Pictures of your DIY lights - Post your pics!!!

BigYellowCob

Well-Known Member
You DIY'ers keep forgetting that it is the last graph in that test that is the one to beat. Not the decade old tech

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So it looks like he's getting pretty similar light intensity to DE HPS (except in the center at 24", but the spread looks better for the most part with cobs), no IR and less heat from the cobs with better spectrum all while using almost 200 watts less power. If these were CXB3590s he'd probably get the same intensity with 300w less power. No replacing bulbs or reflectors all the time either, and less cooling required. So what is your point exactly?

EDIT:
cdgmoney - are you including fans and other stuff in the 937 watts? I'm getting 1.4 * 36.4 * 15 = 764.4 watts plus 7% driver inefficiency should put you at 818 watts, which would be more than 300 watts less than a 1000 HPS DE (running at 1150w total)
 
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EfficientWatt

Well-Known Member
(..)

With 1 cxb3590 CD @49W per square foot, you'd still save over 15% wattage and be somewhere around 1200ppfd averaged / all around.

... optimal spread/coverage. => no hot spot / shade.

cya
You DIY'ers keep forgetting that it is the last graph in that test that is the one to beat. Not the decade old tech

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AquariusPanta

Well-Known Member
You DIY'ers keep forgetting that it is the last graph in that test that is the one to beat. Not the decade old tech

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It's interesting to see how differently the same bulb performs in a different frame.

The numbers for the last product you showed should easily be surpassed with current COB/driver technology, in the hands of DIY'ers, and has already been surpassed with commercial COB fixtures, such as the one in my avatar. :D

The biggest obstacle for a bunch of growers is the cost factor associated with choosing between the various technologies; many people want to keep as much money as they can.

I'd be interested to the see the HPS DE grid after running the bulb for a month or two as well, as I'm sure the testing was done with a brand new bulb. Intensity degradation is a non-issue for the most part with cobs the way that we are driving them.
This is a very good point to make. I think it was @stardustsailor who proposed the idea that COBs actually get better/more efficient as total operation time becomes greater.
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
I'd be interested to the see the HPS DE grid after running the bulb for a month or two as well, as I'm sure the testing was done with a brand new bulb. Intensity degradation is a non-issue for the most part with cobs the way that we are driving them.
This is an excellent point; nobody makes monthly lamp changes and one of the biggest selling points of DE is the two to three year lamp replacement schedule. Since there is no appreciable light depreciation with softly driven COB LED, not only is there a cost and labor savings in maintenance but an even bigger return on the differential in light output; LED with a fresh bulb, but growing every day until the lamp is replaced. This directly impacts yields, so it's not an esoteric point.
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
To the authorities!

Awwww come on, the title of the thread is 'post pics of your DIY lights'... so I did! He didn't say what KIND of lighting it had to be!

It's my ghetto special veg panel. Worked tits too, the rails are old bathroom fixtures from the local Habitat for Humanity and the CFL bulbs all came from the local food bank!

Bootstrapping is what I do!
 

a senile fungus

Well-Known Member
Awwww come on, the title of the thread is 'post pics of your DIY lights'... so I did! He didn't say what KIND of lighting it had to be!

It's my ghetto special veg panel. Worked tits too, the rails are old bathroom fixtures from the local Habitat for Humanity and the CFL bulbs all came from the local food bank!

Bootstrapping is what I do!

I didn't really report you, bub.

Just jerking your chain, bustin your balls!

I'm building a bookshelf for cloning as we speak, homemade everything. DIY is the way to go!
 

PurpleBuz

Well-Known Member
(15x) Vero 29 3500k @ 1.4a 937 watts
3 rails of 5 (48"x30")
Spacing is 11 1/8" between the 5 per rail and 13" between rails.
]
:clap: thanks for showing us and taking all the measurements. helpful indeed.

My take away from this, is that your unit can fill out a 5x5 tent nicely provided the bars are spread just a wee bit wider. a slightly wider spacing between bars with less overlap, minimizing the center hotspot.

I assume you have the sensor pointed straight up ? :wall: , sorry I have a thick head sometimes and get stuck on little things.
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
I didn't really report you, bub.

Just jerking your chain, bustin your balls!

I'm building a bookshelf for cloning as we speak, homemade everything. DIY is the way to go!
No worries, I was feelin' the love all the way...

DIY kicks ass, brother; we right here on this forum are building things that are changing the face of agriculture as significantly as the advent of the farm tractor.
 

cdgmoney250

Well-Known Member
cdgmoney - are you including fans and other stuff in the 937 watts? I'm getting 1.4 * 36.4 * 15 = 764.4 watts plus 7% driver inefficiency should put you at 818 watts, which would be more than 300 watts less than a 1000 HPS DE (running at 1150w total)
That wattage draw is for the whole lamp, COB's and fans. Reading were taken using a Kill-a-watt meter. I could save 20 watts if I turned my fans down to 11.2V but I like them running at full rpm.

Yes, if CXB3590's were used, I could have probably accomplished the same footprint with the same number of COB's run at 1a. (I'm completely guessing here). Or for the same wattage draw the output would probably be ridiculous.
Unfortunately I had already purchased my vero's when they released the CXB series. But I have an HPS side of my room that will probably go the slightly more expensive but much more efficient CXB upgrade route in the future.

:clap: thanks for showing us and taking all the measurements. helpful indeed.

My take away from this, is that your unit can fill out a 5x5 tent nicely provided the bars are spread just a wee bit wider. a slightly wider spacing between bars with less overlap, minimizing the center hotspot.

I assume you have the sensor pointed straight up ? :wall: , sorry I have a thick head sometimes and get stuck on little things.
Thank you! It was no problem at all.
Haha and yes the readings were taken with the meter pointed straight up.
 

Stephenj37826

Well-Known Member
You DIY'ers keep forgetting that it is the last graph in that test that is the one to beat. Not the decade old tech

View attachment 3507153
Yeah but you forget a few things. 1 the ac/de isn't cheap. 2. Yearly bulb change is a minimum and 3 yearly reflector change because they degrade faster than the de bulbs. Add it all up plus extra electricity and cob led still is the better investment bottom line.
 
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