converting CXA3070 active heatsinks to CXB3590 passive

I have a bunch of 5.88" heatsinks, 24" long, with (4) CXA-3070 running at 1400mA, fan cooled, on the old method of one driver per COB (driver board). I want to convert them to CXB-3590's at 1050mA with Mean Well HLG-120H-1050C drivers, passively cooled.

The LED DIY Calculator says the heatsink should be 25" for passive cooling. Do you think 24" will be okay? My room oscillating fan blows on them from about 5' away, so the air around them is moving.

Should I mix color temperatures, such as 2,700k + 3,500k? What combos are you guys using for flowering? Or is all 2700k good?

Do you have the CXB's already or do you plan to order them as soon as you has figured out something? I ask because there are better COB's available and they cost even less compared to Cree CXB's. A Luminous CXM22 costs pnly around 19$ and currently there is a brand new upgrade(I believe its v3).
You could also use LED strips like Samsungs H-influx series. L09 is a double row strip, 2' long and would run with ~50w with 1050mA. 3 strips in parallel fit perfect on a 5,88" wide heat sink and connected in series you can max out an HLG-120H-C1050B to 150-155w net or 163w at the wall.

Strips with midpower diodes are even more efficient for plant lighting cause of the better distribution and lower hanging heights. You simply lose less light on the walls with less hanging height. To do the same with COB's you need a lot of them running between 350 and 700mA. With strips evenly distributed across your grow area you can reduce the distance to 6-8".
2 heat sinks each with 3 strips and an HLG-120 is already enough for 1m². You would have
~325w at the wall, 30w/sft, completely cooled passive. You could also use an HLG-320H-48B and drive all 6 strips (both heat soinks) in parallel on one driver.

CaliWorthington said:

I have a bunch of 5.88" heatsinks, 24" long, with (4) CXA-3070 running at 1400mA, fan cooled, on the old method of one driver per COB (driver board). I want to convert them to CXB-3590's at 1050mA with Mean Well HLG-120H-1050C drivers, passively cooled.

The LED DIY Calculator says the heatsink should be 25" for passive cooling. Do you think 24" will be okay? My room oscillating fan blows on them from about 5' away, so the air around them is moving.

Should I mix color temperatures, such as 2,700k + 3,500k? What combos are you guys using for flowering? Or is all 2700k good?

Click to expand...

Randomblame said:

Do you have the CXB's already or do you plan to order them as soon as you has figured out something? I ask because there are better COB's available and they cost even less compared to Cree CXB's. A Luminous CXM22 costs pnly around 19$ and currently there is a brand new upgrade(I believe its v3).
You could also use LED strips like Samsungs H-influx series. L09 is a double row strip, 2' long and would run with ~50w with 1050mA. 3 strips in parallel fit perfect on a 5,88" wide heat sink and connected in series you can max out an HLG-120H-C1050B to 150-155w net or 163w at the wall.

Strips with midpower diodes are even more efficient for plant lighting cause of the better distribution and lower hanging heights. You simply lose less light on the walls with less hanging height. To do the same with COB's you need a lot of them running between 350 and 700mA. With strips evenly distributed across your grow area you can reduce the distance to 6-8".
2 heat sinks each with 3 strips and an HLG-120 is already enough for 1m². You would have
~325w at the wall, 30w/sft, completely cooled passive. You could also use an HLG-320H-48B and drive all 6 strips (both heat soinks) in parallel on one driver.

Click to expand...

I haven't bought anything yet, LED's or drivers. The Samsung L09 strips sounds like the best idea. I've found them at Digi-Key and Arrow. Is there a better place to buy them with higher bins?

Do these require thermal paste between the LED strip and heatsink? And, should I go with 3000 or 3500k, or maybe combine a few different color temps, such as (2) 3000k and (1) 4000 or 3500k?

I'm gonna build 5 of these for now, to cover a 9.5' x 3.5' canopy. Aside from the heatsinks, which I already have, the parts are:

(15) Samsung L09 3000K
(5) Mean Well HLG-120H-C1050B
(5) AC power cords
(45) Wago 221-412 connectors
18AWG 300V solid core wire, both red and black
self-tapping machine screws

L09 strips are 5.9mm thick (roughly 1/4"), so I think I'll need 1/2" length screws. I'm not sure exactly what size yet, I'll figure it out. The mounting holes are 4.3mm diameter.

CaliWorthington said:

I'm gonna build 5 of these for now, to cover a 9.5' x 3.5' canopy. Aside from the heatsinks, which I already have, the parts are:

(15) Samsung L09 3000K
(5) Mean Well HLG-120H-C1050B
(5) AC power cords
(45) Wago 221-412 connectors
18AWG 300V solid core wire, both red and black
self-tapping machine screws

L09 strips are 5.9mm thick (roughly 1/4"), so I think I'll need 1/2" length screws. I'm not sure exactly what size yet, I'll figure it out. The mounting holes are 4.3mm diameter.

Click to expand...

Thermal tape so much easier
I run my strips anywhere from 1000 mA or lower on a heat sink from heatsinkusa bonded with only thermal tape. Get lots of 12/14gauge wires to connect driver to lights, so you can mobile mount them with ease. Ie drivers outside tent/room

f series said:

Thermal tape so much easier
I run my strips anywhere from 1000 mA or lower on a heat sink from heatsinkusa bonded with only thermal tape. Get lots of 12/14gauge wires to connect driver to lights, so you can mobile mount them with ease. Ie drivers outside tent/room

Click to expand...

That does sound a lot easier, thanks! I'll order some thermal tape then. I was going to mount the drivers on top of the heatsinks. I guess not doing that would greatly help the LED's stay cool. I'm not gonna put them in another room though, they'll be a few feet away. I'll get some stranded wire (more flexible) to connect to the drivers. Do I need thicker than 18AWG for a 4' run?

CaliWorthington said:

That does sound a lot easier, thanks! I'll order some thermal tape then. I was going to mount the drivers on top of the heatsinks. I guess not doing that would greatly help the LED's stay cool. I'm not gonna put them in another room though, they'll be a few feet away. I'll get some stranded wire (more flexible) to connect to the drivers. Do I need thicker than 18AWG for a 4' run?

Click to expand...

For the power line I wouldnt use solid core since it's going long distances, I'd use thicker gauge.
Thermal tape is for strips ran low enough for a passive sinking btw. I've never made a cob setup, I do want to some time soon, but I would definitely screw cobs down

Check this out: Electrical Wire 14 AWG 14 Gauge Silicone Wire Hook Up wire Cable... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0746H96QK/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_t1_4.ecDbK6B5RZQ

f series said:

Check this out: Electrical Wire 14 AWG 14 Gauge Silicone Wire Hook Up wire Cable... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0746H96QK/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_t1_4.ecDbK6B5RZQ

Click to expand...

That looks good. I saw that brand earlier when I was looking for 18AWG. I think thermal tape and passive cooling will work, running the strips at 1.05 amps, and with the drivers not mounted on the heatsinks.

CaliWorthington said:

I'm gonna build 5 of these for now, to cover a 9.5' x 3.5' canopy. Aside from the heatsinks, which I already have, the parts are:

(15) Samsung L09 3000K
(5) Mean Well HLG-120H-C1050B
(5) AC power cords
(45) Wago 221-412 connectors
18AWG 300V solid core wire, both red and black
self-tapping machine screws

L09 strips are 5.9mm thick (roughly 1/4"), so I think I'll need 1/2" length screws. I'm not sure exactly what size yet, I'll figure it out. The mounting holes are 4.3mm diameter.

Click to expand...

That sounds like a good decision, bro.
And about remote wiring the driver to the LED circuit. Wire resistance is not a big issue with AWG18 even if the wires are 5m long but the thin copper traces inside the strips cause a droop if you connect too much strips in series. I don't believe it's really too much with only 3 strips(~140v) but I would rather connect them in parallel. I've tried it with ten 23v strips and instead of 265w like calculated I got only 223w. That's a lot..

You could still use HLG-120's but you would use the CV/CC version called ....-H-48B.
And don't worry about the CV in his name. Because the voltage is lower like 48v they would switch in CC mode anyway. You'll see maybe 45vdc but you still get the full drive current. You could also power 2 or 3 of these "heat sinks" on one single driver. An HLG-240 or 320H-48B could be used to power two lamps in parallel(parallel x parallel stays parallel), an HLG-480 is okay for 3-4 lamps and with an HLG-600H-48B you could power 4-5 lamps.
45v can not travel the skin which makes it the safer solution and it's also more fail safe because when one strip fails the other 2 would still running. With a series circuit the whole fixture would switch off. And last but not least the CV/CC versions are slightly cheaper and you can may safe another 10er or so.

Randomblame said:

That sounds like a good decision, bro.
And about remote wiring the driver to the LED circuit. Wire resistance is not a big issue with AWG18 even if the wires are 5m long but the thin copper traces inside the strips cause a droop if you connect too much strips in series. I don't believe it's really too much with only 3 strips(~140v) but I would rather connect them in parallel. I've tried it with ten 23v strips and instead of 265w like calculated I got only 223w. That's a lot..

You could still use HLG-120's but you would use the CV/CC version called ....-H-48B.
And don't worry about the CV in his name. Because the voltage is lower like 48v they would switch in CC mode anyway. You'll see maybe 45vdc but you still get the full drive current. You could also power 2 or 3 of these "heat sinks" on one single driver. An HLG-240 or 320H-48B could be used to power two lamps in parallel(parallel x parallel stays parallel), an HLG-480 is okay for 3-4 lamps and with an HLG-600H-48B you could power 4-5 lamps.
45v can not travel the skin which makes it the safer solution and it's also more fail safe because when one strip fails the other 2 would still running. With a series circuit the whole fixture would switch off. And last but not least the CV/CC versions are slightly cheaper and you can may safe another 10er or so.

Click to expand...

I was just reading a thread where they were wired in parallel with Wago 5:1 connectors. I'll just copy that. BTW, now that I see the daisy chain connectors on the L09 strips, my estimate of 45 Wago's was way too many. I'll look into those drivers you mentioned.Thanks Random!

Powering all 5 "luminaires" with an HLG-600H-48B will save me almost $50, so I'm gonna do that. I'll make sure to get enough wire.

Actually, using (2) 240H and (1) 120H shaves another $10 off the price. This would also allow me to switch some off, for times when there are only a few plants finishing up.

[edit] This requires 2 more AC power cables though, so no savings. Maybe I'll just go with the 600.

CaliWorthington said:

Actually, using (2) 240H and (1) 120H shaves another $10 off the price. This would also allow me to switch some off, for times when there are only a few plants finishing up.

[edit] This requires 2 more AC power cables though, so no savings. Maybe I'll just go with the 600.

Click to expand...

Cords are nothing special. Just find an old electronic you're not using or is broken and straight up cut it off and use it. I'd definitely go with the 3 driver option.

Airwalker16 said:

Cords are nothing special. Just find an old electronic you're not using or is broken and straight up cut it off and use it. I'd definitely go with the 3 driver option.

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3 drivers it is then.

[edit] Getting into the weeds on cable gauge here, but the Mean Well spec sheet says they use 17 gauge for AC in and DC out (+V, -V), and 20 gauge for the dimmer wire.

CaliWorthington said:

3 drivers it is then.

[edit] Getting into the weeds on cable gauge here, but the Mean Well spec sheet says they use 17 gauge for AC in and DC out (+V, -V), and 20 gauge for the dimmer wire.

Click to expand...

Just use 18 for boards, 12-14 for the cord side.

I ordered the parts. I just noticed the HLG-120H-48B is rated at 120 watts, whereas the HLG-120H-C1050B is rated at 155 watts. I ordered the 48B to do the parallel wiring, but doesn't 120 watts instead of 155 mean I'm running the strips softer with these drivers?

CaliWorthington said:

Actually, using (2) 240H and (1) 120H shaves another $10 off the price. This would also allow me to switch some off, for times when there are only a few plants finishing up.

[edit] This requires 2 more AC power cables though, so no savings. Maybe I'll just go with the 600.

Click to expand...

You can power all 3 drivers via one powercord. 600w divided by 230vac means all three driver only draw 2,6A from the wall. Use 115vac and it would be 5,2A. I would just use a 3x AWG18(1,5mm²) powercord and three 3 or 5 port Wago clamps, one for blue(N), one for brown(L) and the 3rd one for the ground wire. Connect the according driver wires to these 3 Wago connectors and they will all be powerred via one powercord. They are still dimmable separately!

To switch them on and off you could use a Sonoff Basic for each driver. Sonoffs are digital timers but instead to plug them in the wall plug they are directly connected to the input lines(N&L). They are controlled via Ewelink app, cost only 5 bucks each and the new version BasicR3 can also work without internet connection. You can also add them to your home automating system if you want.
There a 1, 2 and 4 channel controllers available. If you plan to add a small far-red flower initiator I would recommend to use the 4 channel Sonoff. You would have 4 devices in the app and can set up to 8 timings per channel per day(4 times on, 4 times off). Minimum 1 minute! They are available with 10 or 16amp relay, with 230vac they can switch 2200 or 3600w, with 115vac it's 1100-1800w
There is also a Sonoff TH(temp humidity) which has a thermometer probe and is able to switch based on the sensor readings(14 bucks incl. probe, can switch only one device based on temps or humidity). These also store the data in a curve so you can monitor groom conditions easily.
A Sonoff POW can monitor power draw and is also useful. I also like the Basic RF which has a small 433MHz remote switch. This can be use as emergency off just in case you get unwanted visitors. Its just laying next to my main door and I just need to press off to stop my whole grow equipment.

I always buy them directly from the manufacturers website and they have many more versions like I have mentioned above. They work pretty good and because the timings are stored inside a small chip they only need internet connection when you use the app. I've just added a small 5$ wifi repeater to my groom and only switch it on when needed.

That's the BasicR3
https://www.itead.cc/smart-home/sonoff-basicr3-wifi-diy-smart-switch.html

CaliWorthington said:

I ordered the parts. I just noticed the HLG-120H-48B is rated at 120 watts, whereas the HLG-120H-C1050B is rated at 155 watts. I ordered the 48B to do the parallel wiring, but doesn't 120 watts instead of 155 mean I'm running the strips softer with these drivers?

Click to expand...

Yeah, that right!
There is an HLG-150H-48 for 150w but usually all Meanwell drivers have more current like shown in the datasheet. Sometime more like the 8% they mention in the datasheet. An HLG-120H-48 should have 2,5amps but in reality you can get up to 2,8A or more. With 3 H-influx L09 strips I expect ~125-130w net and up to 140w at the wall.

I've seen HLG-240 in CV/CC going above 300w, lol!
So with 2 such lamps in parallel you should get at least ~265w.