Opinions on light

DankBudzzz

Well-Known Member
hey Folks, I was looking to get your thoughts on a light from true northern lighting. It’s a strip build light running on an hlg-185 1400 but they claim 238 watts and 2.32 umol/joule. I’m no expert but I know you can squeeze a little bit more out of your drivers with reduced efficiency. Are these numbers plausible, I’m getting a great price on them if they really can pull 238 watts each.
 

jarvild

Well-Known Member
The 185 is rated for 185 watts, I know my 240 rated at 240 watts actually pulls 268 watts from the wall at full power. I really can't see it pulling 53 watts over the spec wattage let alone the 2.3 umols they claim. And yes there is an allowable tolerance to the drivers output, but 53 watts is more that over a 1/4 more of its rated power.
DSCN0817.JPG
What kind of price are they giving you?
Do they specify what chips are used in the strips?
Got a link to their site that they sell on?

Just from my limited understanding on LED tech Led's perform best when ran at their stated max efficiency or less as the higher you run them the less efficient they become.
 

Humple

Well-Known Member
The 185 is rated for 185 watts, I know my 240 rated at 240 watts actually pulls 268 watts from the wall at full power. I really can't see it pulling 53 watts over the spec wattage let alone the 2.3 umols they claim. And yes there is an allowable tolerance to the drivers output, but 53 watts is more that over a 1/4 more of its rated power.
View attachment 4124035
What kind of price are they giving you?
Do they specify what chips are used in the strips?
Got a link to their site that they sell on?

Just from my limited understanding on LED tech Led's perform best when ran at their stated max efficiency or less as the higher you run them the less efficient they become.
Both of my HLG-120H-54As pull over 160w from the wall (one of them actually hits 170w).
 

jarvild

Well-Known Member
Just as a example, I built this 8 bar light with u-channel that cost me $236 US to build.
DSCN0815.JPG

This one cost me $254 US using the 1" heatsinks.
DSCN0833.JPG

Just trying to figure out if he is getting a deal or not. That's why I ask for more info on the lights they are trying to sell him.
 

diyled

Well-Known Member
hey Folks, I was looking to get your thoughts on a light from true northern lighting. It’s a strip build light running on an hlg-185 1400 but they claim 238 watts and 2.32 umol/joule. I’m no expert but I know you can squeeze a little bit more out of your drivers with reduced efficiency. Are these numbers plausible, I’m getting a great price on them if they really can pull 238 watts each.
Yes it could pull that. They pull 212w just using the max Fv . Then they turn up past 1.6a.

Ive seen some good results under these lights and they are charging a fair price.
 

Humple

Well-Known Member
Yes it could pull that. They pull 212w just using the max Fv . Then they turn up past 1.6a.

Ive seen some good results under these lights and they are charging a fair price.
I presume they're using LM561C? Have to say I don't like that they're advertising their 238w light as a 4x4 solution.
 

jarvild

Well-Known Member
I presume they're using LM561C? Have to say I don't like that they're advertising their 238w light as a 4x4 solution.
You have a link to the lights? I pull up northern lighting and I get multiple hits from US to EU. One company out of Westerville, Ohio. Same town as HLG.
 

DankBudzzz

Well-Known Member
Just as a example, I built this 8 bar light with u-channel that cost me $236 US to build.
View attachment 4124054

This one cost me $254 US using the 1" heatsinks.
View attachment 4124055

Just trying to figure out if he is getting a deal or not. That's why I ask for more info on the lights they are trying to sell him.
It’s a deal for a prebuilt shipped, I’m from Canada so I pay through the ass, it was 850 shipped cad for a 400 watt vero diy kit from timber. I can get these 238 fixtures for 300 cad all in thanks to a discount
 

DankBudzzz

Well-Known Member
I presume they're using LM561C? Have to say I don't like that they're advertising their 238w light as a 4x4 solution.
They aren’t totally off, they do state for a beginner. Obv the 476 would be much better, i would be getting say 4 or 5 of the 238 watt kits which is about a third as cheap as two hlg 550s... very close to when I’ve sourced everything to do a strip build myself. They only use one driver and one strip so far so they can gey great wholesale pricing to keep there end price low. He said the driver is rated for 201 watts and they can squeeze 20% extra out of them wiring in s certain way. I’m no expert
 

Humple

Well-Known Member
They aren’t totally off, they do state for a beginner. Obv the 476 would be much better, i would be getting say 4 or 5 of the 238 watt kits which is about a third as cheap as two hlg 550s... very close to when I’ve sourced everything to do a strip build myself. They only use one driver and one strip so far so they can gey great wholesale pricing to keep there end price low. He said the driver is rated for 201 watts and they can squeeze 20% extra out of them wiring in s certain way. I’m no expert
If that beginner isn't planning to actually use all of the 16 square feet that are in a 4x4, then I'll agree with you.

As for their extra 20%. I have no idea what they're talking about. I'm not aware of any special way to wire a driver.
 

jarvild

Well-Known Member
Okay I see now, 3 double strips on a piece of plate aluminum.
The cost to do it DIY style run around $160 US pricing. So you are paying someone $140 to assemble it for you.
I'm not trying to tell you to not get them, just giving you an idea what my cost to produce it would be. If I bought enough to assemble lets say 500 lights my production cost would be almost half again.
 
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