Don't Skimp On Ya Lights

[Auggie]

Hope no offence was taken as its not meant.

Of course not.
I thrive in a questioning debating atmosphere. It is oxygen for me.
I have never learned anything from someone who agreed with me.

Yes, the doctors were lied to by big pharma "It's not addicting doc. Good stuff."
But, that was ten or more years ago.
It's coming from China and illegal invaders. And, the law has cracked down on some meds THAT SOME PEOPLE LEGITIMATELY NEED, because they can't or won't stop the flow.

 

[Moony]

Pfft that ain't no FC8000... That's just a plain old FC4500... 6 bars... Pfft.. everyone knows bigger and more and newer is always better hehehe. Na just joking nice setup buddy. Can see how you progressed through the models

 

[stinker]

at the top end they've improved by miles.

there are a ton of low end and middle players building less efficient lighting. there are emitters and architecture still being built and sold as new that is at least 5 yrs out of date now. in order to know what a decent light is you really have to know the components that went in to the rig and how it was built.

i built cob rigs before they were commercially available. at one point most guys running led were doing it as a diy project. i came from a lighting background in production, so it wasn't a huge leap.

my rigs were expensive, well over a grand cdn, but every single one is still running. i recently replaced a driver on a 7 yr old unit and the rig fired right back up with higher efficiency than original. my rigs are built with dimmers and under powered cobs adding years to the lifespan. it'll run a good decade or so.

if you get a decent led built proper, there is little need if any to constantly upgrade, until such a time you feel the new tech is worth it.

Hi Bluter, what would you recommend as the best tech available now? COB, LED or? I am using a strong LED, multi bar light now and like the results, it does get hot. Technology and designs change so fast. I look online at LED vs COB Etc., most hits are marketing. Thanks.

 

[Clinto]

Wow. Didn’t that go off. Best of luck and love to all of you. Especially the Aussies anyways here my lights humming. Trim up this weekend Jungle diamonds from in house genetics. 28 days above coco.

 

[bluter]

Hi Bluter, what would you recommend as the best tech available now? COB, LED or? I am using a strong LED, multi bar light now and like the results, it does get hot. Technology and designs change so fast. I look online at LED vs COB Etc., most hits are marketing. Thanks.

the multi bar and strip lights are my current favorite tech. there's a range of quality though from different mfgrs. you have to know your components.

 

[stinker]

the multi bar and strip lights are my current favorite tech. there's a range of quality though from different mfgrs. you have to know your components.

I'm using Mars multi bar and really like the results. Just curious what was the newest and who was using the newest cutting edge technology. Im happy with what I have now. Thanks

 

[bluter]

the mars is why you run warm. they have a tendency to run hot. they also don't have quite the lifespan of some other rigs on avg.

not bad rigs overall though.

 

[bluter]

@stinker - you might have a remote driver option depending on the model. it would allow you to mount the driver outside the tent or grow area to help keep temps down if it is an issue. a lot of mfgrs have remote driver options.

i've never found it a problem, but i live in a cooler climate.

 

[stinker]

@stinker - you might have a remote driver option depending on the model. it would allow you to mount the driver outside the tent or grow area to help keep temps down if it is an issue. a lot of mfgrs have remote driver options.

i've never found it a problem, but i live in a cooler climate.

Im using a mars FC-4800. The driver is outside the tent. I also live in a cool climate.

 

[bluter]

Im using a mars FC-4800. The driver is outside the tent. I also live in a cool climate.

next option is air. there's a very good chance your ventilation isn't up to the task if heat is still an issue.

 

[stinker]

next option is air. there's a very good chance your ventilation isn't up to the task if heat is still an issue.

I was really just looking for options. Heat isn't terrible, can get 15 deg above room temp if not allowing cold from outside. The fan for out is an ac 6" with a big filter, it moves plenty of air for a 1M x 1M.

Grow Light technology has come a long way in a relatively short time. Thanks

 

[bluter]

I was really just looking for options. Heat isn't terrible, can get 15 deg above room temp if not allowing cold from outside. The fan for out is an ac 6" with a big filter, it moves plenty of air for a 1M x 1M.

make sure you vent to outdoor

 

[Hybridway22]

It's tough for growers to decipher the good from the bad from the ugly now that almost every light is the same with a slight cosmetic difference or diodes. Spectrum, layouts, features are all the same. Specs are very close & can be a lie at any time from China directly. But when the majority of the name brand lights or popular are just re-logoed Alibaba lights. It's tough for the grower to not be tempted to cut out the middle man. Thing about the middle man is he/she's the one keeping you safe on warrenty & is also the one who could have made changes to that same Alibaba light to make it better.
Just because a cheep light says it puts out 1700umols doesn't men it will stay that way long. Especially when they slip in poor diodes & low thermal mngmt. Then there's all these Non-Hortictural spd's going around. That doesn't make led growing any easier.

 

[bluter]

It's tough for growers to decipher the good from the bad from the ugly now that almost every light is the same with a slight cosmetic difference or diodes. Spectrum, layouts, features are all the same. Specs are very close & can be a lie at any time from China directly. But when the majority of the name brand lights or popular are just re-logoed Alibaba lights. It's tough for the grower to not be tempted to cut out the middle man. Thing about the middle man is he/she's the one keeping you safe on warrenty & is also the one who could have made changes to that same Alibaba light to make it better.
Just because a cheep light says it puts out 1700umols doesn't men it will stay that way long. Especially when they slip in poor diodes & low thermal mngmt. Then there's all these Non-Hortictural spd's going around. That doesn't make led growing any easier.

you have to learn about the different chipsets and components. drivers too. everyone is fixated on mean well. there are other real decent drivers out there but mean well eclipses them in the dialogue.

the problem for new growers is two-fold. the tech itself moves quickly, and there is also a fair bit of garbage lurking out there as well.

 

[Hybridway22]

True. Many think certain chips are the only Chips that will work. Same with drivers. There are many top-teir of both not readily used on a regular. But we don't know if we're truly getting L-70 @ the specified hrs. Most cases not if your heatsink gets real hot. Then the B-rating could be B-70 for all we know. B-50 being common practice & that's poor for premium lights.

 

[stinker]

Does anyone know if on bar lights the diodes are directional? If the fixture is tilted to adjust for height variations, will the light disperse the same? Here is an example Thanks.

 

[Nunyabiz]

When I built my lights about 3 years ago the same three players were at the top of the list for diodes as they are today.
Samsung LM301B, Cree and Osram.

So I searched for the best strip I could find using the Samsung LM301B diodes with either Cree XP-G3 Photored or Osram Photored.
Same place also had the best heatsink I could find for the strips.
Prices are all about the same for top drivers so I opted to just go with a known reliable one, Meanwell.
And thats really all there is to an LED light.
All the lights I was looking at off the shelf 3+ years ago were well over $1000.
I built mine to fit my space exactly for $350 each.
The ability to match the size of your grow space with the light so you get the most even full coverage is to me a key factor.
As was costing 75% less at the time.

As long as you're getting one of or a mix of those top 3 diodes and a good reliable driver then the name on it or the place it was manufactured is pretty meaningless.

As far as warranty my strips were 2 years and the driver was 7 years.
In 3 years I've had a dimmer switch go out, and 48 hours (Amazon prime) and $11 later I soldered on a new dimmer which including a spare dimmer in case the other one goes.

I think all you need to look at is type of diode and driver, then configuration which IMO strip light is far better.
Brand name is pretty much meaningless.

 

[bluter]

Does anyone know if on bar lights the diodes are directional?

led is extremely directional. led photons essentially travel in a near laser straight line. the fall off on the edges is sharper than any other type of lighting.

If the fixture is tilted to adjust for height variations, will the light disperse the same? Here is an example Thanks.

no it won't. it's not too bad from the look of the pic. the slanted side will definitely get less. ball park guess would be by as much as 25% less.

 

[stinker]

led is extremely directional. led photons essentially travel in a near laser straight line. the fall off on the edges is sharper than any other type of lighting.





no it won't. it's not too bad from the look of the pic. the slanted side will definitely get less. ball park guess would be by as much as 25% less.

When looking at the light it appeared the led's were directional. I raised the low end up so as to not have such an extreme angle. Thanks blutter.

 

[Dr Fish]

I'm sold on 315 watt cmh.. Their 32x32" footprint works better for me than my 600hps. About half the heat...Summer heat where i live is a real plant killer.. My cooling is evaporative [swamp cooler], On a really hot day the house temp can be between 80-82*f in the afternoon.. I'm just 35 miles from downtown Death Valley .. It's always a good place to go in the winter and spring. almost guaranteed to be warm.. Even on a cold day... Almost any type of decent light will exceed the abilities of the average beginner grower.. That said they will also match the abilities of the best growers.... It's the trying to do better each grow that lets you reach the best you can do.. All three types of lights, cmh, hps and led were used to good effect in my Mixed Hydro thread.. The pic was about 3pm, July.. Don't know how I managed to post two pics..