2018 Grow your own thread

TrainingPineapples

TrainingPineapples

Well-Known Member
Just got my new light ... super bright and only cost me $160 off amazon

6 x 50 watt Full Spectrum COB ... I don't have a PAR meter but the lux is at 130000 6 inches from the unit and at 4.5 feet away it's at a little over 11000

Just put the girls under it and will see what it does for flowering soon ... flipping to 12/12 next weekend
 

Attachments

Jefferson1977

Jefferson1977

Well-Known Member
I guess you get what you paid for. Is it passive or are there fans in the unit? Looks like it has fan cooling. Probably you will get your 1 or 2 years out of it.
 
TrainingPineapples

TrainingPineapples

Well-Known Member
Jefferson1977 said:
I guess you get what you paid for. Is it passive or are there fans in the unit? Looks like it has fan cooling. Probably you will get your 1 or 2 years out of it.
Click to expand...
Fan cooled ... sturdy construction and if a COB goes I can easily replace it, can get the same ones as in the unit for 15 bucks or so ... The housing is a generic model that many LED grow light manufacturers use but the COB's in it are Epistar which are just as good as Cree (Cree and Epistar use the same manufacturing process and actually have a technology and patent sharing agreement)

COB operating max temp is around 80c and the unit hasn't crept over 50c yet ... turned the light on a couple hours ago and still under 50c

My next lights for tent #3 will likely be a DIY deal ... can get COB's with onboard drivers and stick them on CPU coolers no issue although if this new light works out well then I may just buy another one
 
TrainingPineapples

TrainingPineapples

Well-Known Member
UPDATE: New light has been running for over 24 hours and temps have crept up to 52 Celsius ... not bad so far

Girls absolutely love the light and after checking the output of my 400 watt HPS with a brand new bulb it appears that I am getting around 3 times the light output with the new cob led grow light ... Unexpected as I didn't think it would be that powerful

Pulling around 318 watts from the wall with 3 times the light output as compared to a 400 watt HPS and low operating temps ... Longevity is now the question, as in how long will the cob's last, as well as flowering results

I am seriously considering starting a vlog about my cheap grow room
 
CalyxCrusher

CalyxCrusher

Well-Known Member
TrainingPineapples said:
UPDATE: New light has been running for over 24 hours and temps have crept up to 52 Celsius ... not bad so far

Girls absolutely love the light and after checking the output of my 400 watt HPS with a brand new bulb it appears that I am getting around 3 times the light output with the new cob led grow light ... Unexpected as I didn't think it would be that powerful

Pulling around 318 watts from the wall with 3 times the light output as compared to a 400 watt HPS and low operating temps ... Longevity is now the question, as in how long will the cob's last, as well as flowering results

I am seriously considering starting a vlog about my cheap grow room
Click to expand...
Most LEDs and COBs are rated at 50,000hrs continuous use
 
TrainingPineapples

TrainingPineapples

Well-Known Member
CalyxCrusher said:
Most LEDs and COBs are rated at 50,000hrs continuous use
Click to expand...
True, however as with all electronics the lifespan of a given component is dependant on the amount of heat damage it recieves over its lifetime as well as, in the case of led's (as well as some other electronic components), if the circuit has not had the parts matched correctly and/or cheap parts are used you run the chance of thermal runaway which means you get that lovely smell of burnt plastic and a fried component

If you run your COB's, for example, with a shoddy cooling system then the effective lifetime of those COB's will be diminished due to being run at a higher temperature (even if running them below their max rated temp).... Electro-Mechanical Engineer here, I know a thing or two about this subject

So far, with this new light, I am still under 27 Celsius in the two tents (one running a 400 hps) and the light itself is now settled at around 54 Celsius so I should get a good lifetime out of the light ... girls absolutely love it
 
CalyxCrusher

CalyxCrusher

Well-Known Member
TrainingPineapples said:
True, however as with all electronics the lifespan of a given component is dependant on the amount of heat damage it recieves over its lifetime as well as, in the case of led's (as well as some other electronic components), if the circuit has not had the parts matched correctly and/or cheap parts are used you run the chance of thermal runaway which means you get that lovely smell of burnt plastic and a fried component

If you run your COB's, for example, with a shoddy cooling system then the effective lifetime of those COB's will be diminished due to being run at a higher temperature (even if running them below their max rated temp).... Electro-Mechanical Engineer here, I know a thing or two about this subject

So far, with this new light, I am still under 27 Celsius in the two tents (one running a 400 hps) and the light itself is now settled at around 54 Celsius so I should get a good lifetime out of the light ... girls absolutely love it
Click to expand...
For sure. Thankfully COBs can be passively cooled with a good heatsink. I've been using LEDs for years now, and they've certainly come a long way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top