Bridgelux EB Series Build

[brahbbyB]

Nice work! The Samsungs are a little thinner too, so you could pack them in a little tighter if you wanted to.

As for driving them. you could find a meanwell AC/DC driver that can handle the forward voltage for all of your strips or use and AC/DC + DC/DC drivers for each string(s). I went with the LDD to keep the voltage under <50V for safety purposes. To drive the LDD-xxxxH's you have to have an input voltage ~3V higher than the output according to the datasheet.

 

[PicklesRus]

Here is a little price comparison:

Drivers: Mouser
Bridgelux EB LEDs: Digikey
Samsung H Series LEDs: Arrow

Unless I've fried my brain with all these spreadsheets, Bridgelux EB @ half rated max current (700ma) outputs the same lumen per 4' strip as a T5HO.

With a HLG-185H-C700 you can fit 6.5 strips - that makes it not only best bang for buck compared to the Samsung it also makes it cheaper upfront than t5ho for the same lumen output @ 159lm/w

The owner of this thread is running them at 1000ma - I took the data from EB Datasheet that shows running at 1000ma. Yuo could fit 5.3 EB strips on a HLG-240H-C1050 - detailed at the top of the first table.

So there's a company Transcend LED that sells 4' light bars they claim are twice the output of a T5HO with over 2umol/j efficiency. If that's true, I think they are using strips that have two rows of LEDs on them.

Comparing those two options, they are the same upfront cost if you don't include heatsinks. The trade off is maybe 10+ less lm/w efficiency for a gain of more 4000 more lumens.

 

[PicklesRus]

Here is a little price comparison:

Drivers: Mouser
Bridgelux EB LEDs: Digikey
Samsung H Series LEDs: Arrow

Unless I've fried my brain with all these spreadsheets, Bridgelux EB @ half rated max current (700ma) outputs the same lumen per 4' strip as a T5HO.

With a HLG-185H-C700 you can fit 6.5 strips - that makes it not only best bang for buck compared to the Samsung it also makes it cheaper upfront than t5ho for the same lumen output @ 159lm/w

The owner of this thread is running them at 1000ma - I took the data from EB Datasheet that shows running at 1000ma. Yuo could fit 5.3 EB strips on a HLG-240H-C1050 - detailed at the top of the first table.

So there's a company Transcend LED that sells 4' light bars they claim are twice the output of a T5HO with over 2umol/j efficiency. If that's true, I think they are using strips that have two rows of LEDs on them.

Comparing those two options, they are the same upfront cost if you don't include heatsinks. The trade off is maybe 10+ less lm/w efficiency for a gain of more 4000 more lumens.

View attachment 3861605
View attachment 3861592

I ran a watt cost calculator and -7 watts is about 27$/year. So the difference between running the bridgelux eb at 1000 instead of 700 looks like it's worth it.

So I'm thinking 20262 lumens using the hlg 120 1050 for $145 looks like a pretty good deal. Especially considering the local hydroponic shops sells four 4' LED strips equalling the same lumens for $600


If I go wth 120 @ 700ma I get 38.2 leftover Vf to play with - maybe some monos for red or a cob for germination.

Or the 120 @ 1050 leaves an extra 15.4Vf leftover

 

[wietefras]

@PicklesRus, When you compare these on prices per 2000 lumen, you should compare them at the same efficacy. If you run the COB harder you get more lumen for your watts, but the efficacy will drop. So indeed a COB at 159lm/w will be more expensive than one doing only 138lm/W, but if you want to run at 159lm/W you will have to dim that 138lm/W COB a lot still and the price will shoot up accordingly.

 

[Seriousbuds]

Can anyone show how to wire these to a meanwell power supply? I'm understand series wiring for COBs but for some reason I can wrap my head around series wiring these little strips to a driver

 

[PicklesRus]

First off, thanks to everyone posting on here. Learned alot with the guides and other info you people have thrown up here.

I am looking for the best bang/buck for a small 3x3 or 4x4 setup and was looking for some feedback.

I was wondering how cheap/efficient I could make a board with individual Surface Mount LED's, as I saw quite a few Al based PCB's for sale cheap but then I came across the Bridgelux EB Series:
View attachment 3846648

http://www.bridgelux.com/products/eb-series#features
http://www.bridgelux.com/sites/default/files/resource_media/DS130 EB Series Datasheet Rev A_0.pdf

They come in ~1" wide strips in 10", 20" or 40". According to datasheet, designed to be used without a heatsink, but I could probably mount them to a thin sheet of aluminum for easy mounting hanging. They also already have power connections attached.

Check this out! 12$ per 4' strip

 

[BuddyColas]

Check this out! 12$ per 4' strip

View attachment 3862335

Looks interesting. But only 39.4" long.

 

[PicklesRus]

Looks interesting. But only 39.4" long.

Oh ya. Doh! I'm trying to find cheap ones

 

[PicklesRus]

Can anyone show how to wire these to a meanwell power supply? I'm understand series wiring for COBs but for some reason I can wrap my head around series wiring these little strips to a driver

The cobs have a - and +
I'm pretty sure it's the same with these

 

[BuddyColas]

Oh ya. Doh! I'm trying to find cheap ones

Just trying to save you from pulling the trigger and ordering...then coming up short...literally! I wish they were 48", or 44" at least, then to see if they could dissipate 15-20 watts of heat. That would be great...so thin and compact.

I would like to see what you finally come up with.

I really think strips are the way to go. Would like to see brabbyb's build also.

 

[PicklesRus]

Thank you @brahbbyB - I just placed my order:

- Bridgelux EB 3500K 44"
- Bridgelux EB 4000K 44"
- Bridgelux EB 5000K 44"
- Bridgelux EB 5700K 44"
- Cree CXB1830 3500K
- Meanwell HLG-120H-C700B

LEDs total 212v and the meanwell outputs 215v

 

[Seriousbuds]

Thank you @brahbbyB - I just placed my order:

- Bridgelux EB 3500K 44"
- Bridgelux EB 4000K 44"
- Bridgelux EB 5000K 44"
- Bridgelux EB 5700K 44"
- Cree CXB1830 3500K
- Meanwell HLG-120H-C700B

LEDs total 212v and the meanwell outputs 215v

Would love to see your split test results of all these different color temps. Whatcha growing?

 

[PicklesRus]

Would love to see your split test results of all these different color temps. Whatcha growing?

Haha - lettuce, spinach, Chinese greens like pak choi, herbs, and for the Cree one or more pepper plant.

I want to plant those crops under each spectrum to see how they grow under each

This is all over a 2'x4' space

 

[PicklesRus]

@brahbbyB how is the build coming?

 

[PicklesRus]

I didn't realize the Samsung is half the volts would that help cut down on driver cost? Also do you know if they are on the same kind of board I wonder what cooling cost would be per light. I may order some of those bridgelux for a micro grow

I'm not an electronics expert, but I think that the price for drivers scale according to total output power.
So if the volts are lower, the amps need to be higher. The H series strips though are more efficient so they will use less power to produce the same amount of light, so because of that I think they should end up being cheaper on the driver side.

 

[PicklesRus]

These were at home depot - aluminum tracks.

I used a self tapping screw and a drill to make the holes.

After drilling sanded with 220 grit sanding sponge and added the eyes on each end.

Wiped them good with paper towel and water. I still need to clean them with alchohol.

Screwed one in just for fun. Driver in the mail. Thermal adhesive tape would have been easier but I dont have any.

 

[BuddyColas]

View attachment 3864052 View attachment 3864054 View attachment 3864057 View attachment 3864058

These were at home depot - aluminum tracks.

I used a self tapping screw and a drill to make the holes.

After drilling sanded with 220 grit sanding sponge and added the eyes on each end.

Wiped them good with paper towel and water. I still need to clean them with alchohol.

Screwed one in just for fun. Driver in the mail. Thermal adhesive tape would have been easier but I dont have any.

I see you got in touch with your “Marijuana MacGyver” at re-purposing some aluminum tracks to heat sinks! And I see you are using 12 screws of the many available per strip (I have wondered about how many to actually use). So less drivers, what do you have cost wise in each 45 watt strip?

 

[PicklesRus]

I see you got in touch with your “Marijuana MacGyver” at re-purposing some aluminum tracks to heat sinks! And I see you are using 12 screws of the many available per strip (I have wondered about how many to actually use). So less drivers, what do you have cost wise in each 45 watt strip?

It's actually 31W in my case. I will run them at 700ma. Maybe I should have gone for 1050ma.

Hlg-c700a $100cdn
LED strips 92$cdn
Aluminum bars 43$ cdn
$235cdn + screws and hooks
/ 4 =60$ cdn each

Off to the electronics store now for some thermal adhesive for the cxb1830. Some wire also.

I'm wondering if it should attach each bar together or keep them as individual bars. I think since I'm running them in a dc circuit I should affix the bars together but maybe I can do that later.

Driver showed up this AM. Wow one day shipping from Texas to - reallly
Impressed

 

[MMJ Dreaming 99]

View attachment 3864052 View attachment 3864054 View attachment 3864057 View attachment 3864058

These were at home depot - aluminum tracks.

I used a self tapping screw and a drill to make the holes.

After drilling sanded with 220 grit sanding sponge and added the eyes on each end.

Wiped them good with paper towel and water. I still need to clean them with alchohol.

Screwed one in just for fun. Driver in the mail. Thermal adhesive tape would have been easier but I dont have any.

What dept has those alum tracks in HD?

 

[PicklesRus]

What dept has those alum tracks in HD?

Hm. It was by where all the nuts and bolts were. There was a little stand full of angle aluminum and steel.


There's a section in the back that has some 8 foot long angle aluminum but it wasn't there. Some of the same angle aluminum was cut into 4 and 3 foot sections by the nuts and bolts but it was the same price for half the length. The tracks were there sold a two for 23$ cdn