DiY LEDs - How to Power Them

ballist

ballist

Well-Known Member
Would be interesting to see if it could drive a vero 29 at 2,1 amps. A little more Vf and it would manage I suspect.
 
FranJan

FranJan

Well-Known Member
OK gang here's my question/scenario/problem. I have 4 Luminus CXM-22s (4000K) that I'm going to try in my veg cab. I also have 4 630mA CC drivers, 2 NL-HV700 (80-130 VDC), and 2 NL HV630 (45-65 VDC) that are lying around and I would like to use them to cut some costs on this project but I've been smokin' tooooo much lately and could use some input advice to be on the safe side :eyesmoke:. Was going to run 3 CXMs off the HV700, (the CXM-22's Fv range is 33-38 but should never forward more than 34 volts at 630mA), but I figured I needed more light for a 26"x33" footprint than 3 CXMs can do at that mA but 6 CXMs is overkill IMO for basically 6 plants whose growth I don't need to be that explosive, just tight. Was thinking maybe some Buck/Boosts or new drivers to run 3 or 4 CXMs with a bit more power would do but then after reading something Churchhaze said I guess I could wire one HV700 + one HV630 together and just run the 4 CXMs in series with plenty of overhead. Good idea or am I begging for trouble here? Is one of the drivers going to run full out and the other barely or will they share the load and act as on big driver? Is there a better way to wire this project? Can I try to run 2 CXMs off 1 HV700 and hope it can produce the 68 volts DC I need?

watt2.jpg


Also @churchhaze I'm assuming I use one AC power connector and wire the DC connections of the two drivers accordingly and the little magic elves will do their magic :) or do I have to have both drivers powered on? And there's no way these can be run parallel with these drivers? Wouldn't these drivers in a 1 CXM per string x 4 keep the current at 630mA and each string would then use the voltage it required or am I being simple again :)?
Supra, what up baby bongsmilie , I've been meaning to ask you something and maybe I've missed this before but why aren't we using IC drivers to use triac dimmers like these articles suggest? And for that matter how come IC drivers aren't used a bit more around here? I'm not as adept with this stuff as you are so I was wondering what your thoughts on this subject are.
http://www.digikey.com/en/articles/techzone/2011/jul/dimming-leds-with-traditional-triac-dimmers
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/print/volume-9/issue-6/features/understand-triac-dimmer-issues-to-ensure-compatibility-magazine.html
 
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caretak3r

caretak3r

Well-Known Member
SupraSPL said:
Cool driver CT, did you test to see if it puts out the full 3A? Does it have a hard cap at 36V?
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I'll do some more testing to see what I can find out regarding full 3A (pretty sure it does based on the wattmeter testing I've done). Also, I may be ordering a vero29 and can see if it'll fire up in regards to higher vf than 36
 
FranJan

FranJan

Well-Known Member
FranJan said:
...I could wire one HV700 + one HV630 together and just run the 4 CXMs in series with plenty of overhead. Good idea or am I begging for trouble here? Is one of the drivers going to run full out and the other barely or will they share the load and act as on big driver? Also @churchhaze I'm assuming I use one AC power connector and wire the DC connections of the two drivers accordingly and the little magic elves will do their magic :) or do I have to have both drivers powered on?
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Nevermind, figured it out. Wired the two drivers AC inputs together then wired both DC drivers outputs together then connected that Medusa to the 4 CXMs wired in series. Bingo! Instant bigger driver. Why doesn't anyone around here tell me this shit? :). I really want to try to wire them in parallel but fuck it, the wiring's a bigger pain in the ass that way for this little project of mine.
 
C

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
Sorry I didn't reply earlier. I was reading it yesterday while waking up and being talked to irl.

So you wired the 2 current sources in series and then connected that to the 4 cobs in series?

Technically that should work if the current sources can both operate at the same current... unless it doesn't work.

I've never tried doing it with anything other than batteries or lab bench power supplies.

If you connect ideal current supplies in parallel, you should get the combined current. Ideal current supplies have a max output voltage of infinity and min output voltage of 0. Ideal voltage supplies have a max current of infinity (0 output impedance).

What happens with real life power supplies is going to have slightly different results than with ideal supplies, so you may have to try yourself to see if the smoke gets released. If you're still alive and your house is still standing, it worked.

FranJan said:
Nevermind, figured it out. Wired the two drivers AC inputs together then wired both DC drivers outputs together then connected that Medusa to the 4 CXMs wired in series. Bingo! Instant bigger driver. Why doesn't anyone around here tell me this shit? :). I really want to try to wire them in parallel but fuck it, the wiring's a bigger pain in the ass that way for this little project of mine.
Click to expand...
 
FranJan

FranJan

Well-Known Member
Yeah I'm making sure I'll be home for lights on tonight :fire:. Once the XNovas are on I'm going to try to get some readings from both drivers with a multi to see if both drivers are running. The larger driver is running warm but nowhere near anything to be alarmed about so maybe the array is using less volts than the data sheets says, the big driver can handle the extra volts, or the other driver is helping out somehow.

Wired - Copy.jpg
 
uzerneims

uzerneims

Well-Known Member
So my finalisation -
Running V29 with 1.4A, can they be run at 36V, specs show lowest 2.1A 38vF...?
Other veros will be runned with MW LPC-60-1400 (easy available for now, so that's why, can't take them for all cobs)
Next i will have 4 CXA's - wich will be runned with stock chinese PFC 36V drivers 1500mA +/-5% this feel ok...

So only thing about which i have concerns - can vero29 be runned with 1400mA 36V chinese drivers...
Thanks
 
uzerneims

uzerneims

Well-Known Member
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AquariusPanta

AquariusPanta

Well-Known Member
uzerneims said:
So that's what is messing me up - Can Vero29 be runned with 36 vF

Definitely i could run CXA3070, but V29?

This driver:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111430422865?var=410417333487
On picture it says 38V, descriptions says 36V...
Cheapest one...


And second choice, PFC , 88% efc.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221514817725?var=520367174897
38V


Or 39V, mysterious, no PFC, no efc written or smth:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131274527292

I think, that Veros29 would go great by those mysterious ones right?
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According to the data sheets, Vero 18's and 29's can be ran at 36 volts; the Vero 29 would need to be ran at a low current such as 700mA.

I recently picked up some new MeanWell PLD-25-700's from Mouser - were around $18 a piece I think. They offer versatility between use of the 18 and 29 and provide a decent efficiency of around 86% when ran at 70% or more (check the datasheet for more).

A question: would it be necessary to add some sort of fuse to a power cord that had 6x drivers attached to in parallel, for a total of ~4A draw? I wanted to solder the AC IN wires from all the drivers I have into a single power supply cord, rated at 15A.
 
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uzerneims

uzerneims

Well-Known Member
AquariusPanta said:
According to the data sheets, Vero 18's and 29's can be ran at 36 volts; the Vero 29 would need to be ran at a low current such as 700mA.

I recently picked up some new MeanWell PLD-25-700's from Mouser - were around $18 a piece I think. They offer versatility between use of the 18 and 29 and provide a decent efficiency of around 86% when ran at 70% or more (check the datasheet for more).

A question: would it be necessary to add some sort of fuse to a power cord that had 6x drivers attached to in parallel, for a total of ~4A draw? I wanted to solder the AC IN wires from all the drivers I have into a single power supply cord, rated at 15A.
Click to expand...
Ohh... ok! then buying 36V driver @ 1400/1500mA would be fine...
 
SupraSPL

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
AquariusPanta said:
According to the data sheets, Vero 18's and 29's can be ran at 36 volts; the Vero 29 would need to be ran at a low current such as 700mA.

I recently picked up some new MeanWell PLD-25-700's from Mouser - were around $18 a piece I think. They offer versatility between use of the 18 and 29 and provide a decent efficiency of around 86% when ran at 70% or more (check the datasheet for more).

A question: would it be necessary to add some sort of fuse to a power cord that had 6x drivers attached to in parallel, for a total of ~4A draw? I wanted to solder the AC IN wires from all the drivers I have into a single power supply cord, rated at 15A.
Click to expand...
Normally a fuse is used to protect the wires from overheating in the case of a short. So they are installed as close to the power source as is reasonable. In this case the fuse is the breaker for that AC circuit. In other words, if you install a fuse on the AC side the only thing it will protect is wire between it and the driver. The DC side is another story, but luckily most of our drivers have short circuit protection built in.

One thing you can do to increase safety is to plug your system into a GFCI. It helped me discover a slightly faulty extension cord socket last year just because the extension cord was in the same circuit powering a fan. When the cord got jiggled it set off the GFCI shutting the whole circuit down and I found the culprit after some testing. (One of those older extension cords that dont grab as tightly as the new ones)
 
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AquariusPanta

AquariusPanta

Well-Known Member
@uzerneims

As an example, if you had a single Vero 29 and wanted to pair it with a driver that had a voltage range of 24-36V, such as the PLD-25, you would need to make sure that the current the driver supplied was low enough to keep the voltage of the Vero 29 within the the range of the driver - otherwise the driver has to work harder, or worse it gives up. The lower the amps being fed to COB, the cooler it will run, hence improved efficiency at lower currents. This also translates into lowet voltage.

To gain a proper understanding, you will need to look at the data sheets DigiKey or BridgeLux offers - they will provide various, typical outcomes of running COBs at standard currents.
 
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uzerneims

uzerneims

Well-Known Member
AquariusPanta said:
@uzerneims

As an example, if you had a single Vero 29 and wanted to pair it with a driver that had a voltage range of 24-36V, such as the PLD-25, you would need to make sure that the current the driver supplied was low enough to keep the voltage of the Vero 29 within the the range of the driver - otherwise the driver has to work harder, or worse it gives up. The lower the amps being fed to COB, the cooler it will run, hence improved efficiency at lower currents. This also translates into lowet voltage.

To gain a proper understanding, you will need to look at the data sheets DigiKey or BridgeLux offers
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I have lurked them all the way... Thanks for trying to explain this for me, haha.
Yes, i will have single V29 and 36V driver, wich puts out 1500mA, chinese driver...


F**k it, i will just take all chinese 39V ^_^
 
C

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
45-55V@630mA
80-130V@630mA

You probably won't get intended results putting those 2 current supplies in parallel like that. The reason is because they don't have the same output voltage range. Since the 2 are in parallel, the voltage across them must be the same, so either 80V is being pulled down to 55V, or 55V is being pulled up to 80V or they're meeting somewhere in between... Bottom line is that it's probably not doing what you think it's doing.

What would likely work with those particular drivers is running them in series to increase your max output voltage so the cobs can drop more voltage and still draw 630mA.

130V + 55V would give you a max voltage of 185 (and a min voltage of 125V)
FranJan said:
Yeah I'm making sure I'll be home for lights on tonight :fire:. Once the XNovas are on I'm going to try to get some readings from both drivers with a multi to see if both drivers are running. The larger driver is running warm but nowhere near anything to be alarmed about so maybe the array is using less volts than the data sheets says, the big driver can handle the extra volts, or the other driver is helping out somehow.

View attachment 3329570
Click to expand...
 
uzerneims

uzerneims

Well-Known Member
So Screen Shot 2015-01-13 at 01.46.02.png
Driver selection voltages - 33.9 min hot, Vf.
Just 36V are much cheaper and PFC, than 39V, i'm just making order soon, really need to know asap.
 
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