Drivers, LEDs and tents, OH MY!

[warriormom72]

Greetings!
First of all, thank you for your YOUTUBE tutorials -Without them I would be completely in the dark. Now i think i may just know enough to get myself totally confused. I apologize if this specific information is on here already, but I was unable to find a suitable answer. Here is my quandary:
i have a 3x3 tent. i do not plan to fill it completely this run. i am trying to make this as easy and smart as possible on my wallet so i can add lights down the road once i get through this flower cycle. Ideally, whatever i decide now i would just be able to duplicate and multiply my results/output.
I have two photo ladies and may add an auto in there. i am looking at two possible quantum board configurations, each with a myriad of driver configurations. i am trying to do the smartest, also most cost effective thing. i do not want more than two qb288s right now as my budget is somewhat limited.

let me see if i can simplify:
my board choice is currently 2x HLG QB 288 v2--they will be separate on individual heatsinks to maximize coverage and flexibility as far as changing to Bspec boards for next veg cycle.
although I am not completely ruling out 4 x qb132s if this makes more sense.
My choices for drivers are
HLG-320H-48v or 54v (x1)
HLG-240H-48v or 54v (x1)
HLG-150H-48v or 54v (x2)
option 1:
would i get the most efficiency/power out of HLG-320H-48v or 54v (x1)
TOTAL COST $163 (boards) + $91 (driver)
i am uncertain whether the 54v option is best? it looks like the lights give off more umols/ (but fewer watts) at lower voltages. I know this is all a pretty exact science but i am totally new and just want to know which of these is more important and therefore which version of each driver makes sense, 48v or 54v?
also, is the max wattage of the qb288 v2 actually somewhere around 130w? if so, then the max i can get out of two boards is about 260w at 50-53V? the chart doesn't go about 49.86. if that’s the case, then having a board that supplies 300w is unnecessary, right?help...
Would this be sufficient?
HLG-240H-48v or 54v (x1)
TOTAL COST $163 + $70 =$233
if the 240 makes the most sense, please help me understand if the 48v or the 54v would make the most sense considering the flux characteristics.
I believe this may be my best option. It is not the cheapest but for the nominal price increase, seems like it may suit my needs best
HLG-150H-48v or 54v (x2)
: TOTAL COST $163 + $74 = $238
this would allow me nearly as much wattage combined as the HLG-320H but would allow me to have a fully modular system so i could avoid worrying about what could happen to a second light in the event one light fails, and i could also add one bspec veg board at a time.
SO
The final option is this one. And this is just about me not knowing 2 things.
would 4 of these be better than 2 x qb288 and would this be enough for my 3x3?
Option 4: TOTAL COST $148 + $90 = $238
i had further considered the possibility of 4x qb 132s on an HLG-320h-36A, but i think the max wattage i could get out of that is a total of 240w? so which driver would be best if this option is the one that makes the most sense?
also the only chart i could find on the qb132 is for 4000k. I would never assume this is the same as 3000k because i don't know any better, so maybe you know something different? are they the same?
here is what i am considering.
I very much appreciate your time and help. it has been impossible to get an actual person on the phone to help and during these times i feel like a selfish bitch for wanting answers to my grow light questions while the whole country is suffering and people are dying.
i'm just trying to not make a rookie mistake and would appreciate any help or advice you can give. I know most people don't really want to make a recommendation, but at least i have some options figured out on my own, so maybe you can just tell me which of these makes the most sense, or if there is an option i am overlooking that is comparable but may be less expensive.
I have looked at some of ELG and XLG options, but there seem to be some substantial wattage limitations based on 110 VAC, which i will be using. Please let me know if that is correct or incorrect and if you think there is a less expensive driver in one of those series that could work. Thank you so much in advance for any time you put into helping me.

[TEKNIK]

I need more coffee to read through all of this better.
I will go through one thing at a time

First if you are on 110V then rule out using an ELG driver
2nd XLG drivers are cheaper to purchase but you loose about 3% efficiency. Is efficiency your main concern or is it not worth the extra few dollars?

[TEKNIK]

In order to know if you should be choosing a 48V or a 54V driver you will need to know the forward voltage or the boards you want to use. I know a bit about HLG but they have alot of products now. Can you link the data sheet of the specific board you are thinking about using please

[warriormom72]

Thank you, Teknik! Let me answer a few of those questions.

https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/p ... oard-guide
is the qb288

https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/p ... oard-guide
is the qb132.

i had come to the same conclusion about ELG and the 110 limitation, but hoped i was missing something.

In regards to XLG, 3% doesn't seem like a huge efficiency loss and i'm totally open to whatever setup is going to give my tent the best setup within these limitations.= and/or what makes the most sense.
he only reason to not go with HLG series over XLG, with my limited understanding of course, is that the HLG has IO and VO pots built in. i first entertained the XLG-150-H-A but think i got caught up in the IO/VO adjustment capabilities that made me somehow feel safer. the XLG-240-H-A has also been in the running and if it would work and give me enough power for either of those two setups, that would be the winner in terms of price. i guess i'm also confused as the XLGs are 'constant power' which i don't understand as much as i do CC and CV.
Remember i am a total noob, so i really don't know much. All i really know is that when i first started this endeavor, i had decided on Mars Hydro. Then i started leaning toward Spider Farmer. Then, this LED Gardener guy ( ) goes and opens up my eyes to the possibility of a more powerful and cost effective DIY option. so here i am.

[TEKNIK]

My choice would be 5 of the qb132 running on a hlg320-36AB driver.

You want to have at least 30 watts per square foot. You will need 270W of led light, sure you can do it with less if you want but it depends on the yields you are chasing. I would suggest to go with 3000K.

I am not sure if the Qb132 boards are available on their own.
I am a bit busy and will take a better look for you later today. Sorry about that

[the Falcon]

The QB V1 288 with lumileds are pretty friggin good I can report as well... they're 29$ ea. THis plant has been flowered under them - there is a chinese knock off 240 next to it too - but 90% of the light is right from the QBV1. I'm running 3 of them on a HLG 240 driver. alu sheet and 2 bars.. little fan on top keeps it just warm.

[TEKNIK]

Unfortunately the $29 boards are all gone as that would be my first recommendation.

QB96s would be my next recommendation but they are also sold out.
Is it possible for you to wait a little for the qb96s to come back in stock?

[the Falcon]

Oh that sucks they're gone .... I just recently got 3 LM301B boards off Alibaba, now we know the they probably aren't the best bins and the red is epistar - But ... I got them in about a week and they appear legit. I just got them today so haven't been able to try them. The company was recommended by a person in a lighting group on FB -not a rep. One of the plastic caps on the connectors was knocked off in shipping on one side on one board and they refunded 12$ to me without hassle. I think that's a good sign. Its still perfectly usable. Anyway -its another option if you're short on funds as I am. They only have the boards with the 660nm - they are out of the vanilla ones, even if it doesn't show that. : https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 2fc2R4yjd2

[TEKNIK]

You are better off getting those without the red, it will be more efficient

[the Falcon]

You are better off getting those without the red, it will be more efficient

I know dammit ... but they were out ...

I figured fuck it -so cheap - 3 of them $88 to my door in about 7 days after I agreed to having red and sent the order. Oh and then I scored a HLG 320 48ab driver new for $75 shipped