NukaKola
Well-Known Member
Something I learned from years of growing with HID's. Ballast with active cooling = cheap with high failure rates, ballast with passive cooling = expensive but high quality.
Going from HPS to LED. Worth it?
- Thread starter luleiker
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Chunky Stool
Well-Known Member
That's why there's redundancy -- fewer single points of failure.
One of my platinums has had a dead fan for almost a whole year and works just fine.
I'll get around to that one of these days...
Buddernugs
Well-Known Member
LEDs produce rock hard.....and I mean rock hard buds....no contest even with 1000w...they also produce buds with way more crystals and resin....iv done side by sids with led and 1000w hortilux and when I put that shit in the dab press the LEDs had waaaaaaay more yeild
Chunky Stool
Well-Known Member
You could say the same thing about computers.
A tablet pc doesn't pull as much power as a high performance gaming system, but that's just me...
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
No shit, they are hard as fuck. What looks like an ounce is really 2 because they're so dense. CMH makes them frostier, but LED makes them denser.
Chunky Stool
Well-Known Member
The biggest mistake I see people make with bright LEDs is underfeeding. That's where the 'meh' buds come from.
Gotta dial up the nutes, especially cal-mag.
mistergrafik
Well-Known Member
Weren't you asking what dabs were earlier tho?
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
We weren't talking about computers. WTF does that have to do with anything, lol.You could say the same thing about computers.
A tablet pc doesn't pull as much power as a high performance gaming system, but that's just me...
mistergrafik
Well-Known Member
mistergrafik
Well-Known Member
I still think LED are responsible for some of the resin-less buds i've smoked. Sure they were dense though
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
It's because they lack UV, but you can add it. The UV makes a huge difference for frostiness. My favorite is CMH with LED. Best of both worlds. Dense and frosty.
NukaKola
Well-Known Member
LED diodes and drivers run perfectly fine with passive cooling heatsinks. So why stick them in a box and then add fans to cool it. Seems redundant IMO.You could say the same thing about computers.
A tablet pc doesn't pull as much power as a high performance gaming system, but that's just me...
Chunky Stool
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the compliment! Growing is an adventure and I usually learn by fucking shit up.
Regarding lights, high quality pre-builts are expensive AF!
Most growers would be WAY better off to go with a DIY kit if they are looking for value.
My LED lights were actually given to me by a close friend who quit growing and tore is grow room down. (It was better than mine by a long shot.)
It was a very generous gift and I am grateful.
Karma can be a good thing...
Chunky Stool
Well-Known Member
Depends on the light. My black dog has UV-B but the platinums don't.
Gotta be careful with UV supplementation. It doesn't take much to reach a point of diminishing returns.
Lizard lights are pretty safe and work great in small spaces.
chronnie49
Well-Known Member
Yup I agree. I've only done 1 run with the led and cmh but I liked the results.
Ive also used hps and cmh together which turned out good too.
Chunky Stool
Well-Known Member
UV is not necessary but I think it makes a difference.
If you grow with MH, you're already getting UV as part of the blue spectrum.
I've got a 1,200w frankenlight with 2 fixtures that I used to run MH & HPS together. (2 - 600w digital ballasts.)
It worked GREAT -- and I could use cheap bulbs, which saved a ton of moolah.
I would use it again if the conditions were right. (Relatively small grow space w/cool temps where the extra heat is welcome.)
Chunky Stool
Well-Known Member
Yes indeed.
All of my ballasts are passive -- and it's because the models with fans only have ONE fan.
Fans die, they just do.
That's why redundancy is good.
When a ballast fan goes out, ideally the software would detect the failure and shut down.
Worst case is undetected overheating and all the fun that goes with that...
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
I'd rather have one less thing that can fail. I don't buy stuff knowing that the shit's gonna fail on me. I consider it old school tech.Yes indeed.
All of my ballasts are passive -- and it's because the models with fans only have ONE fan.
Fans die, they just do.
That's why redundancy is good.
When a ballast fan goes out, ideally the software would detect the failure and shut down.
Worst case is undetected overheating and all the fun that goes with that...
NukaKola
Well-Known Member
The fan is pointless. Passive heatsinks work fine on their own, they don't need a fan, and don't fail. When you stick a heatsink inside a closed box, then it needs a fan because it can't do its job properly. Why take something that doesn't fail or have a risk of overheating and create a situation where it can. Just a poor design.Yes indeed.
All of my ballasts are passive -- and it's because the models with fans only have ONE fan.
Fans die, they just do.
That's why redundancy is good.
When a ballast fan goes out, ideally the software would detect the failure and shut down.
Worst case is undetected overheating and all the fun that goes with that...