LEDgardener

Hey guys,

I'm new to the forum and indoor growing. I'm looking to getting into growing veggies indoors while its cold out, and was wondering if I could get a run down of the pros and cons of the Strip LED's vs COB's. From what I've seen it looks like the Strips are a fair amount easier to make frames for, since the framing material can act as its heat sink.

If I am just making a small set up, maybe like 6 leafy plants to start with, but would want to expand it in the future (to growing fruiting plants as well), what recommendations could you make on which route I should go? Right now I'm just looking at making one moderate sized grow tote, maybe like 2 foot by 3 foot.

Appreciate any help

COBs are significantly cheaper for the amount of light they produce. They are easier to wire as well. The strips are about 15-20% more efficient and the light is more diffuse, allowing you to get closer to the plants if youd like. If you’re going to grow in a tote, I think the strips are the way to go, as it will allow you to minimize the distance between the plants and the lights.

Ted wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 16, 2017 4:03 pm

I think the strips are the way to go, as it will allow you to minimize the distance between the plants and the lights.

Sounds good. I was thinking Id just start with 6 of the 1ft LT-H282D for the single tote, and I can always scale it up when I want to grow more. Does that seem reasonable?

Also is it still the case that Constant Current drivers are the easier of the two to work with? I was going to buy a supply that would allow me to scale up in the future so that I don't have to buy I knew one later. Any suggestions?

zooloo10 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 16, 2017 6:15 pm

Ted wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 16, 2017 4:03 pm

I think the strips are the way to go, as it will allow you to minimize the distance between the plants and the lights.

Sounds good. I was thinking Id just start with 6 of the 1ft LT-H282D for the single tote, and I can always scale it up when I want to grow more. Does that seem reasonable?

Also is it still the case that Constant Current drivers are the easier of the two to work with? I was going to buy a supply that would allow me to scale up in the future so that I don't have to buy I knew one later. Any suggestions?

Parallel wiring with a constant voltage driver is much more flexible, you can power 1 strip or 100 strips with with the same driver and parallel wiring. Constant Current Drivers have a specific voltage window that they will work with, ie, you cant buy a 480 watt constant current driver and hook up just 1 strip. You can do that with a constant voltage driver. With the H series strips, any 24v meanwell hlg driver driver will work, the question is then what size.

Ted wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 16, 2017 8:07 pm

With the H series strips, any 24v meanwell hlg driver driver will work, the question is then what size.

Beautiful, that's kind of what I was figuring based on the parallel strip tool. I'm looking at the HLG-240h-24A, so that I'll have plenty of room to scale up in the future with more beds & strips.

zooloo10 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 16, 2017 8:44 pm

Beautiful, that's kind of what I was figuring based on the parallel strip tool. I'm looking at the HLG-240h-24A, so that I'll have plenty of room to scale up in the future with more beds & strips.

6 strips would be 40w at 50%, on a 240w driver your efficiency would be down below 80%. Perhaps LG could chime in but I think there is a minimum load that these drivers need. Read that somewhere but can't find it now.

Heyyyyy Tony (new york accent)

I dont believe there is a minimum for large constant voltage drivers, at least not significantly. The chart below from the 240h datasheet shows the efficiency of the driver across different loads, beginning at 10%. So maybe that is the minimum. It’s definitely not the most efficient, but it should still be a cheaper option than buying another driver in the near future.

Ted wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2017 3:22 am

It’s definitely not the most efficient, but it should still be a cheaper option than buying another driver in the near future.

I appreciate the info guys. Yea 80% efficiency vs 93% at max load is good enough for me. In a few months ill have more LED's to drive (hopefully).

Yeah I wasn’t aware of a minimum load for these CV drivers. Interesting that the graph starts at 10% but I guess it makes more sense than starting at zero.

which cob's does everyone believe to run the coolest..?? cree 3590..?