How do I calculate the output of LEDs in lumens?

drrasta47

Well-Known Member
I'm looking into making my own LED setup of sorts for my next grow. Every LED I look at gives an output rating in mCd, but no hint as to the output in lumens. The grow space is going to be approx. 36 sqft and I want to put out as many lumens/sqft as possible using around 500W of energy. Any info on how to calculate this?
 

deprave

New Member
I think lumens is actually irrelevant especially for LED and the LED's dont advertise the lumens because it is low however the LED lights can give a plant all that it needs (plants don't need or care about lumens) Correct me if I am wrong anyone...Search on youtube UG LED and you should see a guy talking about lumens and LEDs..I can't really help you about the calculation as I am not educated on LED but I know you could do a room that big with much less than 500W OF LED - rough ballpark guees I say you need around 200W of LED for a room that size
 

drrasta47

Well-Known Member
Okay, so last night I was looking at some LED fixtures online that are 19.5" in length, cost $10 each and come with 30 .5W LEDs of your color choice. I was thinking that 30 of them (20 red and 10 blue) at 15W each would run 450W and put out tons of light, hopefully a great value for only $300...

The LEDs that come in these fixtures have these specs (luminous intensity in mcd):

Red​
clear​
1200​
120°​
625nm


Blue​
clear​
1200​
120°​
465nm​
 

purplecream

Active Member
Okay, so last night I was looking at some LED fixtures online that are 19.5" in length, cost $10 each and come with 30 .5W LEDs of your color choice. I was thinking that 30 of them (20 red and 10 blue) at 15W each would run 450W and put out tons of light, hopefully a great value for only $300...

The LEDs that come in these fixtures have these specs (luminous intensity in mcd):

Red
clear
1200
120°
625nm


Blue
clear
1200
120°
465nm​
where did you find that at?
 

drrasta47

Well-Known Member
Well dammit I am in Chico right now, and I have that site bookmarked at home. I will let you know ASAP, because I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I think I'd be a savage if I could make a 450W LED setup for $300. I'm an electrician, so when I order them, mount and wire them, I'll make a little DIY.
 

crunkyeah

Well-Known Member
Okay, so last night I was looking at some LED fixtures online that are 19.5" in length, cost $10 each and come with 30 .5W LEDs of your color choice. I was thinking that 30 of them (20 red and 10 blue) at 15W each would run 450W and put out tons of light, hopefully a great value for only $300...
If those are really 19.5" in length that is HUGE. That's almost 2 ft for a panel only putting out 15w of light. Tbh, I think if you're going to invest money into LEDs, get the high power ones. The 5 or 10mm diodes are just cheap. They won't penetrate like you want. If you're using an area with 36 sq feet there is no way those diodes would cover all of it efficiently. What dimensions are your grow area?

Check this site for your lumens calculator. When I was looking into those small LEDs I designed a panel that uses 90w and puts out 6000 lumens. Like other people have said though, lumens aren't accurate for LEDs. It's just not how they work. Luxeon, Cree, Seoul, Osram are some MFGs that produce high power LEDs. They're a LOT more efficient and give you more POWER for LESS watts.

And just so you know, it doesn't matter what kind of LED you use, they will ALL produce heat. Some more than others. Depends on the amps they run at mostly. If you insist on using those small LEDs since they're somewhat easy to work with, you'll need 10,000,000 MCD per square foot I'd say.
 

drrasta47

Well-Known Member
If those are really 19.5" in length that is HUGE. That's almost 2 ft for a panel only putting out 15w of light. Tbh, I think if you're going to invest money into LEDs, get the high power ones. The 5 or 10mm diodes are just cheap. They won't penetrate like you want. If you're using an area with 36 sq feet there is no way those diodes would cover all of it efficiently. What dimensions are your grow area?

Check this site for your lumens calculator. When I was looking into those small LEDs I designed a panel that uses 90w and puts out 6000 lumens. Like other people have said though, lumens aren't accurate for LEDs. It's just not how they work. Luxeon, Cree, Seoul, Osram are some MFGs that produce high power LEDs. They're a LOT more efficient and give you more POWER for LESS watts.

And just so you know, it doesn't matter what kind of LED you use, they will ALL produce heat. Some more than others. Depends on the amps they run at mostly. If you insist on using those small LEDs since they're somewhat easy to work with, you'll need 10,000,000 MCD per square foot I'd say.
Okay thank you for the good info. I am convinced that there is a way to make my own 4 or 5 hundred watt LED setup for less than $1800 lol. Any help is greatly appreciated. Maybe we can all piece a DIY together to help others work on a low budget. BTW the tent that I plan on using measures 98"W x 55"D x 76"H. Thanks again folks!
 

crunkyeah

Well-Known Member
I'm not gonna try and convince you otherwise, but LEDs in that kind of a space is pretty crazy. You'd get better results from a HPS honestly. 400 or 500w of LED isn't going to cover that much space. It's simply too big for the LEDs, since they don't penetrate well. It's not really even about penetration, they just won't be able to cover that space with an intensity that you desire. You would likely need 1200+ watts of LED. Just my opinion though. If you can get something together I'd really be interested in seeing how it performs!
 

drrasta47

Well-Known Member
Shit man, the more research I put into it, the more I realize the reason the good LED fixtures cost so much. Maybe 2 500W lamps would be a better idea...
 

crunkyeah

Well-Known Member
Not a problem! If you need help with anything, ask away and I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities ;)
 
Top