Minimalistic multichip DIY LED build

[megadeth72]

it was not a DIY multichip, that chip came out of a machine, not sure where they sourced them from

 

[dwolson2]

Can you wire multiple(2) drivers together on the same plug? I want to put two eln 60-48's on one plug. Is it safe?

 

[funkyfish77]

from the driver to the wall yes driver to led no .
i wire my t-5 ballasts to the same plug . never had any probs just don't overload it.

funky

 

[mr.wilson]

Okay, so I checked drivers for the LEDs and I am very sad over the choices. With that said, and my bottle of anti-depressent pills, is there a driver of "any" sorts that can drive 3 100w LED chips in series? I am being very stubborn about running one driver but havnt found anything. Kind of hoping someone has run across an option of some sort.

Also, when are these company's going to realize we need to have more watts per driver? :dance:

The hobby is leaning more towards multiple drivers with more control of zones (sun rise in the "east" and set in the "west") and colour channels (red, white & blue).

Using two 150w or three 100w drivers in parallel will give you the same result. You can also turn them on and off independently to simulate dawn & dusk dimming.

If you want a giant driver that does 300w watts, then your only premium brand option is Inventronics, but it won't dim. http://www.inventronics-co.com/uploads/2012_6_261126.pdf

 

[dwolson2]

from the driver to the wall yes driver to led no .
i wire my t-5 ballasts to the same plug . never had any probs just don't overload it.

funky

Thanks funky. Its driver to wall. I am only running 60W drivers(thanks lassie, I think I finally figure out how to match a driver :spin2

 

[tomservo]

If you want a giant driver that does 300w watts, then your only premium brand option is Inventronics, but it won't dim. http://www.inventronics-co.com/uploads/2012_6_261126.pdf

Is there something wrong with the meanwell HLG320 series, which IS dimmable? The voltage options are similar to the inventronics, and I've had good experiences with them in several builds. The efficiency is slightly lower than the inventronics but it's like 1% difference.

 

[mr.wilson]

Is there something wrong with the meanwell HLG320 series, which IS dimmable? The voltage options are similar to the inventronics, and I've had good experiences with them in several builds. The efficiency is slightly lower than the inventronics but it's like 1% difference.

Mean Well drivers are good. There have been various issues with PWM dimming with different controllers, but that may have been resolved with the newer models. The Inventronics drivers are more likely to turn off when dimmed 100%. From personal experience, there have been more failures with Mean Well drivers than Inventronics.

The lights at my shop are running on Mean Well HLG-120H-36B drivers. Two out of the 12 drivers I got were no good.

Is there a reason why no one else recommended the HLG 320?

 

[Lassef]

The hobby is leaning more towards multiple drivers with more control of zones (sun rise in the "east" and set in the "west") and colour channels (red, white & blue).

Using two 150w or three 100w drivers in parallel will give you the same result. You can also turn them on and off independently to simulate dawn & dusk dimming.

If you want a giant driver that does 300w watts, then your only premium brand option is Inventronics, but it won't dim. http://www.inventronics-co.com/uploads/2012_6_261126.pdf

I look at it but can not figure out if it is a constant current or a constant voltage driver. Do you now which it is mr.wilson?

Sincerely Lasse

 

[mr.wilson]

I look at it but can not figure out if it is a constant current or a constant voltage driver. Do you now which it is mr.wilson?

Sincerely Lasse

Constant voltage, variable current.

Their highest constant current model only goes to 200w http://www.inventronics-co.com/pro_details.asp?info_kind=003002002007&ID=126

 

[Lassef]

Constant voltage, variable current.

Their highest constant current model only goes to 200w http://www.inventronics-co.com/pro_details.asp?info_kind=003002002007&ID=126

I would not use a constant voltage driver to power LED:s - it is possible but demand very much of electronic knowledge - that I do not have.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[mr.wilson]

I would not use a constant voltage driver to power LED:s - it is possible but demand very much of electronic knowledge - that I do not have.

Sincerely Lasse

I wouldn't use constant voltage drivers either.

 

[GRTTSOU]

I would not use that power solution - it is a constant voltage source and it is very dificult to manage a constant current from. Instead I would use a constant current driver like Meanwell LPF-60D-36 It will give you a steady 1.67 A current in the voltage area of 21.6-36V The chip will be a bit "underdriven". This driver is able to dim - if you do not want to dim LPF-60-36 is suitable. You can also find drivers on E-bay. Look for a constant current driver near (but NOT over) 1.8-1.9 A and a voltage span that include the cihp´s 24.0V-28.8V

I have no experiences with chip´s of that brand.

Sincerely Lasse

Dear all hello,

I have finally decided to choose this compo (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-50W-Act...556?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d49b10bc) for my first built power led.

What do you think about it and do you think that I would need a bigger heat sink with a fun (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221086759726 is this too big?) or a smaller aluminum heat sink like this (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170850261056) would be enough?

 

[ReefUrchin]

If I go with 8 of these:

* Wavelength: 445nm Royal Blue
* LED chips: EPILEDS EP-B4545V-A3 45x45 mil
o Download Manufacturer Data Sheet
* PAR reading(Instrument: Apogee MQ-200): 203
* DC Forward Voltage (VF): 10-11V DC
* DC Forward Current (IF): 1000-2100mA max
* Viewing Angle: 120 Degree
* Intensity Luminous (Iv): 180-450LM
* Life span 30000 hours guarantee


Would the power supply I need for a series run be 80v @ 40w?

Dear all hello,

I have finally decided to choose this compo (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-50W-Act...556?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d49b10bc) for my first built power led.

What do you think about it and do you think that I would need a bigger heat sink with a fun (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221086759726 is this too big?) or a smaller aluminum heat sink like this (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170850261056) would be enough?

Only thing I dont like about that setup is no dimming function so you would be frying the coral right out the start, unless they were used to it already.

 

[Lassef]

@GRTTSOU: You probably will manage with the cheaper cooler but the one with heat pipes is better and will manage a lower temperature to you chip.

@ReefUrchin: I have not seen any drivers with 80 - 88 V and 2 A. you probably need two drivers and they have to manage to regulate at least in 40 - 44 V and near 2 A. Mean Well LPF-90D-48 will manage 28.8-48V and will give you 1.88 A<O


Sincerely Lasse<O

 

[TropTrea]

@GRTTSOU: You probably will manage with the cheaper cooler but the one with heat pipes is better and will manage a lower temperature to you chip.

@ReefUrchin: I have not seen any drivers with 80 - 88 V and 2 A. you probably need two drivers and they have to manage to regulate at least in 40 - 44 V and near 2 A. Mean Well LPF-90D-48 will manage 28.8-48V and will give you 1.88 A<O


Sincerely Lasse<O

Look at HLG-100H-48D these are 53 Volt and 2 Amp max. but can be adjusted down to 1.25 Amp max.

 

[Sonny n Colleen]

Dear all hello,

What do you think about it and do you think that I would need a bigger heat sink with a fun (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221086759726 is this too big?) or a smaller aluminum heat sink like this (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170850261056) would be enough?

One important thing with heatsinks to consider is heat soaking. Your LEDs can be on for up to 8-12 hours so you want to ensure you have a heat sink capable of cooling for long periods. I would go with the bigger heat sink so you know you will have plenty of cooling.

 

[dartier]

125G 280W build

125G 280W build

I have decided on (and ordered) the following LEDs for over a 125G (60x18x24).

10 x 10W Actinic Blue Hybrid (3 chips 10000-15000K + 6 chips 450-460nm Royal Blue )
10 x 10W Blue High brightness ( 460-470nm)
2 x 20 W UV 420 nm
2 x 20 W UV 430 nm

Lights will be spread out with 50% on each half of the tank. One of each UV (420, 430) will be in the center, along with a hybrid and blue forming a square. The remaining blues and hybrids will alternate in a zigzag row around the center cluster of 4 leds.

The drivers I have ordered are 3 Meanwell dim-able drivers, with the hybrids on one driver, blues on another and UVs on the remaining one.

I am going to try it without lens first and add lens if I have trouble getting light to the bottom. Hopefully 280W of LEDs will be enough.

Dennis

 

[tomservo]

What do you think about it and do you think that I would need a bigger heat sink with a fun (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221086759726 is this too big?) or a smaller aluminum heat sink like this (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170850261056) would be enough?

Either of those should be OK; but instead of that knockoff cooler, look for an Intel OEM heatsink (seriously cheap, quiet fans, good quality), or for something better yet, the zalman cnps8900 if you need something compact, or if you have lots of headroom get a cooler master hyper212. These two are serious overkill for a 50w emitter but it means you can run the fan real low (quiet) and have plenty of reserve cooling capacity for potential upgrades and for the eventuality of dust clogging the heatsink. The cooler master can be had for $20 shipped after $10 rebate.

 

[megadeth72]

intel p4's ran 75w at idle and 150-170 watts at load, and the oem heatsink/fan's are dirt cheap and a basically unlimited supply on ebay

 

[ReefUrchin]

I am a little confused. Would these specs denote these are the 2w per LED LED's?

* Wavelength: 445nm Royal Blue
* LED chips: EPILEDS EP-B4545V-A3 45x45 mil
o Download Manufacturer Data Sheet
* PAR reading(Instrument: Apogee MQ-200): 203
* DC Forward Voltage (VF): 10-11V DC
* DC Forward Current (IF): 1000-2100mA max
* Viewing Angle: 120 Degree
* Intensity Luminous (Iv): 180-450LM
* Life span 30000 hours guarantee



According to the forward current, they are 190w chips, lol, but, drop a 0 and they become 19w chips which make sense but they say 45mil, so, wouldn't that be 40w?