Thoughts on 90W Led UFO Ebay- 40 USD

Hello all,

I have been lurking for the past few months and I was wondering if anyone had any insight or info to provide on these Chinese made LED UFO lights.

Link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/75W-LED-Grow-Light-Hydroponic-Plant-Red-Blue-IR-Full-Spectrum-UFO-Round-Lamp-US-/252354034586?hash=item3ac178fb9a:g:~EYAAOSwoydWi0Sf

I want to know if these will be reliable or not because I am trying to build a micro PC grow. I am on a bit of a budget and currently have about 60-80USD to spend on lighting for my PC build. Any help would be great!

Hello FP,
Welcome to the forum. I think you could spend your coin on better gear than the item you linked to. Cheap Chinese fixtures are a false economy. Unless you just want to get your hands on a ready made enclosure for a DIY project. I had a little chuckle when I read their item specifics "promote pant grrow"(sic), cakes make my pants grow but not my plants.

You have provided your budget of $60-80. Please provide us with the measurements of the area you wish to illuminate. Length x width and the height. We have had a pretty good discussion here on a smaller cabinet grow recently http://rollitup.org/t/best-cree-set-up-for-tiny-micro-grow.907799/.

With a micro grow a combination of mono LEDs or smaller COBs may be your best option depending on the size of your PC case. Are you a do it yourself type of person? You could build yourself a nice little fixture within your budget that is more reliable and efficient than our Asian brothers are flogging.

I realise finding information here can be a daunting process. Persevere and everything you need can be found within these pages.

If you would like to watch some videos explaining basic principles and get inspired by a true artisan click this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSwmwj8ZLXObtBJmz-76rw/videos

Watch some videos, read some threads and ask some questions next thing you know you are a bonafide photon engineer.


Cheers,
Will

What's funny is I think that's what NASA used in a study in 2012.
This is not a recommendation, just amusing.

If anybody knows of a good 50W red panel, I'd be interested.

Will Thayer- Thank you so much for taking some time to reply with all this delightful information. The quest for finding the CORRECT info is indeed daunting.

16.91"(H) x 8.20"(W) x 18.80"(L) is the tentative height. I am actually in the midst of selecting all the parts for the build. I worry that will be too short, but I can always LST to the fullest of extents. I figured I could get some LED lights to prevent burning should they somehow grow up into the lights. Nonetheless, I have acquired genetics that say the average height it 10-18 inches, so LST alone should suffice.

In regards to be being a DIY person, I CAN be a DIY person when instructions/What to buy list are provided and It is remotely intuitive. If you could help me locate this info I would more than likely make the fixtures myself.

I greatly appreciate all the help, and look forward to posting the process on this forum when I have gathered all the materials. Thank you again for all the help!

Jorge- Thank you for the info. If I see a decent red panel (50W) I will PM you the link!

Man that's actually really tiny and a tiny budget, should be fun to figure out.

Couple of cobs, an extruded heatsink, and any driver should be better than generic UFO off eBay.

Yeah I know! It should be real fun figuring it out.

Unfortunately, I do not know how all those things come together and what not. Besides, I also am unaware of how much of what you've mentioned is needed for a little 1-2 plant grow.

Any pointers would be amazing

I'd buy these before that UFO.


http://m.ebay.com/sch/GE-LED-Light-Bulb/20706/bn_1518151/i.html

Are they really that bad?

But basically I should just stick with CFLs for my micro grow if my budget is this small, right? I really would prefer LEDs but I just need all the help I can get with lighting. I am sure as to how I am going to do the system, filter, insulation, ventilation, growing/soil etc.

just an option maybe for such a small space http://heracolights.com/2014/03/10/3528-vs-5050-vs-5630-led-smd-diodes/

I know that the 5630 was used to grow not sure how well...

better off spending $40 on chinese food vs chinese ufo IMO................man i'm in the mood for some moo shu chicken right now. Probably shouldn't, just ate 2 hrs ago..

@The Dawg loves asian "food" too

Check your local home depot/hardware store for the a19 Phillips led, mine had the 60w equivs(800lumens, 8w) for $3.50 last week. 4-6 of those should do a tiny space like that.

Awwwwwww Found My Favorite BBQ Party Hot Damn Break It Down

Gingerbee- If I knew how well these final product was from those, I would be willing to invest time on how to set all that up.

Dawg + Psuagro- Best of luck with your oriental "food" quests

Atulip- Should I even bother with those then? I might as well run 2-3 CFLs then right? I was thinking maybe x2 6500k and x1 2700k each around 30-40 Watts. Any input on that idea? I just dont have much experience with anything that involves lighting.

2x https://www.cdiweb.com/ProductDetail/CLU0481212C4403M2K1--citizen/585038/
1x https://power.sager.com/apc-35-500-2719405.html

That makes 40$ for this components.
You would still need a heatsink, holders, wires and some thermal paste.

This combination would draw about 40W and would probably be twice as efficient as this china UFO crap.

Feetypajamas said:

Gingerbee- If I knew how well these final product was from those, I would be willing to invest time on how to set all that up.

Dawg + Psuagro- Best of luck with your oriental "food" quests

Atulip- Should I even bother with those then? I might as well run 2-3 CFLs then right? I was thinking maybe x2 6500k and x1 2700k each around 30-40 Watts. Any input on that idea? I just dont have much experience with anything that involves lighting.

Click to expand...

You are better off with the most ghetto cob build possible than cfls.

Put it all together with zip ties, thermal grease, and Kapton tape.

I don't have time to put together a list right now, but it's literally cobs, driver, heatsink. And that shit is state of the art.

tomate said:

2x https://www.cdiweb.com/ProductDetail/CLU0481212C4403M2K1--citizen/585038/
1x https://power.sager.com/apc-35-500-2719405.html

That makes 40$ for this components.
You would still need a heatsink, holders, wires and some thermal paste.

This combination would draw about 40W and would probably be twice as efficient as this china UFO crap.

Click to expand...

That was pretty much what my list looked like, or HLG for the deluxe version.

Also, http://www.futureelectronics.com/en/Technologies/Product.aspx?ProductID=NFDLJ130BV1NICHIAAMERICA3067343&IM=0

is an option. I'm not convinced about 4000k. Haven't grown with it yet.

Bulbs easy way. Strips if you want more complicated and efficient
https://www.rollitup.org/t/samsung-hard-strips.908616/#post-12603653

You may want to try the LED bulbs from Home Depot before using CFL"s. Check out my thread. "GOT MY GE BRIGHTSTIKS" and you'll see a lot on how to make them work for a space that small.

robincnn said:

Bulbs easy way. Strips if you want more complicated and efficient
https://www.rollitup.org/t/samsung-hard-strips.908616/#post-12603653

Click to expand...

I didn't mention those because I thought they wouldn't fit. I loved your lettuce grow. Do they make shorter ones worth using? I seem to recall less led density in the shorter versions, making them cost a bit more per watt.