Breaking Brix: Buck's DIYs

[Graytail]

Ah, ok.

Each diode runs at a nominal 3 volts. It depends on the current, so it can draw as little as 2.5 . Anyway, the voltage of the board depends on how many diodes are wired in series. For example, the 288 boards are wired 16 in series x 18 in parallel (actually two 8x18s), so they run at 48 volts (or less). The 312 board appears to be wired 12 in series x 26 parallel, so it runs at 36 volts. And the 304 board is wired 38 in series x 8 parallel = 114 volts. The big boards get a little hot, so the voltage goes up a tad.

If you look at the board you can see the pattern. Basically it doesn't make a difference in performance. Either 36 or 48 volts will give you enough flexibility in drivers. I'd stay away from the 304 board.

 

[ClobberWatts]

Ah, ok.

Each diode runs at a nominal 3 volts. It depends on the current, so it can draw as little as 2.5 . Anyway, the voltage of the board depends on how many diodes are wired in series. For example, the 288 boards are wired 16 in series x 18 in parallel (actually two 8x18s), so they run at 48 volts (or less). The 312 board appears to be wired 12 in series x 26 parallel, so it runs at 36 volts. And the 304 board is wired 38 in series x 8 parallel = 114 volts. The big boards get a little hot, so the voltage goes up a tad.

If you look at the board you can see the pattern. Basically it doesn't make a difference in performance. Either 36 or 48 volts will give you enough flexibility in drivers. I'd stay away from the 304 board.

Knew it was something like that. I don't like that voltage either. Too fishy. Think I will go for the 312 one. Same price with eight more diodes. Getting 6 for a 4.5 x 4.5 area, or would you recommend the 288. I don't see myself going over 50 watts.

 

[Graytail]

Knew it was something like that. I don't like that voltage either. Too fishy. Think I will go for the 312 one. Same price with eight more diodes. Getting 6 for a 4.5 x 4.5 area, or would you recommend the 288. I don't see myself going over 50 watts.

Yeah, I like the less dense pattern on the 312. That'll help keep heat down.

Are you square with the drivers? You know how to match them to your voltage? 50 watts divided by 36 volts is 1388ma. You could run three each on HLG-120H-C1400s. 3 x 36 = 108 volts, and they'll provide up to 108 volts @1400ma - perfect match. To run all six on one driver, you'll need a HLG-320H-C1400.

Six for a 4x4? You have other lights?

 

[ClobberWatts]

Are you saying six is not enough. It's one foot between the boards.

If it wasn't for Oregon messing with me and losing about ten grand I would. Got about 5 hps, might run one, and just ordered 8 vero 29's for veg room. Drivers? Was thinking of two HLG-240H-C2100B's. I thought I read somewhere from shiggity that it isn't good to run more than three panels on one driver. I'm down to save 50 bucks. Could actually afford to maybe get some seeds. I have all this gear coming with nothing to grow lol.

 

[Graytail]

Well, you'll want at least 35 w/sqft for bloom and 20+ for veg. So you have 20+ sqft, which means you need 700 watts for bloom and 400 for veg. Six panels x 50 watts is only 300 watts.

If you run them at 2100ma and 36 volts, it'll be 75 watts per panel, which means you'll definitely need sinks. And at 450 watts, you'll still come up short.

You want to be careful not to run too many panels in parallel, but series is just fine. IIRC the 120Hs are only $45. The 240H-C2100 delivers 119 volts, so that's good for three panels at 36 volts, and they're $65? If you run them at 50 watts, you save the cost of a heat sink and the drivers are cheaper. But you need more panels and drivers. A third set for instance, would cost another 3 boards and a driver ... $135? Total of $500 for 9 panels and 3 drivers?

That'd be flexible and very efficient. Nice pattern, too - 3x3.

[Edit] Crap, that still comes up short. 9 panels at 50W is still only 450 watts. At 75 watts, it's more like $600 plus aluminum sheets or sinks. Still not bad ...


.

 

[dajerm119]

Damn... wish id of known all this when I bought and built my panels... So these 304 boards are no good? I thought they were highly recommended? Whats the deal ? Was even going to order a bunch in different spectrums to sell here in the US so some people wouldn't have to wait so long to get theirs... IDK about that now though.

 

[dajerm119]

Also, there are a few other options that Kitty sent to me, here they are:

"We also have 48v 128leds, 36v 240leds,48v 288leds,36v 312leds, 48v 800leds pcb and lights, if any interesting.
I will send you more details."

 

[TheGreenYeti]

Im running my 12 304 boards in my 4x8 and its too much. Even at 1120 watts or the 35 watts per foot I am almost cooking plants! My buds are definitely frostier and I pulled some awesome numbers off the last plants i took. I run 3 per driver and believe its actually 80+ watts per board. This is what Shiggs recommended to me and so far i am happy other than them being almost too intense!

 

[dajerm119]

Hey there Yeti, I am definitely happy with mine so far as well. They do get a bit warm, but hey I didn't have to buy a heat sink or mount the drivers outside the tent so its cool. Its just if I buy in bulk to sell in the states, I want to only sell the best, most desirable panels these people offer. I like mine, frosty buds, much denser than before and even the lowest buds are very frosty and nice and dense. Much better light distribution now for sure.

 

[ClobberWatts]

Well, you'll want at least 35 w/sqft for bloom and 20+ for veg. So you have 20+ sqft, which means you need 700 watts for bloom and 400 for veg. Six panels x 50 watts is only 300 watts.

If you run them at 2100ma and 36 volts, it'll be 75 watts per panel, which means you'll definitely need sinks. And at 450 watts, you'll still come up short.

You want to be careful not to run too many panels in parallel, but series is just fine. IIRC the 120Hs are only $45. The 240H-C2100 delivers 119 volts, so that's good for three panels at 36 volts, and they're $65? If you run them at 50 watts, you save the cost of a heat sink and the drivers are cheaper. But you need more panels and drivers. A third set for instance, would cost another 3 boards and a driver ... $135? Total of $500 for 9 panels and 3 drivers?

That'd be flexible and very efficient. Nice pattern, too - 3x3.

[Edit] Crap, that still comes up short. 9 panels at 50W is still only 450 watts. At 75 watts, it's more like $600 plus aluminum sheets or sinks. Still not bad ...


.

That's what I was going to do originally. Now I am confused. Look at shiggs and buck, they are only running 6 panels per 4x4 and they are saying it's too much. I'm getting a quote for 9 today. I already planned on the aluminum anyways so I'm not worried about that. I just thought these guys were running them at 50w not 80. No offense to you, but if these guys are running 6 boards and getting over a thousand ppf, then it kinda throws your theory of 700w for bloom out of the water. Then again, I've seen your setup and I know you know what the heck your talking about. Which is why I'm so confused. ARGH, this is annoying. I've been ordering so many parts I'm just drained right now.

 

[ClobberWatts]

Can I ask why the one supplier only has four boards for a 3x3 then also?

One last thing. Could you PM a link to IIRC? I prob know who it is, but I have seriously been to over a thousand sites for prices for different parts in the last few days that the only IIRC that pops in my head is for wire shelving.

 

[dajerm119]

Can I ask why the one supplier only has four boards for a 3x3 then also?

One last thing. Could you PM a link to IIRC? I prob know who it is, but I have seriously been to over a thousand sites for prices for different parts in the last few days that the only IIRC that pops in my head is for wire shelving.

Ill let the other guys answer and re affirm what I say here about the supplier and why they only use 4 for a 3x3... From what I gather from them they drive them very hard and push each panel, on a heatsink, to around 120-150w ??per board. This is the description for their :
FOLITE-120H-1
Use1pcs HLG-120H-C1400B(54-108v,1400mA) to run 1pcs pcb on 326*195*10mm heatsink.
also include 2m plug wire, 4pcs 0.5m hanging wire, connector, wires , standard package and assemble.
it is usd84.76/set.

FOLITE-240H-2
use 1pcs HLG-240H-C2100B(59-119V,2100mA) to run 2pcs 304 pcb on 1pcs heatsink (632*195*10mm).
also include 2m plug wire, 4pcs 1m hanging wire, connector, wires , standard package and assemble.
it is usd130.63/set.

Hope this helps...

 

[Graytail]

Yes, that's it. They run them hot. And that makes perfect sense from a cost standpoint.

You can run the 312 board up to 150 watts with real, finned sinks. They exaggerate a bit - 600 watts isn't really enough for a 4x4 - but that's the cheap way to go.

I wanted Samsungs for their high efficiency, so I run mine at 50 watts each. I get 1200 umols at 24 inches from my 700 watts, and I get over 180Lu/W. I've gone over the math from several directions, and I'm confidant that it's correct. I'm at a little over 40 W/sqft. You can run the canopy closer with less power, but it won't be as deep.



(Oh, and IIRC is "If I Remember Correctly" - sorry for the confusion)

[Edit] Ack, I didn't mean to dis the 304 board. The only thing I don't like about it is the voltage at 114. That makes it hard to match drivers. The lower 36 and 48 volt boards are better in that regard. I have 14 304s and they're great! But I would've have gotten the 288s if they'd been available at the time, and the 312 looks even better. BTW, the 128 board is mine. A great choice for veg - really cheap.

 

[dajerm119]

Yes, that's it. They run them hot. And that makes perfect sense from a cost standpoint.

You can run the 312 board up to 150 watts with real, finned sinks. They exaggerate a bit - 600 watts isn't really enough for a 4x4 - but that's the cheap way to go.

I wanted Samsungs for their high efficiency, so I run mine at 50 watts each. I get 1200 umols at 24 inches from my 700 watts, and I get over 180Lu/W. I've gone over the math from several directions, and I'm confidant that it's correct. I'm at a little over 40 W/sqft. You can run the canopy closer with less power, but it won't be as deep.



(Oh, and IIRC is "If I Remember Correctly" - sorry for the confusion)

[Edit] Ack, I didn't mean to dis the 304 board. The only thing I don't like about it is the voltage at 114. That makes it hard to match drivers. The lower 36 and 48 volt boards are better in that regard. I have 14 304s and they're great! But I would've have gotten the 288s if they'd been available at the time, and the 312 looks even better. BTW, the 128 board is mine. A great choice for veg - really cheap.

The 128 is yours? Whatcha mean?
Ok, I gotcha on those 304s.. Im thinking of going with the 312 @36v look pretty darn sweet. I have also seen some boards with 308 but i am not sure the voltage on those. They sell them on Alibababababababa. They are configured differently. instead of the long rows running length wise they are shorter rows running the width of the board.

image1.jpeg

• dajerm119
• Feb 25, 2018

308 Board

I'm thinking you can probably figure the voltage on this one... you seem crazy good at this stuff.

 

[Graytail]

It looks like 22 series x 14 (28) parallel, so that'd be 66 volts?

"We also have 48v 128leds, 36v 240leds,48v 288leds,36v 312leds, 48v 800leds pcb and lights, if any interesting. I will send you more details."

^ Those are the boards I designed.

 

[Jgrowlove]

Hey amazing info on the boards and gorgeous frosty plants buck! I just ordered an hlg 300 which has two 288 boards. It claims to use 285 watts and cover an 3x3 flower tent. Think I should run it at 100% or less?

 

[dajerm119]

It looks like 22 series x 14 (28) parallel, so that'd be 66 volts?

"We also have 48v 128leds, 36v 240leds,48v 288leds,36v 312leds, 48v 800leds pcb and lights, if any interesting. I will send you more details."

^ Those are the boards I designed.

Nice Graytail!! Thats awesome! I'd love to design my own.. but Im not great at the maths.

 

[dajerm119]

Hey amazing info on the boards and gorgeous frosty plants buck! I just ordered an hlg 300 which has two 288 boards. It claims to use 285 watts and cover an 3x3 flower tent. Think I should run it at 100% or less?

Well full on thats 31.7 watts per sqft... Id say run it full on and see how they do.

 

[Buckshot317]

My 6 boards are a little different , I'm running a completely different setup. I'm running the chilled boards, they have a 1.25 thick heatsinks with thermal paste in between, they get warm. But I'm running right at 100 watts per board. These are extremely bright but extremely expensive too. I got 2 grand in 600 watts of boards. But it's a different type board.

Now I am running 10 sunboards and wavy boards in a 4x9 veg room. Only driving them at 1400ma, for total of 500 watts. Just 2 drivers, 240h-c1400b's. I'm driving these softer at 1400ma, no heatsinks. I'm getting about 500ppfd at 12 inches

Just got to make sure the connectors on the boards is rated high enough. That's reason shiggs only ran certain # of boards per driver. I would want to run more boards at lower watts, more efficient, boards will last longer, and way better spread. You could do good with 5-600 watts per 4x4 . I went higher, I used 50 watts per sq. Ft

 

[Buckshot317]

IMG_3213.JPG

• Buckshot317
• Feb 24, 2018

Mothers Milk/Starfighter f2