Enigma
Well-Known Member
You can with EBs.
LED suggestion for 1x1x2 Micro grow Single plant
- Thread starter cansin
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Chip Green
Well-Known Member
I cant contain myself any longer.....Bridgelux EB strips.
If they are under-driven you won't need heatsinks.
This is your best option, hands-down.
Get an HLG-60H-C350, and run 6x 280mm EB series 3500K, at 350ma.....
On paper that's 45.6 watts consumed in 1 sq foot. With the data sheet value of 156 Lm/w, that's over 7100 lumens. I based my builds around 6000 per sq foot, and its plenty to get 50,000 plus LUX at a confortable distance from canopy...and that's at 1050ma....... so at the 350ma level, Id have to believe that distance could be much closer.....
I actually really want to get some of these now and make a 1x1 box.....
That driver is $30 on Arrow and those strips are $4 each.....$54 bux for a mini photon quilt......
Enigma
Well-Known Member
Since you're on a roll and I'm not as familiar with the EBs as you are, what would you recommend for a vegetation chamber 20" x 20" x 30"?
Chip Green
Well-Known Member
Well, we will work off the "general rule of thumb", watts per sq foot.... youd have around 2.25 sq feet to illuminate. So with these emitters Id have to say, youd want 25w (consumption watts) for VEG. So 25x 2.25 is 56ish Watts. Now we can figure out a ballpark number of lumens for that area, using data sheet numbers. 56 watts, at 350ma gives 156 Lm/w , gets about 8700 lumens, in a 2.25 sq foot area, so that's 3882 Lm/Sqft......
There are more accurate ways of measuring these ideas, but these basic formulas got me enough light to flower WELL, using the 560mm(22") versions, on 2'x2' panels.
If your space was 2 inches wider, or deeper, Id have to say use 560mms, but you're limited to 20"....
Same driver as recommended above, could run 8x 280mm EBs (spectrum up for debate) to get 4270 Lm/sq foot, ballpark..... May not even need that much, who knows, but that's the max 280mm strips per THAT driver, the smallest of the HLG constant current series drivers, which is what I'm most familiar with.
I find myself chuckling, slightly worried almost at the thought of "overlighting" a 2.25 square foot area ......cant accept the overkill waste of 1/200 of a KWH.
There are more accurate ways of measuring these ideas, but these basic formulas got me enough light to flower WELL, using the 560mm(22") versions, on 2'x2' panels.
If your space was 2 inches wider, or deeper, Id have to say use 560mms, but you're limited to 20"....
Same driver as recommended above, could run 8x 280mm EBs (spectrum up for debate) to get 4270 Lm/sq foot, ballpark..... May not even need that much, who knows, but that's the max 280mm strips per THAT driver, the smallest of the HLG constant current series drivers, which is what I'm most familiar with.
I find myself chuckling, slightly worried almost at the thought of "overlighting" a 2.25 square foot area ......cant accept the overkill waste of 1/200 of a KWH.
Enigma
Well-Known Member
Efficiency is what LED is all about.
Where would you suggest to source the EBs?
I'm already putting together a custom Vero 29 fixture for flower testing. I'd like to have an adjustable LED option for vegetation to keep the mums nice and bushy with plenty of stems.
+1 Bridgelux
Chip Green
Well-Known Member
I got my last batch from Arrow electronics. I've got them from Digikey as well, but Arrow ships free, in the US anyway....
This of course is not a huge one, but is a bit higher investment, using these parts. There's definitely plenty of cheaper options for small scale lighting, you just gotta get certain photon levels. On such a small scale, the efficiency should be weighed far less a factor.
This of course is not a huge one, but is a bit higher investment, using these parts. There's definitely plenty of cheaper options for small scale lighting, you just gotta get certain photon levels. On such a small scale, the efficiency should be weighed far less a factor.
Enigma
Well-Known Member
Still, ~50W is what I'm using now with LED bulbs. I spent less than $10 for this fixture and I'm happy with it. But it won't last as long and it doesn't provide the spectrum or flexibility I'm looking for.
It is just cheap and dirty, yet effective.
Chip Green
Well-Known Member
Before I was made aware of these babys, I had a build all planned out, with the innards of twenty some odd LED screw in 11w bulbs....it would've been cheap and dirty, yet effective.
Enigma
Well-Known Member
I'll do cheap and dirty for vegetation and cloning, flowering I will open my wallet wide.
Right now I'm putting together 210W of Vero light engines from TastyLED, if they work out I will be buying 2kW worth from TastyLED.
sunny747
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure, but I think those still require metal backing as a heat sync, otherwise they burn up quickly..
cansin
Member
They are not easy to get in europe I guess, at least I could not find it. HLG-60H-C350 part is 110 Euro (over 100$ I guess) on amazon. I was thinking about 1x23W daylight CFL for start then adding 46W daylight and in flowering 1x23 and 1x46 warm white CFLs in total 4 CFLs at the end with total of 120ish watt. As I know they are the easiest in a micro stealth grow and I currently have them so they are 0$/€. I also dont want a top yield. Yield is not that important I am doing it for fun and as a hobby. Maybe in the future I will do it proffesionally but for now my concern is a small stealth grow nothing much.
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Enigma
Well-Known Member
Bridgelux EB strips are awesome, when under-driven they don't need heat sinks.
Serva
Well-Known Member
+1 for EB 
I run 1' strips in veg cabinet at ~50% (170mA) and my leafs getting in touch with the led, pcb, alu, ... whatever: no damage, neither to the plants, or the led's. And even at 350mA (same as 700 for the 2' strips), you don't need heatsinks! I use an alu frame, and every part is just warm when touching.
I run 1' strips in veg cabinet at ~50% (170mA) and my leafs getting in touch with the led, pcb, alu, ... whatever: no damage, neither to the plants, or the led's. And even at 350mA (same as 700 for the 2' strips), you don't need heatsinks! I use an alu frame, and every part is just warm when touching.
Serva
Well-Known Member
I just ordered from digikey several times (you have to pay sales tax ~20% depending on your contry). When I tried arrow I had to pay way more than the order was worth.
cansin
Member
Yes I know that I have the option for international shipping but cant, you guys just say that 2x46W and 2x23W CFLs would be enough and good so I can stop overthinking about EBs
I am also not sure about the distance of EBs even if they are under-driven( I have 2feet=60cm height). I already have 450W and 600W LEDs for bigger grows if I do in the future. After lots of research and digging into forums I decided on CFLs. I may get those bridgelux EBs for future micro grows aswell but for now CFLs are to go.Thanks for all the advices tho. Those EBs seems like the best for micro grow yes I admit. But right now I can not afford them and transatlantic shipping would take a while, I dont have time. She is already in flowering stage. As I said before I ordered some other seeds. May try EB with them. But now I want to be sure that my setup will work. Which will be 2x46 2x23W CFLs total 120ish Watts.
PS. The picture is taken under my 450W leds. This strain just showed its sex a week ago and I will move it to my 1x1x2 soon(with the CFLs I mentioned)
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Chip Green
Well-Known Member
Youll do just fine with whatever lighting you can get in that space, provided the conditions are manageable.....Ive seen some pretty impressive CFL grows in these micro areas, no need to break the bank over it...
HalfBee
Well-Known Member
STILL want to see the 3500K graph - those always look like 4000K peaks at
both Blue and Red (and it does) but where's 3500K? So far they haven't shown it.
Enigma
Well-Known Member
I was thinking about emailing Bridgelux for a spectral graph for all of them.