This is a subject I touched on in an earlier video where I tried to run about 175 volts worth of LED (5 COBs) off of a driver only rated for 143 volts max. The result in that test was that the driver maintained its full voltage (~143v), but put out next to nothing for current. What I set out to test this time was what would happen if you were trying to pull just a handful of volts more than the driver was rated for, as opposed to trying to pull 30+ more than rated. By adding resistors in series with my 4 COB lights, I was able to slowly increase the voltage drop of my circuit to meet and exceed the max rating of my driver and see how it reacted.
Tag: Mean Well (Page 4 of 6)
I’ve had a number of requests to put up a constant voltage version of my COB LED Driver Selection Tool so I drafted one up today. Please see the notes at the bottom of this post for some important additional info. Also, if you’d like to see any COBs added, let me know which ones and I’ll see if I can include them.
Constant voltage drivers are becoming more popular lately. They’re safer, flexible, and often cheaper than their constant current counterparts, but it can be a little more difficult to pick the right CV driver for your system than it would be for a CC build. Don’t sweat though, it’s really not very hard. All you need is an understanding of how parallel wiring works and to know how to manipulate forward voltage and current numbers using data sheets or product simulators.
Below are the steps to take to find a suitable constant voltage driver. Continue reading
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