Multimeter Setup To Check/Set Current In 6-Strip Build

[J.R.R.]

Yeah, I just caught today that the 600 has two outputs.

I appreciate the information, as I have been stressing over it.

My light came out pretty good; I'm really happy with it. That 1-inch extrusion really cleans-up the lines of the frame...so much better than angle iron. I'll do a build thread, or rather, a built thread!

[J.R.R.]

Okay, I got the light all set-up, and it looks great! Thanks LEDG/members for all the help!

A couple of observations: The voltage of my 480H never gets past @ 46 volts even with both pots wide open.
I set it to 5.8 amps like TEKNIK advised, and also capped it @5.9. Looking at LDEG work his pots in videos, it looks like both my pots are extremely sensitive, and it doesn't take but a tiny tick on pot to move it in @ 1/2 amp increments; it was a little hard to get it to stop at 5.8...it was really just me barely touching the dimmer switch and trial-and-error, until it landed near the 5.8 mark. Well, it's set up, and I don't anticipate needing to mess with it for a while, hopefully.

[TEKNIK]

Okay, I got the light all set-up, and it looks great! Thanks LEDG/members for all the help!

A couple of observations: The voltage of my 480H never gets past @ 46 volts even with both pots wide open.
I set it to 5.8 amps like TEKNIK advised, and also capped it @5.9. Looking at LDEG work his pots in videos, it looks like both my pots are extremely sensitive, and it doesn't take but a tiny tick on pot to move it in @ 1/2 amp increments; it was a little hard to get it to stop at 5.8...it was really just me barely touching the dimmer switch and trial-and-error, until it landed near the 5.8 mark. Well, it's set up, and I don't anticipate needing to mess with it for a while, hopefully.

46 Volts will be the forward voltage of the circuit.
Good you got it all set up and working how you wanted it to

[J.R.R.]

...46 Volts will be the forward voltage of the circuit...

Yeah, it's an HLG-480H-48A. Could it be an issue that my Constant Voltage driver never gets up to the specified voltage of the driver?

[LEDG]

This is likely the most misunderstood element of CV drivers. If it’s not putting out rated voltage, it’s because the strips are pulling all the current from the driver and the strips are dragging the driver down to that voltage. It’s not a flaw, it’s how it’s supposed to work. It’s why they’re considered “constant voltage plus constant current”.

[J.R.R.]

This is likely the most misunderstood element of CV drivers. If it’s not putting out rated voltage, it’s because the strips are pulling all the current from the driver and the strips are dragging the driver down to that voltage. It’s not a flaw, it’s how it’s supposed to work. It’s why they’re considered “constant voltage plus constant current”.

I have no doubt that I certainly have a lot to learn about LED systems in general, and CV drivers in particular...I'm trying; thanks for the great site!

So are you saying my 6 HinFlux l09 strips are pulling so much current that I'm already in a CC mode? If that's the case, I really don't understand. I'm pulling fewer than 6 amps of my 10 amp driver, so the idiot in me believes I should still be in CV mode (because of the 4 amps yet unused). Where if my flaw in thinking? Could it be due to me somehow improperly capping system at 5.8 amps?
I'll go watch that section (again) in your Meanwell videos, about CV+CC drivers, but I thought the gist of it was that CV only goes into CC mode once you have more amps being drawn by the strips than the driver is rated for, amps-wise.

[TEKNIK]

If you have adjusted your amps on the Io dial to only use 6amps then thats what will be used.
All meanwell HLG drivers are constant current drivers, not sure who came up with the term constant voltage drivers but understand they are voltage limited drivers but still constant current drivers like every other led driver around

All that is done in the factory is that meanwell set the voltage to a maximum of 48V or 24V depending on the driver you purchase.
If you have an A or AB driver you can adjust this voltage yourself to change the factory setting.
They just operate like any other driver around.

[J.R.R.]

If you have adjusted your amps on the Io dial to only use 6amps then thats what will be used.
All meanwell HLG drivers are constant current drivers, not sure who came up with the term constant voltage drivers but understand they are voltage limited drivers but still constant current drivers like every other led driver around...

Yeah, I set my total system amps to @ 5.8 (thanks fop the tip, BTW), then I capped it using LEDG's technique shown at the end of Meanwell Part 4 video, lowering lo until amps dipped below 5.8, then bringing it back to 5.8 and done, ready to use Vo as my dimmer
(which dims damn-near to zero...LEDs just barely glowing. I thought the disadvantage of these A drivers was that you could only dim to @ 50%, but my A driver can...defective, or nothing to worry about?)

I'm afraid I have been working off of the terribly misguided premise (self-determined) that a CV driver reverting to CC mode was somehow less desirable, akin to being in some kind of "limp mode," but your post here shined a light...thanks! Are there any instances where reverting to CC mode would be disadvantageous? The only situation I can think of is the reason LEDG recommended this 480 A driver...I was going to use this for a different, much larger build, so I could get a little more power...enough to not need to buy a larger driver.

I still couldn't ever get 48V though, with the 6 strips and both pots opened-up wide. I wouldn't be in CC mode with a ton of headroom left, right?

[TEKNIK]

There is no constant current/ constant voltage mode
There is only constant current with the option of limiting voltage.
If you have the amps set to where you want them to be then thats all you need to do.
An led driver will adjust voltage to suit the circuit you are using.
Dont worry about it not using 48V as its not supposed to on your circuit.
Only way you can increase the voltage used is to increase the amps used. Focus needs to always be on the current first then the voltage