest the DIYer must have broken them. And to be fair to the retailers, all too often the DIYer does break them, and, although most people are, not everyone is honestNot for a second suggesting you damaged these, just I'd hate to be a retailer (even more than I hate being a buyer and receiving broken goods!).
I know one retailer that got a power supply returned as faulty. When he opened it, it had salt crystals on the inside. It had obviously been for a dip in the buyers tank, but of course they forgot to mention it!
Good luck and hope they do accept them and replace
Tim
I agree - this is a difficult situation for the vendor and for the purchaser. In the end, if I were the vendor and wanted to keep my good reputation, I'd swallow the loss and replace the chips. He can't have paid anywhere near $70 each for them. We'll see....
