Let's Help J.R.R. Build His LM561C Strips Project!

[J.R.R.Toking]

Hi all,

I'm making headway on my 4' x 4' build, using LEDG's 4-foot LT-FB24B (288 LED/double row) design. I received my 45' heatsinks today (which look awesome) and received myHLG-480H-48A driver, but my light strips are still a few weeks out. I'd like to get the heatsinks/frame ready, so I can just install the strips and wire them up when they get here.

Question 1: My cabinet is going to be a rigid 4' x 4' x 7' box (not tent), so I think the light's frame should be no wider/longer than 45 inches each way (so I have some room to raise/lower light fixture as needed.. I have NO IDEA just how wide a usable beam of light these double-row strips will throw, so I'm not certain how to space these 4 3000k lights apart, to get the best coverage for a 4' x 4' canopy. Thoughts? Keep in mind, I'm hoping to use every inch of the canopy space for flowering, so I need light spaced wall-to-wall.

Question 2: I've decided to used my 2 5000k 4-foot LT-FB24B stripss in a separate veg space (for now). What would be the best driver I could get that would allow manual dimming far lower than the "A" series (I want to dim lower than 50% of total output...more like 10%), yet still allow me to upgrade to two additional LT-F24B strips (total of 4) for future expansion using the driver for 4-3000k LT-F24B flowering strips?

TIA.

[majorana]

Question 1: why not simply evenly space them? I've seen once a person mention spacing strips in a logarithmic manner, but besides looking interesting I failed to see the advantage in that.

#2: Quick answer: type B. Did you watch the videos LG has on Youtube? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrXV02 ... q1g/videos

[J.R.R.Toking]

Question 1: why not simply evenly space them? I've seen once a person mention spacing strips in a logarithmic manner, but besides looking interesting I failed to see the advantage in that.

Evenly spacing is a fine concept, but I need to know the width of the strips' beam so I don't waste light by placing the outer two strips too close to the wall of the cab...or, conversely, too far away. Once I can know how uniform the outside halves of the strips diffuse, I can start my spacing them out evenly from that point...know what I mean? I guess I could put them at 6', 18', 30. and 42, and call it a day...they are double-row LEDs, after all.

#2: Quick answer: type B. Did you watch the videos LG has on Youtube? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrXV02 ... q1g/videos

Yes, I've watched all videos at least twice, but man, there is a LOT of information there to absorb, and I don't care to Eff up buying the incorrect $160+ piece of hardware to run my current veg lights to dim more than 50% AND have the option to use this new driver to power another 4' x 4' flower cab should I care to swap it out in the future, all while factoring-in running them at @ 75% for peak efficacy. Too many variables for now to make a confident, informed decision...variables I'm certain I'll learn in the months ahead, but I need answers NOW to at least get my veg lights working (2-LT-FB24B 5000k that are on backorder) with a driver that I can add more lights to.

Thanks, majorana, for the response...it's very appreciated..

[majorana]

Evenly spacing is a fine concept, but I need to know the width of the strips' beam so I don't waste light by placing the outer two strips too close to the wall of the cab...or, conversely, too far away. Once I can know how uniform the outside halves of the strips diffuse, I can start my spacing them out evenly from that point...know what I mean? I guess I could put them at 6', 18', 30. and 42, and call it a day...they are double-row LEDs, after all.

Without a lens or reflector the light will come out at approximately 120°. The ideal distance from the wall would depend on the height over the canopy and whether or not the wall is reflective. You can do the math, or you can test empirically.

Yes, I've watched all videos at least twice, but man, there is a LOT of information there to absorb, and I don't care to Eff up buying the incorrect $160+ piece of hardware to run my current veg lights to dim more than 50% AND have the option to use this new driver to power another 4' x 4' flower cab should I care to swap it out in the future, all while factoring-in running them at @ 75% for peak efficacy. Too many variables for now to make a confident, informed decision...variables I'm certain I'll learn in the months ahead, but I need answers NOW to at least get my veg lights working (2-LT-FB24B 5000k that are on backorder) with a driver that I can add more lights to.

Thanks, majorana, for the response...it's very appreciated..

The strips are 46V, so my understanding is that running 4 of them on a single driver would be best done with the HLG-320H-48B. But I'm not the best informed about drivers, and you don't seem to be particularly happy with my customer service.

[Sativant]

Evenly spacing is a fine concept, but I need to know the width of the strips' beam so I don't waste light by placing the outer two strips too close to the wall of the cab...or, conversely, too far away. Once I can know how uniform the outside halves of the strips diffuse, I can start my spacing them out evenly from that point...know what I mean? I guess I could put them at 6', 18', 30. and 42, and call it a day...they are double-row LEDs, after all.

I'm in the process of building my 6 strip light. I used seat of the pants engineering to figure out the distances between strips: the ones at the edges are closer together, with a larger gap in the middle. The outer ones are 1 ¾" apart, next are 2 ½" apart, middle two are 3" apart. If they were evenly spaced they would all be 2.3" apart. This is for a 2'x2' light. Time was a wasting and I had to decide how to arrange them...
It is possible to change them as they slide in a c channel. They are drilled and tapped in place, but if I need to I can change the spacing.

[J.R.R.Toking]

Without a lens or reflector the light will come out at approximately 120°. The ideal distance from the wall would depend on the height over the canopy and whether or not the wall is reflective. You can do the math, or you can test empirically.

Yeah...I guess I'll need to wait to get the strips delivered to see exactly how much light they throw on the edges, which will be getting wrapped in Reflectix for both reflectivity and sound dampening (I use powerheads for oxygenation). I'm not certain of what the height will be, relative to the canopy, but I certainly will want to keep it as close to the canopy as my strain will allow, without adverse effects. My thought is that the further I can keep the outside two strips from the walls (while still being effective), the closer I can space the inner two lights, to get maximum overlap in the center of the canopy. But you're right; it would probably be best if I wait to see the strips in their actual setting before I mount the heatsinks...measure twice, drill once!

The strips are 46V, so my understanding is that running 4 of them on a single driver would be best done with the HLG-320H-48B. But I'm not the best informed about drivers, and you don't seem to be particularly happy with my customer service.

I hope you're kidding about me being dissatisfied with your thoughts and help, as this couldn't be further from the truth. Anyone who takes time and thought out of their day to help a stranger is better than most in my book. You are a fine example of the many helpful folks in this forum, and your input is very-much valued!

While it seems as though the HLG-320H-48B might look like the driver I want (because the external pot can dim the lights much lower than the "A" version), I think it MIGHT be a bit underpowered should I ever want to run 4 of the 4' LT-FB24B strips in flower mode. The reason LEDG suggests the HLG-320H-48A in his 4' x 4' garden design is that with the "A" version of this driver, you can adjust/overdrive the voltage up JUST ENOUGH to power the 4 strips at @ 75%...so with the "B" version that includes the external pot, I believe I need to get the next powerful 48 volt driver, but again, am not 100% on this, and don't want to buy the incorrect driver. Verification of the proper model number I'd need from someone in the know would be great. Thanks in advance.

Again, thanks for your responses and help, majorana...it's very appreciated!