LED FAQ) Building and DIY

[Dion]

I was wondering about the heat sinks and how to cool them. I plan on recessing the lights in the ceiling and having the heatsinks stick out of he top in another compartment, now the question is do the fans have to be attached to the sinks or can I pull cool air into that compartment over the tops of them to cool them? So basically set them up like the passive sinks but they will still get airflow with just 1 fan in the compartment they are in. What's your thoughts on this?

what u r thinking could work

BUT you have to get air moving between the fins to cool(hence the fans blow down on the sinks)

to do what you are thinkin u will have to figure out how to get air to flow through the fins

you could have the tops of the fins flush flat aginst the top and pull air through the side

so like have intake on one side of sinks and outtake on the other

But if you have the sinks in a seprate chamber its
easier to mount fans on top and have the air blow out the sides

 

[Dion]

@belivitez
Practically you could put 2x cxb3590 72V on that driver and drive them on 50-100W each.
Theoretically(maybe practically) you could put 2x 36V cob and 1x 72V cob on the same driver and have 2x 50W cob and 1x 100W cob

I don't know if the second option is actually possible with cobs, but in theory it would work without problems. So why not?

@Dion
About bins and colors.
I think I heard Supra say he uses 5000K CD for full cycle, I seen some new manufacturer offer a 4000K for full cycle and 3000K for flower cycle.
So the colors matter to some point for specific needs.
For my case I use 6x 3000K for flower and partially for veg(along with 6500K cfls) and I need two more to compensate for the lack of blue light in 3000K cobs. So it would be logical to think 6500K would be a better option especially because of higher bin - more lumens and general output.
Only thing that worries me with higher bin is lower CRI.
Something is telling me high CRI is somehow more important than lumens alone, on the other hand more photons is necessarily better so I really don't have an easy choice wanting a broader light vs a more efficent one.
Definitely gotta sleep over it.

i think he has the 36v versions so i just answered for his situation

CRI is not relevant to our application

it just shows how natural colors look under the light

and it uses more 700+ nm which consumes more watts so less total output

get the 6500k

 

[Koondense]

Good call

I was gonna ask you if you know if there is a graph comparing spectrums of all colors, not just the one showing 3000K-5000K on the spec pdf?

 

[welder22]

what u r thinking could work

BUT you have to get air moving between the fins to cool(hence the fans blow down on the sinks)

to do what you are thinkin u will have to figure out how to get air to flow through the fins

you could have the tops of the fins flush flat aginst the top and pull air through the side

so like have intake on one side of sinks and outtake on the other

But if you have the sinks in a seprate chamber its
easier to mount fans on top and have the air blow out the sides

Thanks for the explanation I didn't really know how the fans on the sinks worked. I appreciate the help buddy

 

[belivitez]

@Koon second option would work? im still thinking and thinking what is best option to buy
I will use artic 64+ and driver mw hgl185, about cobs im still in wounderland

My plan 2xcbx 3590 3500k 36v 1x cbx 3590 5000k 36v. Or can i chose somethink better?

 

[Buddah Watcha]

Hey guys, not sure if you guys can help me or not, but I'm trying to hook up the dimmable potentiometer and the resistor to my HLN-80H-42B. This is how it came out:

Blue cable is DIM+ and white cable is DIM-

Does that look right to you guys?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
BW

 

[Koondense]

@Koon second option would work? im still thinking and thinking what is best option to buy
I will use artic 64+ and driver mw hgl185, about cobs im still in wounderland

My plan 2xcbx 3590 3500k 36v 1x cbx 3590 5000k 36v. Or can i chose somethink better?

I think the second(2x 36V + 1x 72V) should work, there will only be a difference in heating of the 72V cob, which would need the heatsink to be more ventilated. Therefore you would need another power supply for that cpu heatsink/vent.

I cool my cobs(50W - 1400mA) with the ventilators driven at 5V only.
Low rpm, zero noise.
I imagine a cob of 100W would need at least 9V, maybe 10-12V for the ventilator, I tried it and the 64+ is still very silent at higher rpm like at 9V. Didn't try 12V.

If we listen to Dion(of course we do, the 6500K DB bin should be a better option than 5000K CD bin. More lumens, more blue is good of course.
It's just the question if 72V or 36V versions are in stock.

I think any option will be a good option, also 3x 36V is not bad

 

[Dion]

@Koon second option would work? im still thinking and thinking what is best option to buy
I will use artic 64+ and driver mw hgl185, about cobs im still in wounderland

My plan 2xcbx 3590 3500k 36v 1x cbx 3590 5000k 36v. Or can i chose somethink better?

koon is giving u solid advise his theory will work(in theory i havnt tested it though)

personally i would just get 4 cxb3070 and max out the driver without loosing efficicenty if i were you


also with the 3070 you can use smaller heatsinks(like the apline 11 plus or even apline 11 gt)

so would save about 10 euro there


what size is ur space?

 

[ivan2015]

Hi to all members !
I'm new user so this is my first post in ICMAG .
First i want to congratulate with @dion for this amazing tutorial ! good work

I've decided for build a LED , as first , i want say " i write in this forum but i'm not interesting to grow weed " ,so.. i want just build a panel LED . This panel led it will consist in :

6x CREE CXA3070 @ 3000K
2x CREE CXA3070 @ 5000K
8X Meanwell LPC-60-1400 Drivers

I'd like have a dimmer like this : (can i put an external link to ebay ? ) http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-Dimmer-...230030?hash=item19d2b48bce:g:UIEAAOSwbqpTseZy , but this can works with 24v , i need something like this but 36v or higher , i can't find it !!? It's possible ? Why ?
What you reccomended ?
Thank you to all community and thank you Dion

 

[Dion]

Hi to all members !
I'm new user so this is my first post in ICMAG .
First i want to congratulate with @dion for this amazing tutorial ! good work

I've decided for build a LED , as first , i want say " i write in this forum but i'm not interesting to grow weed " ,so.. i want just build a panel LED . This panel led it will consist in :

6x CREE CXA3070 @ 3000K
2x CREE CXA3070 @ 5000K
8X Meanwell LPC-60-1400 Drivers

I'd like have a dimmer like this : (can i put an external link to ebay ? ) http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-Dimmer-...230030?hash=item19d2b48bce:g:UIEAAOSwbqpTseZy , but this can works with 24v , i need something like this but 36v or higher , i can't find it !!? It's possible ? Why ?
What you reccomended ?
Thank you to all community and thank you Dion

hi an welcome i also am not interested in growing weed, it's illegal ;D

so i guess u r in eu because u want to use that driver, i guess you will spend 18.10 euro each one= 144.8 euro

so i instead suggest you try cxb3070 and

https://www.meanwell-web.com/en/adv...words=hlg-185h-c1400a&search_in_description=1

2 of those will run all those cobs and be cheaper and they already have dimming(current reducing diming which increases efficiency instead of PWM dimming like what you are trying to do which pulses the light and sends me on epileptic adventures )

if you already have the parts then i think those drivers are not dimmable(ask grouchy he seems to know how to read driver data sheets better than me)

 

[belivitez]

koon is giving u solid advise his theory will work(in theory i havnt tested it though)

personally i would just get 4 cxb3070 and max out the driver without loosing efficicenty if i were you


also with the 3070 you can use smaller heatsinks(like the apline 11 plus or even apline 11 gt)

so would save about 10 euro there


what size is ur space?

Yes i listen koon's and your advices

I dont have growing space yet.... First i need cobs and all equipment. Then i buy or make a box. I have alot free space in my house...

 

[Dion]

Usually we make a light for the box

So I suggest u get 4 cxb3070 and the driver I linked earlier

It's a really good match for a 60x60 to 70x70 garden

 

[GoeRilla]

Hi to all members !

I'd like have a dimmer like this : (can i put an external link to ebay ? ) http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-Dimmer-...230030?hash=item19d2b48bce:g:UIEAAOSwbqpTseZy , but this can works with 24v , i need something like this but 36v or higher , i can't find it !!? It's possible ? Why ?
What you reccomended ?
Thank you to all community and thank you Dion

Great link.
I found one at a price of 2,29 incl shipping.
I will use it for dimming fans.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-8A-LED-...id=100009&rk=1&rkt=1&mehot=pp&sd=110909230030
Rilla.

 

[Koondense]

Dion, I think belivitez has gone on the cxb3590 route(same as me and many others), which is more expensive but rewarding in many ways.
So what did you get besides the 3500Ks, the 6500K DB or the 5000K CD?

 

[Dion]

Great link.
I found one at a price of 2,29 incl shipping.
I will use it for dimming fans.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-8A-LED-...id=100009&rk=1&rkt=1&mehot=pp&sd=110909230030
Rilla.

as always goerilla you find good stuff

but can this be used to dim leds?

to me it looks like smth we could dim a DC fan with

 

[exploziv]

That's for dimming leds, not fans. More precisely, for dimming 12V led strip.
The description says it will dim the current from 0 to 8 A.
That won't do nothing to the fans, except stop them on the low end. Cause a 12V fan only takes a fraction of an amp, and there is not enaugh resolution on the scale there to have speed control.

 

[ivan2015]

hi an welcome i also am not interested in growing weed, it's illegal ;D

so i guess u r in eu because u want to use that driver, i guess you will spend 18.10 euro each one= 144.8 euro

so i instead suggest you try cxb3070 and

https://www.meanwell-web.com/en/adv...words=hlg-185h-c1400a&search_in_description=1

2 of those will run all those cobs and be cheaper and they already have dimming(current reducing diming which increases efficiency instead of PWM dimming like what you are trying to do which pulses the light and sends me on epileptic adventures )

if you already have the parts then i think those drivers are not dimmable(ask grouchy he seems to know how to read driver data sheets better than me)

great ! that's exactly what i was looking for thank u

 

[Dion]

That's for dimming leds, not fans. More precisely, for dimming 12V led strip.
The description says it will dim the current from 0 to 8 A.
That won't do nothing to the fans, except stop them on the low end. Cause a 12V fan only takes a fraction of an amp, and there is not enaugh resolution on the scale there to have speed control.

so why is it being suggested to use this for 36v cobs?

 

[ivan2015]

one more thing, but where is the potentiometer to control out-voltage in this driver https://www.meanwell-web.com/en/adv...words=hlg-185h-c1400a&search_in_description=1 ?

i'm noob i think i'll buy a led kit from china , DIY is not easy hahahah

 

[GoeRilla]

as always goerilla you find good stuff

but can this be used to dim leds?

to me it looks like smth we could dim a DC fan with

I am not sure if it´s good for dimming leds i doubt its the right way to dim them i think it can confuse the constant current driver. Somebody should try.
It´s a pwm regulator, it works with chopping the power in small onoff sections so the voltage is the same but on off all the time so the average power is lower than full power. It is used to regulate dc motors with ie. Rc cars etc and is fine for a dc fan.
My English is terrible to explain technical stuff.

Rilla.