LED "flickering"/"pulsing"

K

ketamine_disposal_unit

Well-Known Member
I bought this LED last year:

www.ebay.com.au

SALE*SAMSUNG LM301H MEANWELL HLG R-SPEC 480w LED GROW LIGHT QUANTUM MARS GAVITA | eBay

INTRODUCING THE QB KILLER 2020 SPEC using SAMSUNG LM301H. Spectrum FULL SPECTRUM USING 3500K LM301H + 660nm. Light Size 640mm x 630mm (on sliders, you can slide them in and make it more narrow). These Samsung LEDs are specifically made for growing plants indoors.
www.ebay.com.au

It worked pretty well up until the other night I noticed it was "flickering" but not quickly. Every 30 seconds or so it gets really bright for about 1/4 a second then goes back to normal. Sometimes it seems to 'flicker' more often in a minute then others. There is no discernable pattern to it.

I had a play with all the wires and couldn't seem to fix it. What could be causing this? Faulty driver? The light is plugged into an analogue timer into a power board that also has the exhaust, fan and heater. Should the light be in it's own independent outlet? It hasn't been dropped or anything. I did a bit of research before buying it and thought it was going to be a good unit. Is it fucked?
 
PadawanWarrior

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
ketamine_disposal_unit said:
I bought this LED last year:

www.ebay.com.au

SALE*SAMSUNG LM301H MEANWELL HLG R-SPEC 480w LED GROW LIGHT QUANTUM MARS GAVITA | eBay

INTRODUCING THE QB KILLER 2020 SPEC using SAMSUNG LM301H. Spectrum FULL SPECTRUM USING 3500K LM301H + 660nm. Light Size 640mm x 630mm (on sliders, you can slide them in and make it more narrow). These Samsung LEDs are specifically made for growing plants indoors.
www.ebay.com.au

It worked pretty well up until the other night I noticed it was "flickering" but not quickly. Every 30 seconds or so it gets really bright for about 1/4 a second then goes back to normal. Sometimes it seems to 'flicker' more often in a minute then others. There is no discernable pattern to it.

I had a play with all the wires and couldn't seem to fix it. What could be causing this? Faulty driver? The light is plugged into an analogue timer into a power board that also has the exhaust, fan and heater. Should the light be in it's own independent outlet? It hasn't been dropped or anything. I did a bit of research before buying it and thought it was going to be a good unit. Is it fucked?
Click to expand...
Genuine Products Guaranteed? WFT?

That's a fake HLG Rspec light. There is nothing Genuine about that crap. They have some nerve calling them HLG Rspecs. You get what you pay for. Next time, don't buy fake shit.
 
PadawanWarrior

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
ketamine_disposal_unit said:
Ah fuck my life. I didn't know. I ran it past a few others and they said it was good :(
Click to expand...
You gotta be careful who you listen to hear too man. There's both good and bad info. You have to sift through it.

Since you're in Australia, I've heard decent things about Grow Lights Australia. I think they are on here actually.

Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights - Grow Lights Australia

True full-spectrum LED grow lights. Made in Australia with added UV and Far Red. Proven yields, quality and efficiency. Beats HPS, CMH, Quantum Boards.
growlightsaustralia.com growlightsaustralia.com
 
Last edited:
SBBCal

SBBCal

Well-Known Member
ketamine_disposal_unit said:
I bought this LED last year:

www.ebay.com.au

SALE*SAMSUNG LM301H MEANWELL HLG R-SPEC 480w LED GROW LIGHT QUANTUM MARS GAVITA | eBay

INTRODUCING THE QB KILLER 2020 SPEC using SAMSUNG LM301H. Spectrum FULL SPECTRUM USING 3500K LM301H + 660nm. Light Size 640mm x 630mm (on sliders, you can slide them in and make it more narrow). These Samsung LEDs are specifically made for growing plants indoors.
www.ebay.com.au

It worked pretty well up until the other night I noticed it was "flickering" but not quickly. Every 30 seconds or so it gets really bright for about 1/4 a second then goes back to normal. Sometimes it seems to 'flicker' more often in a minute then others. There is no discernable pattern to it.

I had a play with all the wires and couldn't seem to fix it. What could be causing this? Faulty driver? The light is plugged into an analogue timer into a power board that also has the exhaust, fan and heater. Should the light be in it's own independent outlet? It hasn't been dropped or anything. I did a bit of research before buying it and thought it was going to be a good unit. Is it fucked?
Click to expand...
Sounds like thermal runaway or the driver is failing.. does it get really hot?
 
M

Mak'er Grow

Well-Known Member
Sounds like faulty dimmer pot(s).
Sometimes you can fix them up by unplugging the light and turning the dimmer fully in both directions 20-30 times or more...this cleans the contacts a little and the flicker stops. Best to replace it with a better quality, but same value pot.
The flicker, if from faulty pot, is due to the connection inside the pot getting dirty or from it heating up and it arcs...changes value slightly so we see the visual of flickering lights.
 
M

Mak'er Grow

Well-Known Member
I doubt it will catch fire...lol
Might see some sparks and hear some snap crackle pop noises, but they usually just melt the center contact pin and its an open circuit after that and turns off, but still 'alive' along the lines and can bite ya. :P
 
Rocket Soul

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
I'm also in the camp of check dimmer first. Disconnect it completely and run it for some time, if no more flicker then it's the dimmer. If it still does it after then the driver. It's very unlikely to be the boards themselves
 
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