LEDgardener

I need to power a single high voltage, high wattage LED. Can I use 2 same model number drivers to power a single Citizen CLU058 - 3618 COB LED? Either in parallel or series depending on the wattage and voltage of the drivers.

Ok this gets pretty long feel free to skip down to the first link if you don’t want care about the why.

I am looking to build a single high output COB light utilizing a Citizen CLU058 - 3618 COB. I am not planning a using it a grow light. I am a gaffer (chief lighting technician) for film. I looked on film forums but all I can find are information and drivers for lower voltage LEDs. While I am knowledgeable on the electricity as it pertains to film, I am a complete novice when it comes to DIY LED lighting. I want to get the maximum output from a single COB. I’m looking for the right driver to power the light. I have spent hours researching but I’m having trouble high enough wattage driver at the voltage required.

I want to push the CLU058 to its max specs. I understand that it is not recommended and it is going to run really hot, which will shorten it’s life span and I could kill a chip or two before I get it right. I might have to eat the cost of killing chips. I plan on water-cooling it, using a massive heat sink and a thermal cut off switch. Which will hopeful minimize the amount of chips I’m going to have to eat. On the plus side the chip is rated for 100C.

Here is link to the specs on the Citizen CLU058 – 3618 chip I plan on using.
http://ce.citizen.co.jp/lighting_led/dl ... 170410.pdf

Basically this is what I’m looking for in a CC driver.

Variable voltage up to the max 110v (I need it to be able to dim it as low as possible without flicker)

As close to the 524W max as possible. I’m guessing using a driver rated for higher wattage but keeping it below it’s max will lengthen its life. But I’m thinking 600w + driver at 110v is to much to hope for.

I looked at the Mean Well HLG-320H-C2800B.
https://www.mouser.com/ds/2/260/meanwel ... 914652.pdf

The problem is it only give me a 320W. Other than that the specs are good.

Rated Current 2800ma
CC between 57-114V
Max Operating temp of 85C

Can I use two Mean Well HLG-320H-C2800B in parallel to power the COB?

Hey! What a cool application!

Unfortunately, running these drivers in parallel doesn’t work. How about the Mean Well HLG-480H-C3500? That’s pretty damn close.

http://www.meanwell.com/webapp/product/ ... hlg-480h-c

Thanks. That definitely could work. The voltage range is is 68-137. If I dim the voltage from the driver down to the minimum 93V rated for the LED will there be any light output? Or are LEDs like incandescent lights when the voltage has to fairly close to zero before it has no output?

Any suggesting on what potentiometer to use? I’d like to be able to set a max voltage so I don’t accidentally over volt my chip.

What about flicker? In HMI lights in can be can be affected by a variation in the Hz relative to the frame rate. The camera will see flicker even if it is not perceptible by eye. There a sweet spot frame rates that shouldn’t flicker unless there is a problem with the ballast. In general HMI lights are prone to flicker at faster frame rates. The Hz range on this ballast is 47 ~ 63Hz will the variation cause LEDs to flicker? I run across cheap household LED lighting flickering frequently.

FilmGab wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 18, 2017 8:20 pm

Thanks. That definitely could work. The voltage range is is 68-137. If I dim the voltage from the driver down to the minimum 93V rated for the LED will there be any light output? Or are LEDs like incandescent lights when the voltage has to fairly close to zero before it has no output?

Any suggesting on what potentiometer to use? I’d like to be able to set a max voltage so I don’t accidentally over volt my chip.

What about flicker? In HMI lights in can be can be affected by a variation in the Hz relative to the frame rate. The camera will see flicker even if it is not perceptible by eye. There a sweet spot frame rates that shouldn’t flicker unless there is a problem with the ballast. In general HMI lights are prone to flicker at faster frame rates. The Hz range on this ballast is 47 ~ 63Hz will the variation cause LEDs to flicker? I run across cheap household LED lighting flickering frequently.

This is a constant current driver so you'll be directly adjusting its current output when you dim with a potentiometer. Controlling current is the most important thing when it comes to LEDs. Since this driver is rated for 3500mA at full power, the COB will never be able to draw anymore than that and you don't have to worry about overpowering it. That's the beauty of constant current.

The 480H does 0-10V dimming so if you were able to dim it all the way down so that there was zero resistance across the dimmer circuit, the LED would turn right off. However, if you have any resistance on the line, the LED willl remain on. Even if you dimmed it to 10%, you're still going to have 350mA running through it, which, according to the Citizen calculator, will require a voltage of 96.7V and will output 6,000 lumens! Even 100mA will require 94.8V and produce 1800 lumens.

You will need a 100K ohm linear taper potentiometer. You may want to order a few because there's usually a 20% tolerance on pots so if you order a 100K ohm pot, you could end up with one that's 120K ohm or one that's 80K ohm. It's imperative that it is at least 100K ohm in order to get full power from your driver.

Since these LEDs run on DC power, they shouldn't flicker. I haven't seen any flickering on my videos, though they obviously aren't the same as what you're working with. It might be worth testing with a smaller inexpensive COB first like a CLU048-1212 for $12.

I definitely will make my mistakes with cheaper LEDS. I'm looking at CLU048-1212 and the the voltage required is between 31 ~37V. So I think I will need a driver that will go down to 31V. I am planing on using the higher wattage LEDs in the future. Will I be able to use a CC driver like a HLG-320H that is able to handle more current? Will I have the ability to limit the max output so I don't fry the CLU048 that I'm testing it on?

I've got my eye on a 500w Bridgelux. I'd like to buy a driver that can power it.
It is 30-34V
working current of 17500mA (2*8750mA) since it 2*8750mA and it has 2 pos and 2 neg connection points can it run off of 2 drivers?

Or if I want the option to power it off of a 24V Li-ion instead could I use a DC-DC step up converter?