Does this work?

[Darkomatized]

Greetings! I have been doing alot research on leds now for quite long time. Thanks to DaveJonesFan from the forums I got this plan, but it still has some problems where I need some advice.I decided to go with BL Gen 2 because they have them in stock near me so its faster and cheaper to order. So to sum it up I was thinking it would go like this. Space is around 6,5fx6,5f. So the plan is to run these in around 75% for max lumens. (Orginal plan was to have 36 both strips and run them 50%. I tought this way it would be more efficient??)

Strips:
30x
BXEB-L0560Z-35E2000-C-B3
30x
BXEB-L1120Z-35E4000-C-B3
I would run those in parallel circuit where I put 15x per driver in 5 strip rows.
Drivers:
2x
HLG-240H-20B
2x
HLG-480H-42B

But now honestly I'm still quite very new to this stuff and I'm really afraid of Thermal Runaway. Like biggest thing now is that I'm trying to figure out what kind of cooling systems I should consider and is there any kind of foolproof way to set this up without burning up my whole closet?
Thanks for reading!

[sdfoster22]

Use the a version of those drivers instead of the b. You can limit voltage with the a.

[Darkomatized]

Use the a version of those drivers instead of the b. You can limit voltage with the a.

Sorry for my stupidity, but em... what is the use for this?

[sdfoster22]

If you limit the voltage it will run each strip at that voltage, no matter how many are plugged in.

[DaveJonesFan]

The setup I had going, running each strip right under the 700mA per strip was capable of being run without needing any real heatsinks, which is sometimes freeing. If only we could make them levitate. I have a light that I run with these strips at up to the 1050mA level or slightly higher, but I have them mounted on nice 1" HeatsinkUSA profile. The cost of the heatsink can be approaching the price of the strips themselves so think all that through in the design.

Dropping 3 strips from each driver would bump the max current up to over 700mA, and maybe higher than advertised depending on what the driver is actually delivering. So you would be perhaps okay running like this with less strips, if you are mounting them onto something on the frame that can help a bit with the heatsinking, like aluminum L or U channel, less than real fin heatsinks. You may be okay without anything here also, like my original design, but the 700mA level is the safe threshold I've seen with these.

If you are turning the drivers up to the same wattage, in these scenarios, you will always be getting more lux with more strips running at lower current per strip, favoring my original design. Don't know what the calculator you saw was showing exactly that you referenced in your PM.

As far as the cooling cooling, you will need to consider the ventilation for the space or the use of air conditioners in a sealed area to deal with the whole ecosystem, but this will be slightly different calculations from the ones involved in deciding on the exact number of strips and their power levels and heatsinking, if the same overall wattage is being used in the system.

The A-type driver being able to tune the voltage knob and current knob independently is nice, and it's built-in to the driver, you just turn with a mini screwdriver. The A-type dimming I believe is usually 50-100% current range, though.

With B-type driver, where you add your own potentiometer onto leads from the driver to dim, you can dim down to 10%. Also lets you mount the drivers away and run wires to the pot so you don't have to access the face of the driver to dim.

Either way you go you should have a very versatile ability to tune the light to usable levels lower than full power. LED's with these dimming functions are the real MVP. They hold efficiency and spectrum levels much better than HPS type lights with dimming.

Check on LEDG's great Meanwell driver guides for the constant current and what we are considering here, the constant voltage types and how they each operate to get a more thorough understanding of these drivers. Skip to the last video if you just want the A-type vs B-type CV info.

[sdfoster22]

The setup you have planned now will only produce 600-700w max. That is only 14.2-16.5w sq/ft. That would be good lighting for a 4.5x4.5 space, maybe even a 5x5. If you want enough for a 6.5x6.5 You need more wattage. A good rule of thumb for these strips is roughly 30-35 watts sq/ft. You would need 1200-1500 watts.

You could do that with the strips you planned on using. You just need different drivers. You would need 3 of the hlg-480h-42a, I recommend the a version of the driver because to limit the voltage.

Wire 1 driver to the 30 2' strips. Make sure to wire them 2 in series and 15 parallel. This will give you about 444w max. That driver puts out about 11.4A max. 11.4A÷15 strips= .76A. That's about 50% of max, which is 1400. Each strip will run about 19.5v at .76A. 19.5v×.76A=14.744w for each strip. Since there is 15 in parallel that's 14.744w ×15 strips = 222.3w. Since there is 2 in series 222.3w × 2 sets = 444.6

Wire one of the other 2 drivers to 15 of the 4' strips, all in series wiring. The same math applies, but different voltage. 11.4a÷15= .76A. That's about 50% also. Each 4' strip will run about 39v. 39v × .76A = 29.64w Each strip. 15 in series again is 29.64w × 15 strips = 444.6w. Do this again with the remaining 15 strips.

3 drivers pushing 444.6w is 1333w. That's roughly 31.5w sq/ft. If you get the a version of the driver, it goes beyond the max output of the regular, and b drivers. You may get closer to the 1400w range.

You could also add more strips to each build and run them softer for better Effeciency. Just make sure if you add any to the first build, you add 2 strips in series in parallel with the driver at a time. Wiring 2 Strips in series doubles the voltage.

[DaveJonesFan]

[sdfoster22]

Something wrong with what I suggested?