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Randomblame

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
DarthPlagueis said:
Yeah I couldn't find the exact model I have, it's a china generic one though so for all I know it doesn't work, bought it for cheap. FOr some reason the upload a file button wont work
Click to expand...
That's sad! For me uploading still worked perfect. Check your browser permissions in settings, maybe it needs storage access. What did you use? A smartphone? iOS..? Android? Windows?
Can you use another device or a PC/laptop to upload it here? Without a picture it's really hard to say which 1-10v or 10v PWM connections to use.
It should work the way I described it yesterday. Just how to connect the 2 dimmer wires to the 1-10v or 10v PWM, you may have to try it a bit! But I'm pretty sure we figure this out quickly as long as we get an uploaded shot.
Only make sure the wall plug in not plugged it when you change the connections!!!
 
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pan2707

Well-Known Member
pretty sure iv'e just bought the exact same dimmer and did the same thing as you@darthplagueis.
wired as randomblame said but connected the dimmer wires from the driver to the 0v and 10v connections and all good:D.
 
DarthPlagueis

DarthPlagueis

Well-Known Member
Randomblame said:
That's sad! For me uploading still worked perfect. Check your browser permissions in settings, maybe it needs storage access. What did you use? A smartphone? iOS..? Android? Windows?
Can you use another device or a PC/laptop to upload it here? Without a picture it's really hard to say which 1-10v or 10v PWM connections to use.
It should work the way I described it yesterday. Just how to connect the 2 dimmer wires to the 1-10v or 10v PWM, you may have to try it a bit! But I'm pretty sure we figure this out quickly as long as we get an uploaded shot.
Only make sure the wall plug in not plugged it when you change the connections!!!
Click to expand...
IMG_0223.jpg
 
Randomblame

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
DarthPlagueis said:
Which wire goes to the 0v/10v?
Click to expand...
Hmm! Try following:
Dimmer + goes to the middle 10v
Dimmer - goes to 0v

Switch the light on and try it. If it not work, pull the wall plug and try the 10v connection on the right side. Both works probably, one offers 0-10v dimming the other PWM. Is there no hint on the board(other side of the connector)?
I like both, but I don't know the PWM specs of the dimmer, you might see flickering but probably not! But there is no way to dimm the light off without an additional relay. 6-10% should be minimum.
 
DarthPlagueis

DarthPlagueis

Well-Known Member
Randomblame said:
Hmm! Try following:
Dimmer + goes to the middle 10v
Dimmer - goes to 0v

Switch the light on and try it. If it not work, pull the wall plug and try the 10v connection on the right side. Both works probably, one offers 0-10v dimming the other PWM. Is there no hint on the board(other side of the connector)?
I like both, but I don't know the PWM specs of the dimmer, you might see flickering but probably not! But there is no way to dimm the light off without an additional relay. 6-10% should be minimum.
Click to expand...
So I tried the 0v/10v connection and nothing happened, the 10v/10v connection works at dimming the light, but it isn't controllable, the light seems to be at a very low power. Is there a dimmer you could reccomend that allows for a 50% dimming option (in example, my light is 250watts, I'd like to be able to dim from 125-250w).

No other writing on the board that I can see, I appreciate all the help given thus far !
 
Randomblame

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
Try a simple 100k linear potentiometer. Something like this would work:

https://www.ebay.com/p/CE-5-X-100k-Ohm-B100k-Top-Adjustment-Dual-Linear-Potentiometer-Pots-V7y9/1753134929?iid=253343278634&_trkparms=aid=555018&algo=PL.SIM&ao=2&asc=50999&meid=a617617d0d7e4c8d99d91602a8728e54&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=12&sd=171819262349&itm=253343278634&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

It's a five pack and you should measure the real resistance using a multimeter. Use the one with the highest resistance, 110k would be optimal. Less than 100k would not allow to use all of the driver power. 95k would bei ~95% output, 90k ~90%. A 110k one would allow to use the full 108%. You get buy a better brand 100k poti if you want but I allways found one siutable in a cheap 5 or 10's pack of the B100k's.

Below is a wiring example(it's the same for mono poti's) and a screeny from a meanwell datasheet(dimming section). You can see in the resistance dimming area how a lower resistance effects the total output.

Screenshot_20180505-121718.png Screenshot_20180505-122944.png
 
Randomblame

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
DarthPlagueis said:
So I tried the 0v/10v connection and nothing happened, the 10v/10v connection works at dimming the light, but it isn't controllable, the light seems to be at a very low power. Is there a dimmer you could reccomend that allows for a 50% dimming option (in example, my light is 250watts, I'd like to be able to dim from 125-250w).

No other writing on the board that I can see, I appreciate all the help given thus far !
Click to expand...
But before try it again with the one you already have.
You need connection to 0v and one of the 10v connectors!! There are two 10v connectors try both, one time the left 10v + 0v other time right 10v + 0v. Not 10v + 10v and not 10v/10v +0v or what ever!
If it not work change positiv and negative wires with the same connectors. There are only 4 differnt possibillities for a 0-10v connection and if non of them work you can still try it with a 100k poti.
 
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poels

New Member
Just a question, i bought 2 HVGC-100-350A and 24 3500k Bridgelux EB Gen 2 strips. I will be running 12 on each driver. Thats around 90w per driver and scrapes close to 15000 Lumens a pop.

I understood the datasheet and the limitations of my driver, but i can't find anything about series vs parallel in my language, which obviously makes it easier to understand.. Somehow i have a completed soldering course and i can't remember lol. I think i need to run them in series, right? And if so, that basically means taking Plus and Minus from the driver, solder / put it into the first strip, then i take the plus and minus from the other end of the first strip, and hook it up to number 2, plus and minus from strip 2, to 3 and so on right? Almost like a slithering snake :P I suppose its best to just take a screwdriver and dim them a little bit so its not set at 100% from the factory or something before i turn it on for the first time, and then i measure untill i get close to 12x19.5v? Where do i measure? From the plus and minus that aren't soldered on the very last strip in the series? My current multimeter/voltmeter only has a 200Ma fuse so i need one with AT LEAST a 350Ma one i assume. Or should i maybe go a little bit higher than 350 aswell?
 
Randomblame

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
poels said:
Just a question, i bought 2 HVGC-100-350A and 24 3500k Bridgelux EB Gen 2 strips. I will be running 12 on each driver. Thats around 90w per driver and scrapes close to 15000 Lumens a pop.

I understood the datasheet and the limitations of my driver, but i can't find anything about series vs parallel in my language, which obviously makes it easier to understand.. Somehow i have a completed soldering course and i can't remember lol. I think i need to run them in series, right? And if so, that basically means taking Plus and Minus from the driver, solder / put it into the first strip, then i take the plus and minus from the other end of the first strip, and hook it up to number 2, plus and minus from strip 2, to 3 and so on right? Almost like a slithering snake :P I suppose its best to just take a screwdriver and dim them a little bit so its not set at 100% from the factory or something before i turn it on for the first time, and then i measure untill i get close to 12x19.5v? Where do i measure? From the plus and minus that aren't soldered on the very last strip in the series? My current multimeter/voltmeter only has a 200Ma fuse so i need one with AT LEAST a 350Ma one i assume. Or should i maybe go a little bit higher than 350 aswell?
Click to expand...
If the HVGC-100-350 is a 100w constant current driver it should deliver ~285v@350mA. This means it is good for up-tp 14 strips in series. For series wiring you need only a single red wire(single core, AWG18-22 would work). Red from driver goes to the positive of the first strip, than the solid core goes from the negative to the positive of the 2nd strip. Than from negative to positive of the 3rd and so on untill all 12 strips are connected. The last negative from the 12th strip is connected to the negative of the driver. You need only one positive and one negative connector.
If you use two wires to connect the strips it would be a parallel wiring(all 4 connectors are used).
Visitit LEDgardeners website for more wiring examples.
 
Unit Farm System Supply

Unit Farm System Supply

Well-Known Member
Randomblame said:
If the HVGC-100-350 is a 100w constant current driver it should deliver ~285v@350mA. This means it is good for up-tp 14 strips in series. For series wiring you need only a single red wire(single core, AWG18-22 would work). Red from driver goes to the positive of the first strip, than the solid core goes from the negative to the positive of the 2nd strip. Than from negative to positive of the 3rd and so on untill all 12 strips are connected. The last negative from the 12th strip is connected to the negative of the driver. You need only one positive and one negative connector.
If you use two wires to connect the strips it would be a parallel wiring(all 4 connectors are used).
Visitit LEDgardeners website for more wiring examples.
Click to expand...
led strip? great.
 
P

poels

New Member
Randomblame said:
If the HVGC-100-350 is a 100w constant current driver it should deliver ~285v@350mA. This means it is good for up-tp 14 strips in series. For series wiring you need only a single red wire(single core, AWG18-22 would work). Red from driver goes to the positive of the first strip, than the solid core goes from the negative to the positive of the 2nd strip. Than from negative to positive of the 3rd and so on untill all 12 strips are connected. The last negative from the 12th strip is connected to the negative of the driver. You need only one positive and one negative connector.
If you use two wires to connect the strips it would be a parallel wiring(all 4 connectors are used).
Visitit LEDgardeners website for more wiring examples.
Click to expand...
Thank you, now I'm pretty confident i shant kill myself when i make this haha. :D I did check out LEDgardener but i guess i only really thought to check the pictures from the Bridgelux strips i got, which was in parallel.. i went there again and checked some others, and i now understand how to put it in series. Once again thanks. I also just watched the LED gardeners guide to meanwell drivers..I also watched the Growmau5 tutorials already around a month ago before i ordered my strips etc.... But I'm sitll unsure where i would measure with my multi/voltmeter, when its all ready to get started up. I will turn both drivers down to the 50% the built-in pot will let me, and then i want to measure my way up to 100%ish, also so that both drivers run at roughly the same. Do i put the red lead on the start of the series (Red wire) and the black lead on the black wire that closes the series? I know what setting i need to put the meter on but unsure where to put the leads.
 
Randomblame

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
To measure current you need to put the device in series with the LED string. Connecting only + and - from driver would be a no load measuring. But it's not recommend and you need to make sure you use the 10amp hole on the multimeter. Use a multimeter rated for at least 10A these have a build-in shunt for current readings. For strip voltage measurment you can take reading for each strip or a series of strips.

It's hard to translate from other language, maybe @nfhiggs can chime in to explain it better.
 
Yodaweed

Yodaweed

Well-Known Member
DesertHydro said:
LED money shot
View attachment 4116592 View attachment 4116593 View attachment 4116594 View attachment 4116595 View attachment 4116596 View attachment 4116597 View attachment 4116598
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looks like you had to grow tons of super tiny plants to keep them within a foot from your lights :( that's the biggest problem with LEDs. Not a bad harvest but honestly you are running 10x more plants than you would need to if you had better lighting intensity not to mention putting them on those buckets is just reducing the amount of space your plant is able to grow by whatever height those buckets are. That might work for plants pumped full of salts but for quality buds that's not gonna work so great.

I still don't see many decent looking LED plants , mostly tiny plants that are pumped full of synthetics to try to boost the size, with no regards to quality or terpenes.
 
Randomblame

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
Tse, such a nonsense ...?! I've seen 2m tall LED plants with no difference to plants grown und HPS, apart from more harvest and better quality btw. Lots of examples exsist.
It's only more efficient to scrogg, especially in tents!

 
Randomblame

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
Yeah, he still think his 1000w hps does work so good because of the intense direct light but he don't realize that half of the light is diffused by the reflector hood and the diffused light is what reaches to the ground not the direct rays. Direct rays only hits the canopy and produce shadows below canopy level.
 
hillbill

hillbill

Well-Known Member
Even my slightly out of date COBs and my discreet diode white and red and white A51 panels grow green leaves and buds way down into the plant. Many sources of light which is already somewhat focused make very little shade. Intense as hell.

I have nothing against hps or cmh, especially new cmh, but of course my leds really are much brighter and better quality light so now I use much less power than with the old stuff. I also run 10/14!
 
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