LED lights?

[firstavailable]

yea, but that is not UV. Its just really low on the violet range.

UVA is 315nm-400nm
UVB is 280nm-315nm
UVC is 100nm-280nm

For cannabis, you want UVB in he range 310nm-315nm.

 

[Cakes]

i am not familiar with the acronyms you are using. it would be nice if you spelled them out the first time you refered to them for those of us who are just now getting onboard to this tech.

How about making your own colors? we can use led to make video projectors, so we should be able to have a panel of leds that can be tuned into any spectrum

The chart I saw showed peak chlorophyll action occuring at wavelengths with a number of 5550.

we wonder if the peak chlorophyll action might not vary by plant species and even season.

and by the way, did you know chlorophyll is alive (cyanobacteria)?

 

[PearlJamFan]

yea, but that is not UV. Its just really low on the violet range.

UVA is 315nm-400nm
UVB is 280nm-315nm
UVC is 100nm-280nm

For cannabis, you want UVB in he range 310nm-315nm.

So how about these,

DC forward voltage : VF (IF =20mA)
3.2V-3.4V Typ, 3.8VMax
DC reverse current : IR (VR =5V)
100uA
Wavelength : Wd (IF=20mA) 390-395nm

http://www.besthongkong.com/product_info.php?products_id=21

Or this:

http://www.besthongkong.com/product_info.php?cPath=9_20&products_id=128

 

[firstavailable]

i am not familiar with the acronyms you are using. it would be nice if you spelled them out the first time you refered to them for those of us who are just now getting onboard to this tech.

How about making your own colors? we can use led to make video projectors, so we should be able to have a panel of leds that can be tuned into any spectrum

The chart I saw showed peak chlorophyll action occuring at wavelengths with a number of 5550.

we wonder if the peak chlorophyll action might not vary by plant species and even season.

and by the way, did you know chlorophyll is alive (cyanobacteria)?

Sorry, I guess I should have explained that better.
The ultraviolet spectrum (UV) is devided into 3 "sections. A, B, and C. These are commonly refered to as UVA, UVB, and UVC.


The UVA portion of the spectrum is in the range 315nm-400nm. This is right before the visable light spectrum starts. It is te weakest form of UV. This is what the "black light" that they sell in stores gives off. It is not verry usefefull for resin production.

The UVB portion of the spectrum is in the range 280nm-315nm. This is kinda like the midrange of the UV spectrum. This is what gives you sunburn when you lay out in the beach for too long. As far as I know, there are no commercially available LED's that produce anything within this spectrum. You can get flouro tubes that give off UVB, but unless you know what you are doing, it can be VERRY dangerous. MH bulbs give off a good deal of UVB radiation, but they are usually shielded to prevent it from getting out for safety reasons. You can obtain special-order MH bulbs that don't have the shielding, but again, unless you know what you are doing, this can be VERRY DANGEROUS to work with. With regard to cannabis, the most effective range for resin production is 310nm-315nm.

The UVC portion of the spectrum is in the range 100nm-280nm. This is the most powerfull end of the UV spectrum. It is primarily used for sterilization. Like killing bacteria and viruses in food and in the air. There are flouro tubes available that give off this spectrum, but i wouldnt reccomend them. There is no benafit with regard to cannabis, and they are extremely dangerous to work with if you dont know hat you are doing.

As an example of how dangerous UV lights can be if used improperly, my dad likes to tell a story about how when I was first born, my mom wanted to steralize my nursery room from all sorts of pathogens and bacteria. Well, after a few minutes of waving arround a UV light, he had to take her to the hospital. A few minutes more, and she would have been permanently blind.

I hope that helped clerify things. Here is a pic the spectrum that will hopefully make everything clear.

 

[firstavailable]

So how about these,

DC forward voltage : VF (IF =20mA)
3.2V-3.4V Typ, 3.8VMax
DC reverse current : IR (VR =5V)
100uA
Wavelength : Wd (IF=20mA) 390-395nm

http://www.besthongkong.com/product_info.php?products_id=21

Or this:

http://www.besthongkong.com/product_info.php?cPath=9_20&products_id=128

This is basicly the same spectrum as you would get from a "black light". It wont hurt anything, but it wont do much good either.

You want something in the 310nm-315nm range.

A good rule of thumb is, if you can see visable light coming from it, it probably isn't UV.

 

[PearlJamFan]

Good to know, thanks.

Maybe I will just use them for my PC or something like that.

I am pretty excited to try my LED setup. I will try to start a diary or thread on it when I start. I have 6 White Rhino clones ready to go. I will try a SCROG for the first time. Hope I get it right

 

[firstavailable]

cool, good luck.

This might help you out a bit. Cogitus has done a really nice LED experament on the RM forums with LED's. Unfortunately it's unconclusive because his plants got root-rot, but I suggest you check it out anyway. Lots of info.
http://www.reefermanseeds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3561

 

[PearlJamFan]

What the hell are these things?

http://dkc3.digikey.com/PDF/T061/1729.pdf
http://www.nvginc.com/mmd660nm5m.htm

Says 5-11 degrees, or 25-37 degrees.

 

[LED_experiments]

laser diodes, useless for your interests

 

[PearlJamFan]

I just got this from another site

Light with wavelengths between 600-700nm is the most efficient for photosynthesis. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) with a peak weavelength of 643nm are the most cost effective light source if operation of the PBR is 1 year or more.

h??p://asae.frymulti.com/abstract.asp?aid=13868&t=2

 

[PearlJamFan]

Just got this in:

Thanks for your e-mail.
Our 12V LED lamps is including the resistors inside the LED lamps.

The normal round LED lamps provide 50°.

The shipping charge of 2000 pcs send by EMS is around US$20.00

KTL051AxI-U US$35.38/Kpcs. http://www.kouhi.com/pdf/112KTL051.pdf
KTL053AxI-T US$38.33/Kpcs. http://www.kouhi.com/pdf/114KTL053.pdf
KTL080AxI-U US$47.95/Kpcs. http://www.kouhi.com/pdf/118KTL080.pdf
KTL100AxI-U US$47.95/Kpcs http://www.kouhi.com/pdf/119KTL100.pdf

So,
1,000 of KTL053AxI-T, 632nm, 7800mcd, 120 degree angle, $38.33/K
2,000 of KTL051AxI-U, 660nm, 5800mcd, 25 degree angle, $35.38/K x 2 $70.76
Shipping by EMS, $20.00
Total $129.09

That's $.04303 per LED, sounds good to me. Or should I just get 3K of the 660's?

And I know there is probably a language barrier, but he said

The normal round LED lamps provide 50°.

That is totally different than what is listed on the datasheet. I think it's just a general statement, but 50d is ok with me on the 660nm.

Here is a blue that they have, they run about $.24 each.
464nm (typ), ~4000mcd, 30 degree half view,
http://www.reefermanseeds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=7887&d=1145458018

 

[LED_experiments]

nice i'm interested in their offer.

 

[PearlJamFan]

Here is my updated quote:

Does it seem like a good deal? I may take off the blues and stick with what I got.
What about the mix, 1K 632nm and 2K 660nm, or just go with 3K 660nm?

 

[LED_experiments]

i think it is better to use both, 632 and 660, but more 660 than 632.
so you will have 632:660:470 = 1 : 2 : 0.5 ? i think this will work great.

 

[PearlJamFan]

If I go with 2000 of the 660nm and 1000 of the 632, and 500 of the blue, how many watts would the equate to vs and HID setup?

660nm, 5mm, 5800mcd, 25 degree, 20mA, 2.15v
632nm, 5mm, 7800mcd, 120 degree, 20ma, 2.15v
470nm, 10mm, 40000mcd, 15 degree, ?mA, 3.4v (I will use seperate power supply for these)

I bought the 10mm blue ones before I did all this research. Should I just say F-it with them and splurge on the 5mm, 464nm (typ), ~4000mcd, 30 degree half view, for $.24 each.

 

[firstavailable]

Why would you want to use 2 different red LED's? One is obveously better than the other. We just need to figure out wich is better, and use that one exclusively.

By "better" I mean enduces more photosynthesis. If you use both, you give up realestate that could be used to house an LED that can stimulate more photosynthisis in exchange for one that can stimulate it less. Why wuld you do this?

Photosynthisis is more responsive to 660nm than it is to 632nm, however, the 632nm LED produces significantly more light than the 660nm. We need to figure out if the increase in light intensity is enough to overcome the sensativity issue. If it is, use the 632nm. If it's not, use the 660nm.

As far as ratio of blue:red, I believe the nasa research into LED growing showed that the optimal ratio was 9:1 red:blue.

 

[firstavailable]

If you have the $$$ to burn, I would definitely go with the 464nm blues. They are better spectrum, more intense light, and smaller, so you can fit more into the same space.

 

[PearlJamFan]

I got the money, not to burn, but it will make up the cost in about 2 months. During the summer I have to run an AC untit to cool the cab with my 400w hps. Figure I will save money by not running the AC and money from having to run a 400w lamp. Not too mention It will be over 100 every day soon.

Maybe I will built 1 array with the 632nm and blue, and 660nm with blue. I also have some 400nm I will throw in since I already bought them.

What type of wattage do you think this will equal out to if I use:
2,000 of the 660nm red & 222 of the 464nm blue? They are 2.15v and 20mA.

I was thinking if doing 1 plant with the 632nm and 464 blue, and another with the 660nm and 464 blue as a comparison. I got 6 clones of the same mother that I can test with. Altought I am not sure I have enough time before I have to switch them over to the 400hps, I will have a lot of soldering to do.

I do have one of those Cold Heat solder deals, I might even try it out.

 

[LED_experiments]

@firstavailable: both 635 and 660 are used for photosinthesis. check the clorophil absorbtion charts. if you check them, you find out, that there are 2 types of clorophile. one of them has red peak at 635, the other at 660. you also have 2 blue peaks (each for one type of clorophile). i'm not sure about that, but i think that there is more 660+425 clorophile than 635+455.
i ran my experiments on 630+470 and the growth was good. i think if you run them on 660+425, the results will be better, but if using all 4 of them, the results can be much better.
@pearljam: try 3 grows. first with 632+465, second with 660+400, third with all 4 of them. i think i allready know the winner.
if i make a quick calculation about equal wattage, i'd say you will use arround 80W (2000×2V×20mA)for red, arround 15W (222×3V×20mA) for blue (quick calculation, the numbers are approximate). that will be arround 90-100W total. i checked a HID vs LED comparison, and they say, the ratio is 1:4, so if we can trust them, i'd say, this will be equal to 400 HID. but nobody knows what leds were they using, so the results may be different (in positive way i hope).
about cold-heat solder: do you have that soldering gun, that operates with bateries, that heats and colds in few seconds? if so DON'T USE IT if you don't want to burn some leds. the point is, that there you have a tip that is made of 2 parts. when you contact them, you make a short circuit on your bateries and that is why the tip gets hot. what is the problem? you have 6V between those 2 parts. if you accidentaly put each part of the tip to each one of LED legs, you power it with 6V (i think you know what that means). the problem is also in temperature. i don't know exactly how hot does this tip get (i think 400°C), and blue leds are very sensitive about temperatures. they reccomend soldering them at 250°C for max 5s. so, be carefull, and again, don't use ColdHeat. buy a normal one for $10.

 

[packn2puff]

I've been soldering electronics for a long time now almost 25yrs..Those Cold Heat are just soso..OK in a pinch..the solder just doesn't flow right..
The butane ones work good but the exhaust hole can get ya..yowww..
For soldering a bunch of diodes...even a cheap $5 25-35w plug-in would be better..
I like a nice pen, heat controllable, tip cleaning flux, wet sponge or towel..solder joints are perfect..
Hey anyone thought of using an old PC monitor to grow under...just display a spectrum that works...Hmmm