Autos v. Photos - A 5x5 No Rules Fight for Yield: A Jon & NickHardy Gig

[NickHardy]

you're the only one i know who used a 480watt light you used that in a 5x5 right?

480w I'm using in a 4x4 - for me too low so I've added another 180w (60w x3) of side upper side lighting. The same strips I use on the sides in this grow. Changed them today to on the diagonals - post a picture tomorrow of that tent when lights are back on. Angled them to 45 degrees if that makes sense? Opposing sides. and raised them up a little - so that's 660w in a 4x4! (Yeah and dixie cups Jon! 16oz ones!

I just wanna say GO FOR THAT 700! 480 is way too low for a 5x5 imho. We would all have the same drop offs you describe with 480 over 25 sq ft.

Yeah Jon's on the money for me. Totally agree. I want the 1000w in the 5x5 (if it was working!) but we run Co2 from like massive cylinders of it no one - but like really no one should be running Co2 in tent really. Its different for us our tents are outside, we understand it well. Buy mushroom bags you want to do it home, and then only you have no respiratory illness or asthma type stuff. So you don't need our 1000w.

So - and I promise I ain't sponsored by them and probably they aren't my biggest fan! And I ain't saying this because they are a site sponsor. For sure. Site got enough from me!

Me?

I'm buying another @Mars Hydro FC6500 for my other 5x5. Its 730w at the wall and 650w proper. It has a wide footprint. Take me too long to explain in details (though I have in this journal before) but the new FC4800 Evo (so their latest 480w) has smaller footprint than the older, more budget FCE4800's I have two of.

The video up above is 3x FC6500's - they touch sides so close are they! Its fine they run cool and our drivers are detached and wall mounted. They probably cover 120cm each so 4x4 size but we run them close and there we really pump in the Co2 at 1300PPM and a high EC - I'm aiming 1400PPFD 1500PPM Co2 and an EC of 2.8 to 3.0

You need the three together.

For anyone growing for personal, for hobby and fun but with a decent budget ($800?!) n a 5x5 tent its about as perfect light as you can get. But photons are photons (without getting in to a kelvin discussion) - its more the spread and the wattage I like for a 5x5 at around 650w - just buy the safest, best made one you can at that wattage.

Anyone else notice Vipra Spectra and Vivosun top out at 480w? The KS5500 say is actually 480w.

Up to 4x4 home grow or 3x3 its great 480w Why they don't offer light more I reckon. Its not their target above that level.

They'll only really do 3x3 commercial though. There when we add Co2 and run run them as low as 8 inches from canopy its not enough.

A 5x5 like its so much bigger than a 4x4. I know you're like obvious is obvious! But its non linear thing, across area and micro climate. Its a big step up. Think Jon alluded to that with his 25 sqft comment.

Anyway my many, many cents of opinion there!

When I told you guys these were big plants I was serious.

So why'd you post those popcorn colas then?



(Jooooke!)

 

[Jon]

J
Edited Post.

Sorry! I know better and was being a dumb stoner! Thanks for that heads up @CaptainLucky !!!

 

[NickHardy]

BTW!

& Co (my wife) has banned me from growing in 16oz solos ever again!

They look better now than in that photo 3-4 days ago!

But they only way I can bag a kilo of weed out of that tent without Co2 is with lots of light - I ran a 1000w HPS DE 28500k bulb in that very 4x4 tent with 315CMH supplemental light at 5000k. In Dixie cups as well!

Insane.

Then the AC broke and the light timers broke so they seeded.

Still got more grams than I did this grow!

I was in Cambodia when it all failed. like 1500 miles away

But really? It was a pretty stupid idea. Well one way of putting it!

I could say "it was an advanced learning curve" !

But we're setup for this stuff - we fail to safe. In no small part because I happened upon @Bill284 fire saftey thing.

Also yeah I designed it for small commercial from the start.

This grow I think is only the third or fourth harvest out of a tent?

Our other stuff - and only what? another 4-5 harvests? They've been in a more designed room.

We've only been going this for 18 months?

I joined the site 27th October 2022. Same week we started growing.

Looked at a few weed groeing sites.

This one just fit for me.

I generally make good decisions. That was one of them.

Mean that.

Nick

 

[NickHardy]

You guys ever select the stealth packaging option? I never do. I almost always order from NASC so no need. But they don’t have my must have strain, and I found a 2 for 1 in the Netherlands on their site. I didn’t want to take a chance, it was coin and coming overseas. So it came today. Stealth packaging is fricking hilarious. I expected a sock or a shitty tshirt wrapped around the seeds. Nope. Growers Choice goes a bit further than that. Lmao!

Witness:

I think NASC, like say Blimburn, Barneys and Serious all breed in southern Spain. Greenhouses. So the latest strains for breeders you think are American are actually bred in Europe and are available there before the US online stores have them.

The best stealth packaging I have ever ever had from a breeder (- my bessie The Real Nick his are funnier! But he's just repackaging for me from a UK Seed bank, Seed City I use a couple of times year) But from @Lerugged and @Table Mountain Sativa Co

That's next level stuff!

I have pictures but don't want to post unless he's cool with it!

 

[Jon]

Scissor Hash

This is a pretty good haul considering all we cut all day was fans pretty much. Imma smoke it.

 

[con]

480w I'm using in a 4x4 - for me too low so I've added another 180w (60w x3) of side upper side lighting. The same strips I use on the sides in this grow. Changed them today to on the diagonals - post a picture tomorrow of that tent when lights are back on. Angled them to 45 degrees if that makes sense? Opposing sides. and raised them up a little - so that's 660w in a 4x4! (Yeah and dixie cups Jon! 16oz ones!

Yeah Jon's on the money for me. Totally agree. I want the 1000w in the 5x5 (if it was working!) but we run Co2 from like massive cylinders of it no one - but like really no one should be running Co2 in tent really. Its different for us our tents are outside, we understand it well. Buy mushroom bags you want to do it home, and then only you have no respiratory illness or asthma type stuff. So you don't need our 1000w.

So - and I promise I ain't sponsored by them and probably they aren't my biggest fan! And I ain't saying this because they are a site sponsor. For sure. Site got enough from me!

Me?

I'm buying another @Mars Hydro FC6500 for my other 5x5. Its 730w at the wall and 650w proper. It has a wide footprint. Take me too long to explain in details (though I have in this journal before) but the new FC4800 Evo (so their latest 480w) has smaller footprint than the older, more budget FCE4800's I have two of.

The video up above is 3x FC6500's - they touch sides so close are they! Its fine they run cool and our drivers are detached and wall mounted. They probably cover 120cm each so 4x4 size but we run them close and there we really pump in the Co2 at 1300PPM and a high EC - I'm aiming 1400PPFD 1500PPM Co2 and an EC of 2.8 to 3.0

You need the three together.

For anyone growing for personal, for hobby and fun but with a decent budget ($800?!) n a 5x5 tent its about as perfect light as you can get. But photons are photons (without getting in to a kelvin discussion) - its more the spread and the wattage I like for a 5x5 at around 650w - just buy the safest, best made one you can at that wattage.

Anyone else notice Vipra Spectra and Vivosun top out at 480w? The KS5500 say is actually 480w.

Up to 4x4 home grow or 3x3 its great 480w Why they don't offer light more I reckon. Its not their target above that level.

They'll only really do 3x3 commercial though. There when we add Co2 and run run them as low as 8 inches from canopy its not enough.

A 5x5 like its so much bigger than a 4x4. I know you're like obvious is obvious! But its non linear thing, across area and micro climate. Its a big step up. Think Jon alluded to that with his 25 sqft comment.

Anyway my many, many cents of opinion there!



So why'd you post those popcorn colas then?



(Jooooke!)

thanks Nick yeah i noticed that about vipar & vivosunso currently looking at the mars hydro or the equivelant spider farmer theres a few other brands here in canuk land but not much info, i'll find something by fall time

 

[CaptainLucky]

You guys ever select the stealth packaging option? I never do. I almost always order from NASC so no need. But they don’t have my must have strain, and I found a 2 for 1 in the Netherlands on their site. I didn’t want to take a chance, it was coin and coming overseas. So it came today. Stealth packaging is fricking hilarious. I expected a sock or a shitty tshirt wrapped around the seeds. Nope. Growers Choice goes a bit further than that. Lmao!

Witness:

CL

 

[NickHardy]

thanks Nick yeah i noticed that about vipar & vivosunso currently looking at the mars hydro or the equivelant spider farmer theres a few other brands here in canuk land but not much info, i'll find something by fall time

I've looked at Spider Farmer too. Seem very decent.

They're about the same price per watt (a really, like really good way of thinking about lights is the number of watts divided by the USD cost delivered fitted) DJ MJ Coco - google him - great YouTube channel on lights. You haven't visited his YouTube channel? Honestly - what are you doing buying a grow light? Its a basic. Its great.

There is no LED nor HPS nor CMH light company that is fully vertically integrated.

Gavita? I'll use them as an example for HPS and CMH - no problem with them. They make/made the best of those lights. Didn't make the bulbs the fitting ever. Mostly you'd want the Dutch Philips making you fittings. Now they get manufactured by a Chinese company based in Shenzhen. Just across the Pearl River Estuary from Hong Kong. Where they make iPhones and other stuff. I know the name the company now makes Gavitas for them. (German firm I think originally?) I usesd/use Gavitas for HPS and CMH but they don't say Gavita. An I ain't telling you who becasue that's commercially sensitive to them.

LED's oh wow way more murky!

So if Samsung or LG started making grow lights? They could do it, vertically integrated. Especially LG

Probably they made grow lights inhouse they'd be the best grow lights in the world.

Like easy. I'd pick LG for the win - especially for organic growers

Said it before and I'll say it again - what I got like 56 hours? I'll bang the drum til then!

LED grow light companies don't make lights

They assemble lights.

Just like "build your own PC"

You pick the parts, the components from a not actually very big list.

Your diodes - Samsung is the leader here. SO they say. We have LM301B in our Mars Hydro FC6500's We have Samsung LM301H in our broken Meijiu 1000w used in this grow. I need circle back to Meijiu in this post. The LM302B that Migro say use in their higher wattage lights?

False economy. They will be failed diodes and their electrical draw way higher - so that light that seems a little bit too good a price to be true? Betcha its using Samsung LM302's They made the number bigger as a sort of trick.

Like CPU's you sort of print diodes. The difference between an i3, i5, i7 and now i9 processor in your laptop or desktop running windows? Just how successful the printing was. Shit ones get tuned to i3's etc.

Diodes the same. They are printed and graded. In the diode business they're assigned "bin" numbers. Like everything in manufacturing really.

So say I want a Samsung LM301H diode at 3000 Kelvin for my banging mid flower period? (I could choose in about 100-200 kelvin increments between 2800 Kelvin and 6000 Kelvin) Higher kelvin generally held to be better for veg - like a CMH and lower better for flower like an HPS) I can then coose between say ten "bins" the standard or higher quality.

Honestly - I posted this way back when maybe like June 2023 when I had lots of meetings with light companies.

Now Meijiu have on their limited website "top bin LED's 'cause I wrote it for them. Why I'm particularly annoyed about my broken light!

I actyually love the Electrobridge diodes in the Mars FCE series for veg.

We get mpre space and go bigger I'd probably just get a bunch of them for veg - just seem so kind on the planst. We have one looks like its gonna die? Those FCE4800's so good.

So that's the diodes covered in as basic as I can make it - I actually designed a light. I could sell you a light called "The Nick Hardy 5x5 Light" I need 2-3 months get it delivered to North America. and you need pre pay me I dunno $500 USD.

I will have top bin LED's, a sick cool logo and a pretty box. It would for a 5x5 run at like 650w, a clicky twisty knob for granular , be whatever colour I fancy on the day. Probably orange. The driver would be designed to be detachable and the connectors the best quality of any light.

Hey Meijiu make nearly every light home growers use! Everything beginning with V I think, Spider Farmer, Phi one!

They make I'm pretty certain all of them. I've met the owners of Miejiu. Flirted with the owners daughter in a Thai hotel room whilst wearing grow light eye protection sunglasses.

There were 6 other Chinese people in the room at the time, we already had a room! But yeah! Nah not my cup of chai!

So the diodes we got covered apart from LG - they make some more interesting type of LEDs called OLED's Now Samsung make them now too - along with micro LED's - Organic LED's I make this point more as half joke about them being more organic! You spend more than say $100 on your phone? Or $200 your TV? You're using Samsung or LG diodes. The only games in town. You spend more than $500 your phone or $1000 your TV/ only question these days is it LG OLED or Samsung Micro LED?

Some Medicgrow or whatwver? Whatever company you want to name? They do not make their own diodes.

If they could they'd be selling TV's not grow lights.

Now the Second Bit

The driver.

Like old school? Think of it as the transformer? The power brick.

You can choose these too. And guess what no grow light company makes these either!

Mars sort of kinda claim they do but they don't quite say it full on in the literature. Anyone owns a Mars light made post 2019 or so will tell you it says like Apple style "Designed by Mars made by LG Lighting Solutions" or similar. I'll take a phtos of one tomorrow. - this is why I think a full grow light solution made by LG would be amazing - but then Samsung would be incredible too - I just like LG for the OLED thin for organic!

The best drivers most use? Meanwell. But when you design you own light you can choose as well. Its just a menu - and how many you want. I'd go separated drivers for warm light at 2800k or so for flower, and another driver at 6000k for veg. The reds you'd do with a profile between the nears and fars that tie into both dimmers. You want the reds in veg and flower but honestly?

You're growing in a 5x5 tent! You don't need to think about your red light spectra blend!

Finally! the third and final bit!

Aluminum bars to hang it all off.

That's how LED grow lights and a bit on HPS and CMH are made.

The best light is in order of importance:

#1 The safest light

#2 The best watt per dollar - and you need to think about your OpEx here as well - like the difference between LM301's and LM302's the 2's cost more electrons for their photons

#3 The best customer service and reparability for where you are. It varies - the more home grow/promsumer brands that sponsor here seem like they can offer really good service in North America -if you're in I dunno! Columbia - there is a grower here on the site growing weed in the elevated mountains of Columbia btw! Yeah probably you might want to think about growing outdoors rather than risking need an LED grow light customer service! Plenty people here can fix stuff with LED lights. Got skills. @Absorber plus many more. BTW - after the power leaves the drivers in our 1000w light to the light bars? Those aluminum bars the diodes are glued to you're only looking for 50-55v - volts.

#4 Did I say the safest light yet?

#5 The prettiest light

"The Nick Hardy 5x5"

No joke - I could do it!

I really can't be bothered to - unless I was ordering 20 for me! Its the MOQ - minimum order quantity. 20 lights.

I'm a ways out from ordering that many lights! Oh and if I did? I'd actually veg under CMH and flower under LED.

But that's because I'm a bit fancy and the CMH helps add heat which I like in veg with Co2.

But yeah.

There is no better brand light.

Anyone wants to build their own light company I'll hook you up.

Diodes

Drivers

Aluminium bars.

You don’t believe me? On the above!?

Look I ran detailed A/B testing on a Mard Hydro FC 6500 light bar before I finished this post.

I documented it too.

Pics or it never happened?

Fair call.

From the man lives in an Eames lounge chair.

Btw - that bar runs at 97v.

But its a single driver light. So halve it?

Where so you get?

‘Bout my voltage given above for two drivers actually 3 because that has UV too which is only 150w - so I realise you probably want 40-45v from driver to light bars

That - tremendously amuses me.

The Universe delivers, again.

Anyone but anyone, Buelller! Struggled over the finish line with me on that posy?

I probably owe you a 650w light!

But yeah - that's like as good knowledge and from real world experience you will read from anyone about grow lights - that isn't actually trying to sell you anything

56 hours to go?!

Night,

Nick

 

[Jon]

You might want to edit this post Jon, because it’s frowned upon given up secrets. CL

Omg you’re right! I wasn’t thinking! Done!

 

[Jon]

I've looked at Spider Farmer too. Seem very decent.

They're about the same price per watt (a really, like really good way of thinking about lights is the number of watts divided by the USD cost delivered fitted) as Mars tare o me here.

There is no LED nor HPS nor CMH light company that is fully vertically integrated.

Gavita? I'll use them as an example for HPS and CMH - no problem with them. They make/made the best of those lights. Didn't make the bulbs the fitting ever. Mostly you'd want the Dutch Philips making you fittings. Now they get manufactured by a Chinese company based in Shenzhen. Just across the Pearl River Estuary from Hong Kong. Where they make iPhones and other stuff. I know the name the company now makes Gavitas for them. (German firm I think originally?) I usesd/use Gavitas for HPS and CMH but they don't say Gavita. An I ain't telling you who becasue that's commercially sensitive to them.

LED's oh wow way more murky!

So if Samsung or LG started making grow lights? They could do it, vertically integrated. Especially LG

Probably they made grow lights inhouse they'd be the best grow lights in the world.

Like easy. I'd pick LG for the win - especially for organic growers

Said it before and I'll say it again - what I got like 56 hours? I'll bang the drum til then!

LED grow light companies don't make lights

They assemble lights.

Just like "build your own PC"

You pick the parts, the components from a not actually very big list.

Your diodes - Samsung is the leader here. SO they say. We have LM301B in our Mars Hydro FC6500's We have Samsung LM301H in our broken Meijiu 1000w used in this grow. I need circle back to Meijiu in this post. The LM302B that Migro say use in their higher wattage lights?

False economy. They will be failed diodes and their electrical draw way higher - so that light that seems a little bit too good a price to be true? Betcha its using Samsung LM302's They made the number bigger as a sort of trick.

Like CPU's you sort of print diodes. The difference between an i3, i5, i7 and now i9 processor in your laptop or desktop running windows? Just how successful the printing was. Shit ones get tuned to i3's etc.

Diodes the same. They are printed and graded. In the diode business they're assigned "bin" numbers. Like everything in manufacturing really.

So say I want a Samsung LM301H diode at 3000 Kelvin for my banging mid flower period? (I could choose in about 100-200 kelvin increments between 2800 Kelvin and 6000 Kelvin) Higher kelvin generally held to be better for veg - like a CMH and lower better for flower like an HPS) I can then coose between say ten "bins" the standard or higher quality.

Honestly - I posted this way back when maybe like June 2023 when I had lots of meetings with light companies.

Now Meijiu have on their limited website "top bin LED's 'cause I wrote it for them. Why I'm particularly annoyed about my broken light!

I actyually love the Electrobridge diodes in the Mars FCE series for veg.

We get mpre space and go bigger I'd probably just get a bunch of them for veg - just seem so kind on the planst. We have one looks like its gonna die? Those FCE4800's so good.

So that's the diodes covered in as basic as I can make it - I actually designed a light. I could sell you a light called "The Nick Hardy 5x5 Light" I need 2-3 months get it delivered to North America. and you need pre pay me I dunno $500 USD.

I will have top bin LED's, a sick cool logo and a pretty box. It would for a 5x5 run at like 650w, a clicky twisty knob for granular , be whatever colour I fancy on the day. Probably orange. The driver would be designed to be detachable and the connectors the best quality of any light.

Hey Meijiu make nearly every light home growers use! Everything beginning with V I think, Spider Farmer, Phi one!

They make I'm pretty certain all of them. I've met the owners of Miejiu. Flirted with the owners daughter in a Thai hotel room whilst wearing grow light eye protection sunglasses.

There were 6 other Chinese people in the room at the time, we already had a room! But yeah! Nah not my cup of chai!

So the diodes we got covered apart from LG - they make some more interesting type of LEDs called OLED's Now Samsung make them now too - along with micro LED's - Organic LED's I make this point more as half joke about them being more organic! You spend more than say $100 on your phone? Or $200 your TV? You're using Samsung or LG diodes. The only games in town. You spend more than $500 your phone or $1000 your TV/ only question these days is it LG OLED or Samsung Micro LED?

Some Medicgrow or whatwver? Whatever company you want to name? They do not make their own diodes.

If they could they'd be selling TV's not grow lights.

Now the Second Bit

The driver.

Like old school? Think of it as the transformer? The power brick.

You can choose these too. And guess what no grow light company makes these either!

Mars sort of kinda claim they do but they don't quite say it full on in the literature. Anyone owns a Mars light made post 2019 or so will tell you it says like Apple style "Designed by Mars made by LG Lighting Solutions" or similar. I'll take a phtos of one tomorrow. - this is why I think a full grow light solution made by LG would be amazing - but then Samsung would be incredible too - I just like LG for the OLED thin for organic!

The best drivers most use? Meanwell. But when you design you own light you can choose as well. Its just a menu - and how many you want. I'd go separated drivers for warm light at 2800k or so for flower, and another driver at 6000k for veg. The reds you'd do with a profile between the nears and fars that tie into both dimmers. You want the reds in veg and flower but honestly?

You're growing in a 5x5 tent! You don't need to think about your red light spectra blend!

Finally! the third and final bit!

Aluminum bars to hang it all off.

That's how LED grow lights and a bit on HPS and CMH are made.

The best light is in order of importance:

#1 The safest light

#2 The best watt per dollar - and you need to think about your OpEx here as well - like the difference between LM301's and LM302's the 2's cost more electrons for their photons

#3 The best customer service and reparability for where you are. It varies - the more home grow/promsumer brands that sponsor here seem like they can offer really good service in North America -if you're in I dunno! Columbia - there is a grower here on the site growing weed in the elevated mountains of Columbia btw! Yeah probably you might want to think about growing outdoors rather than risking need an LED grow light customer service! Plenty people here can fix stuff with LED lights. Got skills. @Absorber plus many more. BTW - after the power leaves the drivers in our 1000w light to the light bars? Those aluminum bars the diodes are glued to you're only looking for 50-55v - volts.

#4 Did I say the safest light yet?

#5 The prettiest light

"The Nick Hardy 5x5"

No joke - I could do it!

I really can't be bothered to - unless I was ordering 20 for me! Its the MOQ - minimum order quantity. 20 lights.

I'm a ways out from ordering that many lights! Oh and if I did? I'd actually veg under CMH and flower under LED.

But that's because I'm a bit fancy and the CMH helps add heat which I like in veg with Co2.

But yeah.

There is no better brand light.

Anyone wants to build their own light company I'll hook you up.

Diodes

Drivers

Aluminium bars.

You don’t believe me? On the above!?

Look I ran detailed A/B testing on a Mard Hydro FC 6500 light bar before I finished this post.

I documented it too.

Pics or it never happened?

Fair call.

From the man lives in an Eames lounge chair.

Btw - that bar runs at 97v.

But its a single driver light. So halve it?

Where so you get?

‘Bout my voltage given above for two drivers actually 3 because that has UV too which is only 150w - so I realise you probably want 40-45v from driver to light bars

That - tremendously amuses me.

The Universe delivers, again.

Anyone but anyone, Buelller! Struggled over the finish line with me on that posy?

I probably owe you a 650w light!

But yeah - that's like as good knowledge and from real world experience you will read from anyone about grow lights - that isn't actually trying to sell you anything

56 hours to go?!

Night,

Nick

Wow. Excellent information transfer.

 

[NickHardy]

Anything else about lights is about the spectra range - and honestly?

No one else really understands that apart from maybe 2-3 people on the site.

So really?

Don't spoil my last days here by even arguing the toss.

We grow commercial, we meet with light company people.

You likely don't do either.

#jussayin

 

[con]

I've looked at Spider Farmer too. Seem very decent.

They're about the same price per watt (a really, like really good way of thinking about lights is the number of watts divided by the USD cost delivered fitted) as Mars tare o me here.

There is no LED nor HPS nor CMH light company that is fully vertically integrated.

Gavita? I'll use them as an example for HPS and CMH - no problem with them. They make/made the best of those lights. Didn't make the bulbs the fitting ever. Mostly you'd want the Dutch Philips making you fittings. Now they get manufactured by a Chinese company based in Shenzhen. Just across the Pearl River Estuary from Hong Kong. Where they make iPhones and other stuff. I know the name the company now makes Gavitas for them. (German firm I think originally?) I usesd/use Gavitas for HPS and CMH but they don't say Gavita. An I ain't telling you who becasue that's commercially sensitive to them.

LED's oh wow way more murky!

So if Samsung or LG started making grow lights? They could do it, vertically integrated. Especially LG

Probably they made grow lights inhouse they'd be the best grow lights in the world.

Like easy. I'd pick LG for the win - especially for organic growers

Said it before and I'll say it again - what I got like 56 hours? I'll bang the drum til then!

LED grow light companies don't make lights

They assemble lights.

Just like "build your own PC"

You pick the parts, the components from a not actually very big list.

Your diodes - Samsung is the leader here. SO they say. We have LM301B in our Mars Hydro FC6500's We have Samsung LM301H in our broken Meijiu 1000w used in this grow. I need circle back to Meijiu in this post. The LM302B that Migro say use in their higher wattage lights?

False economy. They will be failed diodes and their electrical draw way higher - so that light that seems a little bit too good a price to be true? Betcha its using Samsung LM302's They made the number bigger as a sort of trick.

Like CPU's you sort of print diodes. The difference between an i3, i5, i7 and now i9 processor in your laptop or desktop running windows? Just how successful the printing was. Shit ones get tuned to i3's etc.

Diodes the same. They are printed and graded. In the diode business they're assigned "bin" numbers. Like everything in manufacturing really.

So say I want a Samsung LM301H diode at 3000 Kelvin for my banging mid flower period? (I could choose in about 100-200 kelvin increments between 2800 Kelvin and 6000 Kelvin) Higher kelvin generally held to be better for veg - like a CMH and lower better for flower like an HPS) I can then coose between say ten "bins" the standard or higher quality.

Honestly - I posted this way back when maybe like June 2023 when I had lots of meetings with light companies.

Now Meijiu have on their limited website "top bin LED's 'cause I wrote it for them. Why I'm particularly annoyed about my broken light!

I actyually love the Electrobridge diodes in the Mars FCE series for veg.

We get mpre space and go bigger I'd probably just get a bunch of them for veg - just seem so kind on the planst. We have one looks like its gonna die? Those FCE4800's so good.

So that's the diodes covered in as basic as I can make it - I actually designed a light. I could sell you a light called "The Nick Hardy 5x5 Light" I need 2-3 months get it delivered to North America. and you need pre pay me I dunno $500 USD.

I will have top bin LED's, a sick cool logo and a pretty box. It would for a 5x5 run at like 650w, a clicky twisty knob for granular , be whatever colour I fancy on the day. Probably orange. The driver would be designed to be detachable and the connectors the best quality of any light.

Hey Meijiu make nearly every light home growers use! Everything beginning with V I think, Spider Farmer, Phi one!

They make I'm pretty certain all of them. I've met the owners of Miejiu. Flirted with the owners daughter in a Thai hotel room whilst wearing grow light eye protection sunglasses.

There were 6 other Chinese people in the room at the time, we already had a room! But yeah! Nah not my cup of chai!

So the diodes we got covered apart from LG - they make some more interesting type of LEDs called OLED's Now Samsung make them now too - along with micro LED's - Organic LED's I make this point more as half joke about them being more organic! You spend more than say $100 on your phone? Or $200 your TV? You're using Samsung or LG diodes. The only games in town. You spend more than $500 your phone or $1000 your TV/ only question these days is it LG OLED or Samsung Micro LED?

Some Medicgrow or whatwver? Whatever company you want to name? They do not make their own diodes.

If they could they'd be selling TV's not grow lights.

Now the Second Bit

The driver.

Like old school? Think of it as the transformer? The power brick.

You can choose these too. And guess what no grow light company makes these either!

Mars sort of kinda claim they do but they don't quite say it full on in the literature. Anyone owns a Mars light made post 2019 or so will tell you it says like Apple style "Designed by Mars made by LG Lighting Solutions" or similar. I'll take a phtos of one tomorrow. - this is why I think a full grow light solution made by LG would be amazing - but then Samsung would be incredible too - I just like LG for the OLED thin for organic!

The best drivers most use? Meanwell. But when you design you own light you can choose as well. Its just a menu - and how many you want. I'd go separated drivers for warm light at 2800k or so for flower, and another driver at 6000k for veg. The reds you'd do with a profile between the nears and fars that tie into both dimmers. You want the reds in veg and flower but honestly?

You're growing in a 5x5 tent! You don't need to think about your red light spectra blend!

Finally! the third and final bit!

Aluminum bars to hang it all off.

That's how LED grow lights and a bit on HPS and CMH are made.

The best light is in order of importance:

#1 The safest light

#2 The best watt per dollar - and you need to think about your OpEx here as well - like the difference between LM301's and LM302's the 2's cost more electrons for their photons

#3 The best customer service and reparability for where you are. It varies - the more home grow/promsumer brands that sponsor here seem like they can offer really good service in North America -if you're in I dunno! Columbia - there is a grower here on the site growing weed in the elevated mountains of Columbia btw! Yeah probably you might want to think about growing outdoors rather than risking need an LED grow light customer service! Plenty people here can fix stuff with LED lights. Got skills. @Absorber plus many more. BTW - after the power leaves the drivers in our 1000w light to the light bars? Those aluminum bars the diodes are glued to you're only looking for 50-55v - volts.

#4 Did I say the safest light yet?

#5 The prettiest light

"The Nick Hardy 5x5"

No joke - I could do it!

I really can't be bothered to - unless I was ordering 20 for me! Its the MOQ - minimum order quantity. 20 lights.

I'm a ways out from ordering that many lights! Oh and if I did? I'd actually veg under CMH and flower under LED.

But that's because I'm a bit fancy and the CMH helps add heat which I like in veg with Co2.

But yeah.

There is no better brand light.

Anyone wants to build their own light company I'll hook you up.

Diodes

Drivers

Aluminium bars.

You don’t believe me? On the above!?

Look I ran detailed A/B testing on a Mard Hydro FC 6500 light bar before I finished this post.

I documented it too.

Pics or it never happened?

Fair call.

From the man lives in an Eames lounge chair.

Btw - that bar runs at 97v.

But its a single driver light. So halve it?

Where so you get?

‘Bout my voltage given above for two drivers actually 3 because that has UV too which is only 150w - so I realise you probably want 40-45v from driver to light bars

That - tremendously amuses me.

The Universe delivers, again.

Anyone but anyone, Buelller! Struggled over the finish line with me on that posy?

I probably owe you a 650w light!

But yeah - that's like as good knowledge and from real world experience you will read from anyone about grow lights - that isn't actually trying to sell you anything

56 hours to go?!

Night,

Nick

Thanks NicK lots of info i found this
MARS HYDRO SMART GROW SYSTEM SMART FC-E6500 LED GROW LIGHT

1
x
$784.95 just over $800 canadian after taxes & delevered & has a few more features than the Spider Farmer so once the credit card payment clears later next week imma gonna order it & buddy said he'll buy my 480 watter for $500 so i upgrade for $300 bucks so i think i'll go this route

 

[NickHardy]

Wow. Excellent information transfer.

Hope you read it all.

I'm not wrong on this.

Its just component, commodity stuff.

You can say I'm wrong on nutes, make a case for that. Sure.

LED lighting nah.

Whatever overpriced light you like?

Buy it.

Makes you happy. Sure!

As long as its safe. Buy it.

But photons are photons and they all come from the same limited range of diodes, which we can get granular about, drivers also a little granular about and aluminum even take your pick of grades - I mean it makes no functional difference but sure be my guest!

There is no "magic sauce" a "better light company" in some way.

They all have the same "bins" to pick from.

I've been there done that.

They use my words on their web site ffs!

Its all bs - pick the safest one, skip any app enabled thing, can't trust that shit.

Don't believe me?

Ask @Greenvein

That's it.

 

[NickHardy]

Thanks NicK lots of info i found this
MARS HYDRO SMART GROW SYSTEM SMART FC-E6500 LED GROW LIGHT

1
x
$784.95 just over $800 canadian after taxes & delevered & has a few more features than the Spider Farmer so once the credit card payment clears later next week imma gonna order it & buddy said he'll buy my 480 watter for $500 so i upgrade for $300 bucks so i think i'll go this route

Awesome light I think!

Its an FCE (for Electrobridge diodes) rather than the Samsung LM301b's

The one I said we use for plant recovery - no joke.

I'm Skin&Eyes, right?

The slightly cheaper FCE versions I don't like their cable management very much - but to my old tired blue eyes? Its a warmer kinder light that the FC's. We have plants don't work out in our main flower room and put them under the two FCE4800's? It just kinda heals them? So good

Maybe I should buy one the same! No joke. And you're paying that maybe I've forgotten what I paid for my FC6500's! $900 each?!

Just the cables annoy me a bit and they run a little hotter on the bars. We run the tents outdoors where the temperature is 32c and the Rh 75% 24/7/365!

Its a more trying grow environment than most!

But this video you can see our FC6500's in our main flower room.

Love 'em!

 

[Azimuth]

Awww, crap. Got dropped from notifications of this thread like 4 pages back. Have to go look and see what I missed...

 

[NickHardy]

BTW!

& Co (my wife) has banned me from growing in 16oz solos ever again!

They look better now than in that photo 3-4 days ago!

But they only way I can bag a kilo of weed out of that tent without Co2 is with lots of light - I ran a 1000w HPS DE 2800k bulb in that very 4x4 tent with 315CMH supplemental light at 5000k. In Dixie cups as well!

Insane.

Then the AC broke and the light timers broke so they seeded.

Still got more grams than I did this grow!

I was in Cambodia when it all failed. like 1500 miles away

But really? It was a pretty stupid idea. Well one way of putting it!

I could say "it was an advanced learning curve" !

But we're setup for this stuff - we fail to safe. In no small part because I happened upon @Bill284 fire saftey thing.

Also yeah I designed it for small commercial from the start.

This grow I think is only the third or fourth harvest out of a tent?

Our other stuff - and only what? another 4-5 harvests? They've been in a more designed room.

We've only been going this for 18 months?

I joined the site 27th October 2022. Same week we started growing.

Looked at a few weed growing sites.

This one just fit for me.

I generally make good decisions. That was one of them.

Mean that.

Nick

Sorry a big typo there I've adjusted in bold

 

[NickHardy]

Lights are on so yeah its a video about lights!

 

[Lerugged]

I think NASC, like say Blimburn, Barneys and Serious all breed in southern Spain. Greenhouses. So the latest strains for breeders you think are American are actually bred in Europe and are available there before the US online stores have them.

The best stealth packaging I have ever ever had from a breeder (- my bessie The Real Nick his are funnier! But he's just repackaging for me from a UK Seed bank, Seed City I use a couple of times year) But from @Lerugged and @Table Mountain Sativa Co

That's next level stuff!

I have pictures but don't want to post unless he's cool with it!

Haha. It took a lot of different tries to figure it out. Please don't post it publicly, I would prefer to keep it stealth. Never know who reads here. I don't mind DM's.
Thanks though. The courier looks at it carefully every time but has no clue heh.

 

[NickHardy]

Haha. It took a lot of different tries to figure it out. Please don't post it publicly, I would prefer to keep it stealth. Never know who reads here. I don't mind DM's.
Thanks though. The courier looks at it carefully every time but has no clue heh.

Its epic good - and yeah not posting bro!

 

[CaptainLucky]

So those Re half pound windowed, pound no window and a 1oz bag. We also have a couple of 2lb no window ones which @Bill284 got from @Rexer

For us the big yields a 1lb bag we put 500g in. Its with tolerance I reckon so we can weight one of them to 547g - because the bags weigh 47g (Therefore the observant amongst you may have realised we have 373g of Bubba Kush, possibly, rather than 420g)

the half pund with windows - these are nice for single plants strains, or two say. The window is nice, & Co will take a half dozen say to a dispensary that will typically buy 40-100g. The window is OK but when they're being transported they go inside another like soft chiller bag to protect from light.

These are my dip into bags, about 8ft from where I sit now.

Teh 1oz bag?!

I met with an old friend flew in at the weekend. I took that and carried it like a muse, a man a bag to the beachside restaurant we walked into. Camped it up! Walked in with a click of heels (flip flops) The flip side has a map of the US so you can mark which state it was grown in.

They have the same tech, pretty colours and one off designs, Every Auto strain I have ever grown now rests in a 1oz Grove Bag! Some of them are very very empty! But that's more about my skills with autos than the quality of their cure bag!

We think on a slightly different scale on some aspects of growing, but Grove Bags, doesn't matter you have a 2x2 or 20kx20k Grove bags, the tote sized, 50 Gallon barrel shaped or the strip material they sell on a roll should be part of your decision making.

Sure you got a bunch of glass jars and don't mind the routine of burping, carry on!

But a Grove Bag is worth a go - $5 or whatever to try.

Took your advice/ recommendation and I bought 2 -1/4 lb. bags that my @Canuk Seeds Elite Acapulco Gold n Lambs Bread are now curring in. CL