Hi all
I'm somewhat new to LED building, having previously biult a 4x COB LED light.
I'm currently working on a build consisting of:
16x BXEB-L0280Z-50E1000-C-B3
HLG-185H-C500B
Where I plan to connect the modules in series for a total voltage of 312V.
However, I'm unable to get the wire to stay in the poke-in connectors. I assume that I have to push down on the small metal plate while stuffing the wire in the connector? I'm using 18 gauge stranded wire that I have twisted. Am I missing something obvious? Am I just not using enough force?
Trouble with Bridgelux EB gen 2 connectors
Some of the plastic wago connectors are terrible. I think the bridgelux boards have them at both ends. Try the other side of the board. 300V is getting really high in voltage so make sure you get a good connection
Find me on Instagram led_teknik
18 AWG I believe is known to be hard to get in there. My 20 AWG wires have a bite mark after I remove themNicklas wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 8:03 amHi all
I'm somewhat new to LED building, having previously biult a 4x COB LED light.
I'm currently working on a build consisting of:
16x BXEB-L0280Z-50E1000-C-B3
HLG-185H-C500B
Where I plan to connect the modules in series for a total voltage of 312V.
However, I'm unable to get the wire to stay in the poke-in connectors. I assume that I have to push down on the small metal plate while stuffing the wire in the connector? I'm using 18 gauge stranded wire that I have twisted. Am I missing something obvious? Am I just not using enough force?
Take the wire and slide it in like this. Approach it "From below", the underside.
Don't push the poke connector to insert the wire.
You will feel it when the connector eats the wire. It takes some force to push it in. Once it's in, you can tug on the wire and it won't come out.
To remove wire, push the connector down straight at an absolute 90 degree angle. Then pull on the wire and it comes out rather easily. If you are angled while pushing on the connector you can wreck the exterior and never get that cable out.
Hope that helps
Thanks both of you!
Teknik: I've now tried all 4 connectors on one board, and it's the same thing, so I think I'm just doing it wrong.
0 to 220: That makes sense. Should the insulated part of the wire also enter the hole? Mine seems to be too thick for that. Would 20awg be the ideal wire?
I read in connection with poke-in connectors where someone recommended solid core wire. Would 20awg solid core be better than 20awg stranded for this purpose?
Teknik: I've now tried all 4 connectors on one board, and it's the same thing, so I think I'm just doing it wrong.
0 to 220: That makes sense. Should the insulated part of the wire also enter the hole? Mine seems to be too thick for that. Would 20awg be the ideal wire?
I read in connection with poke-in connectors where someone recommended solid core wire. Would 20awg solid core be better than 20awg stranded for this purpose?
Just know if you build a DIY growlight thats running 300v+ DC you can say good buy to pretty much any home owners or renters insurance you may currently have. Furthermore your just blatantly exceeding what Bridgelux itself rates the strips connectors for. I would not suggest this. If people trusted Bridgelux strips over 60V in series everyone would be using TRP's $18 200W driver in builds.
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/ ... ND/5597295
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/ ... ND/5597295
After a few times you'll learn intuitively just how much to cut. With my 20 awg (0.75mm²) wire the sleeve can go inside the first part of the terminal
Ideally you don't want bare wire exposed
Oh, you'll never get stranded wire in there in a lifetime unless you tin it first with some solder. I can imagine anything thicker than 20 stranded + tinned is going to be too thick for the EB2 connector unless you are a master solderer.
0 to 200: Well, that's a relief! I'll just get some tinned 20awg then.
Labgrown: I didn't realize that my intended voltage was that risky. I think I'll go back to the drawing board.
My purpose is to outfit a rack/shelving unit with 4 levels of grow space for the growth of microgreens and seed starting for later transplanting. Each shelf has an area of 0.45 m2 (4.8 sq ft), so with the recommendation in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4264
, I was aiming for 5-10 W/sq ft, and with 4x Bridgelux strips per shelf @ 19.5V * 0.5 A * 4 = 39 W gives 8.1 W / sq ft.
I don't know if the distribution will be so uneven as to give problems, with a vertical distance of 10-12 inches between the lights and the plants. I was planning on just building it and then seeing if the growth would be even enough, and then modify if it wasn't.
Would it be plausible to use a diffusing material to spread the light more evenly? The system should be able to handle a reduction in total intensity and still stay above 5 W/sq ft.
If the series configuration results in a too high voltage, what would be best to do instead?
Labgrown: I didn't realize that my intended voltage was that risky. I think I'll go back to the drawing board.
My purpose is to outfit a rack/shelving unit with 4 levels of grow space for the growth of microgreens and seed starting for later transplanting. Each shelf has an area of 0.45 m2 (4.8 sq ft), so with the recommendation in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4264
, I was aiming for 5-10 W/sq ft, and with 4x Bridgelux strips per shelf @ 19.5V * 0.5 A * 4 = 39 W gives 8.1 W / sq ft.
I don't know if the distribution will be so uneven as to give problems, with a vertical distance of 10-12 inches between the lights and the plants. I was planning on just building it and then seeing if the growth would be even enough, and then modify if it wasn't.
Would it be plausible to use a diffusing material to spread the light more evenly? The system should be able to handle a reduction in total intensity and still stay above 5 W/sq ft.
If the series configuration results in a too high voltage, what would be best to do instead?
There was some interesting discussion about voltage in another thread
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5198&p=20448#p20448
Maybe @solventlesstech has heard from bridgelux
+1 for labgrown's advice, if possible do parallel
In that case , you would need an entirely different driver unfortunately.
For example HLG-185H-20A instead of HLG-185H-C500B
And to be clear from my part- if you're gonna buy some wire, I recommend solid core, not whatever is 'tinned wire'. I don't know about buying tinned wire- in my mind, tinning the ends of wire is something you do yourself with a soldering iron. I would not shop for such a term but I don't know much about it all.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5198&p=20448#p20448
Maybe @solventlesstech has heard from bridgelux
+1 for labgrown's advice, if possible do parallel
In that case , you would need an entirely different driver unfortunately.
For example HLG-185H-20A instead of HLG-185H-C500B
And to be clear from my part- if you're gonna buy some wire, I recommend solid core, not whatever is 'tinned wire'. I don't know about buying tinned wire- in my mind, tinning the ends of wire is something you do yourself with a soldering iron. I would not shop for such a term but I don't know much about it all.
0 to 220: thanks for the advice! I can live with getting another driver.
Sorry about the tinned wire thing, I left out some information. I read that solid core could be difficult to work with, so I thought I could try with some pre-tinned wire, where I assume that it will be easier to just melt the tin with a soldering iron tip. Since I wrote that, though, I decided to get both as they're not that expensive, and see what works best.
Sorry about the tinned wire thing, I left out some information. I read that solid core could be difficult to work with, so I thought I could try with some pre-tinned wire, where I assume that it will be easier to just melt the tin with a soldering iron tip. Since I wrote that, though, I decided to get both as they're not that expensive, and see what works best.