Hi all. I have a cople of TGL Star 60 cob lights that i use for veg, and recently one of them has started a very fast strobing. Its ok for a few hours after coming on, and then it starts acting up. If i switch it off for a few seconds then back on, its ok again for a while and then the strobing starts up again. Anyone have any ideas what is wrong? Thanks in advance.
Cob light problem.
- Thread starter clipdog
- Start date
rangergord
Active member
Usually strobing LED chips are on their way to burning out completely. Short chip life is often related to overheating from inadequate heat sinks and cooling.
I would direct my suspicions towards a failing driver. Strobing light on the whole cob wouldnt make me suspect the chip in itself.
Thanks rangergord. I have had these for four years and they have done a fair bit of work.
Thanks RS. As I said to rangergord I have these lights fo four years and they are the original chips. I have a replacement driver on the way but I also wonder if drivers are repairable?
Im not entirely sure if this would be less expensive than a new one.
Tgl todogrowled? You in Spain? If i recall correct these lights come with a sorta driver on heatsink arrangement.
Another thing you do is getting one driver for both your cobs.
Or hey, upgrade.
Ca++
Well-known member
With 60w drivers coming in at under 20 euros, you would have to be handy with the iron, to even think about spending half hour on one. The cap will be 5 euros by the time it's delivered. This is if the driver is actually at fault.
I have such spares around me, but if I opened the box and saw a few, I wouldn't bother. You could be changing another in 2 months time. It's a $20 item, not $200
I have such spares around me, but if I opened the box and saw a few, I wouldn't bother. You could be changing another in 2 months time. It's a $20 item, not $200
Yeah driver on top of heat sink. I'm in UK and they wont ship here anymore. Parts are pretty easy to get though and i had just ordered all the parts to build a third light. Thats why i've got a new driver on the way. Will swap them out and see what happens.
Yeah waste of time and effort. Will swap out drivers.
GF-Z
Active member
If it is strobbing, dont be surprised then all caps, mosfets etc in driver will start blowing up. Replace the whole unit asap...
And golden rule:
If you have 60w lamp, buy at least 80w driver... Always have at least 20% extra, not to constatly push it to limits. By this it will run forever.
And golden rule:
If you have 60w lamp, buy at least 80w driver... Always have at least 20% extra, not to constatly push it to limits. By this it will run forever.
Having the driver on top of the heatsink means the heatsink has to kinda work double; it has to dissipate the heat from both cob and driver. You can easily get a driver that can power all your cobs, gain a little in driver efficiency, and gain lower temps on your heatsinks.
fuzzymuffin
Active member
One of the capacitors is probably failing. If it's one section then it's the capacitor for that section of the circuit. If it's all of them then it's the supply capacitor at the beginning of the circuit right after the power supply. Make sure to unplug the unit before messing around with the electronic. Even when the power is disconnected, capacitors can store enough energy to give you a nasty shock.
fuzzymuffin
Active member
There is usually an ample airspace between the driver and the aluminium plate to mitigate heat dissipation. If there is a fan circulating air in the tent. the combined heat shouldn't affect one or the other.
Ca++
Well-known member
At £30 it's not cheap, but this 55w drivers proportions (110x75), mean it can live above a cob heatsink quite well. It also has 12v for a fan, and dimming options.
It's a tenner less without the 12v output. The dimming on the cheaper one is 3 fixed levels, all close to full output.
Im now starting to think about a single more powerful unit to drive 4 maybe 5 cobs.
At £30 it's not cheap, but this 55w drivers proportions (110x75), mean it can live above a cob heatsink quite well. It also has 12v for a fan, and dimming options.
It's a tenner less without the 12v output. The dimming on the cheaper one is 3 fixed levels, all close to full output.
Other than a bit of efficiency; if you go for a larger remote driver you can decide if you want to dump the heat of the driver inside the tent or outside.
Do you know if Ali is reliable?
I can well use the heat inside!
