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DIY LED FOR PC CASE/extreme micro box

M

mujs

Member
thanks for your reply, but shipping is too expensive from digikey, and will fasttech ship to croatia? i dont need heatsinks because i already have some of them, also ive noticed that you suggested 4000k, shouldn't i use 3000k for both veg and flowering, but i suppose you know better. it says that cxa 2530 needs 37-42V 60W and this driver https://www.fasttech.com/products/1612/10008256/1739206 is only 27-63v so that means i need 1 driver for 1 cob, right? i cant order this one from digikey http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?keywords=1121-1202-ND so i guess ill have to look for some meanwell on mauser or ebay or china driver?
 
Dion

Dion

Active member
mujs said:
thanks for your reply, but shipping is too expensive from digikey, and will fasttech ship to croatia? i dont need heatsinks because i already have some of them, also ive noticed that you suggested 4000k, shouldn't i use 3000k for both veg and flowering, but i suppose you know better. it says that cxa 2530 needs 37-42V 60W and this driver https://www.fasttech.com/products/1612/10008256/1739206 is only 27-63v so that means i need 1 driver for 1 cob, right? i cant order this one from digikey http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?keywords=1121-1202-ND so i guess ill have to look for some meanwell on mauser or ebay or china driver?
Click to expand...

CXA 2530 needs around 36v depending on current

yes they ship anywhere
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/High...07.html?spm=2114.13010208.99999999.273.BERA4p
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...witching-Power-Supply/632406_32574206614.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...-Power-LED-AC85-265V-to/520492_844865556.html

options options

lol
 
M

mujs

Member
mouser seems best option for me, if i got it right i could use only 1 of these drivers for all 4 cobs, is that correct? the link i gave you on cobs is that correct choice, could you find right ones on mauser and leave a link, and what do you think should i use only 2 cobs or 4 for 70cmx40cmx20cm,
 
S

SwedishFlake

New member
Hey guys, I have been a long time lurker here on the forums but as I am now building a PC grow box with a pc case similar the one you intend these lights for I have some questions :)

A couple of years ago i started to build a pc grow box but that was put on ice and now I am building another, hopefully much better, but as it is now I am low on cash, as always and I already have a driver from Mean well, this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mean-Well-M...UL-/380474612109?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:3160

as you can see it is rated at 9-34V and 1.75A.
The question I have is if you think it will work if I use this driver for the El Cheapo, but as it is to high in amps, I will run the two lines of leds in parallel so they will get feeded 1.75/2 amps each and as it is in parallel the voltage would still be getting the voltage they needed.

many thanks :)
 
S

SwedishFlake

New member
S

SwedishFlake

New member
No one?

I am getting quite the bit of heat in my box which is almost finished with about 100w of CFL lights, getting a led light would help a lot with the heat, wouldn't it?
 
Dion

Dion

Active member
SwedishFlake said:
No one?

I am getting quite the bit of heat in my box which is almost finished with about 100w of CFL lights, getting a led light would help a lot with the heat, wouldn't it?
Click to expand...

yeah you can run even 3 strings @ almost 600mA each would be perfect

34v means you cant use cree cobs so veros or like the elcheapo

honestly the elcheapo will be great for you if u already have the driver just fill it with leds

if yuo wanna spice it up you can look at thier 620nm red starts(also cree)

and even look at the colder temp xpg and xmL etc

ok so answer is yes you can use that driver heat will be a lot less for sure
 
S

SwedishFlake

New member
Dion said:
yeah you can run even 3 strings @ almost 600mA each would be perfect

34v means you cant use cree cobs so veros or like the elcheapo

honestly the elcheapo will be great for you if u already have the driver just fill it with leds

if yuo wanna spice it up you can look at thier 620nm red starts(also cree)

and even look at the colder temp xpg and xmL etc

ok so answer is yes you can use that driver heat will be a lot less for sure
Click to expand...



Thanks for the reply!

I have given it some thought and went for a slightly OP version of the El Cheapo, 25 of the 3500K leds with 8 of the 6500-7000K leds, so a total of 33 leds and about 8200 lumen.

I also got 4 of the heatsinks which I figured would be enough, and if it isn't I plan to build a small enclosure for the heatsinks so I can mount a fan to it and with that single fan push air over all the fins in a row!

I will post pictures of the finished build which will set me back about 74$ and I hope it is worth it :tiphat:
 
Dion

Dion

Active member
SwedishFlake said:
Thanks for the reply!

I have given it some thought and went for a slightly OP version of the El Cheapo, 25 of the 3500K leds with 8 of the 6500-7000K leds, so a total of 33 leds and about 8200 lumen.

I also got 4 of the heatsinks which I figured would be enough, and if it isn't I plan to build a small enclosure for the heatsinks so I can mount a fan to it and with that single fan push air over all the fins in a row!

I will post pictures of the finished build which will set me back about 74$ and I hope it is worth it :tiphat:
Click to expand...

any updates?
 
1

1sqft

New member
Love these designs- I was really turned off by white LEDs until I saw what blynx did with soft white light bulbs!

Re: the el cheapo. Instead of using two cheap drivers could someone use something like this:
http://www.mouser.jp/Search/m_Produ...Y9YugmIgt4sE%2bg9jfCg/Wzsz7qI2digBPUEg80Alw==

That's 500ma (more L/W as per the Cree calculator above, works out as less light but not terrible and I'm also assuming less heat) and you'd only have to wire one driver not two. It's also more expensive as a driver but you only need one. It's also mean well which, as I understand from your original post, is a sturdier make (?... If it's not obvious I'm new at this).

What would be the disadvantage of doing this?

Cheers,
 
Dion

Dion

Active member
1sqft said:
Love these designs- I was really turned off by white LEDs until I saw what blynx did with soft white light bulbs!

Re: the el cheapo. Instead of using two cheap drivers could someone use something like this:
http://www.mouser.jp/Search/m_Produ...Y9YugmIgt4sE%2bg9jfCg/Wzsz7qI2digBPUEg80Alw==

That's 500ma (more L/W as per the Cree calculator above, works out as less light but not terrible and I'm also assuming less heat) and you'd only have to wire one driver not two. It's also more expensive as a driver but you only need one. It's also mean well which, as I understand from your original post, is a sturdier make (?... If it's not obvious I'm new at this).

What would be the disadvantage of doing this?

Cheers,
Click to expand...

he disadvantage woudl be ordering from mouser(vat/shipping)

if you wanted to use a decent driver look at th eAPC series-no dimming but pretty good


alsthough u have to look at the eff % in the data sheet, the low budget brand name drivers dont do bette rthan the chines ones


so advantage dimming

dis cost and hassle
 
1

1sqft

New member
Dion said:
he disadvantage woudl be ordering from mouser(vat/shipping)

if you wanted to use a decent driver look at th eAPC series-no dimming but pretty good


alsthough u have to look at the eff % in the data sheet, the low budget brand name drivers dont do bette rthan the chines ones


so advantage dimming

dis cost and hassle
Click to expand...

Thanks, man. I'll have a look at ePac. The general principle, though, is that two low voltage drivers is *generally* no better than one high voltage one in terms of heat etc. (individual driver characteristics notwithstanding)... Would that be fair to say?

Cheers,
 
Dion

Dion

Active member
yup no dif
lot of ppl are into running series, thats cool but whith cobs you get some pretty killer voltage(easily up to 400v)

i like to keep things low voltage(less than 60v) its happened a few times that ive realised a heatsink was electrified when i felt a little tingle

ofcourse u should ground the sinks yes yes i know
but i just prefer low voltage and dimming isnt so needed if you can just run less cobs in veg

it all works though
also you shoudl look for the APC seriese

for example the APC-25-350 could run 2 cxa2530s at 350mA
the APC-35-500 can run 2 at 500mA

they both cost about 10

with veros there are even more options with the APC series and the APV is what i recomend to run fans
 
1

1sqft

New member
Interesting, thanks Dion.

Avid- I was also wondering about that. People go on about that being bad-ish for light distribution (I.E. Uneven). Is that a problem for micro growers?
 
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