DIY with Quantum Boards

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guitarguy10

Well-Known Member
ilovereggae said:
that is a nice driver for sure. the cheapest option I can think of real quick would be to get a 4 pack of the QB120's which can run at 60W each w no heatsink. Some 1/4 angle aluminum would make a cheap and simple frame.

horticulturelightinggroup.com

QB120 V2 Quantum Boards

High Efficiency LED Light Engines. 120pcs Samsung LM301H LED per board
horticulturelightinggroup.com horticulturelightinggroup.com

They run at 24v tho, so you would need to do a parallel-series circuit. 2 boards connected in series splits the voltage, those each connect in parallel back to the driver.

Something like this:

View attachment 4753474

I think that is all correct but someone else pls confirm.
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Perhaps you can clarify something for me. Theres a specification for 240W and 180W. The 240W says its 5A(Input:200-240V) and the 180 says its 3.75A(Input 100-200V).

Since I am using North American 120V does that mean that this driver can only run at 180W (input 100-200V)? and not at 240W which says the input is 200-240V?

If that were the case would I need 4 boards that are 45W each (4x45W =180W)?

Also what's the best spectrum, 3000, 3500 or 4000K?
 
ilovereggae

ilovereggae

Well-Known Member
guitarguy10 said:
Perhaps you can clarify something for me. Theres a specification for 240W and 180W. The 240W says its 5A(Input:200-240V) and the 180 says its 3.75A(Input 100-200V).

Since I am using North American 120V does that mean that this driver can only run at 180W (input 100-200V)? and not at 240W which says the input is 200-240V?

If that were the case would I need 4 boards that are 45W each (4x45W =180W)?

Also what's the best spectrum, 3000, 3500 or 4000K?
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ahh that sucks I didnt realize the ELG series dont give you full output on 120V ;(

The same boards and setup I suggested is still your best bet. You can run them at a lower current, they are actually more efficient that way. they will actually take up to 70W each iirc.

You could also do a fixture with just 3 boards to get your 180. Then you have one left over for another project.

as for what color temp depends on what u plan to use it for.

3000k for flower
3500k if you want both flower and veg
4000k veg

[ EDIT - 3 boards wont work with that driver ]
 
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G

guitarguy10

Well-Known Member
ilovereggae said:
ahh that sucks I didnt realize the ELG series dont give you full output on 120V ;(

The same boards and setup I suggested is still your best bet. You can run them at a lower current, they are actually more efficient that way. they will actually take up to 70W each iirc.

You could also do a fixture with just 3 boards to get your 180. Then you have one left over for another project.

as for what color temp depends on what u plant to use it for.

3000k for flower
3500k if you want both flower and veg
4000k veg
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They don't put out less light at less current?
Sorry LEDs are so new to me that i went back to HID this grow lol, I just can't sell this Telos-0008 so if I can use it's driver with some quantum boards and if I can figure out the what seems fairly basic electronics I'd like to give LED another shot for my next grow.
 
ilovereggae

ilovereggae

Well-Known Member
guitarguy10 said:
They don't put out less light at less current?
Sorry LEDs are so new to me that i went back to HID this grow lol, I just can't sell this Telos-0008 so if I can use it's driver with some quantum boards and if I can figure out the what seems fairly basic electronics I'd like to give LED another shot for my next grow.
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its hard to grasp at first but basically LEDs run more efficiently the cooler they are. So while you would be sending each board less watts, the amount of photons generated per watt increases. (for our purposes we actually measure in lumens per watt).

also check my last post I had edited it with some notes on color temp based on your usage.
 
G

guitarguy10

Well-Known Member
ilovereggae said:
its hard to grasp at first but basically LEDs run more efficiently the cooler they are. So while you would be sending each board less watts, the amount of photons generated per watt increases. (for our purposes we actually measure in lumens per watt).

also check my last post I had edited it with some notes on color temp based on your usage.
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Thank you, I think I know what I'm getting for Christmas now if it's just $132 for 4 boards. Can anyone else confirm for me his wiring, and perhaps expand on its meaning. 24V each, why parallel-series?
 
ilovereggae

ilovereggae

Well-Known Member
correction on the above - you couldn't do a 3 board fixture with that driver since u will need to do parallel-series to get to the right voltage.

will let someone else confirm but basics are this:

Driver 48V
Boards 24V

The driver is putting out 2x the voltage that the board will take. If you tried to hookup only 1 board it would fry it.

In a parallel circuit all modules split the available current. So to start take the 3.75A and split it in half, so each branch gets 1.875A at 48V.

Then to make it work with your boards, connect 2 boards in series to each parallel branch. Series circuits split available voltage. So each board will get 1.875A at 24V.

24 x 1.875 = 45W. Good to go.

Lmk if that makes more sense.
 
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PadawanWarrior

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
ilovereggae said:
correction on the above - you couldn't do a 3 board fixture with that driver since u will need to do parallel-series to get to the right voltage.

will let someone else confirm but basics are this:

Driver 48V
Boards 24V

The driver is putting out 2x the voltage that the board will take. If you tried to hookup only 1 board it would fry it.

In a parallel circuit all modules split the available current. So to start take the 3.75A and split it in half, so each branch gets 1.875A at 48V.

Then to make it work with your boards, connect 2 boards in series to each parallel branch. Series circuits split available voltage. So each board will get 1.875A at 24V.

24 x 1.875 = 45W. Good to go.

Lmk if that makes more sense.
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That sounds right to me. I'm not an expert though.
 
PJ Diaz

PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
PadawanWarrior said:
It looks like you tried to use the RIU10 code too, lol.

I ordered 6 QB96's for $353 last night. I couldn't resist.
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LOL, naw that was a preemptive message.

2com said:
Did you actually make this "purchase"? Funny shit.
I bet you got more qb96s, how many; 6, 8?
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I used my gift cards on a separate purchase of more gift cards for another 20% off. Then I bought more gift cards with those ones. Right now I have $2000 of gift cards from my original $500 purchase. Pretty soon HLG will be paying me!
 
G

guitarguy10

Well-Known Member
ilovereggae said:
correction on the above - you couldn't do a 3 board fixture with that driver since u will need to do parallel-series to get to the right voltage.

will let someone else confirm but basics are this:

Driver 48V
Boards 24V

The driver is putting out 2x the voltage that the board will take. If you tried to hookup only 1 board it would fry it.

In a parallel circuit all modules split the available current. So to start take the 3.75A and split it in half, so each branch gets 1.875A at 48V.

Then to make it work with your boards, connect 2 boards in series to each parallel branch. Series circuits split available voltage. So each board will get 1.875A at 24V.

24 x 1.875 = 45W. Good to go.

Lmk if that makes more sense.
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Where did you get 48V for the drivers output though? I don't see that anywhere on the driver, just 180W, 3.75W(Input: 100-200V)?

Also I really do appreciate your help, I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, I just want to understand what this stuff means before I go commit to a purchase and then before I plug it into the wall and hopefully not start a fire.

They are out of stock of the 3500K boards, would the 'flowering' 4000K boards work find during veg? I'd rather not get a 3000K because I want these for flower mainly.
 
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ilovereggae

ilovereggae

Well-Known Member
guitarguy10 said:
Where did you get 48V for the drivers output though? I don't see that anywhere on the driver, just 180W, 3.75W(Input: 100-200V)?

Also I really do appreciate your help, I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, I just want to understand what this stuff means before I go commit to a purchase and then before I plug it into the wall and hopefully not start a fire.

They are out of stock of the 3500K boards, would the 'flowering' 4000K boards work find during veg? I'd rather not get a 3000K because I want these for flower mainly.
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no worries on the questions that the only way we learn. as far as the colors you have it backwards though. you want 3000k for flower, 4000k for veg.

the driver output is listed there on the top of the driver in the photo you posted. you can also Google the part number to find the datasheet PDF from Meanwell that will explain in more detail.

Screenshot_20201127-234749_Chrome.jpg

sucks about the shipping. have you checked the HLG Canada site or Amazon? they sometimes put them up there too. maybe it would be cheaper that way?
 
PadawanWarrior

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
G

guitarguy10

Well-Known Member
PadawanWarrior said:
You should check HLG Canada.

Horticulture Lighting Group Premium LED Grow Lights for Agriculture

Premiere high end indoor gardening LED grow lights for hobbyists & professionals looking to remove HPS & lower electricity costs by 60% while increasing yields.
www.horticulturelightinggroup.ca www.horticulturelightinggroup.ca
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Damn I'm blind, how did I not see that *doh*

Anyways the Canadian site is pretty expensive, and not much selection I can see, here for quantum boards:
www.horticulturelightinggroup.ca

LED Lamps

www.horticulturelightinggroup.ca www.horticulturelightinggroup.ca

Oh well, I was excited for a minute there, but meh I guess.
 
G

guitarguy10

Well-Known Member
Frank Nitty said:
Where did you look, hlg??? I think I ordered mine from Amazon and I never would have paid 75 dollars regardless of where they came from!!!
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Yes, the picture I attached in that message is from HLG (in USA). I can't seem to find the same quantum boards on amazon.ca (they are probably on amazon.com but I would face the same shipping cost problems).

Yeah I won't pay that lol, but the $180 total it comes to after that shipping (with the discount) is still WAYYY less then a similar board from the HLG canada website, which are several hundred dollars min.
 
G

guitarguy10

Well-Known Member
My stoned brain just realized my sisters fiance is American, we're going to see if he can't help. I'm excited to try good LED boards if I can get this to work, my experience with this Telos-0008 light while not bad is *definitely* not worth its price (which was like $700, fortunately my friend sold it to me for $250 but that is still much more then the performance I've gotten out of it).
 
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