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kingbrite lights
- Thread starter wickytokes
- Start date
Apparently u didn't read that those pictures were 10+ days of INTENTIONAL flush or low food. Not sure why you would want more nitrogen at harvest, but ive heard worse
So actually something that matters about kingbrite lamps. An i would say its more of a Meanwell thing then actually kingbrite.
I purchased 20 coppacabanna 660w. So far to date 3 lights have started to flicker lightly. At first a dim to bright cycle over an over. Then a few days later started to flicker heavily, like a light off then on cycle over and over. Maybe 2-3 flashes or so a second, tough to actually gauge.
Turns out something faulty was going on with the meanwell ballasts. Im sure im not the only one.
Kingbrite dropped shipped 3 ballasts from my first email to them. Apparently it is a known issue with the meanwell ballasts. Meanwell HLG-600H-48AB in them. I first mentioned i had 1 problem, but they sent 3 Sosen 600w ballasts . So my guess is they anticipated more to fail and sent 3 ballasts instead of just one.
Not always good timing to get in the canopy and swap out a light.
So far they have made it right. lights have been in operation less then a year. But again, meanwell and not kingbrite
Anyone hear anything similar. Gonna search around before i post a new thread
I purchased 20 coppacabanna 660w. So far to date 3 lights have started to flicker lightly. At first a dim to bright cycle over an over. Then a few days later started to flicker heavily, like a light off then on cycle over and over. Maybe 2-3 flashes or so a second, tough to actually gauge.
Turns out something faulty was going on with the meanwell ballasts. Im sure im not the only one.
Kingbrite dropped shipped 3 ballasts from my first email to them. Apparently it is a known issue with the meanwell ballasts. Meanwell HLG-600H-48AB in them. I first mentioned i had 1 problem, but they sent 3 Sosen 600w ballasts . So my guess is they anticipated more to fail and sent 3 ballasts instead of just one.
Not always good timing to get in the canopy and swap out a light.
So far they have made it right. lights have been in operation less then a year. But again, meanwell and not kingbrite
Anyone hear anything similar. Gonna search around before i post a new thread
Last edited:
Rocket Soul
Well-known member
This is a pet peeve of mine; a meanwell ballast on a china light is not actually 100% the same as a meanwell bought from a regular distributor from your standard outputs (arrow/mouser/digikey/meanwell direct). They seem to fail a fair bit more and i doubt they go thru the same QC as the "original" ones. Dont skimp on drivers.
Edit: That type of flickering is sometimes down to the dimmer. Before dinging the dimmer try to see what happens to your light if you disconnect the dimmer.
I didnt know different quality control specs. But, im not surprised TBH.
Was on a light controller (hydro-x pro). and different rooms , different times. Would do it on system or manual potentiometer. once ballast was swapped no issues
the other thing that indicated driver only is there are 3 separate drivers in the coppacabanna 660. 600 for full spec, and seperate 25w uv driver , and 25w far red driver. which add up to 650w, yet labeled 660w
full spec was the only one flickering. manual pot controls all 3 equally
Last edited:
Rocket Soul
Well-known member
Re QC: this is not something that i "now" but something that i suspect: if the china driver is half price, and we know that at least some go thru qc well and get sold thru meanwell brand and some of the drivers dont go thru qc properly: which ones are likely to be half price thru alibaba?
Same thing with diodes but at least you can compensate this by just using more for better efficiency.
Any china or oem light: id try to get them with no driver or any of these china quick connectors (they tend to melt unfortunately), basicly anything which have to deal with higher currents.
From what you say it sounds like dodgy drivers, especially if there was non faulty drivers working on the same dimmer. Im surprised though that there are separate drivers possible most of them just have one, and with some kinda current splitting arrangement.
I know meanwell had an excess of faults on some high watt driver batches a few years ago, maybe this is where the dodgy ones ended up? Not sure. In any case some care is adviceable with china meanwells, they cant really be taken for same quality as regular ones.
Hey rocket soul. I agree mostly, but in regards to the driver being subpar based on price alone; i do not.
trying to compare based on cost alone for said same product, it doesn't necessarily mean it is not the same quality check or same product. It very well could not be. But to go off price alone for said same product is a tough call.
I think when basing on price alone, things can get complicated. When you start to factor in wholesale costs , msrp or retail prices from mouser or digikey etc, volume of sales or contracts, shipping costs, numbers can vary greatly from a business prospective. Supplier markup for each middleman. paying for shipping twice etc. The markup alone from any middleman throws numbers out the window.
However, I can see them rebranding sub par components. Putting a meanwell sticker on driver that isnt. Or claiming a diode is samsung when in fact it is not. It happens all the time. One of the hundered componts could have failed and that is it.
I went with kingbrite because they where one of the few that had a reputable past. There are many pop up companies. Its overwhelming how many companies there are.
Im gonna see if i can pull a date code from the driver an see if some things match up with possibly bad batches etc.
I also emailed meanwell. and i emailed kingbrite again.
trying to compare based on cost alone for said same product, it doesn't necessarily mean it is not the same quality check or same product. It very well could not be. But to go off price alone for said same product is a tough call.
I think when basing on price alone, things can get complicated. When you start to factor in wholesale costs , msrp or retail prices from mouser or digikey etc, volume of sales or contracts, shipping costs, numbers can vary greatly from a business prospective. Supplier markup for each middleman. paying for shipping twice etc. The markup alone from any middleman throws numbers out the window.
However, I can see them rebranding sub par components. Putting a meanwell sticker on driver that isnt. Or claiming a diode is samsung when in fact it is not. It happens all the time. One of the hundered componts could have failed and that is it.
I went with kingbrite because they where one of the few that had a reputable past. There are many pop up companies. Its overwhelming how many companies there are.
Im gonna see if i can pull a date code from the driver an see if some things match up with possibly bad batches etc.
I also emailed meanwell. and i emailed kingbrite again.
Rocket Soul
Well-known member
Of course price only is maybe not a surefire way but it gives you indications, especially if you have compared prices of all worldwide distributors using something like octopart. Also with meanwell you can buy direct, only their markup.
Its not that they are slapping on stickers, the china meanwells may very well come out of the same factories as regular ones. Its just that some will come out in qc quality some dont pass. Same thing with diodes.
chiesesganja
Well-known member
