Aren't you running on 240 volts AC from some unused oven electrical capacity? Are your sets of four boards wired in parallel or are you using the 600 watt Inventronics driver in series? If wired in series, four boards at 640 watts should be closer to 216 volts DC.
I just found this interesting video. He did a 6000 hour LED test. showing the need to replace your LED panels in veg after about 4 years of continuous usage. Looks like HLG has the largest drop in efficiency after a year.
In a commercial grow, total fixture replacement is unacceptable. That changes everything in regards to LED. Every 4 years I would have to replace the entire fixture....that's crazy and wasteful as hell. At least I can rebuild a magnetic ballast. Today's Forcast... Partly Cloudy With A Chance Of Amber.
The comments being made on the video were interesting because a lot of people were commenting that you would just need to replace the boards and not the entire setup. Heatsink/driver. I would imagine that 4 years down the road none of the previously purchased boards would be available. Also something that is interesting is on the HLG website they say to not mix an match spectrum in the same wiring. If you had a board go out and that spectrum happened to be discontinued which is my case where they no longer sell the 2700k boards I'd have to replace ALL boards connected to that driver.
I'm curious, would the heatsinks and driver's even be compatible with a 4 year newer model? Or would they be considered incompatible? Today's Forcast... Partly Cloudy With A Chance Of Amber.
That's exactly what I think. They are moving so quickly that in 4 years I think it would be a total replacement.
And not being able to mix and match boards you could be stuck replacing an entire bank of boards if just one went out. I'm almost inclined to just buy 4 more V1 boards at 29 dollars each because I've had my boards for almost 2 years now, and for the first year I drove them hard. I'm guessing I've lost over 10% output by now.
I have all my LED lighting running off a 40 amp 240 AC oven circuit . I have large double oven and normally is not using 50% of the stove oven . I have never popped the breaker . 240 Ac voltage input .. Out put is 240 dc forward voltage to the first board out of a set of four . The mA is 2,800 or 2.8 amps ..@ 640W
I am sure that will happen when your running your lights 15 degrees past what is recommended . To bad the guy didn't do the test on the HLG boards where the manufacturer recommended operating temp. I am 25% over Minimum required lighting per square foot of grow space , Then I dim my lights and my lights to 75 % of maximum output , my operating temp is 80 to 85 % degrees , which is what the manufacturer says the temp should be . Why do a lighting test when your not going to operate the lights at the recommended operating temps ? Overheating electrical systems always shortens the life of that system ...........
So you bought extra lights, so you could dim them, so you don't run them too hot? I don't see the logic in this. Sorry. One light, one height, keep it simple for this guy. Plug 'n' Play for me. Today's Forcast... Partly Cloudy With A Chance Of Amber.
The guy that did the test didn't have any ventilation on his lights . Who actual has a grow room without any ventilation .. Who operates their lights past recommended operating temps ? I have ran my lights at 100 Max output and I didn't need to operate them above recommended operating temps. I wanted all my lighting with matching parts . by doing so I can dim my lights and get longer life and higher efficiency
I think the results would've been basically the same. I'm sure there would've been less output lost in the HLG, but it would've still been around 5% a year. I'm assuming he bought the light as a plug n play an let it ride which is what you should be able to do IMO.
Your first question) every sealed grow in the world. Your second question) any grow that overheats... So every newb grow just about lol In regards to your last comment... We grow differently that's all man. I don't know much about your set up or environment. For me though, I only need one indoor crop per year. My grow is in a 58 degree basement that I don't want to pay to heat. I heat my grow room with the light. I personally don't like moving lights or having wires in my way. I would rather raise the plants up. I don't have any exhaust or intake ventilation, just one wall mount hurricane oscillating fan. My personal goal regarding growing is: I want the most, quality product, for as cheap as possible to grow. I already have ballasts, hoods, fans, from the past 14 years of growing. The rest of my THC comes from my OD or dispensaries. Growing one crop per year with LED, I wouldn't see a return from electricity saving in more than 20 years. Plus, I would have to heat my grow room for 4 months. Different strokes for different folks. Today's Forcast... Partly Cloudy With A Chance Of Amber.
Your guessing that it will be the same ..and without proper testing that test doesn't mean anything because the light was being operated out of the manufactures parameters . Again who has a grow room without ventilation ?
I'm going to guess the fans in each box with the lights aren't the type of ventilation you are talking about
I would have no choice to except the testing that guy did IF the lighting test if it was within the manufactures parameters . The test wasn't done that way ….. LED lighting doesn't care about different grow rooms or if the grower is new to growing or not . The owner has a set of parameters to meet if he or she wants maximum life and performance out of anything that is temp sensitive. To each their own is I keep my lighting temps where the Manufacture's recommend them to be . Who has any intelligent's is going to buy thousands in grow lights and watch them go to shit because they are letting their lights run 15 degrees past what the manufacture's recommends . Really ,,, who builds a quality LED light and leaves the power supplier on top of the heat sink and board when the light is running at max temps .. And then not have any ventilation ?? It was a screwed up test ...
THE LIGHT WAS BEING OPERATED 15 degrees F past manufacture's recommended operating temp. What good is the test if the person doing the test isn't with in the manufactures recommending operating temps . The fans in the test were not pushing air across the heat sinks of the light . If your lights are running hotter then what they are suppose to be who keeps them running at that temp for a year and doesn't expect some kind of issues ? If that guy that did the test had his shit together he would of had the light running a NORMAL operating temps