Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Led Driver Questions?

Collapse
X
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Led Driver Questions?

    Hey all,

    I had recently received a 360W Advance Spectrum grow light and for the the first few months, I loved the results it was giving and I had no complaints. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed a double row of lights were out, then a couple days later, the double row next to it went out!

    Upon taking it apart and doing some simple tests, I found that of the 6 drivers in the unit, it seemed that the last two in the series were the ones attached to the bummed light rows.

    I don't know about electrical engineering, but research points towards the drivers.

    It appears each driver is responsible for a row of 48-3W LEDs (4 different spectrums) and I am having a rough time narrowing down which replacement driver I should be looking for.... If indeed it is a driver at all.

    Due to fortunate circumstances, I am unfortunately am not able to return the light for warranty purposes

    My research guided me here in hopes of a Electrical Guru to get me back to full light!

    Thanks!

    ps. here is a link to the light
    Last edited by THC-928; 04-21-2014, 02:53 PM.

  • #2
    Well, make sure it's plugged in, then wet your finger real good and then -NAH, don't do that - sorry couldn't help it and sorry again that I can not help you. Is there a way you can get a schematic of it from the co. - slo

    Comment


    • #3
      Hey THC-928,

      Your drivers may have gone bad, but it is unlikely. These lights fail due to heat quite often. The most probable failure is with one of the LEDs. If an LED opens (no voltage or current can pass through it), it will affect the rest of the LEDs in that particular string. If, 1) you have a voltmeter (even a cheap one), and 2) you can get to the metal portion of the LED leads, you can identify exactly which LED(s) have failed. Set your voltmeter to measure DC Voltage (DCV). With the cover removed and the light running (DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING INSIDE WITH YOUR BARE HANDS), put one probe from the voltmeter on one side of an LED and the other probe on the other side of the same LED. For this test, pay no attention to polarity (+ or -) - you are just interested in the numbers. Measure all like LEDs (all whites, all blues, all reds, etc.) - they should all measure about the same, within .2-.3 Volts. The bad one will read very high, or not at all, i.e. all reds in a string read at 1.85V, except one, which measures out to 17V - that's the culprit. It is likely going to be a red LED. Most red LEDs in the industry are built on smaller dies than blues and whites and therefore, tolerate far less heat. Once you ID the bad LED, you can replace it if you like. If you send me a pic I may be able to ID the manufacturer and locate a source here or offshore for you to purchase them. I might even have some lying around. I can walk you through replacement if you go down that path. I'll tell you this, if it is a heat issue, there is probably damage to the rest of the LEDs and you're going to see more failures. After replacing a few LEDs you may decide you don't mind it so much and keep doing it until you get fed up.

      For the long run, you're going to want to ID the cause of the problem - the LED failing is only a symptom. Are the fans running to full potential? Was it being used outside of spec, i.e., with no ventilation or in a very hot/humid room? It could also be that the light was not engineered to correct thermal tolerances? I receive several calls per month from customers asking me to repair their lights. Almost always, it is a heat related issue. A fan dies, your light dies. The light gets hot, LEDs die, your light dies. I don't manufacture where these guys do, but I know the reps. Heat issues are very common.

      I hope this helps somewhat. I only check this forum every few days, so if you're in a hurry for an answer, pm me and I will get an email letting me know you are calling.

      Jonnywatt

      Comment


      • #4
        Try switching drivers and string of LEDs. The problem should follow either the bad driver or the defective string. To catch a mouse, make a noise like a cheese...

        Comment


        • #5
          lmfao replying to a post from a few years ago

          Comment


          • #6
            I wonder if they ever figured out that plugging drivers into different circuits will show if it's the lamp or the driver-use what's available and think....

            Comment

            Working...
            X