Two HLG driver choices for four 3590s - Which one and why?

[Rider509]

I'm just curious as to the thinking that goes into choosing a driver. Both the 1750 and 2100 will drive four 3590s. What makes one more suitable than the other for a given design?

 

[I like Cheese]

The hgl 320h c700. Will run 12 cobs at 25w. The hgl 320h c1400 will run 6 cobs at 50w. The softer you run the cobs the more umols you get out of them. The 320h c700 is much more efficient but, you have to use more money on the build.

 

[thebudking]

That is completely false.....

Any hlg 320 will run 8 3590 cobs. This is how it works. The hlg 320 runs 320 volts, it takes 36 volts to fire a 3590 so...320 ÷ 36 is 8.88888 meaning it can run 8 cobs. Now for the amps, that tells you the wattage each cob will put out. For an hlg320-1400 you can push 8 cobs at 56 watts. If you ran an hlg185-1400 you can run 4 cobs at that same 56 watts output. You can run the 1750 or 2100 but the efficiency will fall off, they will run alot hotter and the life span will be shorter. The most popular way to run them is with an hlg320-1050, run cooler, plenty of light and very efficient. I currently run cxb3070 because i built mine 2 years ago before the 3590 and i run 1400ma. The 3590 running 1050ma will give you more output than the 3070 running 1400ma due to the fact that there are 50 more leds on the cob.

That being said in a rambling mess...run 8 cobs with the hlg320-1400.

 

[Rider509]

 

[Rider509]

The hgl 320h c700. Will run 12 cobs at 25w. The hgl 320h c1400 will run 6 cobs at 50w. The softer you run the cobs the more umols you get out of them. The 320h c700 is much more efficient but, you have to use more money on the build.

And the 1750 will run 5 3590s at 64W and the 2100 will run 4 at 79W, and and and...that's not what I asked, but thank you.

That is completely false.....
Any hlg 320 will run 8 3590 cobs. This is how it works. The hlg 320 runs 320 volts, it takes 36 volts to fire a 3590 so...320 ÷ 36 is 8.88888 meaning it can run 8 cobs.

Close, but no cigar. The driver has a constant current region within which the total forward voltage of the COBs has to fit. A 320H-C2100 won't run 8 3590s in series. Neither will the 320H-C1750, or 320H-C1400.

 

[Rider509]

My question was specific to these four COBs and two drivers. Let's say you have only these four COBs and only these two dimmable drivers to chose from. Which do you chose and what drove your decision? I'm just curious to know what others who have designed systems think is important.

Think of it this way. You are spec'ing the 747 for a client and you know you need about 200N to 250N of thrust per engine. The Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7, Rolls-Royce RB211-524, and the GE CF6 all fulfill that requirement with slight variations in max thrust and efficiency.

You are the designer. Are you making an informed decision or just going with what worked for GrowMau5 Air?

 

[I like Cheese]

My question was specific to these four COBs and two drivers. Let's say you have only these four COBs and only these two dimmable drivers to chose from. Which do you chose and what drove your decision? I'm just curious to know what others who have designed systems think is important.

Think of it this way. You are spec'ing the 747 for a client and you know you need about 200N to 250N of thrust per engine. The Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7, Rolls-Royce RB211-524, and the GE CF6 all fulfill that requirement with slight variations in max thrust and efficiency.

You are the designer. Are you making an informed decision or just going with what worked for GrowMau5 Air?

I am totally new to cobs and trying to learn all i can and I did think my answer was like trying to teach grandma how to suck eggs and it was
I think a lot of people will be jumping on Growmau5 air until they have accuiered the knowledge to work these things out. I mean, if YOU do not know...............

 

[thebudking]

Hey guys so first off I have to apologize for my previous post sometimes my brother gets on my computer, smoke too much, doesn't realize which account is logged into and he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about so if you read about a 420 form related murder you know what happened.

 

[gbauto]

Is there an appreciable difference in luminous output at those drive currents?

 

[Rider509]

I think a lot of people will be jumping on Growmau5 air until they have accuiered the knowledge to work these things out. I mean, if YOU do not know...............

I do know, and I was hoping to hear the thoughts of others that know. I have my own rationale for my design parameters but am curious as to the choices others have made. Just idle curiousity.

 

[Rider509]

Is there an appreciable difference in luminous output at those drive currents?

There is about a 6lm/W increase at 1750mA vs 2100mA.

 

[gbauto]

What is the actual lumen output at those drive currents? That info can help me see if the loss in efficacy is less important than umph. I like the idea of using a dimmable driver so that I can run the arrays at a lower drive current(and gain efficacy) when penetration isn't a priority and then have the ability to pump out some photons when needed by increasing driver current.

 

[Rider509]

This thread was supposed to be a "why did", not a "how to", but seeing as it failed miserably...

Here ya go. Do a search for Cree Product Characterization Tool and you can play around with it to get a better idea of how different drive currents affect output and a number of other parameters. Enjoy!

 

[LEDBud]

I just picked up a mean well 320w only with adjustable current and voltage , out of your two choices the 1750ma version is the more efficient one.

You can run 5 3590's at 1750 ma = 175 volts out of a possible 183 volts for 59 watts with the ability to Dim down.

A 1400 ma 320w driver is a more efficient choice if you had the option.

( deleted the math errors )

 

[Rider509]

The 36V 3590 has a Vf of 34.9 @ 1750ma, and 35.5 @ 2100ma. That's 209.4V and 177.5V respectively, given your 6 and 5 COBs. As the 320-1750 has a Vmax of 183V and the 320-2100 has a Vmax of 152V I question whether those drivers will run 6 and 5 COBS. I've got extra 3590s so I'll have to add a COB to 320-2100 driven four COB system and see if it fires. The worst that can happen is nothing lights up.

I think if you want to run 6 3590s you'd have to use the 320-1400 for 48W per COB, which is a really sweet setup.

 

[LEDBud]

Mean well has a bag load of driver options for both series and parallel wring I ended up going with a 8.9A 36v parallel version that will also drive six 3590's

Although I'm building two panels from sixteen CXA2530's powered @ .550ma using the 8.9A mean well.
The 2530's are a max 65w chip that will run at about 20 watts if powered @ .550ma

They will be mounted with alternating 3000k and 4000k cobs on each of eight 80mm heatsink / fan combos.

Waiting for a slow boat from China for them but they were cheap enough at $12 ea. making the wait less painful.

 

[Rider509]

That's awesome, LEDBud. I'm looking forward to seeing that build. I'm thinking of doing some series/parallel COB fixtures as well. Just need to figure out a protection circuit should things go awry.

 

[LEDBud]

How about using a high temperature cut off probe bonded onto each cobs body or edge and wired in line.

Ive seen little temperature cut off micro probes like that somewhere before , when a set temperature is reached they open internally on a micro scale not much bigger then a pin head stopping the flow of electricity then close back up once cooled.

 

[JimmyJames905]

I want to run 73 Cree COBs on a HLG 120 c1050. That'll fit right?
.

 

[JimmyJames905]

How about using a high temperature cut off probe bonded onto each cobs body or edge and wired in line.

Ive seen little temperature cut off micro probes like that somewhere before , when a set temperature is reached they open internally on a micro scale not much bigger then a pin head stopping the flow of electricity then close back up once cooled.

You can use a thermalcouple connected to a NC thermal switch.
Bridgelux LED Arrays: Thermocouple Measurements - YouTube