Picking your brain

[Spitz]

re: Picking your brain

I got my XML650 about 2 months ago and I am loving it! Plants are doing much better than under the other led's I was using, or the HID before that (Same stain - clones).
I love the fact that they are made less than 4 hours away from me and all questions I had were answered.
It took some serious thinking before laying out the cash, but really glad I did... Now I need one more and my huge tent will be ready for anything I can throw in!

I'd love to see a 3x6 tent. Seems like the optimum dimensions for a setup. Dual 400 or 600 cool tube hps on a dingle run, dual/ triple run of LEDs. The 4' is a bit too wide for my liking. I've searched for a 3x6 with no luck.

 

[Icemud]

re: Picking your brain

I currently am using Advanced LED XTE panels and also the Advanced LED EX-VEG and I am extremely happy with both of them So far they are the best panels that I have used thus far.

Feel free to swing by any of my journals to take a peek at the results

 

[zero244]

I am finishing up with my first LED grow and I am very impressed and happy with the results. I will respectfully disagree with the idea that good technology that works is not worth using compared to the latest tech. Quite often the latest tech has not been thoroughly tested and may or may not have problems in actual use. I would rather use older tech that has a track record as opposed to being a trouble shooter for sellers.

 

[MassMedMan]

I am finishing up with my first LED grow and I am very impressed and happy with the results. I will respectfully disagree with the idea that good technology that works is not worth using compared to the latest tech. Quite often the latest tech has not been thoroughly tested and may or may not have problems in actual use. I would rather use older tech that has a track record as opposed to being a trouble shooter for sellers.

Reminds me of a former boss of mine, when I worked in biometric intelligence/identification,, he used to say, " we learn to shave on their beard". Smart guy, his company is doing well.....

I've got a few years of IT work on my resume, and I'll take the trusty Buick that fires every time over the latest model. But, I like power windows...

 

[CaneyeBus]

re: Picking your brain

Hello Spitz,

I have owned and Advanced xml 350 in my 4x4 for a couple of years now and absolutely love it. Although, looking back I would've gone for 2 smaller lights from them as SteveHman said, having the 2 gives a third-off effect. No issues tho, I only use the a 3x3 area in the 4x4 floorspace and I definitely get coverage and deep penetration. It has been a while since I've posted but I haven't stopped lurking and learning. I see you have the 650xml, that should beast out your space! I've seen a very respected grower (I'm from the Oc+days yes! Lol) switch over to led and has led the charge with his soil "kit", use Platinum so that in and of it self had me raise an eyebrow to said company. I'm an Advanced groupie yes, the customer service alone makes it worth it. That said I am in the market for more lights as my space is about to increase in size. Will you be running a journal with the new "sun"?

Stay Frosty,
Caneye

 

[Spitz]

Hello Spitz,

I have owned and Advanced xml 350 in my 4x4 for a couple of years now and absolutely love it. Although, looking back I would've gone for 2 smaller lights from them as SteveHman said, having the 2 gives a third-off effect. No issues tho, I only use the a 3x3 area in the 4x4 floorspace and I definitely get coverage and deep penetration. It has been a while since I've posted but I haven't stopped lurking and learning. I see you have the 650xml, that should beast out your space! I've seen a very respected grower (I'm from the Oc+days yes! Lol) switch over to led and has led the charge with his soil "kit" so that in and of it self had me raise an eyebrow to said company. I'm an Advanced groupie yes, the customer service alone makes it worth it. That said I am in the market for more lights as my space is about to increase in size. Will you be running a journal with the new "sun"?

Stay Frosty,
Caneye

I intend to run a journal. If no other reason but to possibly help one other person. They won't win any POM contest but they should be green. Well, I hope they are green! Thanks for the feedback on the xml! I love what MHydro has done for the community! I still have a fetish for HID results as well. Hmm... Maybe I should change my name. Wonder if the name "light addict" is taken? Only kidding of course, I couldn't manage all that is involved flying under that handle!

 

[Icemud]

re: Picking your brain

I was sponsored by Advanced, over 3 grows ago...I am no longer in the "sponsorship" period, and I choose to use the lights because they so far are the BEST LED grow lights I have used. I like the spectral blend, I like they use Cree/Osram chips, I like the cross hatched heat sinks, I like the dust covers on the fans, I like the 2 knob spectrum/intensity control, I like the overall design. My plants like them. I don't know why you would say they are outdated when 90% of the industry still uses crappy epistar and epiled chips, poor thermal management, and most companies still fail to post their PPFD results...Not Advanced... They feature Licor tested PAR charts and other data for every panel they offer....definitely the company is more Advanced than the majority of the industry and the product shows. So why do I used the XTE panels...because I like them. They work great.

The technology I am using is not "outdated" like you say...

I know a lot of DIY guys are making white COB lights, but I am not convinced that this is the "future" of LED lighting. Yes, white Cree COB chips offer better efficiency (lumens/watt) than most Red or Blue diodes, but also plants absorb mostly red and blue so using white Cobs is actually not as efficient for growing since they are loaded with green and yellow light. Yes plants use green light, I understand this, but the efficiency of green light driving photosynthesis is only in very intense white light and it reflects and bounces around the mesophyll more than red or blue. So when blue/red photoreceptors are overloaded, then the green finds its place. I also have seen a lot of grows using Cree white COB arrays, and yes they do look promising, but the spectrum is far from perfect with out other 3w or 5w led's supplmenting the deep blue/purple, the higher 480-500nm blue/green as well as some extra support in the 620nm and 660nm region. So if I were to make a DIY LED panel, it would feature white cobs, blue and red chips...wait a second....thats what Advanced LED XTE panels have for spectrum...white, blue and red... hmmmm.

Now if you are referring to the red/blue COB chips featuring a bunch of epiled chips crammed into a small array, those types of COB chips are crap, and have horrible heat management, use pretty much the most generic of LED chips, and the only benefit of those type of COB chips are to the company selling them for profit, not to the end user.

I hope that answers your question, even though it was somewhat worded in a fashion that could be taken as insulting to one of our sponsors... Advanced LED makes amazing lights, and after trying 2 other brands, I am extremely happy with their performance. Is there a few minor things that if I could change I would...yes.. but that will have to wait until I build my own panels.

The other reason on why I haven't built my own LED panels yet is because now that I have researched the industry for a long time, used 6 different LED panel designs from 3 manufacturers, I see there are things that I would do differently than anyone in the industry... and would have a huge impact on every single design on the market... before I would make anything public, I would have to get my idea's patented, and if you have ever looked into the cost of getting a patent, you are talking around 10Grand or more. I can't afford to drop this kind of money yet, so my ideas will have to wait. The industry is too money hungry, greedy and there is no shame in people stealing others ideas as we have seen in this industry before. This is why I haven't built a panel yet, which is very close to happening, but I will not make it public until the design ideas are legally protected both in the US and China.

To sum things up...Why do I use Advance LED XTE panels...
-They feature Cree/Osram chips which last longer than the cheap epistar/epiled chips on the market in most panels (lasting 2x-3x longer)
-They have been around for over 5 years
-The panels are built very well, dust covers, modular design, excellent thermal design.
-They work better than the other LED panels I have used by far, denser nugs, larger yield.
-I haven't built my own panels yet, due to time, cost, and an area to work on them.
-I am not convince that all white COB is better, most of the all white COB videos/photos don't look nearly as trichome coated as red/blue LED plants.
-I don't see that all white chips have an ideal spectrum, the lack in the full blue end, lack a heavy deep red end, hardly have IR, and have way too much yellow green to maximize their electrical efficiency.
-Lastly, I have them, they work well, why change something that works amazing.

Also.. Cree CXA/CXB chips have a lower efficiency than the white XTE Cree chips in my panel. The CXB/CXA chips max out around 100lumens/watt where the white XTE chips I have in my Advanced panels max at 149 lumens/watt...

 

[zero244]

re: Picking your brain

LED lights are not overly complicated, but putting one together is a little beyond my electrical experience. Plus there is going to be a certain amount of trial and error, essentially R and D to get it right. My current collection of lights are working fine. When I started buying LED lights it was with the intention of using them long enough to recoup the large amount of money I have shelled out. Along with capitalizing on the lower power consumption and heat output which is one of the big reasons I bought them. Sort of like buying a new car every year, which is not a good investment.

 

[speyfly]

I just ordered an LED for a 48 X 24 X 50 tent. Really need to do this with one light and reduced heat. Hope it's up to what they say in the reviews!

Time will tell...

Cheers,

 

[MassMedMan]

I was sponsored by Advanced, over 3 grows ago...I am no longer in the "sponsorship" period, and I choose to use the lights because they so far are the BEST LED grow lights I have used. I like the spectral blend, I like they use Cree/Osram chips, I like the cross hatched heat sinks, I like the dust covers on the fans, I like the 2 knob spectrum/intensity control, I like the overall design. My plants like them. I don't know why you would say they are outdated when 90% of the industry still uses crappy epistar and epiled chips, poor thermal management, and most companies still fail to post their PPFD results...Not Advanced... They feature Licor tested PAR charts and other data for every panel they offer....definitely the company is more Advanced than the majority of the industry and the product shows. So why do I used the XTE panels...because I like them. They work great.

The technology I am using is not "outdated" like you say...

I know a lot of DIY guys are making white COB lights, but I am not convinced that this is the "future" of LED lighting. Yes, white Cree COB chips offer better efficiency (lumens/watt) than most Red or Blue diodes, but also plants absorb mostly red and blue so using white Cobs is actually not as efficient for growing since they are loaded with green and yellow light. Yes plants use green light, I understand this, but the efficiency of green light driving photosynthesis is only in very intense white light and it reflects and bounces around the mesophyll more than red or blue. So when blue/red photoreceptors are overloaded, then the green finds its place. I also have seen a lot of grows using Cree white COB arrays, and yes they do look promising, but the spectrum is far from perfect with out other 3w or 5w led's supplmenting the deep blue/purple, the higher 480-500nm blue/green as well as some extra support in the 620nm and 660nm region. So if I were to make a DIY LED panel, it would feature white cobs, blue and red chips...wait a second....thats what Advanced LED XTE panels have for spectrum...white, blue and red... hmmmm.

Now if you are referring to the red/blue COB chips featuring a bunch of epiled chips crammed into a small array, those types of COB chips are crap, and have horrible heat management, use pretty much the most generic of LED chips, and the only benefit of those type of COB chips are to the company selling them for profit, not to the end user.

I hope that answers your question, even though it was somewhat worded in a fashion that could be taken as insulting to one of our sponsors... Advanced LED makes amazing lights, and after trying 2 other brands, I am extremely happy with their performance. Is there a few minor things that if I could change I would...yes.. but that will have to wait until I build my own panels.

The other reason on why I haven't built my own LED panels yet is because now that I have researched the industry for a long time, used 6 different LED panel designs from 3 manufacturers, I see there are things that I would do differently than anyone in the industry... and would have a huge impact on every single design on the market... before I would make anything public, I would have to get my idea's patented, and if you have ever looked into the cost of getting a patent, you are talking around 10Grand or more. I can't afford to drop this kind of money yet, so my ideas will have to wait. The industry is too money hungry, greedy and there is no shame in people stealing others ideas as we have seen in this industry before. This is why I haven't built a panel yet, which is very close to happening, but I will not make it public until the design ideas are legally protected both in the US and China.

To sum things up...Why do I use Advance LED XTE panels...
-They feature Cree/Osram chips which last longer than the cheap epistar/epiled chips on the market in most panels (lasting 2x-3x longer)
-They have been around for over 5 years
-The panels are built very well, dust covers, modular design, excellent thermal design.
-They work better than the other LED panels I have used by far, denser nugs, larger yield.
-I haven't built my own panels yet, due to time, cost, and an area to work on them.
-I am not convince that all white COB is better, most of the all white COB videos/photos don't look nearly as trichome coated as red/blue LED plants.
-I don't see that all white chips have an ideal spectrum, the lack in the full blue end, lack a heavy deep red end, hardly have IR, and have way too much yellow green to maximize their electrical efficiency.
-Lastly, I have them, they work well, why change something that works amazing.

Also.. Cree CXA/CXB chips have a lower efficiency than the white XTE Cree chips in my panel. The CXB/CXA chips max out around 100lumens/watt where the white XTE chips I have in my Advanced panels max at 149 lumens/watt...

Awesome response, Icemud.

 

[Icemud]

I supplied the white data sheet because that is what is in the XTE panels, you said the technology was "outdated" and I wanted to show you that the white chips in the XTE panels have better efficiency than the COBs that you speak highly of so the technology and the choice by Advanced to use these chips is not "outdated".

Part of the reason that I am an LED tester here is because I don't trust what companies are saying, which is why I actually started testing panels to begin with because I got sick of crappy fly by night companies, BS claims, false information etc......... I wanted to give other growers the right information, something to validate the claims, inform consumers of bad products, correct companies that spout out bad information and the whole goal was to give people some kind of grasp on these new emerging technologies... what datapoints are important, what the differences are between chips...etc... Those that follow me, know that I try my very best to supply correct information about what I am doing, testing, growing, every detail... I have nothing to "hide" as I am just like every other person here...someone who wants the best for their plants... I just have a knack and interest in lighting which has taken my research to the extreme... So just so you know, I am not some "sheep" who believes marketing hype and one of the "good guys" who is here to debunk the crap....

So lets go back to your " Did you stop and think"..... I actually did think, then photographed each single chip close up, compared it to my whole library of LED datasheets to verify what chips were in the panel, then cross referenced my spreadsheet of every common LED diode, company and wavelength to see if they were the best in the category for lumen efficiency, in which they were... (did this over 1 year ago) Then I actually posted the photos on my very first test journal for everyone to see what chips are in the panels with descriptions of the chips, possible wavelengths according to bin and even did counts of individual chip wavelength to give a representation of how many of each were in the panel....

Icemud's LED Grow With Advanced LED XTE 300 Series With EX-Veg 200

After that I took draw readings, PAR readings, Temp readings and documented the grow accordingly with plenty of detail......I also did a complete video unboxing which includes the testing so the results can be visually verified and the viewer can experience opening the box and seeing what to expect.

Did I stop to think???!!?? .man..

The red chips are XPE
The blue and white are XTE
The 660 red are Osram Oslon SSL80 hyper reds.
The IR chips (dual mounted diodes) are Epistar.

You came to a Advanced LED thread, to talk trash on the company..??!!! I also noticed you spammed about 3-4 different threads with your "Cobs are the answer" type approach. Why don't you start a thread on DIY COB lighting, educate people instead of come here to trash our sponsors! Just remember, without sponsors, 420 Magazine wouldn't have the funding to keep this forum running smoothly and providing us a place to learn..

I am one of the first to call a sham on a product that doesn't' live up to its expectations, believe me being sponsored does not restrict/prohibit/or influence me discrediting a product that is deserving, and I have done it with a past sponsor who I tested and panels reliability were horrible.... I am fair, educated and honest and believe integrity to be one of the few things in this world we still can own with pride.... I can say, so far in the 3 grows I have used Advanced LED in, they have lived up to expectations perfectly and if they didnt, I would be one of the first people to say something...The panels are legit and better than all the other brands that I have used.

There maybe sheep here, I am not one of them. Have some respect please if you want to continue this conversation. I get it you are excited, but please tone down your insulting approach, you are not talking to someone who woke up yesterday....

If you have any more questions, I am happy to answer them, but please keep your condescending remarks to yourself.

 

[Icemud]

Awesome response, Icemud.

I am putting testing on pause currently for 2 reasons...1 is that I really like the Advanced XTE Panels, but the other reason is that I am working on getting a feminized seed project going, so I really want to get that going before doing another panel test.

 

[MassMedMan]

I am putting testing on pause currently for 2 reasons...1 is that I really like the Advanced XTE Panels, but the other reason is that I am working on getting a feminized seed project going, so I really want to get that going before doing another panel test.

Thanks, appreciate your time,, and the effort into the answers....

 

[MassMedMan]

I've watched many of his YouTube videos and read a lot of his journals... I would have gone advanced if not for..anyway, I'm very happy with what I have and glad I made the switch.

I forgot I flipped to 12/12 last night. Today, around 1pm I realized I didn't have my bloom switches on, went into my room and fired all three LEDs. I mentally noted the temp,, 71 inside, 89 outside. An hour later after the boom switch on I went back to check temps,, expecting a big, or at least noticeable difference... Nope. An hour later 71 inside, 85 out...



Call me happy...

 

[Spitz]

re: Picking your brain

On a lighter note, all 5 seeds are breaking ground. I'd love a few brainwashed mentors to come by and keep me in check. Growing in a 4x4 with a xml650. I paid full price for the unit and am in no way motivated to pass on any BS. The grow is about the plants! You won't see un-boxing videos. You'll just see a humble spouse of a cancer survivor do what he can to get his first real harvest under his belt. If the grow turns to shit, we could always gamble on the orientation of my next picture post! I think the link is in my sig!

 

[tonydavis]

Hi Icemud,

After all, would you recommend to buy a Mars II 900 panel? For that price $350, or a bit more, is there any lights to cover a 1 x 1 m area enough?

thanks!

I supplied the white data sheet because that is what is in the XTE panels, you said the technology was "outdated" and I wanted to show you that the white chips in the XTE panels have better efficiency than the COBs that you speak highly of so the technology and the choice by Advanced to use these chips is not "outdated".

Part of the reason that I am an LED tester here is because I don't trust what companies are saying, which is why I actually started testing panels to begin with because I got sick of crappy fly by night companies, BS claims, false information etc......... I wanted to give other growers the right information, something to validate the claims, inform consumers of bad products, correct companies that spout out bad information and the whole goal was to give people some kind of grasp on these new emerging technologies... what datapoints are important, what the differences are between chips...etc... Those that follow me, know that I try my very best to supply correct information about what I am doing, testing, growing, every detail... I have nothing to "hide" as I am just like every other person here...someone who wants the best for their plants... I just have a knack and interest in lighting which has taken my research to the extreme... So just so you know, I am not some "sheep" who believes marketing hype and one of the "good guys" who is here to debunk the crap....

So lets go back to your " Did you stop and think"..... I actually did think, then photographed each single chip close up, compared it to my whole library of LED datasheets to verify what chips were in the panel, then cross referenced my spreadsheet of every common LED diode, company and wavelength to see if they were the best in the category for lumen efficiency, in which they were... (did this over 1 year ago) Then I actually posted the photos on my very first test journal for everyone to see what chips are in the panels with descriptions of the chips, possible wavelengths according to bin and even did counts of individual chip wavelength to give a representation of how many of each were in the panel....

Icemud's LED Grow With Advanced LED XTE 300 Series With EX-Veg 200

After that I took draw readings, PAR readings, Temp readings and documented the grow accordingly with plenty of detail......I also did a complete video unboxing which includes the testing so the results can be visually verified and the viewer can experience opening the box and seeing what to expect.

Did I stop to think???!!?? .man..

The red chips are XPE
The blue and white are XTE
The 660 red are Osram Oslon SSL80 hyper reds.
The IR chips (dual mounted diodes) are Epistar.

You came to a Advanced LED thread, to talk trash on the company..??!!! I also noticed you spammed about 3-4 different threads with your "Cobs are the answer" type approach. Why don't you start a thread on DIY COB lighting, educate people instead of come here to trash our sponsors! Just remember, without sponsors, 420 Magazine wouldn't have the funding to keep this forum running smoothly and providing us a place to learn..

I am one of the first to call a sham on a product that doesn't' live up to its expectations, believe me being sponsored does not restrict/prohibit/or influence me discrediting a product that is deserving, and I have done it with a past sponsor who I tested and panels reliability were horrible.... I am fair, educated and honest and believe integrity to be one of the few things in this world we still can own with pride.... I can say, so far in the 3 grows I have used Advanced LED in, they have lived up to expectations perfectly and if they didnt, I would be one of the first people to say something...The panels are legit and better than all the other brands that I have used.

There maybe sheep here, I am not one of them. Have some respect please if you want to continue this conversation. I get it you are excited, but please tone down your insulting approach, you are not talking to someone who woke up yesterday....

If you have any more questions, I am happy to answer them, but please keep your condescending remarks to yourself.

 

[Dave Groomer]

Hi Icemud,

After all, would you recommend to buy a Mars II 900 panel? For that price $350, or a bit more, is there any lights to cover a 1 x 1 m area enough?

thanks!

I have an LED in a 1sq m tent. I am hoping this round of flowering I will be right around 1g/w.

 

[Icemud]

re: Picking your brain

Hi Icemud,

After all, would you recommend to buy a Mars II 900 panel? For that price $350, or a bit more, is there any lights to cover a 1 x 1 m area enough?

thanks!

Well I can't just say "yes or no" because there are a lot of questions I have, plus limited supply of MFG data on the PPFD output of these lights to make a good judgement.

If you are looking to get an LED light, for a budget price, then I think the Mars would do ok for you, as there are many people that use them and have good luck with them in general. Now with that being said, I have no way to really say yes or no a 900 would cover a 3x3 area because I have never personally used this model, and the MFG does not supply the PAR PPFD charts or readings to give a factual answer based on the plants needs. If you are shopping with budget/economy pricing in mind, then the Mars II probably are your best choice for a cheap light with a lot of users but you also may want to look into Platinum LED as they also have LED's on the cheaper end of the pricing spectrum with a lot of also very satisfied users, many of them also previous Mars users.

Now if cost was NOT a factor in your decision, or you weren't limiting yourself to "budget" priced panels, I would highly recommend Advanced LED as they are amazing LED grow lights. I personally use the XTE series, but others have also mentioned amazing results with the XML series as well. Also for premium end panels you can look at Budmaster, Area 51, Apache Tech, Optic and Illumitex which all use higher quality cree and osram chips vs the "economy" panels which use cheaper and less efficient epistar and epiled chips.


Overall when chosing a LED panel, its vital that you look at the PAR charts over a 4x4 grid which show how many photons per second a light is putting out, and what the coverage area is. This is usually called "PAR readings", "PAR measurements" "PAR" or "PPFD" Every light manufacturer SHOULD supply a 4x4 grid showing PAR measurements as this is truly the ONLY way to accurately judge led lighting.

I see a lot of "talk" around the net of people saying LED lighting should be judged by wattage which is about as accurate as measuring liquid with a fork. The real way to look for quality lighting is to find a LED light that puts out at least 500 umol/m2/s-1 over the ENTIRE grow area, or higher (MJ can take up to around 1,100 umol/m2/s-1 without CO2 supplementation, and up to 1,500-2,000 umol/m2/s-1 with additional available CO2, correct temperatures. Plants are mearily photon counters, and the number of photons absorbed by the plant has a direct correlation with the rate of photosynthesis. Therefore using PAR or PPF/PPFD measurements is the most accurate way to buy plant lighting, its just unfortunate that a lot of LED manufacturers don't educate the consumer the right way to pick plant lighting and many don't even supply the PAR charts/readings at all.


Usually per plant species the lighting requirement is listed as D.L.I. or daily light integral. This is the total amount of photons that hit a square meter every single 24 hours, or total light available to the plant within a 24 hour period.

MJ has a DLI of minimum 22 Mol/m2/D and I've seen people recommend as high as 65 Mol/m2/D. Well what does this mean?? and How do I convert this to PPFD?

PPFD x 0.0864 = DLI

OR

DLI / 0.0864 = PPFD

example Min: 22 uMol / 0.0864 = 254.62 uMol/m2/s-1 (PPFD)
example Max: 65 uMol / 0.0864 = 752.31 uMol/m2/s-1 (PPFD)

So for example, when choosing a light for cannabis, these are the ranges you should be looking for in PAR readings based on the Minimum and Maximum DLI for cannabis, but this requirement changes based on the length of your daylight cycle... for instance...

In veg: (Listed as MIN req - MAX req)
(254 Umol - 752.31 Umol) PPFD on 24 hours daylight schedule.
(381 Umol - 1128 Umol) PPFD on 18 hours daylight schedule.(multiply by 1.5)

In flowering:
(508 Umol - 1500 Umol) PPFD on 12 hours daylight schedule.(multiply by 2)

So this is the correct way to pick out a plant lighting solution based on the light requirement of the plant.

 

[tonydavis]

re: Picking your brain

Thanks Icemud!

I was suspecting an answer like this Thanks very much.

Price is a factor, but if I'm convinced of worth spending more on a led light, I would do so...

First touch were those off brand panels on ebay... Then I found Mars, but as you said luck is a factor. I agree. I buy a panel for $450, it works for some weeks/months then it breaks down, no guarantee for anything. (And we have not mentioned PAR yet...) I don't want to cross my fingers everyday... I do want my led panel work for years without any problem, so I can sleep peacfully Led Lights do their job, plants grow, I'm happy. Simple.

Now, I think best way is to buy the "best". This Advanced Led lifetime limited warranty sounds awesome!

Of course I also checked Platinum panels, but read those complains here on 420 about coverage. I hardly can believe I can cover a 5'x2' area with P600 , okay I can cover, but what will I grow under the light?
(Do you have any info on the led chips of Platinum? What brand do they use for their panels? I asked them, but no answer yet.)

Here is this DS 350 XML, ALed says it can cover a 4 x 4 area, for 330 W draw power! I said wow!!! BUT, is it real??

The XTE series:
XTE 200 covers 2.5 x 3
now...
XTE 400 should cover 2.5 x 6, because size is double, number of chips are double, BUT ALEd says it covers 2.5 x 4 only.
Which one is fake???
Other thing:
XTE 300 should cover a 3 x 3 area, but hey this panel is NOT square formed, I can not cover a square evenly with it! Can I??

Beyond all these facts above, I'm sure ALed would be the best pick. As I see, you use XTE-300. Honestly, what area do you cover with one panel in flowering?
For a 4 x 4 area, what type and how many XTE panel would you recommend?
Any info on the actual coverage of XML series? I think I'll open an XML thread... I really want to know where I put my money...

 

[HydroDyna]

re: Picking your brain

I supplied the white data sheet because that is what is in the XTE panels, you said the technology was "outdated" and I wanted to show you that the white chips in the XTE panels have better efficiency than the COBs that you speak highly of so the technology and the choice by Advanced to use these chips is not "outdated".

My post isn't meant to shit on Advancedledlights, I know they're using quality products + they give a 90 day risk free guarantee and have a long warranty.

But I don't think the white chips have better efficiency than COBs.

According to Cree the XT-E has a max output of 148lm/watt @ 6000k or 114lm/watt @ 3000k (I have a feeling they meant 5000k instead of 6000k)

Advanced mentions on their site they're run at 3.9 watts. (XTE Series LED Grow Light - USA Made 5w LEDs - Advanced LED Grow Lights)
This makes it easy to calculate their efficiency thanks to Cree their calculator: Cree Product Characterization Tool
I'll act like Advanced is using the very best bin.
1.150A gives 3.9Watts for the XT-E and 124.2 lm/W

Now the CXA-2540

@5000k the lowest bin is V4 (for 70/80CRI chips)


The Advanced LEDs are driven @ 1.150A, with diy CXA2540 you can decide the amps for yourself.
At 1.050A the CXA2540 with a pretty low bin is as efficient (in terms of lumen/watt) as the 1.15A driven XTE leds in the Advanced XTE panels.
The only problem is that the 2 lights don't have the exact same spectrum, they're similar but the 2540 probably has a slightly worse spectrum for Vegging.

But if I for example took the CXA2540 with the X2 bin it does clearly outperform the XTE at every amperage.
The 2540 with the X2 bin does 150 lm/w @ 1.150A, even with a spectrum slightly worse for vegging the added efficiency fully makes up for it.
And the Cree flagship CXB3590 with the DB bin just completely destroy the XTE (even the very best bin) in terms of efficiency.

Advanced probably has the best non-cob based panels, I just feel that non-cob LEDs are starting to get antiquated compared to the cobs.