Rider's first foray into LED strip lighting: Samsung H Series GEN3

[Rider509]

When I get the time to finish wiring the strip assembly I'll do a head to head battle in the tent with the CXB3590 build. Each of them is intended to cover a 1x4 space. For the finish build I'll space the strips out a bit but for now ya get what ya get.

Ha! Check that precision workmanship! It's good enough for government work.

 

[Tunkers]

When I get the time to finish wiring the strip assembly I'll do a head to head battle in the tent with the CXB3590 build. Each of them is intended to cover a 1x4 space. For the finish build I'll space the strips out a bit but for now ya get what ya get.

Ha! Check that precision workmanship! It's good enough for government work.

Hahahahaha that was the best. Cannot wait to see them emitting lol

 

[Rider509]

Just a fiddly bit of wiring and making a couple of hangers and it'll be ready to fire up.

 

[Stillalive420]

Nice work man

 

[Rider509]

Today I ordered another HLG-185H-C1050B along with an HLG-240H-C1400B. They will be delivered Friday by expedited shipping so that I can continue with testing. Some of you with keen powers of observation and recall may wonder why I need another 185H-C1050B for testing when I already have one. Kudos to you.

Well, it's because I did something uniquely... unique. Normally I solder the potentiometer directly to the dimmer cord. But I got the bright idea to use a quick connect on the dimmer cord, just like I use on the led power cords. Then I got distracted by something, probably a squirrel.

This morning, a couple of days later, I went out to the garage for something only this time the power supply was the squirrel. I looked at it and thought, hmm the AC plug is on it and I already have the quick connect on the led power cord so all I have to do is solder on the potentiometer. So I did. Right to the led power cord. That's right, I completely spaced my grand plan to put quick connects on both leads, and since I ALWAYS quick connect the led power cord and ALWAYS solder the pot on the dimmer cord... fuck me!

I got it all hooked up to the leds, plugged it in, and got a quick POP as the resistor wire in the pot gave up the ghost. It took approximately 3 seconds to realize what I'd just done. "NO PROBLEM!" I think to myself. The 0.5W pot just acted like a fuse, right? No harm, no foul. WRONG! DO NOT PASS GO. DO NOT COLLECT $200. I fried a brand spanking new power supply in less than a second. So yeah, I needed another one.

If yer gunna be stoopid, ya gotta be tough.




disclaimer: No pirates were involved in the destruction of this power supply.

 

[bignstrange]

Oh jeeze, thanks for taking one for the team.

On that note Rider is accepting donations on his go fund me account XD

 

[Scrogdawg]

Well thats just shitty, but understandable. I may have had similar incidents on various projects my own self. While your at it throw away those wing nuts, cut the threaded rod down and get some nice looking cap nuts.

 

[Graytail]

I can tell you from personal experience that the over-voltage circuit works. .. ... so That's why they didn't light up.

Heheh.

Yours sounds a lot more ... fatal. Mixed AC and DC huh? Luckily they're cheap.

 

[Rider509]

Well thats just shitty, but understandable. I may have had similar incidents on various projects my own self. While your at it throw away those wing nuts, cut the threaded rod down and get some nice looking cap nuts.

That's just the quick and dirty assembly for initial testing. I'll add spacers and pretty it up on final assembly. Hell, I might even run the uneven end over the sanding wheel so they're all the same length.

 

[Rider509]

Yours sounds a lot more ... fatal. Mixed AC and DC huh? Luckily they're cheap.

I shorted the V+/V- through a 100K 0.5W pot. I didn't even get the AC plug fully into the outlet before the pot popped so it was powered for only a fraction of a second. Honestly, I'm surprised that the driver gave up the ghost that quickly. But like you said... cheap. And they're potted so there's no going inside to see what failed. That's kinda chickenshit in my book. I wonder if the Pairui drivers are potted?

edit: disregard the Pairui driver mention. Cutter used to carry that line but now no one does. Must have been crap.

 

[Rider509]

Oh jeeze, thanks for taking one for the team.

On that note Rider is accepting donations on his go fund me account XD

Random cannabis seeds accepted in lieu of cash donations.

 

[Graytail]

I shorted the V+/V- through a 100K 0.5W pot. I didn't even get the AC plug fully into the outlet before the pot popped so it was powered for only a fraction of a second. Honestly, I'm surprised that the driver gave up the ghost that quickly. But like you said... cheap. And they're potted so there's no going inside to see what failed. That's kinda chickenshit in my book. I wonder if the Pairui drivers are potted?

That's a little disturbing. No protection from a dead short? Or was this the dimmer circuit ... kinda cheesy either way. I was lucky I didn't cross different wires, I guess.

 

[Rider509]

Supposed to be protected! Also, I take back the chicken stuff comment because the HL series is rated explosion-proof so potting is a necessity.

 

[Rider509]

Annnnnd, it's back. No idea why. Maybe the protection circuit doesn't reset right away? Maybe it needed to be power cycled a couple of times? Don't know and really don't care. It works and that's all that matters.

 

[Graytail]

That's good to hear - didn't make sense.

That sure is an elegant design! My mind took awhile to realize that it isn't one big panel. And mounted on u-bars, so you get lots of dissipation - and a solid build - very nice! Incidently, you can get extruded stock delivered for less than half the retail cost. I used Metals4u.

 

[Scrogdawg]

How many of those panels can you run off of one driver?

 

[Rider509]

Hey Scrogdawg, it depends on the driver. I'm running eight on the 185H-C1050B wide open. On the 320H-C2100B you can run six in series wide open but that's driving the hell out of them. Better to dim them down for better efficiency.

 

[Scrogdawg]

I might be confused Rider. My mind is thinking 8 of the Samsung LED strips you have together makes one panel????

 

[Rider509]

Graytail, I got the Al channel locally. $32 for 32 feet. It's heavier stock than I wanted but it's what they had available.

 

[Rider509]

Hey Tunkers, look what came in a day early. Woo hoo! 288 leds. Can't wait to fire these babies up. These are what I got the 240H-C1400B for. I'm hoping Meanwell is conservative with the CC voltage range because the strips will be 0.2V over the max. Time will tell.