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REALSTYLES

Well-Known Member
Take your pick. Soooo many options. lol. Me personally though, I'd get 3 cobs if I were you. 3- cxb3590's at 4000k, & 2 5000k and run them HARD with an HLG-240H-C2100B. Get the B model so you can dim it to as low as you want to start and slowly up the lumens with a slow turning of the potentiometer over the veg time.
Why do you give bad advice? How long have you been using 3590s? Why 4000k and 5000k? Have you used that combo before? Why not 6500k he said it was for veg and you really only need 10-15w per sqft and 25w per makes them grow super fast. How I know is because of real world experience lol. I know you want to help but talk from experience that's all.
 

TJ baba

Well-Known Member
@robincnn thanks, hopefully I can expect less stretching than 150w hps for veg from vero 29 setup. And shorter internodes.
It must be slightly common for small scale growers to have a smaller or less powerful veg light than flower light, or is it just me?
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
@Airwalker16 awesome setup. I just made a big purchase for flower lights so even though that sounds like its gonna cost a pretty penny, and my other thought is that no prebuilt light will be as good as a diy cob so I'm def going that route. ( I just bought 4 cxb 3590 lol ) so hoping to go on the cheaper/minimalist side for this 1.
Sounds like you've got what you want
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Why do you give bad advice? How long have you been using 3590s? Why 4000k and 5000k? Have you used that combo before? Why not 6500k he said it was for veg and you really only need 10-15w per sqft and 25w per makes them grow super fast. How I know is because of real world experience lol. I know you want to help but talk from experience that's all.
You like to make people feel bad dont you? Couldn't you have just said "I think 6500k all around would be better."
 

DoctorFrost

Well-Known Member
After learning of the price on Vero29s above I still say that for most people I think they are pointless. I could be wrong, and don't want to act like one of those know it alls that throws his opinions in your face but I am just going off facts here. Lets look at the efficiency charts. Vero 29s produce 42-43% efficiency at 1.05 and produce 37.8 Watts. If you knock a CXB3590 down to that same efficiency levels you will find that the CXB3590 produces 104 watts at 43% efficiency - so still slightly higher then the Vero29 for almost 3 times the light!

I don't think it is fair to compare prices of a Vero29 at 42% efficiency to a CXB3590 at 56% efficiency, but when you even out the efficiency level then it is much easier to compare prices. If the Veros are $24, and the CXB3590s are $45 then with some simple math that would tell me that the Vero's are .63c per watt, and the CXB3590 at the same level would be .43c. So that means per every 100 watts of power the Veros will cost you $63, and the CXBs will cost you $43 for the same amount of efficiency. And if you ever wanted a boost of performance in the future that is very easy to just switch out drivers and boost the efficiency up to 56-61% no problems. The Vero's aren't going to be boosted that much by driving them softer in the future. Another way to put it is at the same efficiency levels the CXBs would cost you $16.35 for the same power the Vero29 gives you for $24. Am I missing something here about the Vero29s that makes everyone buy them over the Crees? Because if not, I just don't get why anyone would buy them at the current prices.

It seems like I read some experienced member, perhaps Supra? Prefering the 5ks over the 6500 but I could be wrong on that. Too many pages of junk to go through and find it if so. But I think 5k would be a good setup and probably what I will go with myself with maybe a couple 4k or 3500k unless persuaded otherwise. Most MH lights are 4200k, and personally I have vegged with HPS more times then MH seems like I always got faster growth and the plants were still as healthy and green as can be. I think a mixture of blue and red would be great for veg but I am no expert and not going to claim this is the best setup. I know MH/blue spectrum is preferred for most to keep the inter-nodes as tight as possible but everytime I have used the HPS they are always perfect for me. And I would prefer faster growth over tighter internodes anyways for my grow setup.
 

DoctorFrost

Well-Known Member
To TJ Baba, you are correct in thinking that most people use less veg light then flowering light. I'd say most people recommend about half the power for veg as flower. And some even recommend less then that. Personally I have never used LEDs but I can tell you with my experience from MH, and HPS and here is my results. I always start my seedlings out under a couple CFLs for a couple days, and after they are above ground for a couple days I put them in a little cabinet with a 100w HPS and 150W of 6500K CFLs. After about 5 days in there and they have the Solo cups rooted pretty well I transplant into a bigger 2-3 gallon pot and put them under 600W either MH or HPS. So within about a week of sprouting they are under the 600 for me. After a week or sometimes 2 under the 600 I pot them up to 7-15 gallon smart pots and switch to the 1000 HPS and veg them anywhere from another 1-3 weeks depending how fast they are growing and how many I have etc. Sometimes I even skip the 600 MH or HPS and go straight with the 1000 HPS a week after sprouting.

I'd say they probably grow a little faster under the 1000 then the 600 even at that young of an age but not enough for me to waste my electricity on them. I see so many people still having their seedlings in solo cups a month after sprouting - a month for me and they are already close to flipping to flower and capable of producing at least half a pound each if you have the light. You don't need to veg a plant for months to get big yields out of it. I have gotten 1 pound plants quite a few times with just a little over a month veg all together. But that was 2 plants under each 1k, and vegged under a 1k from the start.

And for internode stretching bad with HPS - I think the reason most people get so much stretch is because they don't have enough light but I don't know for sure if that is the reason or not. Because when I veg under a 600 HPS or 1000 HPS the nodes are tight enough for me and what you'd expect out of a plant. The MH might make them a little tighter for me but not by a whole lot and just makes the growth a little slower with a little extra leafs that's barely noticeable nor needed.
 

Psyphish

Well-Known Member
Has anyone bought a light from Budmaster lately? Or been able to email them? I bought a light from budmaster.fi (their finnish distributor), but haven't heard back from them (no reply to email). I also tried contacting Budmaster.co.uk to ask them about the finnish distributor, but they don't answer either.
 

David Pasta

Active Member
Budmaster it is a big scam.Cannafest 2015 Prag(Czech republic) they used photos underneath HPS and they said that it was grown with its LED lights!
They use a lot of red.
 

ACitizenofColorado

Well-Known Member
Can someone help me with my shopping list?

First, I'd like to run 4 cxb 72v cobs at apx 75 watts. Eventually I'll get more cobs and focus on efficiency.

Are there pin or fin individual heat sinks, not like the heatsinkusa model, that can actively cool apx 75-80 watts? I'd like it to be able to handle 80 watts passively, should the fan fail.

Does kingbrite have the HLG-320-1050 or 1400 somewhere that I'm not seeing? I'll check prices on the hlg185, to run 2 chips at 75w. Would that work?

Does anyone know the light penetration data for the 120, 90, and 80 degree lenses? I'd like to use the 4 in a 2x2 pattern to cover apx 6-8 sq ft. Some say lenses don't matter; I don't know either way, but I'd like the cobs to be covered; this 4x4 is a horizontal grow, so I'd like some concentrated penetration, but I'm just not sure what degree based on those measurements.

If I were to use the heatsinkusa model, what size would I need to cover the total 300 watts across 4 individual sinks? Is it possible to cut, tap and drill without specialized equipment?

I'm leaning towards the pin heat sink, as I can't measure, tap and drill.

In truth, I really don't know what to do. It's like the super market; I'm overwhelmed by the possibilities.

Do I put the 4 on a single large heat sink that can cover 6-8 sqft, slap a large fan on it, and call it good? Would that be cost or weight prohibitive? Does anyone remember who built the panel affectionately named after battlestar galactica?

Do I get little individual pin or fin fans and hang them separately? Do I mount them to a thin, preferably non-conductive frame, where the cob module could be moved based on the needs of the tent?

There's a shopping list I'm sure I'll need: wire and waterproof wire insulator (I'd like the driver to be outside of the tent for heat reasons), the appropriate cob holder (through Jerry), and whatever else I'll need. I'm proficient with soddering, and built my first display using the internets, lohas chips, buck boosters and prayers that I wouldn't get shocked.

Thank you, for everyone that helps. I'll post pics in my own thread sometime.

I'm in FOCO Colorado, and given that it's legal, I'll post my progress. Thus far I overwatered and killed one plant; and I may have added too much humic acid to a compost tea, really hurting another. One of six looks amazing, and even the one I overwatered and killed is better than most of the available stuff at FOCO dispensaries.

That's one of the paradoxes of northern Colorado: dispensaries, dispensaries everywhere, but not a bud to vape. The lack of competition has driven prices up and quality down. But I'll wax about that in my own thread.

Thanks again.
 

Billygreen

Well-Known Member
Any opinions on Kind LEDs ? I have one and it seems to do great but I'd like to hear from others that have one .
Thanks
 

Psyphish

Well-Known Member
Budmaster it is a big scam.Cannafest 2015 Prag(Czech republic) they used photos underneath HPS and they said that it was grown with its LED lights!
They use a lot of red.
I'm still waiting for my light... I'm more worried about not getting what I paid for than too much red. If you take a customer's money and don't give anything in return, now that's a scam.

[edit] Paul from Budmaster is trying to sort the situation, so no problem.
 
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PoisonAlchemist

New Member
I'm not growing pot, but virtually everything I read about COB comes back to this forum so I have come for your expertise.

I want between 3,000-4,600 lm over a 18"x48" area at a distance of 18". I've been looking at a BXRC-40G4000-F-23 with a Aavid Thermalloy HSLCS-CALBL-033 heatsink and its associated fan (Aavid Thermalloy SSLCS-CM012-002). I know there should be a lens, a driver, and a power supply plus more fiddly bits for the fans but that's as far as I've gotten without my head exploding.
  1. Am I on the right track? I was thinking about maybe a pair of BXRC-40G2000-C-23 but I would have to buy individual parts for them, I don't know how you manage to mount things on those big long heatsink bars.
  2. Can I get away with passive heating? If so, what heatsinks should I be looking at?
  3. I know Mean Well is recommended but I have no idea what to get when it comes to divers or power. Is too much voltage bad? Is too much current bad? How little of either can I get away with? Are the Pico EZ mates drivers? What to they do?
  4. Lenses. I think I'm supposed to get one that's 90* to keep it from blinding me when I walk in the room, and focus it more to the growing area. How do I figure out what lens goes on the chip? How do I mount it there? What about reflectors?
 

robincnn

Well-Known Member
I'm not growing pot, but virtually everything I read about COB comes back to this forum so I have come for your expertise.

I want between 3,000-4,600 lm over a 18"x48" area at a distance of 18". I've been looking at a BXRC-40G4000-F-23 with a Aavid Thermalloy HSLCS-CALBL-033 heatsink and its associated fan (Aavid Thermalloy SSLCS-CM012-002). I know there should be a lens, a driver, and a power supply plus more fiddly bits for the fans but that's as far as I've gotten without my head exploding.
  1. Am I on the right track? I was thinking about maybe a pair of BXRC-40G2000-C-23 but I would have to buy individual parts for them, I don't know how you manage to mount things on those big long heatsink bars.
  2. Can I get away with passive heating? If so, what heatsinks should I be looking at?
  3. I know Mean Well is recommended but I have no idea what to get when it comes to divers or power. Is too much voltage bad? Is too much current bad? How little of either can I get away with? Are the Pico EZ mates drivers? What to they do?
  4. Lenses. I think I'm supposed to get one that's 90* to keep it from blinding me when I walk in the room, and focus it more to the growing area. How do I figure out what lens goes on the chip? How do I mount it there? What about reflectors?
This single 46inch Strip gives 4500 lumens L235-4080AULM5JAI0
Just remove the adhesive tape on back and apply to a heatsink or Aluminum C channel.
Plenty of strip options on digikey

3,000-4,600 lm for 18"x48"= 6sqft doesn't sound like much.
HSLCS-CALBL-033 looks expensive. Your grow space is rectangle and lens would not help. Lens make the beam circular and you want light to spread out evenly in that rectangle space you got. Instead of lens put more money on extra cobs/power.
Vero 13 sounds good BXRC-40G4000-F-23. Not sure of cree equivalent.
Something like this (4500lm) but longer and may be 2 of those or may be 2ce the length. So total 6 Vero 13's.
I used APC-35-350 to power 3 Vero 13's. Will have the check what single driver can power all. Dimmable drivers are an option too but more expensive.
Yes passive is possible. Heatsink USA profiles great for long bar with low power cobs..
Molex is the connector for vero so that you dont have to solder. its rated 130 Volts AC(50Hz/60Hz)/DC (MAXIMUM) so no more than 4 Vero 13's in series. You can connect cobs in parallel to get around this issue but need to select driver accordingly.
 
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