F Series driver recommendation

Wading through the info on the Samsung and Digikey websites is a quick trip to insanity. The pics on Digikey don't match the product so the best course is to find the part number on the Samsung site and then plug that into the Digikey site and ignore the photo.

Even then the madness continues. I ordered H Series Gen3. Not sure what the hell I recieved. The info printed on the PCB when it was made says M Series Gen2 with LH561B+ leds. The sticker says H Series Gen3. The form factor is def M series and doesn't match the images of the H series. Digikey is looking into it.

Prawn Connery said:

The 560mm (2') F Series strips I just bought have 144 diodes (3x, or 200% more than 48 ) and are US$26.51 each: https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/samsung-semiconductor-inc/SI-B8R521560WW/1510-2224-ND/6624008

Don't take any notice of the photo - it's wrong.

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exactly my point, you paid 26.51 for 144 diodes, and i paid $27.75 for 144 diodes. Your post makes it sound like it was an amazing bargin over H, when they are the same. It boils down to choice of drivers and flexibility in concentration of diodes as to what is better. The cost per diode is the same. I would still do H over F today because i know i can run H's with no heatsink. Two 6foot pieces of aluminum is my entire frame for two 8 strip lights. How hot do those F series get? If you need a full heatsink then F's would actually be more expensive.

Sorry, where exactly did I post it was an "amazing bargain"? I'm not using a heatsink either. You seem to have me confused for someone else.

But while we're on the subject, do you have a link to those cheap H Series? I would be interested in those. Cheers.

haze010 said:

This is just incorrect. I Built two lights each with 8 h-series strips about 6 months ago before F series was even announced. I paid $9.25 per H series strip for the 2 foot ones with 48 dioides. The F series are 50% more diodes, but to say they are a lower price point is just plain incorrect.

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My mistake. I never really dug into the prices at the time and was under the impression that the H was a bit more expensive per strip based on what was being said about the new F-Series.

Apologies for the incorrect info.

I wish more could take a cue from you on how to respond if someone tries to correct you.
+Karma

Definately, but as long as you shop around for the best deal F and H series should be nearly the same price per diode. Base the decision on what best fits the space/driver/build you need for yourself. For me it was 2 seperate lights each with their own driver of 8 Hseries strips a piece.

nc208 said:

I wish more could take a cue from you on how to respond if someone tries to correct you.
+Karma

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I got no problem admitting when I get something wrong.

Nor should anyone else. But it's a pretty rare trait these days. Kudos to you.

haze010 said:

Definately, but as long as you shop around for the best deal F and H series should be nearly the same price per diode. Base the decision on what best fits the space/driver/build you need for yourself. For me it was 2 seperate lights each with their own driver of 8 Hseries strips a piece.

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So if you don't mind, I'll ask again: have you got a link to your H series souce, because they're almost half the price of everywhere else!

If they're that cheap, then please share it with all of us. I would also be interested in seeing their price on F Series strips. Thanks.

Prawn Connery said:

Nor should anyone else. But it's a pretty rare trait these days. Kudos to you.



So if you don't mind, I'll ask again: have you got a link to your H series souce, because they're almost half the price of everywhere else!

If they're that cheap, then please share it with all of us. I would also be interested in seeing their price on F Series strips. Thanks.

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Digikey has them for 13 bucks each in 22".

The 5000K equivalent to what I would have ordered are $16.86: https://www.digikey.com.au/products/en?keywords=B8R11156H

EDIT: These ones appear to be the same for $16.21: https://www.digikey.com.au/products/en?keywords=B8R11156H

Remember, we're comparing apples to apples. Also, until the clown posts a link to his cheap H series, then I'm taking his claims with a pinch of salt. One, because the same source may well have cheaper F Series than Digikey. And two, because he says he bought them six months ago, and I'm not really interested in what something cost six months ago - I want to know what they cost now.

Also, he points out the cost of mounting - well unless he's using sheet aluminium, he's going to need three times the number of lengths of U-channel (or whatever) to mount the same number of diodes. So yeah, let's add that to the equation as well.

Prawn Connery said:

The 5000K equivalent to what I would have ordered are $16.86: https://www.digikey.com.au/products/en?keywords=B8R11156H

EDIT: These ones appear to be the same for $16.21: https://www.digikey.com.au/products/en?keywords=B8R11156H

Remember, we're comparing apples to apples. Also, until the clown posts a link to his cheap H series, then I'm taking his claims with a pinch of salt. One, because the same source may well have cheaper F Series than Digikey. And two, because he says he bought them six months ago, and I'm not really interested in what something cost six months ago - I want to know what they cost now.

Also, he points out the cost of mounting - well unless he's using sheet aluminium, he's going to need three times the number of lengths of U-channel (or whatever) to mount the same number of diodes. So yeah, let's add that to the equation as well.

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Well i got mine from arrow, the price has changed some since i got mine its now more expensive if you buy 10, but less if you buy 25. I got 16 when i got mine. The 10 item pricing is now $10.16 per but they didnt have a 25 price when i bought, the 25 price is $8.35 per strip.

https://www.arrow.com/en/products/si-b8v11156hus/samsung-electronics?utm_source=octopart&utm_medium=aggregator&utm_campaign=octopart_2017&utm_content=inv_listing&utm_keyword=SI-B8V11156HUS

And calling me a clown? its actually well documented in the eb build series thread and a bunch of people got it for that price, why do i bother trying to help ppl and give other options?

Even digikey which is always more expensive, has them for $9.25 if you buy 25 or more.

https://www.digikey.com/products/en?mpart=SI-B8V11156HUS&v=1510

As far as mounting, one light (for 2x2 area) of 8 strips took 60 inches of angle aluminum in an H shape with the strips running between. I did both lights for under $20 of aluminum. The point about the H series i made was that you dont have to have aluminum backing they dont get hot at all. If F runs the same then disregard it, but i have no aluminum backing my strips its just a H shaped frame.


Anyway this is the last comment i will post on this thread. I was just trying to make sure people realize the only difference between H and F is layout/voltages. They are an equal choice and depending on what your personal space and neccesities are H may actually be a better choice for some.

Ah, so now we're comparing a 25 bulk buy to four strips? In that case the Digikey F Series price is $20.47 - which is more than $7 cheaper than 3x H Series. That's also just under $5 cheaper than the Arrow price. That's 20-25% cheaper overall.

Yep, I called you a clown. That's your avatar, and that's how you acted when you came into this thread, claiming nfhiggs was "just plain incorrect" when he was right and YOU were wrong. You then had a crack at me over something I didn't write, and you haven't even apologised .

At least nfhiggs showed some mettle. Though frankly, I don't think he had anything to apologise for.

This isn't about a difference of opinion - all are welcome. It's simply about showing people the same respect you would want in return.

Prawn Connery said:

Ah, so now we're comparing a 25 bulk buy to four strips? In that case the Digikey F Series price is $20.47 - which is more than $7 cheaper than 3x H Series. That's also just under $5 cheaper than the Arrow price. That's 20-25% cheaper overall.

Yep, I called you a clown. That's your avatar, and that's how you acted when you came into this thread, claiming nfhiggs was "just plain incorrect" when he was right and YOU were wrong. You then had a crack at me over something I didn't write, and you haven't even apologised .

At least nfhiggs showed some mettle. Though frankly, I don't think he had anything to apologise for.

This isn't about a difference of opinion - all are welcome. It's simply about showing people the same respect you would want in return.

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Since when is pointing out that something is incorrect being disrespectful? All i did was try and point out that H is a very viable option and better for some people. F series is not some great giant break the bank improvement over H series and for some reason you are taking that as personal. I have not made any comments about a person unlike some and i havent disrespected anyone. All i did was point out that 50% more diodes for less money claim is incorrect. Yes my avatar is what it is but you'd have to be pretty slow to not get you were doing a passive agressive insult for some reason.

I never said H was better, i said they are equal options and better for some depending what they are building. I described my situation, which was buying 10+.

Not sure why youve decided to make it personal, youre now blocked. have a nice day and good luck on your build.

LOL, nothing passive about it. You barged in, made claims that were left wanting, and didn't have the hide to admit you were mistaken. Simple as that.

I could use some help, please. I have a tenuous grasp of LED system design... enough to make me dangerous. On the same four F-series strips Mr. Connery is designing around, what would be a good driver match to run them at max recommended current? I see that they are rated to run safely at 1.8A. Am I right in thinking that I could use a 320H-C2100B and adjust the current down to 1.8A in series? In the CV-CC driver range it doesn't look like the 320H-48 can drive those four strips to max capability at 6.7A output since the strips would need 7.2A running parallel. And I didn't see a CV driver that matched in V and C requirements to do the job.
Or could I use a 480H-48 driver and dial it down for the four strips in parallel, and later add four more in series/parallel with the same driver?
Am I close to understanding or do I need to go back to school? My head may explode.

Rider509 said:

I could use some help, please. I have a tenuous grasp of LED system design... enough to make me dangerous. On the same four F-series strips Mr. Connery is designing around, what would be a good driver match to run them at max recommended current? I see that they are rated to run safely at 1.8A. Am I right in thinking that I could use a 320H-C2100B and adjust the current down to 1.8A in series? In the CV-CC driver range it doesn't look like the 320H-48 can drive those four strips to max capability at 6.7A output since the strips would need 7.2A running parallel. And I didn't see a CV driver that matched in V and C requirements to do the job.
Or could I use a 480H-48 driver and dial it down for the four strips in parallel, and later add four more in series/parallel with the same driver?
Am I close to understanding or do I need to go back to school? My head may explode.

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Negative my man. The 320H-C2100B has a max voltage of 152v and running the strips at max you'll likely be around 193v. The closest to a solution of running at near max would be using a HLG-320H-48A. This would have you running the four strips at 1.675a instead of 1.8. I wish there was something between the 320 and 600 drivers. You could run max using a HLG-600H-48A but that is a huge waste of money.

The 480 is in-between. My understanding from the spec sheet is each strip can run max 1.8a x 48.4v = 87.12w. Multiply those figures by 4 to get max current (7.2a CV), max voltage (193.6v CC) and max power (348.48w CV/CC total). A HLG-480H-C2100A dimmed down to 1.8a would also do it, but you would be limited to one more strip in series after that. The 480H-48 would let you run more strips in parallel, but at a reduced current after 5 strips.

Just bear in mind, I'm probably as dangerous as you are in all this (a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, LOL!) so I figured I'd err on the conservative side for my driver and then run it about 20% below max. I really only needed three strips, but I liked the idea of under-driving four strips with a bit more even light spread.

Prawn Connery said:

The 480 is in-between. My understanding from the spec sheet is each strip can run max 1.8a x 48.4v = 87.12w. Multiply those figures by 4 to get max current (7.2a CV), max voltage (193.6v CC) and max power (348.48w CV/CC total). A HLG-480H-C2100A dimmed down to 1.8a would also do it, but you would be limited to one more strip in series after that. The 480H-48 would let you run more strips, but at a reduced current after 5 strips.

Just bear in mind, I'm probably as dangerous as you are in all this (a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, LOL!).

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Oh okay they do exist. This is the page i've been referencing and the 480 isn't on it. Thanks PC

http://www.meanwellusa.com/product/led/LED.html

Yeah, I was using the Mouser site. I'd also considered running the 320 and 480, but they seemed like overkill for my veg chamber. 185 is probably what I needed, so I went the next step up.

Rider509 said:

I could use some help, please. I have a tenuous grasp of LED system design... enough to make me dangerous. On the same four F-series strips Mr. Connery is designing around, what would be a good driver match to run them at max recommended current? I see that they are rated to run safely at 1.8A. Am I right in thinking that I could use a 320H-C2100B and adjust the current down to 1.8A in series? In the CV-CC driver range it doesn't look like the 320H-48 can drive those four strips to max capability at 6.7A output since the strips would need 7.2A running parallel. And I didn't see a CV driver that matched in V and C requirements to do the job.
Or could I use a 480H-48 driver and dial it down for the four strips in parallel, and later add four more in series/parallel with the same driver?
Am I close to understanding or do I need to go back to school? My head may explode.

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I would advise against running ANY LED at "max rated current". You lose the efficiency advantage and you drastically shorten their lifespan. Run them at 1050 mA (or thereabouts).