building a quantum set up for a 5x5 on the cheap

[slymer]

im looking at the Meijiu 304led Samsung 561c s6 boards at $25 bucks each,


I want the set up to be around 850 from the wall

I want to spread the quantum boards evenly over the 5x5 canopy

thinking of getting 10 boards but open to sugestions like maby working with more of the 128 boards.

What layout system should be best for these boards/drivers and how should reach board run in the build.
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as i am open to changing everything but my main goal is keeping it cost effective.

[slymer]

the reason i like using the import quantom boards is that i can get 10 of them for only 25 each bucks and can keep the main parts of this relatively low cost with the whole build close to 450-500

[slymer]

or moving with mufue strips. they sent LM561B+ instead of the LM561C installed to somene instead but have they fixed that and offer true lm561c instead?

[majorana]

I've had very poor experience with Mufue. They were nearly a month late on delivery, and by the time I got the strips and realized I got inferior diodes with inferior build quality it was too late to order from another supplier. (Grow cycles have their own schedule, they can't wait an extra month.)

I've read similar such reports about Meijiu.

Having said that, even a lower-bin lesser-diode (generously assuming it's the 561B+ I got) can do a great job. For a similar 5*5 I'm pulling 960W (2xHLG 480's) going thru some 4000 diodes so they run soft enough not to need a heatsink. The spread with the strips is also very nice. The actual results will come in a few weeks, but the plants seem to be extremely happy just the same.

Had I been told by Mufue (and I have reason to believe Meijiu does the same) that I'll be getting 561B+ I might have still made the same purchase (the price is good), but the delay and being lied to makes a poor customer experience. In hindsight, however, seeing that nearly 10% of strips failed, even the price isn't that great.

[unkle_psycho]

For budget it might be better to look at bridgelux products... is the stuff from Meiju and Mufue cheaper, or possibly more efficient? With Vesta strips and the TRP drivers I was getting around 3w per $. EB gen2 strips were so hard to source that I gave up on them.

[slymer]

For budget it might be better to look at bridgelux products... is the stuff from Meiju and Mufue cheaper, or possibly more efficient? With Vesta strips and the TRP drivers I was getting around 3w per $. EB gen2 strips were so hard to source that I gave up on them.

that actually sounds like a great idea, how manny 4 foot strips would you recomend?.. they seam to be around 12 bucks for the ebs and do vesta stips come longer then 2 foot? the vesta strips are still like 10 bucks a strip at only 560mm long

[slymer]

the best i could find was here "https://www.arrow.com/en/products/bxeb- ... /bridgelux" but was only in stock with 5000k

[slymer]

or these guys but they are 3500k https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/ ... ND/7907661

[unkle_psycho]

I don't think the Asian stuff will save you much over that. And at least you will know what you have. Are you in the US, or somewhere where you can get cheap heat sinks? Are you planning on running them hard or soft?

I got 10 x 75w Thomas Research Products drivers, and 9 x 560mm + 24 x 280mm vesta strips for around 280e. If I planned to run them hard I could have taken less strips. They have a strip of 2700k and 5000k 90cri leds, so you can tune the color temperature you want. If you just connect everything you get about 3800k.

There's a great thread on the vesta's, by tazztone, somewhere in Mid-power LED. I'm not sure if the calculator here has been updated to the EB gen2, there are some long threads on them at RIU (rollitup forums).

[slymer]

I don't think the Asian stuff will save you much over that. And at least you will know what you have. Are you in the US, or somewhere where you can get cheap heat sinks? Are you planning on running them hard or soft?

I got 10 x 75w Thomas Research Products drivers, and 9 x 560mm + 24 x 280mm vesta strips for around 280e. If I planned to run them hard I could have taken less strips. They have a strip of 2700k and 5000k 90cri leds, so you can tune the color temperature you want. If you just connect everything you get about 3800k.

There's a great thread on the vesta's, by tazztone, somewhere in Mid-power LED. I'm not sure if the calculator here has been updated to the EB gen2, there are some long threads on them at RIU (rollitup forums).

my goal is to have an even spread and pretty much have as manny strips or boards in my budget and run them soft,

i was leaning more towards 4 foot strips, how did you get all those drivers and the vesta stips for only $280? the drivers seam to be around 40 each on digikey? and yes i live in california,