Enaks 12x CXB3590 COB 2 panel DIY LED

Enak11

Member
I went ahead and ordered these items for my build:

12x Cree CXB3590 3500K CD Bin 80 CRI 36v

12x Ideal 50-2303

12x Ideal 50-2300AN

12x F13838_Angelina-XW (LEDIL)

3x Meanwell HLG-240H-C1750B

12x PLC140MM Anodized heatsinks

I haven't decided how I will mount them yet. I'm leaning towards either angled aluminum or hollow bar aluminum so that I can change the angle of the lights similar to netherfly build. Looking for other ideas on how to frame and mount if anyone has any.
 

BM9AGS

Well-Known Member
You're gonna hate that kit!!!! Super loud!

The charcoal will forever come out of that filter just how they are. No biggie
 

BM9AGS

Well-Known Member
The stealth ones are great from what I've seen. Mine is a soler&palau td-150 silent and it's awesome.....but I got it off eBay for $100 new and was just lucky.
 

Enak11

Member
I think I might have been confused. Does the filter come filled with charcoal already? For some reason I thought I would have to fill it.

Also, I have some questions about wiring this up. Should I use 18ga wire or should I get thicker 22ga wire?

Also, is there a easy way to connect the 3 drivers together into one wall plug or do I have to use 3 plugs, one for each driver? Is there any pros and cons to doing it either way?

Is there a way to have 1 dimmer that controls all 3 panels or do I have to have a separate dimmer for each driver?

Finally, the heatsinks I ordered do not have a hole drilled to run the wire through (like netherfly build). Is there any value in drilling the heatsinks to push the wire through the back or is it only aesthetic?

I am completely new to electrical work so still learning as much as I can about how I'm gonna put it together. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge.
 

Enak11

Member
I think I might have been confused. Does the filter come filled with charcoal already? For some reason I thought I would have to fill it.

Also, I have some questions about wiring this up. Should I use 18ga wire or should I get thicker 22ga wire?

Also, is there a easy way to connect the 3 drivers together into one wall plug or do I have to use 3 plugs, one for each driver? Is there any pros and cons to doing it either way?

Is there a way to have 1 dimmer that controls all 3 panels or do I have to have a separate dimmer for each driver?

Finally, the heatsinks I ordered do not have a hole drilled to run the wire through (like netherfly build). Is there any value in drilling the heatsinks to push the wire through the back or is it only aesthetic?

I am completely new to electrical work so still learning as much as I can about how I'm gonna put it together. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge.
Can someone please shed some light on some of these questions I have?
 

BM9AGS

Well-Known Member
The filter is ready to use.

I think most guys use 16 gauge

Pretty sure you can connect each driver to same plug but I'd do it individually myself.

Contact northern grow lights he has an awesome dimmer

Drilling heatsink for wire.....no difference
 

Enak11

Member
After thinking about it I'm considering keeping these lights separate and making 3 4 cob panels so that I can control height better if a couple plants need the light closer while others need it further. Especially if I were to grow and sativa and indica at the same time I'd want better control of the light heights right?

If each COB is running at about 1.5 amps (this is an assumption, please correct me if I'm wrong) then I would need a timer that supports at least 18 amps for this build right?

I was looking at this timer that has 3 plugs but only supports 15 amps. https://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-TN311-Heavy-Grounded-Timer/dp/B005MMSTNG/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1466555710&sr=1-3&keywords=3+outlet+electrical+timer

What would happen if I used a timer that didn't support the right amount of amps? Would it just not work?
 

BM9AGS

Well-Known Member
After thinking about it I'm considering keeping these lights separate and making 3 4 cob panels so that I can control height better if a couple plants need the light closer while others need it further. Especially if I were to grow and sativa and indica at the same time I'd want better control of the light heights right?

If each COB is running at about 1.5 amps (this is an assumption, please correct me if I'm wrong) then I would need a timer that supports at least 18 amps for this build right?

I was looking at this timer that has 3 plugs but only supports 15 amps. https://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-TN311-Heavy-Grounded-Timer/dp/B005MMSTNG/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1466555710&sr=1-3&keywords=3+outlet+electrical+timer

What would happen if I used a timer that didn't support the right amount of amps? Would it just not work?
No.....on the Amps assumption. Any cheap 3 pronged timer will do just fine for 12 cobs the one on Amazon works fine.
 

wsntme

Well-Known Member
Your amperage per cob is up to you, decided by the output of your CC (constant current) driver. Of course you must stay within the wattage rating of your chips ( volt x current). I have the Mau5 kit from cutter, so my cobs are driven at 1.4a at full power.

With 5 cobs @ ~36v this is close to 250 watts from the driver, which is -260 watts at the wall (kill-a-watt verified). So around 2.1 amps.

If you ran your chips similarly, each string of 4 would be less than 2amp...meaning <6a for all 3 strings of 4.

After thinking about it I'm considering keeping these lights separate and making 3 4 cob panels so that I can control height better if a couple plants need the light closer while others need it further. Especially if I were to grow and sativa and indica at the same time I'd want better control of the light heights right?

If each COB is running at about 1.5 amps (this is an assumption, please correct me if I'm wrong) then I would need a timer that supports at least 18 amps for this build right?

I was looking at this timer that has 3 plugs but only supports 15 amps. https://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-TN311-Heavy-Grounded-Timer/dp/B005MMSTNG/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1466555710&sr=1-3&keywords=3+outlet+electrical+timer

What would happen if I used a timer that didn't support the right amount of amps? Would it just not work?
 
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Enak11

Member
I'm wondering which potentiometer I should go with? I see a lot of people using a 100k in their builds so I was looking for one of those. I was looking for one that had markings on it so if I had my 3 bars side by side I could put them all on the same brightness but the ones I'm finding don't seem to have any markings on them. Can you guys tell me what I'm missing?

Sorry in advance if this question is dumb.
 

Organic Miner

Well-Known Member
I went ahead and ordered these items for my build:

12x Cree CXB3590 3500K CD Bin 80 CRI 36v

12x Ideal 50-2303

12x Ideal 50-2300AN

12x F13838_Angelina-XW (LEDIL)

3x Meanwell HLG-240H-C1750B

12x PLC140MM Anodized heatsinks

I haven't decided how I will mount them yet. I'm leaning towards either angled aluminum or hollow bar aluminum so that I can change the angle of the lights similar to netherfly build. Looking for other ideas on how to frame and mount if anyone has any.
Where did you order your stuff from? I am having a hard time finding some place with a enough reflectors in stock to build ny setup.
 

ichabod crane

Well-Known Member
Also, for the end of the driver that plugs into the wall would it be better to use something like this http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-15-Amp-125-Volt-Double-Pole-3-Wire-Grounding-Plug-Black-R50-3W101-00E/205165472 or would it be better to buy a 15 ft extension cord and cut the end off and solder it to the driver?

Ideally I could make the power cord maybe 10 ft long. Are there other options here that I didn't find?
Get a box and mount something like this in the box.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0123C8392/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1466712761&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=c-14&dpPl=1&dpID=41yVMcGjSyL&ref=plSrch

So you have some thing like this. I mounted a switch to turn mine off with. To run your ballast cord into the box use a pg9 gland. It looks like this.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BXWVLNE/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466712942&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=pg+9+cable+gland&dpPl=1&dpID=41umnIiOaWL&ref=plSrch
 

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Enak11

Member
Where did you order your stuff from? I am having a hard time finding some place with a enough reflectors in stock to build ny setup.
I bought my heatsinks from Northerngrowlights.com and I bought my cobs, reflector and holders from pacificlightconcepts.com. Send them a message asking if they have stock. PLC was showing oos on their website but when I messaged he had some.
 
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Enak11

Member
Did the box come with the potentiometer? How do you tell what strength it's turned up to so that you can make both lights at the same strength?
 
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