Move driver outside tent, which cable?
- Thread starter Mat1111
- Start date
Without knowing the brand/model, or at least being able to see the end - or ends, if they are different - of the cable showing pins and connector type... probably not?
Listersmeghead
Well-Known Member
Alright mat.I want to move my driver outside of the tent but I can't figure out the exact cable I need. Can anyone give me the cable name/type I'm looking for? It's a quantum style board
The cable type should be marked some where on the existing cable as a code.
You're looking at extending the cable that comes from the driver and goes directly to the board, to be able to move the driver and dimmer as one unit
I extended the power cable on one of my older qb style boards. Got everything needed down screwfix.
They've even got the proper ip waterproof rated connectors in the pond pump section of the catalogue.
If you have any trouble finding it I'll dig out my old board and read the code from the wire I used.
I'm not sure how relevant this is because it's a different light but here's another member who did something similar.
Howdy do guys, I've butchered the light and made it so the drivers are outside of the grow space.. Do you want to see how i did it? .........Yeah?
Ok then; here we go.
Sylstar GL4000a driver modification
The Gl400a drivers (transformers) are mounted directly on to the heat sink of the light.They can reach a temperature of 50°C + at full power on a bad day. This, combined with the heat the LEDs create, can cause problems with heat build up in the environment. This is not just confined to this brand of light; there are plenty of others on the market that have the same design and if you don't have an Ac unit and a powerful exhaust systems , this can be an issue in some circumstances.. so, I decided to void my warranty and modify the drivers, so they could be mounted else where.
First things first. Choosing the correct cable..
All quality cables have numbers and identification marks printed on them. The driver cables are 2 core, 1.04 mm squared Wire (that's 17AWG, for our imperial cousins). They have a 300volt rating, the sheathing can withstand temperatures of 150°c and it's chemical resistant.
So, I popped to our local electrical supplier and picked up 2500 mm (8' ISH) of the stuff and also 4 pairs of suitable push fit connectors.
The next thing, is choosing the correct tools for the job
Now, all we need to do, is cut the cable between the driver outputs and the led input. Then bridge them back together with the connectors.
They are only wired with 2 core cable, so you have a positive and negative or a black and red. In the UK, we use brown as live and blue as neutral.. if you are colour blind, you have a 50/50 chance of getting it wrong..
The actual dimming module is already attached to the drivers, so there's no need to do anything with that.
That's the bridge done. Now to make the extension cables.
Now I can remove everything from the back of the light and mount the drivers and dimmer module on to a piece of plywood; that I can keep outside of the tent. The board can be anything, as long as there is an air gap between the driver and the mounting board. It does not need a separate heatsink. As they are originally mounted with only an air gap..
Now for the big moment. The test
- Thread starter
- #5
Alright mat.
The cable type should be marked some where on the existing cable as a code.
You're looking at extending the cable that comes from the driver and goes directly to the board, to be able to move the driver and dimmer as one unit
I extended the power cable on one of my older qb style boards. Got everything needed down screwfix.
They've even got the proper ip waterproof rated connectors in the pond pump section of the catalogue.
If you have any trouble finding it I'll dig out my old board and read the code from the wire I used.
Thanks! My cable says 2X17AWG 1.04mm2. From what I gather I need 2xIP65 junction boxes or inline connectors and a length of 17gauge wire.
- Thread starter
- #6
Thanks for digging this up, it is actually the same brand light so its very similar!
Interesting he didn't go for weather proof connectors
Listersmeghead
Well-Known Member
I used the IP65 inline connectors...there's different sizes, it took me awhile to find small ones.
Quite easy once you get going.
they make an extended cable with the connector. you just need the size. digikey, mouser, amazon etc has them.
the builder started doing that to frustrate folk from using simple computer a/c cords and make it more expensive. the better ones incorporate a fuse or fused link, cheapies are just the connector.
the builder started doing that to frustrate folk from using simple computer a/c cords and make it more expensive. the better ones incorporate a fuse or fused link, cheapies are just the connector.
- Thread starter
- #9
Do you have a link to one? I assumed the driver would be connected to the LED board with some kind of push fit connector but that turned out not to be the case
Do you have a link to one? I assumed the driver would be connected to the LED board with some kind of push fit connector but that turned out not to be the case
just disconnect it and google the same connect type. there's only a few types but they all have various sizes. make sure it's the same type and size.
alternately you could simply splice the same gauge wire in. just do it correct.
Delps8
Well-Known Member
When I added an extension to my Mars SP 3000, I found connectors and wire on Amazon and added the wire between the driver and the light.
The only potential gotcha that I saw was that the wire colors may not match up between. If you have to note down how the different colored wires pair up, it should be smooth sailing.
