I just built a shelf with 9 LED strips for my plants, but I have a very weird issue... Sometimes it powers up and sometimes it doesn't. The first time I plugged it, it worked perfectly but after 15 minutes it shut down. Tried to power it on again but it refused to. So I waited 2 hours and then plugged it back in and it worked perfectly. I let it on for 2 hours without any issue so I assumed it was working. So I went to sleep and the next day I tried to plug it in and it didn't light up. I haven't touched anything between my tests.
So I thought the driver could be faulty. I bought another one but I have the same problem. I also tested it with 3 different power outlets (with and without a GFCI, no difference, and the GFCI doesn't trigger)
What could cause this issue if it's not the driver? If it was wired incorrectly I assume it wouldn't power at all, but the issue is intermittent. I have triple-checked all wiring and everything seems to be wired correctly (I can't show a picture because the wires are hidden inside an aluminum bar)
I tried with a potentiometer at 25% 50% 75% and 100% ... also tried without a potentiometer, and also tried just connecting the 2 dim wires together.
I also tried to disconnect all of the strips and tried to power just one strip ... nope, didn't work
1x XLG-150-H-AB
9x BXEB-L1120Z-50E4000-C-B3
16AWG wires in parallel (a mix of hard wires and repurposed computer/monitor power cord)
LED strips sometimes powers on, sometimes it doesn't
Disconnect Power then Recheck;jon wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:48 pmI just built a shelf with 9 LED strips for my plants, but I have a very weird issue... Sometimes it powers up and sometimes it doesn't. The first time I plugged it, it worked perfectly but after 15 minutes it shut down. Tried to power it on again but it refused to. So I waited 2 hours and then plugged it back in and it worked perfectly. I let it on for 2 hours without any issue so I assumed it was working. So I went to sleep and the next day I tried to plug it in and it didn't light up. I haven't touched anything between my tests.
So I thought the driver could be faulty. I bought another one but I have the same problem. I also tested it with 3 different power outlets (with and without a GFCI, no difference, and the GFCI doesn't trigger)
What could cause this issue if it's not the driver? If it was wired incorrectly I assume it wouldn't power at all, but the issue is intermittent. I have triple-checked all wiring and everything seems to be wired correctly (I can't show a picture because the wires are hidden inside an aluminum bar)
I tried with a potentiometer at 25% 50% 75% and 100% ... also tried without a potentiometer, and also tried just connecting the 2 dim wires together.
I also tried to disconnect all of the strips and tried to power just one strip ... nope, didn't work
1x XLG-150-H-AB
9x BXEB-L1120Z-50E4000-C-B3
16AWG wires in parallel (a mix of hard wires and repurposed computer/monitor power cord)
a. All your AC and DC wiring,
b. Terminations at terminal blocks and connectors
c. Ensure that adequate amount of insulation has been removed at terminals.
d. Check continuity to ensure that wires (wiring) is not shorted or grounded (to frame).
e. Pay added attention to the DC wiring, check actual Volts and Polarity (+/-) terminations. Good luck.
The Selected Bridgelux LED strips operate @ 39 Vdc and 27.3 Watts each at Test / Typical Current (0.700 Amps or 700 mA each), that's 39 Vdc and 245.7 Watts Total Parallel Wired at Test Current... The 4 ft LED Strips should not be Daisy Chained due to increased wire (PCB Trace) resistance which can affect the operation of the LED Driver...
The Selected XLG-150-H-AB is "Undersized" but is able to provide 150 Watts at 39 Vdc when properly wired in Parallel. The Io internal pot (Current Adjustment, 50 - 100%) should not be touched, it should be at the factory setting of ~ 150 Watts output (< 100% @ internal pot, Factory Set). The Dimming, Purple and Gray wires can be isolated for 100% (150 Watts) output, shorting or connecting them together produce 0% (0 Watts) output. The LED Drivers' internal circuit isolates and often protects the DC Voltage side and will produce intermittent operation on faults.
BTW, it may also be possible that the Io Pot (internal Current Adj. Pot) has been "Adjusted UP" too high, clockwise position (over 100%) causing an over-current condition / fault in the LED Driver Vdc output Circuit. You may need to re-adjust back to normal operating conditions (3.84 Amps at ~ 39 Vdc) with a Watt Meter or Amp Meter (for reference), if that is the case...
- Typical Parallel Wiring Diagram as shown nine (9) strips in three (3) groups.
Typical LED Strip Wiring Diagrams