F Series driver recommendation

[Prawn Connery]

I've also read you don't want to max out your driver as well - is that true?

 

[nfhiggs]

I've also read you don't want to max out your driver as well - is that true?

As a general rule, yes. However the Meanwell CC drivers do seem to be engineered to run at their maximum rating.

 

[Rider509]

As a general rule, yes. However the Meanwell CC drivers do seem to be engineered to run at their maximum rating.

That's true. I've had four 320H-C2100Bs running wide open through veg and they handle it in stride. I wouldn't image the CV/CC drivers would be any different but I have no experience with them.

 

[Rider509]

Negative my man. The 320H-C2100B has a max voltage of 152v and running the strips at max you'll likely be around 193v. The closest to a solution of running at near max would be using a HLG-320H-48A. This would have you running the four strips at 1.675a instead of 1.8. I wish there was something between the 320 and 600 drivers. You could run max using a HLG-600H-48A but that is a huge waste of money.

Dang it, 320H was a brain hiccup. I meant 480H-C2100B. I already run a slew of 320s and know they won't handle the total Vf. Sorry!

 

[RandomHero8913]

Dang it, 320H was a brain hiccup. I meant 480H-C2100B. I already run a slew of 320s and know they won't handle the total Vf. Sorry!

No need to apologize. I learned Meanwell makes a 480 model, so thank you.

 

[Rider509]

A HLG-480H-C2100A dimmed down to 1.8a would also do it, but you would be limited to one more strip in series after that. The 480H-48 would let you run more strips in parallel, but at a reduced current after 5 strips.

Five strips in series at 48.4V each would be 242V and would be beyond the 480H-C2100 CC range, unless I'm missing something. It looks like the 480H-C1750 might be a better option for five in series.

But for expansion on the 480H-C2100, couldn't I double the number of strips to eight and run them in series/parallel at 121V, which is still in the CC range? I think that's what the HLG guys are doing with their 550 device with the four QB288 boards. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[nc208]

May I ask why y'all are recommending 2100 ma? The strips in question are set up with 9 parallel so the max you could run these is 1.8a

 

[RandomHero8913]

May I ask why y'all are recommending 2100 ma? The strips in question are set up with 9 parallel so the max you could run these is 1.8a

The question that led to this was about finding a driver to run them at the full 1.8a load. So the only option is to go big and dial it down.

 

[nc208]

Seems odd to suggest going that much bigger vs running a 1750ma driver. 1750 is alot closer to 1.8 than 2.1, plus you'll never worry about accidently driving them past 200ma per diode. 2 of these will rock your strips as another option.
http://ca.mouser.com/Search/m_ProductDetail.aspx?Mean-Well/ELG-200-C1750A/&qs=sGAEpiMZZMvV8Y9YugmIgk59/ApAE/IVj4MEqH2quN2q0nq29kDn3A==

 

[Prawn Connery]

Five strips in series at 48.4V each would be 242V and would be beyond the 480H-C2100 CC range, unless I'm missing something. It looks like the 480H-C1750 might be a better option for five in series.

Yeah, my bad. I mixed up the specs on two different drivers Dangerous, I tells ya . . .

But for expansion on the 480H-C2100, couldn't I double the number of strips to eight and run them in series/parallel at 121V, which is still in the CC range? I think that's what the HLG guys are doing with their 550 device with the four QB288 boards. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

242v is for five boards in series, so 121v would be for 2.5 boards in series with two parallel circuits. Is there a way to do that?

Seems odd to suggest going that much bigger vs running a 1750ma driver. 1750 is alot closer to 1.8 than 2.1, plus you'll never worry about accidently driving them past 200ma per diode. 2 of these will rock your strips as another option.
http://ca.mouser.com/Search/m_ProductDetail.aspx?Mean-Well/ELG-200-C1750A/&qs=sGAEpiMZZMvV8Y9YugmIgk59/ApAE/IVj4MEqH2quN2q0nq29kDn3A==

^ This. In my dangerous opinion.

It looks like the 480H-C1750 might be a better option for five in series.

Deja vu

 

[Rider509]

242v is for five boards in series, so 121v would be for 2.5 boards in series with two parallel circuits. Is there a way to do that?

Good Lord, how did I mix up the four board design to five and start calc'ing that? Must have happened when my head exploded.
I need to get more focused. Give me a sec to gather my monkeys and get this circus back in order.

 

[Rider509]

OK, I give up. I can't find a Meanwell driver that'll let me run at max with four of the double row 24" F series strips in series and upgrade to eight strips running series/parallel. The one caveat is that my efforts have been to keep the LM561Cs under the .200mA limit set by Samsung. BUT, I just watched LED Gardener run a QB288 board at 8.5 amps from a spec max of 3.2 amps! What is that... .531mA per LED?
I'm beginning to think that Samsung is very conservative in rating their LEDs. Maybe I need to build a system and give it a long-term torture test. What the hell, it's only money, and I have my HID and CXB3590 systems as backup if things go wrong.

 

[1212ham]

What is the strips part number? It looks like nominal rating for the 22" strips is 1.12 amps, why run at 1.8 amps? Higher currents are less efficient and heat sinking may be needed. I think an HLG-480H-48b is probably what you need to run 4 to 8 strips or two HLG-320's if you really want to push it.

 

[DirtRunner]

OK, I give up. I can't find a Meanwell driver that'll let me run at max with four of the double row 24" F series strips in series and upgrade to eight strips running series/parallel. The one caveat is that my efforts have been to keep the LM561Cs under the .200mA limit set by Samsung. BUT, I just watched LED Gardener run a QB288 board at 8.5 amps from a spec max of 3.2 amps! What is that... .531mA per LED?
I'm beginning to think that Samsung is very conservative in rating their LEDs. Maybe I need to build a system and give it a long-term torture test. What the hell, it's only money, and I have my HID and CXB3590 systems as backup if things go wrong.

Why do you have to run them in series? The HLG-320h-48(A or B) will do exactly what you are looking for if you wire in parallel. The driver datasheet says it maxes out at 6.75A, but Meanwell rates these drivers very conservatively. You will likely get the (4x1.8A=) 7.2A you need to run the 4 strips at the maximum amperage Samsung specifies. You can add as many more strips as you wish in the future all wired in parallel.

 

[Rider509]

Just think

You lost me, the data sheet says 1.12 amps for 22" F strips, where are you getting 1.8? What is the strips part number? You mention 200ma max for the LM561C, but which strip or number of diodes? I think an HLG-480H-48b is probably what you need to run 4 to 8 strips.

The strips are the same part number that this thread is based on.
1.8A is the max spec for those strips.
The individual LM561C diodes have a rating of .200 mA max.

 

[Rider509]

Why do you have to run them in series? The HLG-320h-48(A or B) will do exactly what you are looking for if you wire in parallel. The driver datasheet says it maxes out at 6.75A, but Meanwell rates these drivers very conservatively. You will likely get the (4x1.8A=) 7.2A you need to run the 4 strips at the maximum amperage Samsung specifies. You can add as many more strips as you wish in the future all wired in parallel.

And every additional strip wired in parallel gets to share the available current which then drops the output. If the driver can hit a max of 7.2A then at five strips they're each seeing only 1.44A, and at eight only .900mA. In effect they become goldfish when I want a sharks with lasers on their heads.

 

[nc208]

And every additional strip wired in parallel gets to share the available current which then drops the output. If the driver can hit a max of 7.2A then at five strips they're each seeing only 1.44A, and at eight only .900mA. In effect they become goldfish when I want a sharks with lasers on their heads.

Have you tested these strips at full blast? I have mine on a 1400ma driver hitting 116.667 ma per diode and they get hot. I couldn't imagine running them as hard as you all are writing suggesting close to the max operating current. The beauty of these diodes are being run soft so you can create better coverage and keep them closer to plants. If your looking at driving these at full power IMO you would be better off with cobs.

Your comparison is off. Running those strips around 1000ma would give you close to peak efficiency.

 

[Rider509]

"Just think"? Nice reply to somebody trying to help the guy that can't "think" of how to drive strips.
How dumb of me to not know the strips max current is 1.8A since you said the diodes max is 200mA.
Actually, the F series data sheet states the operating current is 1120mA.

What? LOL, I have no idea how the "just think" got in there. It wasn't part of my post to you. I wasn't being intentionally short out of malice. I only had a few minutes to convey the info!

I'm not an asshole, I just play one on TV. This is where I got my numbers. I think the strips are very conservatively rated and I may be wrong but it seems that driving them at 1800mA makes sense. But as I prefaced all of this with, I only have enough knowledge to be dangerous. The efficacy of the 3500K strip jumps from 171 to 190 lm/W when driven to 1800mA.

 

[Rider509]

My thinking on this may be all wrong, which is why I'm asking for help in understanding it all. I can see that at 1120mA they're already running pretty hot at 65C. Having to spend a bunch of money on heat sinks just to wring out every lumen available would ruin the financial benefits of these strips.

edit: Given that heat is already an issue, would the 185H-C1050 per four of these strips make sense, and just duplicate that build to expand? It would put the Vtotal near the top of the driver's CC zone and just slightly underdrive the strips. I looked at the ELG-C that was recommended by nc208 but they don't seem to play well with 120V mains.

 

[1212ham]

What? LOL, I have no idea how the "just think" got in there. It wasn't part of my post to you. I wasn't being intentionally short out of malice. I only had a few minutes to convey the info!

I'm not an asshole, I just play one on TV. This is where I got my numbers. I think the strips are very conservatively rated and I may be wrong but it seems that driving them at 1800mA makes sense. But as I prefaced all of this with, I only have enough knowledge to be dangerous. The efficacy of the 3500K strip jumps from 171 to 190 lm/W when driven to 1800mA.

View attachment 4023655

It's cool, I deleted my post. Misunderstandings are so easy on forums, you were replying when I was editing the post you were replying to. Anyway, I think you are misinterpreting the datasheet, the min. and max. is just the range of efficacy at rated current, not efficacy at min. and max current. The higher the current the lower the efficiency. Also, the data sheet shows the specs when operated at 65C°, it's not stating that they will operate at 65C°. To be honest, you might go back and re-read, the other guys have posted good info.