DIY striplights technical question

Hi guys, first time posting (much lurking). Sorry if this has been answered before!

I recently got myself a 1m x 1m x 2m area (3.3'x3.3'6.5') and wanted to run around 300W real power through there. I've really been into the DIY side of things so I wanted to make my own strip lights build and I just wanted to check with some more experienced builders before I commit to anything.

My big idea was to use the bxeb-l0560 strips, about 15 of them. They have a Vf of 19.5 V, all together makes 292.5 V. I wanted to pair this with an HLG-320H-C1050, so running them at 1.05 A. This oughtta work out to 307 W.

My question is, is this correct? Is 1 driver going to be enough? Is it okay to load them all in series or do I need to get more drivers?

Just get an HLG-320H-20A driver and wire them in parallel. Much safer voltage to be working with.

NukaKola said:

Just get an HLG-320H-20A driver and wire them in parallel. Much safer voltage to be working with.

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Hi thanks for your reply! Would you mind explaining to me why this is safer, please?

If you go by the datasheet it's about 23V at 1.05A
Also those push connectors are rated at 300V I believe....just my opinion, but I never like to max out a electrical circuit.
A lot of people recommend about 40W per square foot, so that would put you at 440W.

Maybe look into building two fixtures off of 240W drivers. You'll get better coverage and get away from running a real high drive voltage.

Khitara said:

Hi thanks for your reply! Would you mind explaining to me why this is safer, please?

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Because the driver is only outputting ~20V instead of 300V.

Thanks guys, that's cleared a lot up for me. I'll look into getting the 20A driver then, it makes more sense to run at low voltage. Are there any dangers to running in parallel, such as if one of the lights conks out?
So if I get it right, it runs at 15A spread out over 15 strips at 1A each, that's great. But what about the voltage being 24V @ 1A, when the strips are rated at 19.5 Vf?

The voltage you are referring to is the voltage drop, not a rating. If you look the datasheet I posted you'll see that forward voltage increases with an added load. The driver output voltage needs to cover the voltage drop of the strip.....plus a little extra never hurts.

Parallel wiring is susceptible to overload damage. This is easily protected with in line fuses.
Series wiring is protected by the current limiter in the driver.

Both ways are fine. Series is easier to wire up, but drive voltages are higher. Parallel is a little more involved to wire, but runs at lower voltages.

Once you decide what your more comfortable wiring up there are tons of knowledgeable people here that will help you select the correct rated fuses, drivers, wires...etc.

Khitara said:

Thanks guys, that's cleared a lot up for me. I'll look into getting the 20A driver then, it makes more sense to run at low voltage. Are there any dangers to running in parallel, such as if one of the lights conks out?
So if I get it right, it runs at 15A spread out over 15 strips at 1A each, that's great. But what about the voltage being 24V @ 1A, when the strips are rated at 19.5 Vf?

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The HLG-320H-20 driver is a 20v driver not 20amps. It comes in 20A, 20B, or 20AB which refers to the dimming style. When you wire in parallel it’s a good idea to to run fuses and/or run additional strips so they are running a bit softer. That way if a strip goes out, the other strips can safely handle the excess current.

7CardBud said:

If you go by the datasheet it's about 23V at 1.05A
Also those push connectors are rated at 300V I believe....just my opinion, but I never like to max out a electrical circuit.
A lot of people recommend about 40W per square foot, so that would put you at 440W.

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23v at 1.05A would be the first generation of EB strips. The OP said Vf is 19.5 and that would be EB Gen2 with a Vf of 20.5 at 1050mA.
bxeb-L0560 could be EB, EB gen 2, EB Gen 3 or EB Gen 3 slim, @Khitara please verify the version you have or give the full part number.
40w/ft. is rather high for efficient strips, most would suggest 30-35W.

Khitara said:

Thanks guys, that's cleared a lot up for me. I'll look into getting the 20A driver then, it makes more sense to run at low voltage. Are there any dangers to running in parallel, such as if one of the lights conks out?
So if I get it right, it runs at 15A spread out over 15 strips at 1A each, that's great. But what about the voltage being 24V @ 1A, when the strips are rated at 19.5 Vf?

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I suggest a meanwell driver with AB type dimming, they have an adjustable voltage limit that will prevent any strips from drawing excess current if there are strip failures or wiring problems, no need for fuses. Many of us run pairs of strips in series to reduce the amount of wiring, under 50v is generally considered a safe voltage. I have an HLG-185H-42B running EB Gen 2's over 5 sq/ft.

BTW, you can run those strips at 1050mA with no heat sinks at all.

OP, you can also, in order to save om parallel strings and wagos, use a 42V driver with voltage adjustment. A and AB dimming drivers should have this. Use 2 in series and then do parallel strings.

Hi guys, thanks for the awesome suggestions.
I'm talking about the EB2 strips as from what I've seen they're the best quality for buck. They're only half the price of the aluminium angles/channels they're gonna be attached to.

Their rated current is 1.4A so I thought the 1.05A would be soft enough for good efficiency. I physically don't have the space to run 2 drivers/light setups in this tent I believe, so I'm leaning towards the 1 driver that was mentioned before (320H 20A). Should I go to 16 lights to get them slightly below 1A each?
Could someone please explain where I would put which fuse, eg do I need 1 at the socket for the driver or do I need to get a seperate one for each strip?

Rocket Soul said:

OP, you can also, in order to save om parallel strings and wagos, use a 42V driver with voltage adjustment. A and AB dimming drivers should have this. Use 2 in series and then do parallel strings.

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And yet anothe power idea for a eb strips build: using a hlg185h-c1400 cc driver: 2 strings of 7 in each series. Use two drivers for your space for a bit of extra power.

Rocket Soul said:

And yet anothe power idea for a eb strips build: using a hlg185h-c1400 cc driver: 2 strings of 7 in each series. Use two drivers for your space for a bit of extra power.

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Sorry if I misunderstood, but doesn't this mean running all the strips at 1400 mA? That's the max rated current; wouldn't that be drastically reducing their lifetime and efficiency?

Khitara said:

Sorry if I misunderstood, but doesn't this mean running all the strips at 1400 mA? That's the max rated current; wouldn't that be drastically reducing their lifetime and efficiency?

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The two strings wired in parallel would run at about 700mA each. So that means 700mA per strip.

Thanks guys fir the speedy response but I am glue less to the lanuage of led... I wanted to use Cree cbx 3590 x4 and maybe 2 f series Samsung with 1 uv blaster...... What modules should I use and what will it be replacing in comparison to a hps... One more thing how should I set it up what modules should I use and what lumans.....? HELP PLEASE