DiY LED Grow Lights with CREE CXA3070 COBs and CPU Coolers
- Thread starter Gaius
- Start date
JoeyV
Well-Known Member
that link doesn;t work. i did the math : 1000W lumatek dimmable (+10% super lumens) you need like 700W of CXA3070. That means after 10000 hours you will pay the difference for electric. Than the question is : is this LED really worth the price ? give me the link again please, you made me curious 
Dloomis514
Well-Known Member
I think he was messing with usthat link doesn;t work. i did the math : 1000W lumatek dimmable (+10% super lumens) you need like 700W of CXA3070. That means after 10000 hours you will pay the difference for electric. Than the question is : is this LED really worth the price ? give me the link again please, you made me curious
Not at all . Not even a bit, but I want to make the right decision before I buy something cause will be my first grow. I don;t have experience in growing or grow light some I spend hours and hours on forums to learn. I'm not good to electronics either , so I was thinking maybe a hps it's easier to install. What if I broke the LED when I'm trying to install ? What if I ... What if ... This are the questions in my head. Thank you for reply.
nomofatum
Well-Known Member
Honestly if you aren't handy I would cross off DIY, and when you cross off DIY for LED you enter big bucks territory. Bang for the buck is much better for HPS/MH. If you are going to grow in a small box with insufficient ventilation or height, LED is really your only decent option. If your situation has decent height and ventilation, screw the expensive LED setups, get HPS/MH.
GroErr
Well-Known Member
Agreed, but there is another option which is between hps/mh and LED's if you have some headroom. Philips Elite Agro CMH, 315w bulbs that perform very close to 600w hps but with heat output just slightly higher than LED. More details in my sig including a 3x6 on the go with 2 of these 315w CMH.
nomofatum
Well-Known Member
Those do look like a nice option.
GroErr
Well-Known Member
Other than high end commercial LED's (e.g. Apache, A51) or DIY COBs, they're about the most efficient lighting out there right now imo. Pulled 10.9 zips in my first 3x3 and I screwed up. They can easily pull 12 zips, with the right strain/method these can pull 1 lb., from a 315w bulb. Total pull @120v is 385w, @240v 345w.
nomofatum
Well-Known Member
If those specs are legit they are about as efficient as a Cree even with reflector loss.
GroErr
Well-Known Member
They are that efficient, I'm just sharing my first hand experience with them, have no vested interest other than keeping folks away from throwing away money on low-end LED's. I have first hand experience with those (Chinese LED's) and they're crap imo. I'm running at 120v and the draw is a metered pull at the plug.
JoeyV
Well-Known Member
If this is your first grow, stop worrying about expensive lights, and start growing. Start your seedlings under a CFL or T5 fixture, like this:
Once your plants start outgrowing the small light, get this, 432w:
or this 600w,
and finish your grow.
Do that two or three times then decide if need or want to go bigger $$$. Learn to grow first, then spend the money as you go, not all at once.
Thahk you guys ( all of you, really thank you ) for replying. I decided to go for Lumatek 600W dimmable and I will get a 1.2 x 1.2 x 2 meters tent. This light is dual spectrum Lumatek bulb. Four plants + maybe 2 or three auto ( I am not patient enough ). I was thinking to get the 1000W Lumatek and 1.5 x 1.5 x 2 meters tent, but NO. Because minimum switch is 600W and it is to much for veg. And I think is better to learn to grow and after one year I will invest in LED. 160cfm fan for the cooltube + arroud 100 cfm for out. So , with two separate fans it should keep could enough. THANK YOU AGAIN PS : do you think the tent is very important ? Cause I found secret jardin for a double price than other tent.
PS : do you think the tent is very important ? Cause I found secret jardin for a double price than other tent.
JoeyV
Well-Known Member
Lumatek is a good choice from what I've read. I don't know anything about grow tents, but if I were going to use one, I'd find one with the strongest, sturdiest posts and hardware. If you're going to grow in a tent, you don't want it to collapse on you. With a 600w HID, fire is a real possibility if the tent fails. I still recommend you start out with a T5 fixture. They generate a lot less heat and will grow and flower well enough to help you learn.Thahk you guys ( all of you, really thank you ) for replying. I decided to go for Lumatek 600W dimmable and I will get a 1.2 x 1.2 x 2 meters tent. This light is dual spectrum Lumatek bulb. Four plants + maybe 2 or three auto ( I am not patient enough ). I was thinking to get the 1000W Lumatek and 1.5 x 1.5 x 2 meters tent, but NO. Because minimum switch is 600W and it is to much for veg. And I think is better to learn to grow and after one year I will invest in LED. 160cfm fan for the cooltube + arroud 100 cfm for out. So , with two separate fans it should keep could enough. THANK YOU AGAIN
Growing takes a long time. 3 to 4 months, more or less. You have to have a lot of patients. But it pays off in the end. Good luck!
Yes, that's what I thought. I'M NOOB , so it's allright at the minute a 600W Lumatek and a 1.2X1.2X2 meters Budda tent. The price for lumatek+lumatek dual spectrum bulb is 120 pounds. The price for cooltube powerplant is 40 pounds and the price for AeroWing is 70 pounds. Is worth the difference ? And is this enough for cooltube ? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201019108285?var=500221796163
and this separate : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111174523717 ? thank you guys. You really helped me to decide finally
I read somewhere some people that are very dissapointed abput Lumatek ballast. The warranty is not very ok , they didn;t get a new one , just fixed the broken one , etc. So, I don't know what to do , I swear. I was thinking to get the LED, 6x3070 Z230f. I think will be enough for 3-4 plants. I think I know now everything I need except which driver is ok for coolers Alpine 11 plus ? Don't tell me any ( cause I am completly noob ) link me somethink if you know. Apreciate
epicfail
Well-Known Member
My first tent was a secretjardin, what a piece if crap that was. Since I found gorilla grow tents I wont use anything else. They are way thicker, sturdier and taller than than any others I have seen available. I still use the SJ for veg but the poles have started to rust so I don't know how long I will keep it around. The GGTs are more expensive but like most things in life, you get what you pay for.
Forget the HID and build yourself a light, It is easier than one might think and there are solderless options available for people who don't want to learn how to solder. One thing though, This thread is old and the Z2 chips might not be the best choice. There are better options available nowadays that are becoming increasingly easier to find and cheaper.