Medic Grow Smart 8 - What Happened to the Light?

[ExNavyInSTL]

I opened up the tent yesterday to find this.

Is this a common issue with bar lights?

I'm working with the manufacturer to get a warranty replacement.

They are very responsive and have no complaints there.

It's a Medic Grow Smart 8.

The photo below is from their response asking me for the "Lot Number."

They asked me to give them the lot number, but I can't find this label on mine.

I've asked them to pinpoint it for me in a return email.

However, if anyone here has one, can you see where it is on your light?

 

[bluter]

a whole circuit is out so it is likely a burnt driver. there should be mfgr info on the housing.

edit : did they send you a pic of the box ? lol

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Of course, I freaked out a little when I open the tent.

And then when I went to the website to look at the warranty, I saw five year warranty, but then I saw one year on the diodes.

I bought it one year and three weeks ago.

Thankfully, this is not a diode problem.

 

[bluter]

Of course, I freaked out a little when I open the tent.

And then when I went to the website to look at the warranty, I saw five year warranty, but then I saw one year on the diodes.

I bought it one year and three weeks ago.

Thankfully, this is not a diode problem.

they need the lot number to track what they used for a driver. they've probably built with a bunch of different ones and they'll want to send you the matching one to fix the rig.

 

[SmokingWings]

They asked me to give them the lot number, but I can't find this label on mine.

Would think that it would be found somewhere on the outside of the center bar where all the drivers and gizmos are inside. Someplace easy to see so that the user has access to the voltage and amp numbers.

They have an office on the west coast, California if I remember right, and will answer the phone over a several hour time period in the late afternoon according to their web page.

 

[bluter]

if it's only a year and a bit old i wouldn't be surprised if they replaced the whole rig as warranty. probably cheaper than replacing a driver.

 

[CaptainLucky]

if it's only a year and a bit old i wouldn't be surprised if they replaced the whole rig as warranty. probably cheaper than replacing a driver.

Medic-Gro has the driver inside of its lights. I have one and wish I never got it because it’s a pita trying to keep the temps down in my tent. CL

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

I had to pull the whole light out of the tent alone just to find the Lot Number.

I put my Mars Hydro SP3000s back in there until I get the replacement.

 

[bluter]

I had to pull the whole light out of the tent alone just to find the Lot Number.

I put my Mars Hydro SP3000s back in there until I get the replacement.

sending a whole new light ?

if they don't want the old one back it could be useful for parts when yours finally goes off warranty. the emitter bars, frame, dimmers, wiring harness, and at least one to two drivers will still all be good.

 

[SmokingWings]

I had to pull the whole light out of the tent alone just to find the Lot Number.

Where was it?

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Where was it?

 

[SmokingWings]

Progress.....

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

It was a little tricky dealing with them because of (what I think is) the time difference.

Their website says Irvine, CA, but I think I was dealing with the Service Department at the factory in China.

In addition to proof of purchase, they requested the Lot Number I referenced above. They also wanted photos and a video of the issue.

I was given the option of paying 50% of the price via PayPal, which they say will be refunded when they receive their light back.

Thankfully, I was still in the window for them to pay the return freight. I'll just use the box the new one arrives in.

Read their "5-Year" Warranty closely. It is stair-stepped downward as time goes by.

They said they would email me a tracking number when the replacement ships, which was three days ago. I haven't heard from them yet.

Progress.....

 

[SmokingWings]

Read their "5-Year" Warranty closely. It is stair-stepped downward as time goes by.

Kinda like what is on some brands of car and truck tires?? The more miles the tires have on them the smaller the refund because the driver has already gotten 'a certain amount of use' out of them? And, the refund is only good on a new tire from the same manufacturer or the same tire store.

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Good News: I got the new light today.

And it was just a light. It didn't come with power cords, hanging hardware, or a user manual.

It was a box with a light.

It was different than the old one in that it didn't have a company logo or anything to tell you about the brand.

I boxed the old up right away. Let's see if I get a Pre-Paid Shipping Label as promised.

Even More Good news: I got one of the new and improved versions.

These lights have internal timers for 12, 18 ... hours, etc. A benefit of the onboard timer is that you can use the sunrise and sunset features (gradual on and off).

However, the big flaw was that if you lost power and then it came back on, it reset the timer to the beginning.

So, I had to have a mechanical or digital timer with a memory to not get the hours out of sync. Because of that, the light blasted on and abruptly turned off.

They have since corrected that flaw.

 

[CaptainLucky]

Good News: I got the new light today.

And it was just a light. It didn't come with power cords, hanging hardware, or a user manual.

It was a box with a light.

It was different than the old one in that it didn't have a company logo or anything to tell you about the brand.

I boxed the old up right away. Let's see if I get a Pre-Paid Shipping Label as promised.

Even More Good news: I got one of the new and improved versions.

These lights have internal timers for 12, 18 ... hours, etc. A benefit of the onboard timer is that you can use the sunrise and sunset features (gradual on and off).

However, the big flaw was that if you lost power and then it came back on, it reset the timer to the beginning.

So, I had to have a mechanical or digital timer with a memory to not get the hours out of sync. Because of that, the light blasted on and abruptly turned off.

They have since corrected that flaw.

I see they didn’t upgrade to a detachable driver. I have problems keeping my temperature from skyrocketing in my tent. How’s it working out for you? CL

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Overall, I am happy with the light in my 4 x 4.

These are the specs at 80% at 26 inches.

Of course, right after I bought it, they introduced the same model (PLUS) but with Samsung 301H White Chips (4000K). It also has Osram 660NM Red Chips.

My one comes with San'An White Chips 3000K+5000K and Osram 660NM Red Chip.

It works for $150 or less.

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

They do have an 800w light called the Fold-800 that has an external. It starts shipping in May and is $359.00.

That's cheap by the watt.

I see they didn’t upgrade to a detachable driver. I have problems keeping my temperature from skyrocketing in my tent. How’s it working out for you? CL

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

I may end up doing just as you suggest. I'm not getting a lot of confidence from this email response to me when I told them I had it all boxed and ready to ship.

sending a whole new light ?

if they don't want the old one back it could be useful for parts when yours finally goes off warranty. the emitter bars, frame, dimmers, wiring harness, and at least one to two drivers will still all be good.

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Nevermind.

They sent the shipping label this morning.

I looked up the address in Oklahoma, and they keep a pretty low profile.

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