Strip Led wattage for only U channel aluminum for sink?

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crazyhaze1

Well-Known Member
I want to make a grow box using strip lights . I have a vero 29 and really dislike needing active cooling and want a cleaner setup.

I want to surround the perimeter of my box with strip lights with an adjustable “top” light . As the plants grow vertically I can switch on more of the lights around the perimeter and raise my hanging top light made of strips .

What wattage can I drive strip LEDs where the aluminum frame will stay a reasonable temp. ( 30-40C)?
 
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crazyhaze1

Well-Known Member
I was thinking of running the BridgeLux EBs. They run .7A 19V so 14W.

I have 2 HLG 320 2100 , so I plan on running 3 parallel branches of 7 strips off each driver .

What temperatures can I expect the aluminum they are mounted on to reach?
 
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NoWaistedSpace

NoWaistedSpace

Well-Known Member
You should be fine at 700mA. Around 1000mA, strips might begin heating up. My Veros hardly get hot at 700 mA run parallel Vero 29's on 2100-A's
2 in parallel, you would need some kind of heatsink. Just my opinion, not an expert, but I have been building LED lights for almost 3 years, but not too familiar on strip lights.
 
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Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
NoWaistedSpace said:
You should be fine at 700mA. My Veros hardly get hot at 700 mA run parallel Vero 29's on 2100-A's
2 in parallel, you would need some kind of heatsink. Just my opinion, not an expert, but I have been building LED lights for almost 3 years.
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Hea talking about EB STRIPS Not Vero's dude
 
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crazyhaze1

Well-Known Member
NoWaistedSpace said:
Yes, I know that. My point I was making is if a Vero isn't hot at 700mA, then a strip will no way be hot.
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Thanks man that’s what I was looking for . I have vero 29s I’m running at 75w each atm with active cooling , there’s just no way I’d feel safe putting them in a box if a fan ever failed . Buying more sinks and cobs running them less power will run me the same if not more than just buying some strips .

And your right even at .7A your veros are still pulling 25W
 
NoWaistedSpace

NoWaistedSpace

Well-Known Member
I run the 5.88" heatsinks. No problem with heat from the Veros. I'll run them all different ways. Parallel on the Meanwell 2100-A's. They run around 50 watts and stay cool. Heat is what destroys LED's. They will last a long time.
But I also run them hard in series for penetration.
 
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crazyhaze1

Well-Known Member
NoWaistedSpace said:
I run the 5.88" heatsinks. No problem with heat from the Veros. I'll run them all different ways. Parallel on the Meanwell 2100-A's. They run around 50 watts and stay cool. Heat is what destroys LED's. They will last a long time.
But I also run them hard in series for penetration.
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I have some extra artic alpine 64 plus heatsinks with no fans . I’m gonna see if running my vero 29s at 37W will be alright with no active cooling on these sinks .
 
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crazyhaze1

Well-Known Member
NoWaistedSpace said:
I run the 5.88" heatsinks. No problem with heat from the Veros. I'll run them all different ways. Parallel on the Meanwell 2100-A's. They run around 50 watts and stay cool. Heat is what destroys LED's. They will last a long time.
But I also run them hard in series for penetration.
Click to expand...
2 parallel strings of 4 cobs on My HLG 320 2100 is what I’ll try. I just really wanna be able to get good lights in a box without needing active cooling on each sink.
 
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1212ham

Well-Known Member
crazyhaze1 said:
I was thinking of running the BridgeLux EBs. They run .7A 19V so 14W.

I have 2 HLG 320 2100 , so I plan on running 3 parallel branches of 7 strips off each driver .

What temperatures can I expect the aluminum they are mounted on to reach?
Click to expand...
U-channel is more than enough for EB's. I measured something like 114F running naked, no heat sink, none.
 
CannaBruh

CannaBruh

Well-Known Member
Run the EBs soft and just run more of them they don't need heatsinks if you keep the current down.
I like them a lot, a lot lot.

I still run CXB3590s @ 20W/ea but if I could do it all again I'd have gone all in on the gen2 EB strips
 
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crazyhaze1

Well-Known Member
CannaBruh said:
Run the EBs soft and just run more of them they don't need heatsinks if you keep the current down.
I like them a lot, a lot lot.

I still run CXB3590s @ 20W/ea but if I could do it all again I'd have gone all in on the gen2 EB strips
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i feel the same way brotha! I think the strips are the way to go for me since safety is my main concern .
 
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bytal

Active Member
How are you planning on configuring your channel aluminum and strips? Vertically or horizontally?

I was thinkig of doing a simillar thing with side lights running the channels vertically with and external hole in the top and bottom of the channels. This should draw external air in through the channel at the bottom and get heated by the LEDs, pulled up the channel and pushed out the top hole to the outside again, hoping adding less heat to the grow chamber. Could probably run them a bit harder that way.
 
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crazyhaze1

Well-Known Member
bytal said:
How are you planning on configuring your channel aluminum and strips? Vertically or horizontally?

I was thinkig of doing a simillar thing with side lights running the channels vertically with and external hole in the top and bottom of the channels. This should draw external air in through the channel at the bottom and get heated by the LEDs, pulled up the channel and pushed out the top hole to the outside again, hoping adding less heat to the grow chamber. Could probably run them a bit harder that way.
Click to expand...
Hey glad to hear from someone with a similar idea. I plan on making my box frame out of wood . Then I was going to have almost an inner frame a few inches away from the wood made of aluminum with strips running vertically .

I think adding the vertical strips would be interesting since side branches will be directly lighted when otherwise they’d be shaded allowing for more “tops” to grow .

I will have air circulation with inline fans for heat management .

Also id like to have almost notches on my frame so my main light fixture on the top doesn’t have to be “hanging “ just sitting, and I can adjust very easily as needed .
 
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Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
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