COB build flickering again..

Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
FranJan said:
OK we need to get some readings from your circuit. Wire the circuit up like you had it originally. Just connect the wires you used to measure the amps with together, we may need them later, then remove the driver from the circuit. You should have two unconnected wires now, one negative and one positive. We are going to get a few readings here first. Odd readings here means it's a COB or wiring error in your circuit.

Set the multimeter to Vdc 2000m or 200m and make sure the red probe isn't in the 10 amp plug. Your going to connect the positive wire to the red probe and neg to the black probe. Take a reading with both the 2000 and 200 settings. Then tell me what numbers you get.

Al I have work in a few hours so I may pass out on you.
Click to expand...
You're probably asleep but I did as you said. The readings were the same on both settings. If I am reading them correctly, 200mV read around 11.0 and 2000mV read around 011
 
FranJan

FranJan

Well-Known Member
Actually Al I think that's good. This might be just a bad driver after all. Let's take another reading. Now disconnect the negative probe and touch the negative contact of the first COB of the circuit. In other words the first COB after the driver. Take a reading. Do this for every COB now. Just touch the negative and take a reading. The numbers should be higher here. You should also check each COB individually this way. In other words on each COB put the red on +, the black on the - and take a reading. We're looking for big inconcistencies in these numbers. And once again since you are on 200 just check the heatsinks one more time. A reading here means you're shorted. We're probably good to go here but I gotta be sure.
And what are you using to power your fans?
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
FranJan said:
Actually Al I think that's good. This might be just a bad driver after all. Let's take another reading. Now disconnect the negative probe and touch the negative contact of the first COB of the circuit. In other words the first COB after the driver. Take a reading. Do this for every COB now. Just touch the negative and take a reading. The numbers should be higher here. You should also check each COB individually this way. In other words on each COB put the red on +, the black on the - and take a reading. We're looking for big inconcistencies in these numbers. And once again since you are on 200 just check the heatsinks one more time. A reading here means you're shorted. We're probably good to go here but I gotta be sure.
And what are you using to power your fans?
Click to expand...
So keep the positive lead hooked to the cob where the positive from the driver had been previously? Then touch each of the cobs on the negative with the negative probe going down the line, starting with the cob that was attached to the negative from the driver?
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
FranJan said:
Actually Al I think that's good. This might be just a bad driver after all. Let's take another reading. Now disconnect the negative probe and touch the negative contact of the first COB of the circuit. In other words the first COB after the driver. Take a reading. Do this for every COB now. Just touch the negative and take a reading. The numbers should be higher here. You should also check each COB individually this way. In other words on each COB put the red on +, the black on the - and take a reading. We're looking for big inconcistencies in these numbers. And once again since you are on 200 just check the heatsinks one more time. A reading here means you're shorted. We're probably good to go here but I gotta be sure.
And what are you using to power your fans?
Click to expand...
Just took reading from the +/- directly from each cob. readings were all 0.8.

I didn't quite follow the instructions about touching the heatsink so I touched the positive lead to the positive on the cob and used the negative probe to poke the heatsink. The reading did not change once. it stayed at 0.00
 
FranJan

FranJan

Well-Known Member
OK looks like we've got a good circuit. Now I haven't got a chance to crunch numbers but 6 COBs will run off that driver, right? And that driver can be run without a dimmer/pot installed, right? I think trying the new driver without the pot wired in should be next.
 
FranJan

FranJan

Well-Known Member
And on the heatsink thing just touch both probes to each heatsink. We're looking to see if there is some circuit being made.

My boss needs to lighten up.
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
FranJan said:
OK looks like we've got a good circuit. Now I haven't got a chance to crunch numbers but 6 COBs will run off that driver, right? And that driver can be run without a dimmer/pot installed, right? I think trying the new driver without the pot wired in should be next.
Click to expand...
Excellent, that is what I will do next. This driver is rated for 5.2 cobs per @SupraSPL and the graph that he so kindly put together. I believe that the driver is rated to function without a dimmer installed, yes.
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
FranJan said:
And on the heatsink thing just touch both probes to each heatsink. We're looking to see if there is some circuit being made.

My boss needs to lighten up.
Click to expand...
Got it, done. Nothing but zeros.

He sure does! Tell him I said that you deserve a raise!
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
Thank you @FranJan ,@SupraSPL ,@Getgrowingson , and all of the others (way too many for role call..) that helped me try and get to the bottom of this. However, I think it's time to hang up the DMM and give in to my own shortcomings and scrap this project......


PSYCH!!!!
IT'S FIXED!!!!!

Stupid driver took a chit on me... I hope getting it replaced through warranty isn't too much trouble, thing was expensive and didn't even make it through one cycle..
 
gk skunky

gk skunky

Well-Known Member
Sweet glad I was right. Lmao glad you were able to figure it out. Nice to have others like this at your disposal to gather info.

DIY build=0
Community=1

LOL

Now let's see what that baby can do.
 
silvrsurfer77

silvrsurfer77

Well-Known Member
If it helps you, I had no issues before adding a 100kpot, once I did... it flickered when I touched the wires, tried to solder a more solid connection to the pot and flickering stopped but pot stopped working, took pot off no flickers....
 
FranJan

FranJan

Well-Known Member
What, u fixed it???? Dammit Al, I spent all afternoon studying dimming, dimmable drivers and potentiometers! Now what am I gonna do with all that knowledge? :)

It is pretty amazing that this seems to be one of the few times a Meanwell went south :o.

Good luck Al, and don't foget to share some pix of the dank you're gonna grow with that beast!
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
silvrsurfer77 said:
If it helps you, I had no issues before adding a 100kpot, once I did... it flickered when I touched the wires, tried to solder a more solid connection to the pot and flickering stopped but pot stopped working, took pot off no flickers....
Click to expand...
That's interesting, this whole thing started before I ever had a pot and I had plastic covers over the exposed wires the whole time
 
Al Yamoni

Al Yamoni

Well-Known Member
FranJan said:
What, u fixed it???? Dammit Al, I spent all afternoon studying dimming, dimmable drivers and potentiometers! Now what am I gonna do with all that knowledge? :)

It is pretty amazing that this seems to be one of the few times a Meanwell went south :o.

Good luck Al, and don't foget to share some pix of the dank you're gonna grow with that beast!
Click to expand...
You're very kind and one of a kind at that, thank you from the bottom of my heart, seriously!

Pics of it in action coming tonight once I'm home and she's all cleaned up.
 
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