QB96 X 12 wiring questions

Only one that i know that can help is @Tbone Shuffle


Flower tent Vegging outside the flower tent

 

Have you tried contacting HLG to ask? I know there customer support can be questionable as far as responses, but I do think they will give you the proper answers to your questions.

It would be nice if they provided info on their site as to what all the differences in the drivers they list as being compatible to each board.

 

All the Meanwel HLG series input range is 90VAC-305VAC so yes you can. I have mine plugged into 220v.

 

Meanwell Hlg series list the input voltage from 90-305Vac so yeah you should be able to wire them up to 240vac .
Personally I like parallel wiring with the constant voltage/constant current drivers because they have a wider range of adjustment. I would use either 3 or 4 of the Hlg 600H-54A . I would choose 4 that way you can adjust each of your rows individually

 

All HLG series meanwell and many of their other drivers can run off of 240 volt or 120 volt. The driver will automatically recognize the different voltage and switch.

Actually all specs you see for meanwell drivers are done with 240 volts. It says that in the fine print. When running them on 120 volt they run at a reduced efficiency level. That's one reason you hear complaints about the heat they put out. It's more noticeable on 120volt power for sure.

Anyone who can run their lights on 240 volt power should. It's just more efficient. We Americans get ripped off with 120 volt single phase.

It basically doesn't change anything except the type of plug you use on the end of the input cord.

12 qb96? What size space? Is it all a bloom area?

In order to hit your watt range I like the idea of using a meanwell HLG-480h-54a on each 3 in parallel.
It roughly has a 9 amp output so each board would get 3 amps and be in the 150-170 watt range.

The only reason to choose parallel over series is to hit a higher or a specific current level per board. In order to wire in series you need a constant current driver. They only come in a few specific current ranges with the 2800mA rated model being the highest.

The HLG-480h-c2800a/b wired in series would also be a good choice but I think you'll get slightly more power from the 54a. The current on constant voltage models is not limited. They supply all the current that the 480h driver can put out. The 2100a or 2800a models limit the current output to that much per load although they do typically push a little past that when maxed on a hungry load like the qb96's.

Wiring is more simple with series but parallel can be pretty easy also.

 

Some hints for easy wiring in parallel most people have seen here already. I put a female extension cord end on the output of the driver. Then simply buy an extension cord with 3 outlets. You'll have all the splicing of the parallel circuit done for you in high quality factory insulation. Then put a short pigtail wire with a male plug on each board and simply plug them into the end of the extension cord. Careful to keep track of which one is positive and negative. I used the small prong for negative.

This setup is very convenient when you go to relocate stuff. You can unplug each board, disconnect it from the hanger, and walk off with it. You could run the same 480h-54a driver with only two boards plugged in and they could still take it maxed with some fans. You could then use the 3rd for a veg setup or whatever. Having that modular capability is nice. I used 16awg extension cords. That cord I used actually has 3 plugs on it already I'm just only using two so I could order a 3rd board and plug it right in if I wanted without moving the driver or rewiring anything.

 

Whoa!! Thad’s a huge gain! From what the growers around here are yielding per watt on these lights, you should be in a much more profitable position shortly. Badass man!

 

I would plan on adding some fans up top in the grow space to blow across the heatsinks or even take the extra step of buying 120mm fans for each light to help keep everything cool.