Another Cree CXB3590 DIY thread

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churchhaze

Well-Known Member
lilroach said:
1.28 amps.......Sorry I seemed to have temporarily hijacked the captain's thread. Please forgive me.
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Be careful using a voltage source to power LEDs. Diodes don't have a linear V to I relationship like resistors do, but instead have an exponential characteristic curve, which is defined in the datasheet.

This means that increasing the voltage only slightly above 35V (like 40V) could damage the array pretty fast. Most of us use current sources instead of voltage sources for this reason and to prevent thermal runaway.
 
lilroach

lilroach

Well-Known Member
Ok.....I understood about 1/2 of that (yes, I really am a computer tech....but honestly...math is rarely used).

I'm not sure of the actual amperage going to each COB....I've been just going by volts. The 3050's are rated at 43v and I'm running 'em at 36ish volts. I don't know if it matters, but the PC power supplies I use have a bunch of over/under protections.....and I believe I'm using a clean rail (CPU 12v line).
 
pop22

pop22

Well-Known Member
Your a computer tech and can't deal with LED terminology???? Its no more of a learning curve than pc's were.
I remember the first article I read in PC Magazine.It was talking about IRQ conflicts and BIOS settings and..... I said to my then wife, " what the F*** did I get myself into??..... Yet here I am, a retired HP field service tech ( and didn't even own a pc till I was 41! ).

Try reading the Bio/physics of photosynthesis if you want a headache and need a good excuse to get a buzz.....lol!

and sorry Captain! But Ijust had to reply..:bigjoint:

lilroach said:
I just built a trial COB set-up...it's too ugly to show, but it was my intent to learn about this type of lighting by getting my hands dirty and mostly winging it.

I know nothing about BIN's and other LED specific lingo....All those acronyms hurt my head. I read most of this stuff and my eyes glaze over.

I'm a computer tech and have tons of computer crap laying around including piles of power supplies and CPU heat sinks. I went with CXA 3050 mostly due to the price....It seemed to produce the right wavelengths and if I was going to screw up a COB....it might as well be a cheap one.

I'm lighting four of these using a 500w PC power supply and DC power boosters...one for each cob....I have them running at 35 volts and all I know is that they're bright as shit.

Everything seems to be working as anticipated and now have two plants starting their 12/12 under this set-up. They haven't died.....so I guess that's a good sign.

I've re-ordered eight more of the CXA's based on my 6 days of experience with the trial set-up. I've gutted a 6 bulb T5 fixture and plan on using it for the new light. I'll be using the 4.2ish (it's just over 4") heatsinks and 70mm low profile CPU fans. I'll be using the PC power supplies....maybe one for each two cobs....why....I don't know. They will be driving the boosters as I am in the first light.

I'm telling you all this to ask your opinion of what I've done right and what I've done wrong....so far. Don't spare my feelings, I wouldn't ask if I was sure I know what the hell I'm doing. Please spare me as many acronyms and math as much as possible.

P.S. My focus has not been about efficiency as it seems both you and Supra are driven to get the best efficiency possible...considering I've been running four 600w HPS the past few years, anything would be more efficient than that. What I'm looking to do is effectively replace my 600's with COB LED's....any savings is secondary....I just want the same yield and quality from LED's.
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ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
pop22 said:
Your a computer tech and can't deal with LED terminology???? Its no more of a learning curve than pc's were.
I remember the first article I read in PC Magazine.It was talking about IRQ conflicts and BIOS settings and..... I said to my then wife, " what the F*** did I get myself into??..... Yet here I am, a retired HP field service tech ( and didn't even own a pc till I was 41! ).

Try reading the Bio/physics of photosynthesis if you want a headache and need a good excuse to get a buzz.....lol!

and sorry Captain! But Ijust had to reply..:bigjoint:
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It's no LESS of a learning curve, either.
 
captainmorgan

captainmorgan

Well-Known Member
She's doing alright but not up to par with what I'm used to,should have vegged her another week. I have another GG#4 vegging and not that far from flower. I'm considering finishing this girl under another light setup and putting the next glue under the new light when it's really ready,unless this one shapes up by then.
 
D

DC BIG BUD

Member
If this vote passes in Michigan, I hope to have this same setup running in 3x3 tent. Any opinions on 3000k vs 3500k? Or a mix of warm and cool chips?
 
littlejacob

littlejacob

Well-Known Member
Bonjour
Imo it is depend on what you prefer...3000ºk for indica...3500ºk hybrids...4000ºk sativa!
I have 3500º 3590 and it is great for vegg and bloom (so 5000ºk must be awesome for vegg!)
Now that I saw how 3500ºk perform in vegg...I really want to build a 5000ºk vegg panel...or a 6500ºk DD...depend on REALSTYLE vegg results!
Have a great day ★
 
D

DC BIG BUD

Member
Thanks for the reply lil jake! I would love to see a comparison grow between a warm light and a cool light. I would bet money a 6500k or a 5000k can and will out flower a 3000k or 3500k. Just based on useable light output and efficiency. Maybe we can convince REALSTYLES to try it out in his playground. Imo hps was king not because of color, but because it simply threw out the most amount of useable light. Just thinking out loud (so to speak).
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
DC BIG BUD said:
Thanks for the reply lil jake! I would love to see a comparison grow between a warm light and a cool light. I would bet money a 6500k or a 5000k can and will out flower a 3000k or 3500k. Just based on useable light output and efficiency. Maybe we can convince REALSTYLES to try it out in his playground. Imo hps was king not because of color, but because it simply threw out the most amount of useable light. Just thinking out loud (so to speak).
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I'd like to see it too, and I'd take the other side of that bet.
 
Humanrob

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
captainmorgan said:
She's doing alright but not up to par with what I'm used to,should have vegged her another week. I have another GG#4 vegging and not that far from flower. I'm considering finishing this girl under another light setup and putting the next glue under the new light when it's really ready,unless this one shapes up by then.
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It's great that you are growing (or have grown) GG#4 in both your 3070 and 3590 tents -- that creates about as good a point of comparison as we can get. I'm looking forward to the results...
 
Humanrob

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
ttystikk said:
It would be even better if they were the same clones grown in the same tent with the same nutes. That's asking a lot, though. I just want to see good results!
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I haven't been following that closely... for some reason I thought both tents were very similar? Read enough threads and it all starts to blur together, but I thought the Capt. had one system (grow medium, size, method, # of plants, etc.) he was working with, just different lights?
 
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