Ahhh, I think this just complicated my setup.
Is a junction box just an enclosure to house the wires? Could you point one to me that would work my situation?
I just want to combine the drivers to plug into a single outlet.
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Is a junction box just an enclosure to house the wires? Could you point one to me that would work my situation?
I just want to combine the drivers to plug into a single outlet.
sixstring2112
Well-Known Member
i ues the 5 way- wago connectors to merge 3 or 4 cords into 1 plug,works fine.just make sure you tape up the wagos real well once all the wiring is done just as a safety measure.alot of guys are doing this https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Position-Terminals-Electric-Junction/dp/B012NJUUG4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1485960231&sr=8-3&keywords=junction+box
sixstring2112
Well-Known Member
i bet coberto could sell those boxes if he stocked them 
I'll look into those.
Would this be cleaner and easier? I would connect the female ends to each driver and plug into the wall?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01B8OG51O/ref=mp_s_a_1_40?ie=UTF8&qid=1485969005&sr=8-40&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=2+outlet+power+cable
subb
Well-Known Member
Ok so, I know I still have a lot to learn and I hate to just ask this without really researching it all myself, but let me know if I'm wasting my time:
I'm looking to make a veg light that is for a very short veg box (scrog/lst). Right now I'm using 8x A19 Cree bulbs which actually do work great, but I'd like to replace it with a nice COBs setup.. ideally I would want a short heatsink, just overall short assembly, and also ideally being able to get very close to the plant. The box footprint is only 1.5' x 2' (and 2' high) so it's like a micro grow basically. My flower chamber is twice as high and I have a pretty tall girl in there now flowering and it's working out stellar. I just want to get my Veg chamber as good as my flower chamber at this point (flower chamber has a panel (that will probably be swapped eventually) along with 4x Cree CXB3590 50w COBs at 3500k, dimmable)
Is this veg light do-able? I don't think I would want reflectors or anything (just due to height - is that an issue?), I just want the whole light/heatsink/etc to be as short and cool as possible, able to be a couple inches at most from the canopy, and nothing hot to the touch (above the light is a heavy duty plastic material so this will be mounted at the top as close as possible). I DO have really good airflow, a great exhaust fan and a good amount of PC fans running if that helps.
I think right now my bulb rig is maybe 3-4" high (guessing) - if I can get something shorter/equivalent that would be AMAZING! If so, also, what kind of COBs would you suggest for this? An array of smaller cobs or a couple larger ones? I would assume an array of smaller COBs would be ideal if I'm looking for something giving off less heat and able to get close to/almost touch the canopy as well as the heatsink being close to the top of a "plastic" ceiling? It's a weird heavy duty plastic material... one of those Sterilite Cabinets if you know what they are.
Thoughts/suggestions?
Thanks so much guys!
I'm looking to make a veg light that is for a very short veg box (scrog/lst). Right now I'm using 8x A19 Cree bulbs which actually do work great, but I'd like to replace it with a nice COBs setup.. ideally I would want a short heatsink, just overall short assembly, and also ideally being able to get very close to the plant. The box footprint is only 1.5' x 2' (and 2' high) so it's like a micro grow basically. My flower chamber is twice as high and I have a pretty tall girl in there now flowering and it's working out stellar. I just want to get my Veg chamber as good as my flower chamber at this point (flower chamber has a panel (that will probably be swapped eventually) along with 4x Cree CXB3590 50w COBs at 3500k, dimmable)
Is this veg light do-able? I don't think I would want reflectors or anything (just due to height - is that an issue?), I just want the whole light/heatsink/etc to be as short and cool as possible, able to be a couple inches at most from the canopy, and nothing hot to the touch (above the light is a heavy duty plastic material so this will be mounted at the top as close as possible). I DO have really good airflow, a great exhaust fan and a good amount of PC fans running if that helps.
I think right now my bulb rig is maybe 3-4" high (guessing) - if I can get something shorter/equivalent that would be AMAZING! If so, also, what kind of COBs would you suggest for this? An array of smaller cobs or a couple larger ones? I would assume an array of smaller COBs would be ideal if I'm looking for something giving off less heat and able to get close to/almost touch the canopy as well as the heatsink being close to the top of a "plastic" ceiling? It's a weird heavy duty plastic material... one of those Sterilite Cabinets if you know what they are.
Thoughts/suggestions?
Thanks so much guys!
Smaller COBs for sure. Citi 1212's, or CXM22s and run them real soft. Probably about 700-1000ma depending how many you want to buy, and what heatsink you would want to use.
subb
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the suggestion! Would the top of the heatsink be hot to the touch? The bulbs I use have little "heat fins" on them and they do get pretty warm/hot and I haven't had any issues (but the bulbs themselves are an inch or two away from touching the top)... just as long as it isn't "melt plastic" hot I think I'm good to go.. I think even with a good heatsink the whole assembly would end up smaller than mine currently is. I'm definitely gonna look into rocking this setup.
Thanks!
coreywebster
Well-Known Member
I'm sure it could be done, possibly best with a heat sink from heatsinkUSA, then you could go low profile.
I use pretty big pin fin heat sinks they get to 34degrees C The more heat sink profile you have the less the temp should be.
I use pretty big pin fin heat sinks they get to 34degrees C The more heat sink profile you have the less the temp should be.
subb
Well-Known Member
Perfect. Checking their heatsinks out now.. definitely low profile, and since whole assembly this will be much shorter, I think, than my current bulb setup I can hang it lower.. the airflow across the top is good.. I've got my vents on the left and right sides of the "ceiling" with PC fans blowing across the lights. Definitely gonna go this route, just have to look more into everything in general.
Thank guys
sixstring2112
Well-Known Member
thats def a nice heavy duty option
Anyone else try something like this or have any words of wisdom before I attempt this? Just going to splice into the female ends, solder and wrap in heatsink or electrical tape.
Chronikool
Well-Known Member
Forget cobs...
You don't have much headroom...you want a low profile heatsink
'Quantum boards' for the win...
subb
Well-Known Member
Haven't heard of quantum boards, but you don't think I could make a panel (maybe roughly 12" x 12") that is 3-4" thick? Those low profile heatsinks on heatsinkUSA are less than an inch and a half high, how thick would the other components be?
I'm interested in reading more about quantum boards, though!
CobKits
Well-Known Member
well theyre 50V so your driver might change. i certainly wouldnt throw away the crees id run em softer and stack up more chips beside them (or double your canopy size
havent looked into them but you def lose par with those. i dont see 97 being better than 90 for our purposes. some oth the other really hi cri chips like the vero decor are popular because of the spectrum, cri is just coincidentally high. remember hps is like 20 cri or something.
CobKits
Well-Known Member
i have a handful of them but yeah that could be usefuli bet coberto could sell those boxes if he stocked them
CobKits
Well-Known Member
ive used the ones from home depot
http://www.homedepot.com/p/4-in-x-4-in-x-2-in-PVC-Junction-Box-E989NNJ-CAR/100404097
flat heatsinks from hsusa will do better in your grow. save you lots of height. small chips run soft dont ned much they have some good cheap profiles (4.86?" if i recall)
CobKits
Well-Known Member
you could bolt a quantum to the top of your case. they run up to about 50W without heatsink and is a good call for that application
CobKits
Well-Known Member
looks more robust than a power strip. the molded extension cords with the 3 plugs on the end work as well