Cutter Electronics: Complete DIY COB kits

F

flat9

Active Member
SaltyNuts said:
@flat9 I would love to see a head-to-head comparison of the AC/DE Boss setup versus the new cob setup, if you can do it. I work in a retail outlet and would love to show the guys how LED stacks up to the best HPS. It's my plan to do once I get the funds. Cheers.
Click to expand...
I no longer have the lights sadly, though I loved them. I stopped growing medical as my career kept me too busy to keep up with it so I sold them. Pulling 2 lbs per was pretty easy. Now just a hobby space... plan to grow Mephisto autos when I get my setup running.

As for your question, I think the LEDs will win. The issue of loss due to the reflectors and flux depreciation over time notwithstanding, each COB (3000k) generates about 8200 lumens x approximately 0.015 (umol/sec/lumen) = 123 umol/sec at 50 w (aka joule/sec), so 2.46 umol/joule. That conversion factor seem conservative, by the way, according to the conversion factor for CMH 4200K and 3100K found here:

http://www.apogeeinstruments.com/conversion-ppf-to-lux/

The DE HPS bulbs emit 2100 umol/sec but assuming it actually draws 1000 watts (it's a bit higher), that is 2.1 umol/joule. So already the COBs do better on a watt-per-watt basis.

This is before factoring in uniformity, which I really think plays a major factor in the yields people get. With the right setup of COB spacing and optics for each I think you can get a nearly uniform intensity pattern over a square grid. This is not so for the Sun Systems AC/DE, but it does the best job in coverage that I've seen tests for out of any of the DE setups. If you're using it in a 4 x 4 with reflective walls you can get pretty good uniformity I think, but COBs ought to do better I reckon.

The best in terms of uniformity I think is probably Cycloptics Greenbeams, but as GrowMau5 alluded to earlier in this thread, the efficiency is lower and there's more heat to move. I think the Elite Agro bulbs are about 600 umol/sec so about 1.9 umol/joule using 315 watts (probably draws more like 340).

Nevertheless, seeing a controlled experiment with all 3 would be fantastic.
 
SaltyNuts

SaltyNuts

Well-Known Member
My ideal first build is sixteen CXB3590 driven from 600W to 1000W max. I'd like to compare that side-by-side to a 1000W AC/DE. If I could do 650W of CMH as well, that would be gravy. 4x4 area for each setup, same strain, etc, and best attempt to maintain same temp/humidity conditions. Logged daily. For each setup the entire cycle measured for total electrical use and total use of water and nutes, with yield and quality report. And run that three times or until I get sick of the HPS lol. So far I guess I'm just talking out of my ass but when the situation allows that is what I would like to do. I mean, how cool would that be. But we already know the answer, don't we, the Cutter kit would do serious Quad Damage to the puny HPS!
 
StashToker

StashToker

Well-Known Member
welight said:
The kit can work with the 250 watt driver we are combining with it. What would you like from a bigger driver?
Cheers
Mark

No we are supplying the kit with the 250 watt version
Cheers
Mark
Click to expand...
The bigger Meanwell drivers can run more cobs at a time... so it seems more convenient. Just wondering :)
 
F

flat9

Active Member
SaltyNuts said:
My ideal first build is sixteen CXB3590 driven from 600W to 1000W max. I'd like to compare that side-by-side to a 1000W AC/DE. If I could do 650W of CMH as well, that would be gravy. 4x4 area for each setup, same strain, etc, and best attempt to maintain same temp/humidity conditions. Logged daily. For each setup the entire cycle measured for total electrical use and total use of water and nutes, with yield and quality report. And run that three times or until I get sick of the HPS lol. So far I guess I'm just talking out of my ass but when the situation allows that is what I would like to do. I mean, how cool would that be. But we already know the answer, don't we, the Cutter kit would do serious Quad Damage to the puny HPS!
Click to expand...
I'd imagine so, but still DE HPS are no joke paired with a good reflector.

Also keep in mind this may be strain dependant as well. One thing I wonder about is if we have unintentionally been breading cannabis that responds better to HPS given that it was used so long and yield is a major motivating factor in propagating a strain.

Anyway, if you managed to do this, that'd be pretty incredible. So many interesting experiments one can conduct!
 
SaltyNuts

SaltyNuts

Well-Known Member
[USER=643559]@flat9[/USER] said:
I'd imagine so, but still DE HPS are no joke paired with a good reflector.

Also keep in mind this may be strain dependant as well. One thing I wonder about is if we have unintentionally been breading cannabis that responds better to HPS given that it was used so long and yield is a major motivating factor in propagating a strain.

Anyway, if you managed to do this, that'd be pretty incredible. So many interesting experiments one can conduct!
Click to expand...
Agreed, strain is a major player in lighting-dependent morphological characteristicals, Speaking from experience only ;)
I know a ton has been done already, but I want to see how my strains react to, say, 3000K/3500k/4000K/5000K
No doubt that HPS is a big gun, we all know that:weed:. But man I'm jonesing to try the cobs, got the lust bad. bongsmilie
 
F

flat9

Active Member
Also, does anyone know how/where the droop factors in Supra's Spreadsheets are calculated? I looked at the Cree PCT at:

http://pct.cree.com/dt/index.html

When you chose CXB3590, there are no values below 1.4 amps.

Couldn't find anything in the data sheets from Cree as well. Anyone know? The sheet I found is in the zip attached (RIU doesn't allow xlsx files). Thanks ahead of time.
 

Attachments

SaltyNuts

SaltyNuts

Well-Known Member
flat9 said:
Hey SaltyNuts what current were you thinking of running at? What driver? How many COBs?
Click to expand...
My ideal module is four CXB3590 36V driven by the HLG-240H-C1750, with pots to range from 700mA - 1750mA, usually at about 1050mA. Or the classic HLG-185-C1400, of course.

If another driver does the same job just as well then I'm not a zealot, just looking for what works.
 
Last edited:
welight

welight

Well-Known Member
flat9 said:
Also, does anyone know how/where the droop factors in Supra's Spreadsheets are calculated? I looked at the Cree PCT at:

http://pct.cree.com/dt/index.html

When you chose CXB3590, there are no values below 1.4 amps.

Couldn't find anything in the data sheets from Cree as well. Anyone know? The sheet I found is in the zip attached (RIU doesn't allow xlsx files). Thanks ahead of time.
Click to expand...
did you change the current settings tab, it has several settings?
Cheers
Mark
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
flat9 said:
Also, does anyone know how/where the droop factors in Supra's Spreadsheets are calculated? I looked at the Cree PCT at:

http://pct.cree.com/dt/index.html

When you chose CXB3590, there are no values below 1.4 amps.

Couldn't find anything in the data sheets from Cree as well. Anyone know? The sheet I found is in the zip attached (RIU doesn't allow xlsx files). Thanks ahead of time.
Click to expand...
I've always noticed this too, nothing below 1400mA
 
BOBBY_G

BOBBY_G

Well-Known Member
he extrapolated the data from the low current performance of CXA3070, and if you look at his current droop measurements in the "top bin cob" thread they seem to track relatively linearly
 
F

flat9

Active Member
BOBBY_G said:
he extrapolated the data from the low current performance of CXA3070, and if you look at his current droop measurements in the "top bin cob" thread they seem to track relatively linearly
Click to expand...
It does look rather linear actually for all three curves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top