Newbie questions about DIY or lighting kits for a 2'x4' tent

Hi folks, first of all thanks for all the combined knowledge on this forum... it's pretty staggering.

I'm a total noob at this LED stuff, and to be honest my head is spinning. In general I like DIY projects, however I don't really know anything about electricity, so the learning curve is pretty steep. I'm willing to learn, but so far I'm finding it a bit confusing to figure everything out, even when reading some of the "introductory" LED build posts in this forum. Any help and/or suggestions will be MUCH appreciated!

At the end of the day what I'm looking for is the best and most cost effective (up front and long term) way to light a 4x2 tent for full cycle; both veg and flower. I'm in Ontario, Canada, so shipping and availability is a consideration for whatever I end up purchasing. Temperature is also important as my space doesn't have AC.

Based on what I've read, I understand that I should be aiming for ~35-50w/sq.ft. so around 280-400w for this space. Is that correct? After some research it seemed like the most effiecient and cost effective thing would be to build me own light using Samsung F-series LED strips, QB288V2 quantum boards, or COBs. However, after reading a bunch of posts on LEDgardener and here I quickly felt overwhelmed.

Because of that, I began to look at the Chinese-made Quantum Board kits from Meijiu and KingBrite since an "all-in-one" kit seems a bit simpler than figuring out each piece myself. Specifically, I was looking at kits with 2xQB288V2 w/ HLG-240H-48A drivers or 1x800V2 w/ HLG-320H-48A drivers. (Sorry can't post links yet). However, I'm unclear whether this will end up actually being cost effective once shipping and duty is figured in. I'm aslo unsure of whether I would need two of the 240w boards for my space, or whether the one 320w would be sufficient. I realize that 320w is less than the ideal 50w/sq.ft., but reading some other posts here led me to believe that one HLG-320h might be sufficient.

So, what do you all think? Any advice or thoughts about what would be best? Bonus points for any links for step-by-step DIY guides or advice on building frames. Thanks!!

hello and welcome

if you're going to be using modern LEDs which it sounds like you are, 40w/sqft will be plenty. I'd say 50 is too much. i'd look for around 320w. you don't specify a budget in your post. but it will be hard to get for under $400. even with DIY.

https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/collections/kits/products/320w-xl-qb-v2-led-kit
this kit would have everything you need. and you wouldn't need to build a frame because you can hang these directly from the heatsink.
if you want, these people will assemble it and ship it to you ready to hang for an extra 35 bucks.
https://growerslights.com/collections/horticulture-lighting-group-quantum-board-led-kits/products/horticulture-lighting-group-320-watt-xl-quantum-board-led-kit?variant=12610606399589

https://timbergrowlights.com/model-3vl/ this would also work for a ready to hang fixture $449
https://timbergrowlights.com/300-watt-vero29-v7-3-cob-grow-light-kit/ without the frame for $349. and you could get some 1/8" thick aluminum angle from the hardware to build a really simple frame for $30-$40

personally, i wouldn't order from Alibaba because like you said the shipping is enormous, and i don't feel like the prices are worth it as the prices for genuine products from American companies are coming down significantly.

only way to do it cheaper than what i posted is to use strips/cobs and build everything yourself. You'd have to source the diodes, heatsinks, drivers, wire, possible potentiometer. might need to buy some tools like a soldering iron, wire cutters, strippers, wago connectors. so as you can see it could be cheaper or it could wind up being more expensive. only way to decide that is through research and figuring out exactly what you have and what you would need.

in general, i think the timber cob engines that are already built are a great deal, and sourcing all the components on your own wouldn't offer a huge savings.

30 w per square foot is plenty.
50 is for cheap blurple lighting..

Have a look for @jarvild who is running 21w per square foot or something, check out his buds..

Thanks a lot for the replies! This gives me more to consider

pulpoinspace said:

you don't specify a budget in your post. but it will be hard to get for under $400.

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You're right - I didn't really have a specific figure in mind, but the cheaper the better really. However, I don't want to sacrifice quality and then just have to upgrade in 6 months. Ideally, I guess I was hoping to spend less than $400 (CAD), which is why I was considering the DIY LED strip option. Both the Timber and HLG options would be perfect, but the Timber 3VL lamp with shipping is around $712.172 CAD (plus import taxes), while the HLG 320w XL kit works out to $652.80 with taxes and shipping.

I’m in the GTA and just bought an HLG 260 for my 2x4x5. It’s perfect. Assembly is very easy.

Chef420 said:

I’m in the GTA and just bought an HLG 260 for my 2x4x5. It’s perfect. Assembly is very easy.

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Good to hear that the 260 is seeming sufficient. Did you buy from HLG's Canadian site? Last I checked they only had the normal 260 QB not the XL version that is supposed to be better for 2x4.

Anytime ive looked at HLG Canada it seems they don't sell the kits, just premade fixtures. Wonder if its to do with Laws.

Just go Fu Manchu and get a 1ft x 3ft FOTOP 800 Led board or two from Alibaba


Fu King great bargain lol

xthursdayx said:

Good to hear that the 260 is seeming sufficient. Did you buy from HLG's Canadian site? Last I checked they only had the normal 250 QB not the XL version that is supposed to be better for 2x4.

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Just the regular 260 and it seems more than enough.
The fixture required assembly which was easy

Moflow said:

Just go Fu Manchu and get a 1ft x 3ft FOTOP 800 Led board or two from Alibaba

Fu King great bargain lol

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I'm seriously considering this actually... Specifically the FOTOP-V2-320H-1 PLUS 320w quantum board kit from Meijiu.

I spent all day and night yesterday learning about LED strips, drivers, and electrical currents while crunching numbers, in order to design the highest quality and most cost-effective DIY light possible for my space, using Samsung F-series 2' LED strips. At the end of the day though, I found that all of the various strip/driver combinations I tried ended up costing CAD$320-400, or $CAD520-600 with the frame and build materials (not including shipping or tax). These numbers are for around 320-395w of light output or 53,280-64,020 lumens at 162.8-165.9 lm/w.

The most cost effective LED strip/driver combinations (lm/$ without frame) seem to be, in descending order:

1. 2 x HLG-185H-C1400 running 10 x LT-F562B strips;
   
2. 2 x HLG-240H-C1400 running 12 x LT-F562Bs;
   
3. 2 x HLG-240H-24 running 12 x LT-F562Bs;
   
4. 1 x HLG-480H-C1400 running 6 x LT-F564Bs;
   
5. 1 x HLG-480H-48 running 6 x LT-F564Bs.

The most efficient combination (lm/W) is 1 x HLG-480H-24 running 10 x LT-F562Bs.

While the light I designed is customized for my space and so would probably offer the best coverage and light penetration, I'm not sure that the time, effort, and likely additional unaccounted for expenses would be worth it when I can get that 320w 800xLM301b board kit from one of the (seemingly) most reliable producers on Alibaba for CAD$451.05 (including shipping) or alternatively, an HLG 260w QB V2 for CAD$525.11 (including shipping and taxes).

Thoughts?

Hey folks. Hope someone sees this!

I have just read all of the information on this thread. I have just received the components for my planned led build so I’m just looking for some reassurance that I’m on the right track. I’m very mechanically inclined and feel pretty comfortable working with electricity and soldering, however I’ve never built an LED fixture before. I am designing on fusion 360 and will cnc laser cut the reflective canopy/heatsink (from .100 aluminum) for my eb gen 2 strips. I plan to mount using thermal 2 way tape and maybe a couple pop rivets for good measure.

I bought an HLG 320-C700b driver and 11x1120mm 3500k eb gen2 strips (although my calculations say I can only run 10 of them on that driver). Fv:39 current:700ma

Simple on/off switch to the ac power coming into the driver and a 100k potentiometer for dimming with a 10k ohm resistor before the pot to keep a minimum of 10% dimming

Fixture canopy will be 45”x28

Do these figures sound good to flower a roughly 2.5x4 area ? I’m hoping for 800ppfd

Also, I’ve been reading about how potentially dangerous this fixture can be due to it pulling around 400 volts. Are the plastic connectors rated for this voltage? I can’t find anything in the data sheet ? I plan to just use 600v 18awg wire to wire these strips in series.

If driver and fixture are grounded, and I don’t touch live wires... and exercise some common sense, is it really that much of a worry? Is it worth returning and using 2 smaller drivers to keep voltage down?

Opinions and advice are welcomed

Cheers

Unclebilly said:

Hey folks. Hope someone sees this!

I have just read all of the information on this thread. I have just received the components for my planned led build so I’m just looking for some reassurance that I’m on the right track. I’m very mechanically inclined and feel pretty comfortable working with electricity and soldering, however I’ve never built an LED fixture before. I am designing on fusion 360 and will cnc laser cut the reflective canopy/heatsink (from .100 aluminum) for my eb gen 2 strips. I plan to mount using thermal 2 way tape and maybe a couple pop rivets for good measure.

I bought an HLG 320-C700b driver and 11x1120mm 3500k eb gen2 strips (although my calculations say I can only run 10 of them on that driver). Fv:39 current:700ma

Simple on/off switch to the ac power coming into the driver and a 100k potentiometer for dimming with a 10k ohm resistor before the pot to keep a minimum of 10% dimming

Fixture canopy will be 45”x28

Do these figures sound good to flower a roughly 2.5x4 area ? I’m hoping for 800ppfd

Also, I’ve been reading about how potentially dangerous this fixture can be due to it pulling around 400 volts. Are the plastic connectors rated for this voltage? I can’t find anything in the data sheet ? I plan to just use 600v 18awg wire to wire these strips in series.

If driver and fixture are grounded, and I don’t touch live wires... and exercise some common sense, is it really that much of a worry? Is it worth returning and using 2 smaller drivers to keep voltage down?

Opinions and advice are welcomed

Cheers

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The voltage on that driver and config would be very high, I believe there's a 300V max rating on the connectors of those strips. In any case 400V setup is not something I'd run in a grow environment.

Rocket Soul said:

The voltage on that driver and config would be very high, I believe there's a 300V max rating on the connectors of those strips. In any case 400V setup is not something I'd run in a grow environment.

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Thanks for the reply. How would you suggest I run it? Also why would you discourage 400v from a grow room specifically? Potential water hazards? Humidity? Things like that?

as far i remeber there is no max voltage given for the connectors used on the blux strips (just a note in the fineprint for the strips themself), but you can check out the molex lite-trap specs to get a idea.

grounding the fixture wont help you as the power of the driver goes over a isolating transformer so + and - of your DC output side just atract each other dont go to your AC side anyway.
keep your AC side and DC side isolated dont share a ground which have no function.

Unclebilly said:

Thanks for the reply. How would you suggest I run it? Also why would you discourage 400v from a grow room specifically? Potential water hazards? Humidity? Things like that?

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Higher voltage has more chance of injuring you in a humid environment. I try to keep around or below 100V, but ideally CV drivers with low voltage <54V.

Rocket Soul said:

Higher voltage has more chance of injuring you in a humid environment. I try to keep around or below 100V, but ideally CV drivers with low voltage <54V.

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Thanks a lot for helping out.

So I guess now I’m a little confused on spec’ing out a driver for my 10 1120mm eb strips (39v 700ma) So from what I gather, I should be wiring in parallel with a CV driver and multiply my 700ma x 10strips so I should look for a driver with 39v - 7a??

So I only see a 36v model. But as I understand it won’t light the strips without 39v
I see the HLG320H-36A would have an adjustment up to 39v but then it doesn’t have 3in1 dimming capabilities? I’m trying to understand spec’ing for CV drivers. Can I get a driver with higher voltage?

Unclebilly said:

Can I get a driver with higher voltage?

Click to expand...

Indeed.
HLG-320H-42(A, B, or AB.)

Unclebilly said:

, I should be wiring in parallel with a CV driver and multiply my 700ma x 10strips so I should look for a driver with 39v - 7a??

Click to expand...

You've got the right idea. I don't know of a 39V driver, but you're thinking about it correctly.

Use the almighty Octopart search engine, with actual part numbers, for all your compulsive component gathering needs!

Mean well XLG series can also offer some wider ranges of compatibility.