LED lighting in an open space VS tent

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Ingvar

Member
I see that assembling a COB LED is cosiderably more affordable. Is there a guide on how to assemble these? Or are they simple plug & play?
 
Hybridway

Hybridway

Well-Known Member
Ingvar said:
I'm using non-vented 1000W HPS bulbs. I've considered the vented hoods but when figuring in all of the factors, it's not the best option for me (cost, grow space setup/limitations, long-term plans, etc).

I'm intrigued in LEDs and want to give them a fair shot. Truth be told, I don't think I'm getting good use out of the 1000W HPS bulbs. I could go down to 600W and I am positive I would get within 95% of quality & yield that I get from 1000W HPS. How do I know this? Because the heat factor has prevented me from using all 1000W. My ballasts have settings of 50% or 75% or 100% of the wattage and I can never go above 75% due to the heat they generate. The Galaxy Hydros have already shown me that even at their ~300W pull they are much cooler than a 50% 1000W HPS (even when two of them are close together they feel much cooler than the HPS bulb @50%)

I don't really understand a lot of the terminology & references used by you (the collectively experienced LED guys), so I think I need to read up a lot more. Stuff like chip on board, lenses, umol, drivers, type of LEDs, etc.. make my head spin just reading it haha

Checking out Amare SE450 and it's definitely out of my price range, but it also sounds more powerful than I need:

Power output: 450 watts
HID equivalent: ~800 watts

I am pretty sure could get away with HID equivalent of 500-600W for the reasons stated above. Once I save enough to upgrade, I'll start looking at other options. I've read people's grow journals with the Platinum P600 lights and it wasn't all that bad. Someone did a side by side comparison to 600W HPS and the quality + quantity matched up well.

Do LEDs "focus" light better? Their 'core coverage area' seems to be a key topic of conversation, as if their efficiency drops off a cliff compared to HPS if plants exist outside of that area?
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If you focus on room temps not the fixture temp compared to the raw bulb, I bet they're pretty close if you're using 600w of Galaxy n 600w of hps. You'll do better in yield w/ 600w hps or about the same Id think.
Yeah, there's allot to know if you really get into it. Many of the Guys around here are fairly knowledgable & have studied this stuff immensely.
Quick break down:
-lens = optics used for magnification or focusing
-drivers = ballasts
-umols = light amounts
-LEDs = good n bad or inefficient w/ short life spans
-companies = good n bad, bad = false claims, shit components, poor service, fixtures don't last, no point in using them, terrible growth displayed, lack of transerency ect....
PPFD = average amount of usable light within an area
Lumens & Par = light
Much more detailed descriptions n allot more to know but that's basics for understanding.
Yeah, the SE-450 worked out to be approx. an 800 w hps replacement for me my first grow w/ it. I doubt you'll find that claim on they're actual web-site though. But probably more like a 600w on average for most. They do offer 25% off & are one of the least expensive per watt providing those components, a 5 yr warranty & an enhanced white build.
Decent Pre-built LEDs aren't cheap in general though & average $1.75-3 a watt.
Can't really go by HPS equivalencies stated by 90% of the led companies that have the ordacity to quote that on their home sites. I understand using it as reference but most are simply not true. I'd Avoid any companies claiming expected GPW (grams per watt). True wattage too. These are some leading misrepresentations.
A P-600 isn't growing 12-16 oz. on average I doubt. Although Plat does seam to have happy customers for a company using low-end components & misleading sales tactics. I doubt many of them have compared their Plat to a good LED, like the ones myself & others have recommended.
As far as core-coverage goes, it depends on how the fixture is focusing its light & the size of the fixture. A small fixture using 60-90• optics/lenses will have a smaller coverage area then a larger unit or one using 120• optics or reflectors. depends on height too. Or you could run multiple smaller units to accomplish the desired coverage.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Worst case scenario, keep the Galaxies for veg lights n move on to a decent light if you want to know how LEDs can truly perform.
 
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Johnny Lawrence

Johnny Lawrence

Well-Known Member
Ingvar said:
Trust me, if I could afford it I wouldn't even start a thread here I'd just go out and buy a bunch of SpydrXs LOL .
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Than you aren't paying attention. It might serve you well to read your thread over again. Some really good advice has been offered to you, but for whatever reason, you seem to be deaf to it.
 
I

Ingvar

Member
Spent some more time
Hybridway said:
If you focus on room temps not the fixture temp compared to the raw bulb, I bet they're pretty close if you're using 600w of Galaxy n 600w of hps. You'll do better in yield w/ 600w hps or about the same Id think.
Yeah, there's allot to know if you really get into it. Many of the Guys around here are fairly knowledgable & have studied this stuff immensely.
Quick break down:
-lens = optics used for magnification or focusing
-drivers = ballasts
-umols = light amounts
-LEDs = good n bad or inefficient w/ short life spans
-companies = good n bad, bad = false claims, shit components, poor service, fixtures don't last, no point in using them, terrible growth displayed, ect....
PPFD = average amount of usable light within an area
Lumens & Par = light
Much more detailed descriptions n allot more to know but that's basics for understanding.
Yeah, the SE-450 worked out to be approx. an 800 w hps replacement for me my first grow w/ it. I doubt you'll find that claim on they're actual web-site though. But probably more like a 600w on average for most. They do offer 25% off & are one of the least expensive per watt providing those components, a 5 yr warranty & an enhanced white build.
Decent Pre-built LEDs aren't cheap in general though & average $1.75-3 a watt.
Can't really go by HPS equivalencies stated by 90% of the led companies that have the ordacity to quote that on their home sites. And especially stay away from any companies claiming expected GPW (grams per watt). That's one of their leading misrepresentations.
A P-600 isn't growing 12-16 oz. on average I doubt. Although Plat does seam to have happy customers for a company using low-end components & misleading sales tactics. I doubt many of them have compared their Plat to a good LED, like the ones myself & others have recommended.
As far as core-coverage goes, it depends on how the fixture is focusing its light & the size of the fixture. A small fixture using 60-90• optics/lenses will have a smaller coverage area then a larger unit or one using 120• optics or reflectors. depends on height too. Or you could run multiple smaller units to accomplish the desired coverage.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Worst case scenario, keep the Galaxies for veg lights n move on to a decent light if you want to know how LEDs can truly perform.
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You have been extremely helpful!

I do understand that something like this http://timbergrowlights.com/300-watt-cree-cxb3590-6-cob-grow-light-kit/ is a better alternative. I just need to build a frame and then it seems like a simple plug & play, which is awesome. You all may have just convinced me to take a shot at this. I'm usually leery of building stuff myself (I make a crappy handyman lol) but this seems simple enough.

Question about the Timber kit above: How far apart do those lights need to be in the final assembly to get max coverage area? Would that cover a 6'x4' flower area effectively?
 
Hybridway

Hybridway

Well-Known Member
Ingvar said:
Spent some more time


You have been extremely helpful!

I do understand that something like this http://timbergrowlights.com/300-watt-cree-cxb3590-6-cob-grow-light-kit/ is a better alternative. I just need to build a frame and then it seems like a simple plug & play, which is awesome. You all may have just convinced me to take a shot at this. I'm usually leery of building stuff myself (I make a crappy handyman lol) but this seems simple enough.

Question about the Timber kit above: How far apart do those lights need to be in the final assembly to get max coverage area? Would that cover a 6'x4' flower area effectively?
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No problem.
You can't go wrong w/ that. 4 of those kits will cover your space. They have them pre-built ya know for not much more $. Good spacing is 9-12" apart.
 
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I

Ingvar

Member
Hybridway said:
No problem.
You can't go wrong w/ that. 3-5 of those kits will cover your space. They have them pre-built ya know for not much more $. Good spacing is 9-12" apart.
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LOL I just realized that Framework means it comes assembled (originally thought it was literally just the frame). The assembled version is only $70 more but I'm worried about that 3'x3' coverage area.. I was hoping the six lights would cover a bit more area like 4'x5' or so.
 
HydoDan

HydoDan

Well-Known Member
Ingvar said:
I almost never see straight 400W LED COB lights, they tend to be either around 330W or considerably higher. Are you talking about the 330W pull LED COB lights?
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I'm talking DIY.. A Timber 300 watt kit plus a couple single cob lights I built w citizen 1812s.. I pull 446 watts..
Frames are easy.. lots of builds in the led section.. YouTube..
 
Hybridway

Hybridway

Well-Known Member
Ingvar said:
LOL I just realized that Framework means it comes assembled (originally thought it was literally just the frame). The assembled version is only $70 more but I'm worried about that 3'x3' coverage area.. I was hoping the six lights would cover a bit more area like 4'x5' or so.
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Linear framework. Bars.
 
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