Bueno Grows w/ DIY COB LEDs

[Bueno Time]

Bonjour mon ami
Hi Buenos! I am going to turn mad looking for a driver...I think I found one for 1 vero10: 250mA,4-7w,9-25V but 86% efficient but it is for test the Vf,what do you think of it?Now I'm looking for a 250mA 40W 210V(8x26V) for 8 Vero10,or a 500mA and make 2 parallel of 4(Do I understand, is it OK?) Minimum 90% efficient,and dimeable if possible.
Is it OK to wire them in parallel? Cause I read somewhere that is not recommended to do it.
From which breeder your seeds come from?And do you know a breeder in U.S who work with T.G.A genetics and made fem with their regular?(or I will have to wait 1 year before I will have enough space to reinstal my vegg box!)
Thanks for your time and good advice(if one day you come on french riviera let me know I will do the same for you!!!)

You can use a cheap driver like you mentioned to test vF of each of the COBs individually if you need to.

If you wanted to run 8 V10 at 250mA each for now and would potentially be upgrading in the future by adding more V10s and increasing the overall wattage of your LED fixture, you could try a HLG-185H-C500 and run the 8 V10s in series and dim the driver to half power or so, so they only get ~250mA current.

The HLG-185H-C500 is a 200w rated driver that has 200-400v output with 500mA max current, dimmable with 94% efficiency on 220v AC input (just a percent or two less with 110v AC input).

When you wanted to upgrade, you could potentially run 15-16 V10s in series with the 400v max rating on the driver at 500mA each at full power, or less when dimmed down to a lower current for better efficiency.

You could also potentially run 2 sets of 15-16 V10s in parallel (30-32 total) and if done properly have no issues. By properly I mean test vF of each COB with the single LED driver like you mentioned and then assemble them in such a way that each string of 15-16 Veros is as close as possible to being exactly equal in total vF to eliminate any potential issues associated with parallel driving. When assembling strings to be as close to equal as possible for parallel driving, it is helpful to order a few extra COBs to help you "puzzle" together the like strings since vF of each COB varies slightly.

I dont have and never have grown anything from TGA so I dont know an answer for that question. Ive got and have grown gear from quite a few different breeders and I also grow some that I make myself, either F2s of strains or crosses of two different strains. Also occasionally some seeds a friend has made will get grown out too depending on strain. Too many to list them all out, if you see a strain or picture I posted and have a question on the specific strain I can tell you more info on it.

 

[littlejacob]

Merci, You're the Man
I did not knew that i could use the hlg 185 to run them thanks a lot.
I will order very soon.
Do you know the size of thermal pad i should use and the screw too please.

 

[littlejacob]

I'm going to start with 15 V10 4000k (to try vegging and flowering under those) than i will take 15 5000 or 6000k to finish my vegg light for my 3, 5X3, 5X2, 66 box i think it will be perfect.
For the parallel how much it have to be the same amount of V?
If i have(For example) 100V on one string, do i have to have 100V on the other, or is 95 or 105 is ok? How many % difference between the two strings is acceptable? But maybe with 30 (even if i do not mix them perfectly) it is going to be easy to balance!? Or not...lol
Good day

 

[Bueno Time]

Merci, You're the Man
I did not knew that i could use the hlg 185 to run them thanks a lot.
I will order very soon.
Do you know the size of thermal pad i should use and the screw too please.

I would use thermal paste (NOT adhesive) that comes in the little plastic syringes. I used Prolimatek PK-3 on my fixtures but Arctic Silver 5 will work as well for this application and is a little cheaper than the PK3. You could use thermal pads if necessary but I prefer the tubes. The back of a V10 metal contact surface is just over 1cm square and would need full coverage with thermal interface material (TIM) whether it be paste or pad type.

The spreadsheet on Bridgelux website says M2.5 screws and the V10s are 2mm thick so the length needs to be 2mm plus however far you want it to thread into the heatsink base plate. 5mm length is probably plenty for most situations. I would recommend M2.5 x 0.45 tap and get M2.5 x 0.45 x your needed thread length (in mm).

I'm going to start with 15 V10 4000k (to try vegging and flowering under those) than i will take 15 5000 or 6000k to finish my vegg light for my 3, 5X3, 5X2, 66 box i think it will be perfect.
For the parallel how much it have to be the same amount of V?
If i have(For example) 100V on one string, do i have to have 100V on the other, or is 95 or 105 is ok? How many % difference between the two strings is acceptable? But maybe with 30 (even if i do not mix them perfectly) it is going to be easy to balance!? Or not...lol
Good day

Not quite sure I understand but sounds like you have 3 boxes or growing areas 3x5, 2x5, and 6x6? You dont need nearly as much wattage for vegging with LED as flowering so you dont need anywhere close to the same power for veg and flower lamps.

For parallel driving try to have it be exactly equal or with in say .1-.3v total. I got mine really close like that and I had to match 7 sets of 5 each. Took me like 3 trys on paper to get the final layout for which COBs would go in which strings so that the vF would be within just a couple tenths of a volt on each of the 7 strings. Measure the vF of each individual COB and group the ones that run exactly the same vF to the tenth of a volt in the same groups then try to make equal strings using COBs from those groups. Its not that hard at all to do just takes time and a little thinking.

 

[Bueno Time]

Harvested the OX F2s last night after 63 days 12/12 so I took some pics of them. Not the best pics but not the worst either, gets the job done but doesnt quite fully capture the beauty and frost that you see in person. Lots of little popcorn buds of dankness.

 

[Bueno Time]

 

[Bueno Time]

 

[Bueno Time]

And finally a few closeup bud shots.

 

[blynx]

Love the colors! Buds look really frosty!

 

[littlejacob]

I would use thermal paste (NOT adhesive) that comes in the little plastic syringes. I used Prolimatek PK-3 on my fixtures but Arctic Silver 5 will work as well for this application and is a little cheaper than the PK3. You could use thermal pads if necessary but I prefer the tubes. The back of a V10 metal contact surface is just over 1cm square and would need full coverage with thermal interface material (TIM) whether it be paste or pad type.

The spreadsheet on Bridgelux website says M2.5 screws and the V10s are 2mm thick so the length needs to be 2mm plus however far you want it to thread into the heatsink base plate. 5mm length is probably plenty for most situations. I would recommend M2.5 x 0.45 tap and get M2.5 x 0.45 x your needed thread length (in mm).



Not quite sure I understand but sounds like you have 3 boxes or growing areas 3x5, 2x5, and 6x6? You dont need nearly as much wattage for vegging with LED as flowering so you dont need anywhere close to the same power for veg and flower lamps.

For parallel driving try to have it be exactly equal or with in say .1-.3v total. I got mine really close like that and I had to match 7 sets of 5 each. Took me like 3 trys on paper to get the final layout for which COBs would go in which strings so that the vF would be within just a couple tenths of a volt on each of the 7 strings. Measure the vF of each individual COB and group the ones that run exactly the same vF to the tenth of a volt in the same groups then try to make equal strings using COBs from those groups. Its not that hard at all to do just takes time and a little thinking.

Bonjour Bueno mon ami!
Thanks again for all those advice. I have two boxes. One 120*120*200cm only for flowering and a smaller (the one I'm going to turn to cob) 105*105*215cm (12, 25sq/feet) in two part, 105*105*85 for vegg and 105*105*135cm for flowering.
You have 35 Vero10, i believe I'm going to try with 45 @200mA (if the hlg can go this low) Didn't you say that more cob at less intensity is better?
Have a great day

 

[heady blunts]

ya not so much of a yielder but those are f'n pretty ass buds!

what aromas are you getting off them?

 

[Bueno Time]

Bonjour Bueno mon ami!
Thanks again for all those advice. I have two boxes. One 120*120*200cm only for flowering and a smaller (the one I'm going to turn to cob) 105*105*215cm (12, 25sq/feet) in two part, 105*105*85 for vegg and 105*105*135cm for flowering.
You have 35 Vero10, i believe I'm going to try with 45 @200mA (if the hlg can go this low) Didn't you say that more cob at less intensity is better?
Have a great day

Nice, that makes more sense now. You would need more than one driver for 45 Vero 10s but you could run the C500 at 200mA for sure if you get a B version and set the dimming circuit up properly, the A version is built in dimming and according to specs only dims to 50% ~250mA maybe a little more in practice but Im not sure. Within reason more COBs at lower current is generally better for efficiency and even coverage. If you dim really really low the penetration will suffer some but that is about the only bad thing that could happen from running an extremely low current (you shouldnt be worried about it). My V10s run at ~215mA if I ran my driver at 100%.

 

[Bueno Time]

ya not so much of a yielder but those are f'n pretty ass buds!

what aromas are you getting off them?

Your definitely right there not a large yielder at all, more popcorn to golf ball sized nugs than fat colas on this strain. Its all about the smoke and smell/flavor for me with this strain, it gives me an excellent buzz that is calming, quite stoney, very relaxing to body and mind, with some euphoria too depending on pheno and harvest time.

They smelled a little more blue this round but I grew them in coco this run and not organic soil like I usually do. They tend to be kushier with a more full aroma in soil from my experience but I also havent gotten to smoke these yet to compare, they will probably change a little after drying and some jar time and end up more on the kushy end with hints of blue. I get mostly kushy, musty, blue somewhat sweet hints but not fruity sweet either, its a kind of complex smell to try to describe but very nice in my opinion. When I was chopping lengths of branch off to hang I kept getting my fingers on the trichs during handling and there was an interesting smell on the F2 #2 lady with the tiny buds that smelled like a kushy blue playdough, couldnt quite figure out and pin point it exactly but I just couldnt stop smelling my fingers for a while.

I would recommend to veg them large compared to the normal veg time you would give and/or run higher plant #s, which the plant numbers isnt a option for a lot of people. They do stretch some but not a lot at all, less than average to very little stretch on some. Probably not commercially viable for production purposes but its some excellent head stash, which is why I continue to grow it, I love the effects and smell/flavor.

 

[littlejacob]

Bonjour
Tanks Buenos! Now I have everything I need to build my own fixture.
If I put 30 Vero10,15 on 2 string you told me that the 500mA going to be split in 2, so 250mA on each, well? So I am going to be able to go as low as 125mA?(3w I believe!?)it will be nice for the first week from seed.
Have a nice day ™

 

[Bueno Time]

Bonjour
Tanks Buenos! Now I have everything I need to build my own fixture.
If I put 30 Vero10,15 on 2 string you told me that the 500mA going to be split in 2, so 250mA on each, well? So I am going to be able to go as low as 125mA?(3w I believe!?)it will be nice for the first week from seed.
Have a nice day ™

Correct, when you run COBs or any LEDs in general in series the voltage or vF of each ADDs together, when you run strings or single LEDs in parallel the current DIVIDES by the number of parallel strings (or by the number of parallel driven COBs/LEDs when not running series strings). So 500mA / 2 parallel strings = 250mA per COB or string, then since the A version driver is dimmable to half current each would get 125mA per COB/string when dimmed to half power (half current).

 

[littlejacob]

Correct, when you run COBs or any LEDs in general in series the voltage or vF of each ADDs together, when you run strings or single LEDs in parallel the current DIVIDES by the number of parallel strings (or by the number of parallel driven COBs/LEDs when not running series strings). So 500mA / 2 parallel strings = 250mA per COB or string, then since the A version driver is dimmable to half current each would get 125mA per COB/string when dimmed to half power (half current).

Bonjour et merci Bueno (as always...)
You mean that the B version can go lower?
And what about the C version that nobody's talking about? I know it is hard to find, why?
Have a great day★

 

[littlejacob]

Hello again
Is anyone know where the Vero10 4000k V2 are available?
Is there a big difference between V1 and V2?
Which one should i buy?
See you...

 

[Bueno Time]

Bonjour et merci Bueno (as always...)
You mean that the B version can go lower?
And what about the C version that nobody's talking about? I know it is hard to find, why?
Have a great day★

I dont know about the C version at all but the B version can dim lower than 50% if you setup the dimming circuit properly. The A version has the built in potentiometer/dimmer with dimmability between ~50-100% output. The B version has an extra set of cords coming out of the output side of the driver that you can setup in various ways to dim either by resistance or PWM. To keep it simple I used resistance dimming on my B version HLG for vegging with a 10k ohm resistor and 100K ohm potentiometer in series between the dimming wires. The 10k ohm sets the low at ~10% and the 100K ohm will allow up to 100% output when turned up all the way (higher resistance = more output). The info you need to do this is all in the data sheets provided by MeanWell.

Hello again
Is anyone know where the Vero10 4000k V2 are available?
Is there a big difference between V1 and V2?
Which one should i buy?
See you...

I would get the V2s if you can find them they should be marginally better than the V1s. If not just get the V1s since they are just the little guys, Vero 10s, the difference is probably pretty small. Mine are V1s I ordered them right before Vero came out with the V2s, go figure haha.

 

[Dready_jake]

You and real styles are a true inspiration. Keep Up the diy.

I'm on the design and planning and funding phase, for a 800-1200 watt system. Think it might be easier to use realstyles design for the most part and keep it modular. But I'd be a lot easier on the usage part if it only had one plug in the end for the total 800-1200 watts. Currently with his 400 watt lights to get close to my idea of wattage I'd have 2-3 plugs.which is doable but not prefered
I'd be nice if I could blend 3 of his 400s into 2 600 watt lights. For spread sake. I'm trying to build a "1k-killer" and 4

 

[Bueno Time]

You and real styles are a true inspiration. Keep Up the diy.

I'm on the design and planning and funding phase, for a 800-1200 watt system. Think it might be easier to use realstyles design for the most part and keep it modular. But I'd be a lot easier on the usage part if it only had one plug in the end for the total 800-1200 watts. Currently with his 400 watt lights to get close to my idea of wattage I'd have 2-3 plugs.which is doable but not prefered
I'd be nice if I could blend 3 of his 400s into 2 600 watt lights. For spread sake. I'm trying to build a "1k-killer" and 4

You could probably get all the drivers running off one cord depending on the amperage rating of the gauge of wires in the cord for your needed length (longer wire needs larger gauge, usually only matters over a larger distance). Then if your cord has the amperage capability needed for all the drivers used you can wire all drivers to the one cord in parallel they will all get the correct live, neutral and ground connections with a tri-plug.

You could build 2 600s with his design and using a longer length of the heatsink profile and then you can add more COBs per heatsink.

Research a lot and buy the best components you can reasonably afford and build once is my advice. Build what you really want the first time and go all in.