Dimming Mean Well drivers for Dummies (ie. me)

[HomeBound_Hound]

If I was trying to offend I'd probably say something like why the fuck did ya dump 1000+ into a light ya know jack shit about....

 

[Rabbitlicker]

If I was trying to offend I'd probably say something like why the fuck did ya dump 1000+ into a light ya know jack shit about....

No offence taken, mate. My skin is a little thicker.
I know I'm fucking clueless when it comes to this stuff (can't you tell??). That's why I dropped the $'s on a "plug & play" unit (at a significant discount), rather than try to build my own from scratch (even after trying to do my own research & get my head around how to do it). I didn't understand the technicals & fundamentals (& still don't).

For comparison, I built a multi-vessel, electronically-controlled brewery from the ground-up....Because I understood the technicals & fundamentals. I made beers from it that won multiple State/National & International prizes in competitions.

Horses for courses.....

From what I've read from other folks here recently, it would seem that building DIY lights is pretty-much a dying art & no longer cost-effective anyway compared to buying an off-the-shelf unit these days.

 

[Rabbitlicker]

Oh.. could I also just add......

I also researched multiple different hydroponic growing techniques/systems & settled on F&D for my ID stuff, proceeding to build several different-sized systems from scratch, using my existing knowledge of liquid transfer, temperature control, timers, pH etc...etc..... I'm still experimenting with equipment & techniques.

I just know bugger-all enough about lights.

 

[HomeBound_Hound]

You will be fine believe in ya self mate from what Ur talking about dimming a fucking light should be no sweat for you...

 

[Rabbitlicker]

Thanks. You're absolutely right.
For reasons I won't go into, my normally robust self-confidence has taken a severe beating in the past few years & needs a significant re-adjustment & that can only come from me.

 

[Hudo]

You need to Dim the current, if you dim the volts lower than the min volts the diodes run on they won't turn on

 

[Hudo]

The volts the diodes use is a set range a few up or down depending on the current your supplying. You control the watts by supplying less current. C × V = watts. Most diodes or strips run on 48v for Samsung or 36v for Bridgelux, plus or minus a few volts depending on current. So you dim the current to drop the watts it's using, your driver is 54v so if you drop the current to 4a you would be using 216w give or take a couple watt

 

[VinDeezle]

The volts the diodes use is a set range a few up or down depending on the current your supplying. You control the watts by supplying less current. C × V = watts. Most diodes or strips run on 48v for Samsung or 36v for Bridgelux, plus or minus a few volts depending on current. So you dim the current to drop the watts it's using, your driver is 54v so if you drop the current to 4a you would be using 216w give or take a couple watt

the 54v designation is the drivers max voltage so the boards will still run at 48v if they are 48v pcbs (was mentioned the boards were 48v somewhere above). The constant current region is 27-54v at 4.4-8.9a via Lo potentiometer. Not that that makes too much difference to the numbers.

For shits and giggles if anyone's interested, the Vo potentiometer will provide a range of 31-38v with a 36v pcb. 48v will be 41v-50v (hence rabbits Vo potentiometer being close to maxed), and at 54v it will range from 47-57v. Provides a way to find tune forward voltage for different diodes bins as some require higher forward voltage than others to fire.

 

[Hudo]

the 54v designation is the drivers max voltage so the boards will still run at 48v if they are 48v pcbs (was mentioned the boards were 48v somewhere above). The constant current region is 27-54v at 4.4-8.9a via Lo potentiometer. Not that that makes too much difference to the numbers.

For shits and giggles if anyone's interested, the Vo potentiometer will provide a range of 31-38v with a 36v pcb. 48v will be 41v-50v (hence rabbits Vo potentiometer being close to maxed), and at 54v it will range from 47-57v. Provides a way to find tune forward voltage for different diodes bins as some require higher forward voltage than others to fire.

Yes that's it, the range is there because they will have slightly different FV. If you turn the V right up the diodes will only ever draw 48 ish Max, for instance you could run one 48v strip on a 343v driver at 1.4a and it will only pull 67w out of a 480w driver, the diodes will adjust its own FV up or down only ever a couple V depending on amps. You can't give a diode to much volts it simply won't draw more than it needs but you can turn the amps up untill it blows the arse out of it. But what you couldn't do would be run one strip on the 54v 8.4 amp driver it would blow the arse out of the strip. His light would be wired in parallel so the amps gets divided through the leds evenly,