CaliJoe
Member
I am brainstorming some ideas on how to increase efficiency of LED light by using the 'shimmer effect' that is found in nature/ocean. Before the invention of high output LEDs, duplicating nature to do this effect was simply cosmetic and didn't provide the same benefits of nature (MH, while a 'point source' of light, was still too broad). After several years of studying this effect on aquariums and showing the effect does happen with high output LEDs similar to nature, I am now trying to see if I can use that effect for terrestrial plants and if it is beneficial.
Basic premise is, in the ocean as the surface motion creates waves, peaks and valleys at the surface of the water, it creates a magnification effect. Basically it provides short high intensity pulses of light followed by low intensity as the light is de-focused. When the light it focused, it creates a bright shimmer line. Here is an animated video showing what I am talking about. All those white lines are the shimmer, and they can be up to 3x the intensity of the light at the surface of the water due to the magnification effect. I have tested this effect on an aquarium setting with LEDs and 40 degree optics and I was able to achieve an increase in PAR that was actually more than nature, I was able to get 5x the intensity @ 2" underwater for brief periods of time (split seconds) compared to the intensity at the surface.
[video=youtube;PwjQk7dJOFQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwjQk7dJOFQ[/video]
Another positive aspect of this phenomenon is it is able to focus light at angles, basically doing what a light rail does, putting focused light to parts of the plant that would normally be shaded by static lighting.
I have no idea if this idea will work or not (if it will provide any benefit for growing plants), but I want to try it to find out. I have come up with 2 basic ideas to try, but neither are what I feel are ideal. First method, build a very thin 'box' out of glass, only about an 1/8th inch gap between the top and bottom pane of glass, and put water inside (so it would be a sealed box). I think that idea will help me with a 'proof of concept' to know if it actually works or not, but it far from ideal as a commercial product and has obvious size limitations. The larger you make it, the thicker the glass needs to be, which means more light is blocked by the glass. At some point any benefit of the shimmer is negated by the loss of intensity by the glass. The idea for my test is this. My light swings a little just from the fans. By hanging the glass under the light/attached to the light, it will create more movement which will then slosh the thin layer of water around to create the agitation needed to create the shimmer. The more you agitate the water, the more shimmer effect is created. When the aquarium hobby first started making LED lights and had improper distance between leds (to far apart and multiple colors of LEDs) this created a very bad 'disco effect' we call it. Almost seizure inducing. This taught us how to group LEDs better as well as getting the ideal surface agitation (too much and you got very spastic spiderweb looking lines all over the tank, too little and no shimmer).
The second method, which I don't know if it will function at all, is to simply use a sheet of saran wrap stretched under the light with a fan blowing on it to create a 'horizontal flag flapping in the wind' type of effect. That method seems much more commercially viable, but completely unknown right now if it will create the desired effect or of saran wrap will allow proper light transmittance. That is my dilemma right now, how to create the effect with minimal loss of intensity from the idea.
So I plan on experimenting this weekend just to see if it works. For now, just looking to hear from others on what they think. Good idea, terrible idea, alternate methods I am not thinking of? Fire away.
Basic premise is, in the ocean as the surface motion creates waves, peaks and valleys at the surface of the water, it creates a magnification effect. Basically it provides short high intensity pulses of light followed by low intensity as the light is de-focused. When the light it focused, it creates a bright shimmer line. Here is an animated video showing what I am talking about. All those white lines are the shimmer, and they can be up to 3x the intensity of the light at the surface of the water due to the magnification effect. I have tested this effect on an aquarium setting with LEDs and 40 degree optics and I was able to achieve an increase in PAR that was actually more than nature, I was able to get 5x the intensity @ 2" underwater for brief periods of time (split seconds) compared to the intensity at the surface.
[video=youtube;PwjQk7dJOFQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwjQk7dJOFQ[/video]
Another positive aspect of this phenomenon is it is able to focus light at angles, basically doing what a light rail does, putting focused light to parts of the plant that would normally be shaded by static lighting.
I have no idea if this idea will work or not (if it will provide any benefit for growing plants), but I want to try it to find out. I have come up with 2 basic ideas to try, but neither are what I feel are ideal. First method, build a very thin 'box' out of glass, only about an 1/8th inch gap between the top and bottom pane of glass, and put water inside (so it would be a sealed box). I think that idea will help me with a 'proof of concept' to know if it actually works or not, but it far from ideal as a commercial product and has obvious size limitations. The larger you make it, the thicker the glass needs to be, which means more light is blocked by the glass. At some point any benefit of the shimmer is negated by the loss of intensity by the glass. The idea for my test is this. My light swings a little just from the fans. By hanging the glass under the light/attached to the light, it will create more movement which will then slosh the thin layer of water around to create the agitation needed to create the shimmer. The more you agitate the water, the more shimmer effect is created. When the aquarium hobby first started making LED lights and had improper distance between leds (to far apart and multiple colors of LEDs) this created a very bad 'disco effect' we call it. Almost seizure inducing. This taught us how to group LEDs better as well as getting the ideal surface agitation (too much and you got very spastic spiderweb looking lines all over the tank, too little and no shimmer).
The second method, which I don't know if it will function at all, is to simply use a sheet of saran wrap stretched under the light with a fan blowing on it to create a 'horizontal flag flapping in the wind' type of effect. That method seems much more commercially viable, but completely unknown right now if it will create the desired effect or of saran wrap will allow proper light transmittance. That is my dilemma right now, how to create the effect with minimal loss of intensity from the idea.
So I plan on experimenting this weekend just to see if it works. For now, just looking to hear from others on what they think. Good idea, terrible idea, alternate methods I am not thinking of? Fire away.
