I need an advice

Vlkk

Member
I am planning to build my own light fixture and i’m currently planning on

18 pc’s of FB22B sammy’s f series strips (3K+4K trying to get 3.3kelvin where its still on the warm side but more yellowish/ greenish)
To go along with 3 MW 480h 48B drivers
And 1 piece of 4 foot AgroMax Pure UV T5 bulb with digital timer

I would like to hear your advice and maybe for the right way to go?

For 5’x5’ grow space
 

nfhiggs

Well-Known Member
I am planning to build my own light fixture and i’m currently planning on

18 pc’s of FB22B sammy’s f series strips (3K+4K trying to get 3.3kelvin where its still on the warm side but more yellowish/ greenish)
To go along with 3 MW 480h 48B drivers
And 1 piece of 4 foot AgroMax Pure UV T5 bulb with digital timer

I would like to hear your advice and maybe for the right way to go?

For 5’x5’ grow space
44" single row strips, right? At 80W each you're pretty much at max current levels - personally I would go with 320H drivers, you'll get 160K lumens which should be plenty for 5x5. Mount them on .601 heatsinks from HeatsinkUSA, they are a good fit and that profile is dirt cheap at about a buck per foot..
 

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
44" single row strips, right? At 80W each you're pretty much at max current levels - personally I would go with 320H drivers, you'll get 160K lumens which should be plenty for 5x5. Mount them on .601 heatsinks from HeatsinkUSA, they are a good fit and that profile is dirt cheap at about a buck per foot..
Agreed. 3 x 480 gives you almost 60w per aquare foot, most people look for 30-40w per square foot for flower.
1000w of HPS does a decent job flowering a 5x5 if you got the height, your trying to go 50% more, with much more efficient lights. Youre likely to bleach and light burn your crop with that much power. Drop one driver, you will still have enough to turn it up to 11
 

Vlkk

Member
Agreed. 3 x 480 gives you almost 60w per aquare foot, most people look for 30-40w per square foot for flower.
1000w of HPS does a decent job flowering a 5x5 if you got the height, your trying to go 50% more, with much more efficient lights. Youre likely to bleach and light burn your crop with that much power. Drop one driver, you will still have enough to turn it up to 11
Thank you for the info, what do you think about the fluercent tube? Is one is enough?
 

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
Thank you for the info, what do you think about the fluercent tube? Is one is enough?
Not too sure about the UV. @Randomblame runs the same uv and had some problems with hanging height (if i remember right): the UV and led needed to be at differned heights to get spread and intensity right.

Its very easy to go overboard with UV, easy to burn, and you can also get uneven matureness of the buds leading to staggered harvests due to the top buds getting much more uv than the bottom.
 

Vlkk

Member
Not too sure about the UV. @Randomblame runs the same uv and had some problems with hanging height (if i remember right): the UV and led needed to be at differned heights to get spread and intensity right.

Its very easy to go overboard with UV, easy to burn, and you can also get uneven matureness of the buds leading to staggered harvests due to the top buds getting much more uv than the bottom.
I saw somewhere that its an training thing with the UV, it should be done since the seedling part of growth trough flowering in increased amounts, for 2 hrs at MAX, starting 5-15 minutes a day... about the height its a good point cuz i thought to place them all on a flat 3mm thick aluminum plate with thermal paste , but now i have to think about new design to fit my desire, i also considered replacing 6 4k strips with 4 vero29 4k @ 90CRI for better spectrum .
 

nfhiggs

Well-Known Member
i thought to place them all on a flat 3mm thick aluminum plate with thermal paste
That large of a piece of aluminum plate will cost an arm and a leg. Thats why I suggested the .601 profile. It'll total about 70 bucks plus shipping and you can frame them in whatever configuration you like.
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Not too sure about the UV. @Randomblame runs the same uv and had some problems with hanging height (if i remember right): the UV and led needed to be at differned heights to get spread and intensity right.

Its very easy to go overboard with UV, easy to burn, and you can also get uneven matureness of the buds leading to staggered harvests due to the top buds getting much more uv than the bottom.
Definitely don't incorporate your UV bulb into your build. Keep it separate.
 

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
Not too sure about the UV. @Randomblame runs the same uv and had some problems with hanging height (if i remember right): the UV and led needed to be at differned heights to get spread and intensity right.

Its very easy to go overboard with UV, easy to burn, and you can also get uneven matureness of the buds leading to staggered harvests due to the top buds getting much more uv than the bottom.

You can use it at the same height if you calculate the hanging height first.
My currently UVB reptile tube delivers about 150-180μW/cm² at 30cm distance. It covers a 60-70cm wide area because of the added reflector. I can easily use the LED's at this height too if I dimm them down to ~240w. I'll get my 40-50klx and did not have a single problem due to UV light, although I used it 12/12h for the last three weeks.
But I will replace the reptile tube soon with Agromax PureUV tubes from HTG. This tubes will deliver about 250-300μW/cm² at 18"/45cm(440 @1', 170μW/cm² @2') and I can use up to 300-350 LED watt and still get around 40-50klx at canopy level but with twice as much UV.
I started in the last week of growth with 2 + 2h at the beginning and at the end of the day and continued to increase it until I arrived in the 7th bloom week at 12h. Not a single UV damage!
When I look at the UV level in nature, I think 150μW was maybe a bit too low. On the other hand, I have to say that the first UV run was a complete success. Although I have no lab comparison, I have grown the same cuttings with and without UV and with is noticeably better! :bigjoint:

This are normal UVB levels over a day, up-to 450μW/cm² for ~3h. You could evaluate how many μW there are in total per day (like DLI) and tune your UV-lights accordingly. I think, 250μW for 3+3h indoors should work very well. Maybe I need to split that further into 4x 1,5h or 6x 1h. Let's see!
What I find even more remarkable is that the plants somehow looked healthier. They were also slightly more compact and more stable probably due to the high proportion of blue light. After all, it was 40w and such tubes have about 7000°k in CRI90, so plenty of blue.
If it's so worthwhile that even I, the old hand, use it, that must mean something...
I can only say, try it out! It makes a noticeable difference that you can not achieve with a few UVA LEDs. I had 385 and 420nm LEDs on my test light and even though an effect is also visible here, it is not so noticeable like true UVB!

Täglicher UVB Anteil .jpg

PS. Do not forget to use sunglasses or even better, switch the UVB light completely off when you work in your garden. At over 40" there is not much UVB left, but you should nevertheless not look into the light!
 
Last edited:

Vlkk

Member
I saw somewhere that its an training thing with the UV, it should be done since the seedling part of growth trough flowering in increased amounts, for 2 hrs at MAX, starting 5-15 minutes a day... about the height its a good point cuz i thought to place them all on a flat 3mm thick aluminum plate with thermal paste , but now i have to think about new design to fit my desire, i also considered replacing 6 4k strips with 4 vero29 4k @ 90CRI for better spectrum .
Check my signature, mate! You can integrate a UVB bulbs into a strip build very well! That works almost perfect!
You only need to evaluate how much area is covered per bulb at a certain height and calculate your light accordingly.
How do you make the calculation exactly?
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Check my signature, mate! You can integrate a UVB bulbs into a strip build very well! That works almost perfect!
You only need to evaluate how much area is covered per bulb at a certain height and calculate your light accordingly.
LEDs are want to be low to the canopy. UV bulbs aren't. Just cause you built it does t make it right. I would suggest keeping them separate bit do as you please. Growmau5 documented this on his series on YouTube. It was something he wish he'd never done
 

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
Bahahaha,
Would 14oz extra potent UV weed from 8sft. tell you a different story, mate?

Just because gromau5 did not get it the way he wanted it does not mean it can not work!!!
It also does not make sense if one of two lights hangs in the shadow of the other. Using it at the same height is not only the simplest, it is also the most sensible solution, buddy.

LED's are usually used at a distance of 12-24", right? UV bulbs are also designed for 12-24".(reptile bulbs, Agromax PureUV can be used at 30" and you still get measurable UVB light)

If he had used the UV tubes in a better way (eg. for 10min/h) it would have worked better and if he would have built two rows it would have been even better. I would even have used two 4ft tubes, but only for a few minutes per hour.

Look at how Indagro has integrated their UV pontoons, just because growmau5 has not made it, it does not mean it can not be done!
He is certainly a good guy with impressive DIY skills, but he's certainly not mr. Omniscient!

You need to determine what height you need for optimal UV coverage and plan your LED light accordingly. Not vice versa!
My 2x 4' area will be excellently covered at 14" by only one bulb in the middle. For a 4x 4' two 4ft. bulbs would be optimal(12-14" height, 12" from the wall and 24" between the two parallel bulbs, 90° reflectors).
 
Last edited:

Aolelon

Well-Known Member
LEDs are want to be low to the canopy. UV bulbs aren't. Just cause you built it does t make it right. I would suggest keeping them separate bit do as you please. Growmau5 documented this on his series on YouTube. It was something he wish he'd never done
It's all dependent on the levels of UV you want to get to your canopy. If you can calculate the appropriate UV levels, in accordance with the LED height, it can easily be done.
 
Top