DIY LED strip builds have become very popular recently. The mid-power section of our forum is full of threads created by DIYers looking to build their own custom lights, and new builds and ideas are surfacing every day. If you don’t live somewhere where you have easy access to premade lights like HLG Quantum Boards or ChilLED lights, you can save a lot of money on customs, duties, and shipping fees by piecing together your own lights using the same diodes as these guys do. That being said, building these lights does require a fair amount of work, and if you’re new to the game and can afford to buy a premade light from a reputable company like those listed above, we’ll usually recommend going that route first to get your feet wet. However, if the cost is prohibitive or you’d prefer to roll up your sleeves and build one yourself, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we’ll kick things off by reviewing the pros and cons of the 4 best, most efficient DIY LED strips available, and list the part numbers for each color temperature to make them easier to search for (Digi-Key is your friend!). Next, just to make your life easier, we’ve put together a design using each of these strip types for every common grow space size including 2’x2′, 2’x4′, 3’x3′, 4’x4′, and 5’x5′. We’ll even provide a complete shopping list for each design to eliminate the guesswork. Let’s do this.

Please note: These designs were put together using data sheets only and have not been tested, nor are they guaranteed in any way. It is the full responsibility of the user to ensure their system uses proper components that are designed and installed correctly. The following are design ideas only – use them at your own risk and do not attempt them if you don’t have the required skill and know-how. These systems run at high voltage/current and can be a hazard to you and your home if they aren’t done right. Parallel/constant voltage systems are for advanced users only and some LED manufacturers recommend against parallel wiring. The beauty of parallel systems is the fact that voltage can be kept much lower than series systems, and is safer in that regard (lower chance of shock), however the downside is that the chance of current hogging/thermal runaway is always present which can result in damage if appropriate measures are not taken to counteract it. I have personally not seen it happen in a strip build but this doesn’t mean it won’t happen to you. If in doubt, just go series with multiple drivers instead and try to keep circuit voltage reasonably low.

EDIT 01/29/18: Added 1-foot builds for 2’x2′ and 2’x4′ spaces for a better fit in tents.

EDIT 01/31/18: Updating wire and resistor part numbers/requirements.

EDIT 02/02/18: Changed wire type recommendations. I recommend you consult with an electrician to determine proper wire gauge for your specific build. I am not an electrician.

EDIT 02/23/18: Added 2-foot strip builds for 4’x4′ spaces.

STRIP OVERVIEW & PART NUMBERS

There are 4 different series of strips that we’d recommend using for your build:

Samsung F-Series Gen.3

Samsung H-Series Gen.3

Samsung Q-Series

Bridgelux EB Strips Gen.2

Each type has its strengths and weaknesses, and after crunching the numbers on all of these designs, we’ll share our thoughts at the bottom of the article as to which strips are best. First, let’s do an overview of each type and list off the part numbers to help you find them easier.

Samsung F-Series Gen.3

The F-Series is a great bang-for-buck strip that utilizes Samsung LM561C diodes, which are the second-most efficient diode on the market with only the Samsung LM301B diode having better efficiency. The beauty of the F strips is that these strips cram in many more diodes per strip than the others. For example, the F-Series LT-F564B 2′ (560mm) strip, boasts a whopping 144 diodes. Compare this to the other 2-foot strips: the Samsung H-Series comes in at 48 diodes, the Q-Series has only 40 diodes, and the Bridgelux Gen.2 EB strip uses 112 diodes (though these are smaller diodes at 2.8mm x 3.5mm vs the LM561C at 3.5mm x 5.6mm).

For the F-series, there are a few options for strip configurations at different lengths. The 1-footers have only one option, but there are 2 different configurations for the 2-footers and 2 different configurations for the 4-footers. As such, these strips run at different voltages. Click the link below to show the Samsung part numbers for each length and color temperature.

Click here for the F-Series Gen.3 data sheet.

1-Footers (275mm): LT-F284B (72 Diodes, 8 Series x 9 Parallel, Voltage = ~24V, Max Current = 1800mA) 3000K: SI-B8V261280WW 3500K: SI-B8U261280WW 4000K: SI-B8T261280WW 5000K: SI-B8R261280WW 2-Footers (560mm): LT-F562B (72 Diodes, 8 Series x 9 Parallel, Voltage = ~24V, Max Current=1800mA) 3000K: SI-B8V261560WW 3500K: SI-B8U261560WW 4000K: SI-B8T261560WW 5000K: SI-B8R261560WW LT-F564B (144 Diodes, 16 Series x 9 Parallel, Voltage = ~48V, Max Current = 1800mA) 3000K: SI-B8V521560WW 3500K: SI-B8U521560WW 4000K: SI-B8T521560WW 5000K: SI-B8R521560WW 4-Footers (1120mm): LT-FB22B (144 Diodes, 16 Series x 9 Parallel, Voltage = ~48V, Max Current = 1800mA) 3000K: SI-B8V521B20WW 3500K: SI-B8U521B20WW 4000K: SI-B8T521B20WW 5000K: SI-B8R521B20WW LT-FB24B (288 Diodes, 16 Series x 18 Parallel, Voltage = ~48V, Max Current = 3600mA) 3000K: SI-B8VZ91B20WW 3500K: SI-B8UZ91B20WW 4000K: SI-B8TZ91B20WW 5000K: SI-B8RZ91B20WW

Samsung H-Series Gen.3

The H-Series was the first iteration of Samsung strips to utilize the LM561C diode. Despite having fewer diodes than its F-Series brothers, it’s still a decent choice and you can offset the lower count by adding more strips to even things out.

The H-Series is pretty simple. All strips run at the same voltage (typically around 24V), and the only thing that differs among the 3 lengths is the diode count and current requirement.

Click here for the H-Series Gen.3 data sheet.

1-Footers (275mm): LT-H282D (24 Diodes, 8 Series x 3 Parallel, Voltage = ~24V, Max Current = 600mA) 3000K: SI-B8V05128HUS 3500K: SI-B8U05128HUS 4000K: SI-B8T05128HUS 5000K: SI-B8R05128HUS 2-Footers (560mm): LT-H562D (48 Diodes, 8 Series x 6 Parallel, Voltage = ~24V, Max Current = 1200mA) 3000K: SI-B8V11156HUS 3500K: SI-B8U11156HUS 4000K: SI-B8T11156HUS 5000K: SI-B8R11156HUS 4-Footers (1120mm): LT-HB22D (96 Diodes, 18 Series x 12 Parallel, Voltage = ~24V, Max Current = 2400mA) 3000K: SI-B8V221B2HUS 3500K: SI-B8U221B2HUS 4000K: SI-B8T221B2HUS 5000K: SI-B8R221B2HUS

Samsung Q-Series

Samsung’s Q-Series uses the current top-dog of diodes: the LM301B. These diodes are rated at over 200 lumens per watt, vs. the 187 lumens per watt that the LM561C is rated for. The Q-Series strips are still quite new, and, as such, are more expensive than the H-Series and F-Series strips. They also have the lowest diode count per strip, which does matter in medium to large sized builds.

Opposite of the H-Series, the Q-Series strips all have the same max current, but the typical voltage across each length is different.

Click here for the Q-Series data sheet.

1-Footers (275mm): LT-Q282A (20 Diodes, 4 Series x 5 Parallel, Voltage = ~12V, Max Current = 1,000mA) 3000K: SI-B8V051280US 3500K: SI-B8U051280US 4000K: SI-B8T051280US 5000K: SI-B8R051280US 2-Footers (560mm): LT-Q562A (40 Diodes, 8 Series x 5 Parallel, Voltage = ~24V, Max Current = 1,000mA) 3000K: SI-B8V101560US 3500K: SI-B8U101560US 4000K: SI-B8T101560US 5000K: SI-B8R101560US 4-Footers (1120mm): LT-QB22A (80 Diodes, 16 Series x 5 Parallel, Voltage = ~48V, Max Current = 1,000mA) 3000K: SI-B8V201B20US 3500K: SI-B8U201B20US 4000K: SI-B8T201B20US 5000K: SI-B8R201B20US

Bridgelux Gen. 2 EB Strips

Bridgelux’s second generation of their EB strip line offers a significant increase in efficiency over their first generation (up to 180 lumens per watt vs. 159 lumens per watt). The most attractive thing about these strips is the price point, and since they’re very close to the LM561C in terms of efficiency, they’re a great alternative to Samsung’s offerings.

Like the Samsung F-Series, the EB Gen.2 strips have a mix of different voltages and currents. Bridgelux does not list the specific diode used to build these strips, but through some detective work, we believe that they’re using the 2835 .2W 3V Gen.2 Bridgelux SMD. All figures have been calculated on this assumption.

Click here for the EB Strip Gen.2 data sheet.

1-Footers (280mm): BXEB-L0280Z-xxx1000-C-B3 (56 Diodes, 7 Series x 8 Parallel, Voltage = ~20V, Max Current = 700mA) 3000K: BXEB-L0280Z-30E1000-C-B3 3500K: BXEB-L0280Z-35E1000-C-B3 4000K: BXEB-L0280Z-40E1000-C-B3 5000K: BXEB-L0280Z-50E1000-C-B3 2-Footers (560mm): BXEB-L0560Z-xxx2000-C-B3 (112 Diodes, 7 Series x 16 Parallel, Voltage = ~20V, Max Current = 1400mA) 3000K: BXEB-L0560Z-30E2000-C-B3 3500K: BXEB-L0560Z-35E2000-C-B3 4000K: BXEB-L0560Z-40E2000-C-B3 5000K: BXEB-L0560Z-50E2000-C-B3 4-Footers (1120mm): BXEB-L1120Z-xxx4000-C-B3 (224 Diodes, 14 Series x 16 Parallel, Voltage = ~40V, Max Current = 1400mA) 3000K: BXEB-L1120Z-30E4000-C-B3 3500K: BXEB-L1120Z-35E4000-C-B3 4000K: BXEB-L1120Z-40E4000-C-B3 5000K: BXEB-L1120Z-50E4000-C-B3

EXAMPLE DESIGNS

Now, the fun part. Below, we’ve put together a design using each strip type for a variety of different grow spaces. In these designs, we’ve done our best to strike a balance between simplicity, user-friendliness, cost savings, and, of course, bitchin’ PPFD.

Some notes:

We’ll shoot for around 30 watts per square foot and aim to drive the strips at about 75% of their rated max.

Although lumens aren’t a great measure for grow lights, they still provide a good metric for comparing output of lights of the same color temperature. We will use lumen output as a rough guideline to balance the number of strips required for each light when driven at ~75%.

We’ll use constant current drivers for builds that end up with a reasonably low circuit voltage when wired in series (below 200V), and we’ll use parallel wiring with constant voltage drivers for those builds that would have too high of a circuit voltage if wired in series.

We’ll try to avoid having to use multiple drivers. We’ll only need multiple drivers for 5’x5′ spaces.

Each system will be designed so that the driver cannot overpower the group of strips. However, note that current hogging can still occur within individual strips in the group in a parallel/CV build and this can cause strips to overheat and fail. There are measures that can be taken to prevent this from happening (current mirrors, resistors, thermal switches, fuses, etc.), but this is beyond the scope of this article and is up to the reader to incorporate if they choose. Devices like this are not included in the designs.

On the constant voltage/parallel systems, all strips must be connected at once to prevent the chance of strips being overpowered. If the design calls for 10 strips, do not only hook up 5.

System current for “B” type drivers will be based on the driver data sheet’s rated current, and system current for “A” type drivers will be based on reported current, since you can get more power out of them.

current, and system current for “A” type drivers will be based on current, since you can get more power out of them. All diodes will be top bin for flux. Specs will be based on a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius.

I personally use 18 gauge to connect wagos to strips (the strip connectors likely won’t take wire any bigger than 18 gauge) and I use a minimum of 14 gauge wire for the wago-to-wago connections in parallel systems – the cable needs to be at least this thick since these wago-to-wago runs carry more current. I am not an electrician – these are suggestions only and I recommend checking with a licensed electrician to ensure you’ve selected the proper wire for your system and installed it properly.

The spaces we’ll examine are:

2’x2′

2’x4′

3’x3′

4’x4′

5’x5′

2’x2′ Grow Space Builds

In a 2’x2′ space, you’ll need ~120 watts of power. If you’re growing in a 2’x2′ tent, you’ll probably want to use 1-foot long strips in order to save some room in the tent. If you’re in open air and have the space, you might prefer to use 2-foot long strips to maximize your canopy spread. We have included both types of builds below – just be sure to measure your space to ensure your strips and frame will fit nicely.

2’x4′ Grow Space Builds

In a 2’x4′ space, we’ll aim for ~240 watts of power. Just like in the 2×2 section, if you want to use 2’ strips for your 2’x4′ build, even though these strips are not actually a full 24” long, they will be a tight fit by the time you incorporate your frame (if you’re growing in a tent) so be sure to measure your space to ensure they’ll fit. If you have the room, you may want to run the 2-footers for better coverage, but if they won’t fit, we’ve included 1-foot designs as well, so you’re covered either way.

3’x3′ Grow Space Builds

We’ll want about 270 watts of power for a 3’x3′.

4’x4′ Grow Space Builds

In a 4’x4′, we’ll need ~480 watts of power. We can’t quite hit this with an HLG-480H-48B, but we can hit it by using an HLG-480H-48A (you can get more power out of this version since you can increase the voltage) and cranking the voltage and current. The difference between the A version and B version is the A version has 2 built-in potentiometers to allow you to adjust voltage and current while the B version has leads for you to solder your own potentiometer so you can run a length of wire and dim the driver remotely. The A version also only dims down to 50% power, which will be fine for this application. This is the same driver that the HLG 550 light uses.

For the 4’x4′ space, you may not quite be able to fit 4’ strips – even though these strips are not actually a full 48” long, they may be a tight fit by the time you incorporate your frame (if you’re growing in a tent) so be sure to measure your space to ensure they’ll fit. Just in case, we’ve also included builds for 4’x4′ tents that utilize 2’ strips if you can’t fit 4’ strips.

5’x5′ Grow Space Builds

Finally, for a 5’x5′, we’ll need about 750 watts of power. To get this much power, we’ll need to use multiple drivers and it’s important to make sure that your house’s AC circuit can support this much current draw (you’ll need to consult the data sheet for your driver and check the AC current input).

Conclusion

After crunching the numbers, it’s clear that 2 families of strips stand out above the others: the Samsung F-Series Gen.3 and the Bridgelux EB Strip Gen.2. Both of these strips pack a lot of diodes per foot and offer near-identical efficiency. While the Samsung LM561C has a higher efficacy on paper (187 lm/w), you’ll notice that in our designs, the EB strips often have a higher efficacy than the F-strips. Interestingly enough, we believe the reason for this is that Bridgelux has underrated their EB Gen.2 strip max current.

If our hunch is correct and Bridgelux is, in fact, running 2835 .2W 3V Gen.2 diodes on these strips, then the 1-footers would have a true max of 1,200mA (not 700mA, as the data sheet says) and the 2-footers and 4-footers would have a true max of 2,400mA (not 1,400mA, as the data sheet says). That being said, if the true max current of these strips is significantly higher than stated, we would actually be running the strips quite soft, and, as a result, they will run at a higher efficacy than the F-series in our designs.

While the F-Series strips are far more expensive than the EB Gen.2 strips, you don’t need to use nearly as many of them, and this cuts down on heat sink costs as well. By the time you factor in the additional heat sinks required for the EB Gen.2 strips, the price of each build is nearly identical for the same output. The advantage of running the dense F-Series strips is that there’s a lot less work to do since with fewer heat sinks and strips to wire. The advantage of running the EB strips is the fact that you’ll get a more even spread with the additional strips and can get more uniform coverage across your canopy.

The H-Series and Q-Series are distant runner-ups in this group. Both have low diode counts and require a lot more strips to hit the same output that the F-Series and EB Gen.2 can achieve with fewer strips. This results in a lot more work and significantly higher heat sink costs. The saving grace of the Q-Series is that you will save a little on your electrical bill since they’re more efficient than the other strips.

All in all, our ranking is as follows:

#1- Samsung F-Series

#2- Bridgelux EB Gen.2

#3- Samsung Q-Series

#4- Samsung H-Series

Which strips will you use for your build? Let us know in the comments below.

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