Choosing an LED fixture - bigger is better?

[de145]

Let's say I'm growing in a smallish cabinet and have 2' by 2' of usable space.

Do I buy the light specified for that exact area by the seller or is it worthwhile to go a bit bigger to get more light into that same space?

Or is it completely wasted because the bigger light will shine on the walls and contribute nothing useful to the plants inside the 2' by 2' area?

(The lenses in the new LED fixtures complicate things as they seem to be focused on a particular distance and area)

 

[joejusttyped]

Leds dont have the best light penetration. Imo a brand that advertises true wattage with high watt chipsets would be where I'd start. I grow in a 2x2x4 and I use a 240w(real wattage 135w) and I cant wait til I can get more light in my tent. Spectraledgrowlights.com is where I'd look if I was you.

 

[rives]

Do I buy the light specified for that exact area by the seller or is it worthwhile to go a bit bigger to get more light into that same space?

Or is it completely wasted because the bigger light will shine on the walls and contribute nothing useful to the plants inside the 2' by 2' area?

I like having as much of the grow area as possible covered with multiple light sources. In my experience, LED fixtures do not light up well out of the "core area" - basically immediately below the fixture and out a few inches. This was one of the design criteria for my hybrid fixture, I wanted the screen covered to the greatest extent possible. That fixture wound up being 22-1/2" x 28-1/2", placed in an area that is roughly 30" x 30". I have sidewall-mounted controls and receptacles, so the size wound up being nearly ideal.

 

[de145]

I'm talking about modern systems with lenses though.

 

[rives]

I have a couple of "modern" systems with lenses, too. This fixture was my response to what I perceived as being their shortcomings. Tight lensing causes hot spots immediately beneath them unless there is substantial separation between the plant and the LEDs, and then the tangential lighting runs out of steam pretty quickly when compared with the light immediately below the LED's. Good luck.

 

[de145]

Ah..ok, thanks rives. I thought you meant the no lens type. So in effect your answer is yes then, get a bigger one to get a bigger usable footprint underneath and don't believe the sellers specs for usable area because it's less than that.

 

[habeeb]

the thing is, you want your panel/s to be as large as you can get for the grow area (2x2).. and also fitting in a nice size watts ( not underdoing, or overdoing )


I suggest, what verdant has which is 2 pro's, or one 189 x-pro with 3 watt chip

 

[brotherjericho]

I agree with rives. I have a PG180 and it really is only good for the two plants directly under it. It might grow 3 in veg, but for flower, forget it. My tent is 2x2x5, and I have the PG180 on one side and a 150w 3000K PLL homemade fixture on the other. I start the plants in flower under all spectrums of the PG180 (it has one for veg, one for flower) and put them under the PLLs in the last two weeks. Seems to work out well so far.

 

[siddhartha]

Let us know what you decide on getting and how it works for you. My buddy is wanting to start a micro grow with LEDs and wants me to help out. But I have no micro LED experience.
Sidd

 

[grow_right]

for my 2x2 foot area i use the ds200. i also have the new ds xml for the same sized space.

 

[VerdantGreen]

i agree a 189x pro or similar would rock in that space. you want the light to be as big as possible in size so the led's are spread over as much of the footprint as possible.

i think the main reason that most peeps are disapointed by LED's is because they buy one that is too low in wattage. you cant expect 150W of LED to match a 250hps (actually 300w)

i would say go for a light that uses 70-80% of the wattage (real draw) of the HPS you are hoping to match up to.

VG

 

[mcnakamura]

Re: Choosing an LED fixture - bigger is better?

Well, It depends on you if you think that it has a good output will it happen.Just go for it.

Sydney Electrical emergency

 

[vukman]

This is an area where I believe that DIY LED's will really be into their own. We all know how tightly manufacturers place the LED's together on the heat sinks. In a DIY project, you could take the same 168 x 3W LEDs which typically make up a "500W" (~300W real draw) and place them on a heat sink which is double the sqft (cm2) size. Using the proper optics and you've just increased the footprint of usable and maximum PAR growing space....

Just a thought.....

 

[PetFlora]

or as Sailor is doing, 3 smaller 1 watt led panels

 

[BrownThumb]

LED COverage

LED COverage

I like having as much of the grow area as possible covered with multiple light sources. In my experience, LED fixtures do not light up well out of the "core area" - basically immediately below the fixture and out a few inches. This was one of the design criteria for my hybrid fixture, I wanted the screen covered to the greatest extent possible. That fixture wound up being 22-1/2" x 28-1/2", placed in an area that is roughly 30" x 30". I have sidewall-mounted controls and receptacles, so the size wound up being nearly ideal.

I agree with the idea that the footprint straight down is the money zone for LED's. I am working w/ a 2x2' area and have tried to completely cover the entire 4 feet with light. I am hopeful that this will make the difference between fluffy buds and dense nuggets. I am packing around 330 watts ATM in veg and will go up to around 470 when I flower.

 

[EleetDoja]

The new LED's are great. I am about to pull my first harvest down grown under an Apollo 6 LED. I just ordered a second. HID systems are on their way out. GC:\Users\Chris\Pictures\2012-06-21 LEDpics\LEDpics 013.JPGet with the program.

 

[Keep goin]

You are getting plenty of great advice here...I would agree with most of it. Vukman is right on with his DIY suggestion. Definitely worth checking out...Less clustering of the chips= more coverage! You can choose lens / no lens...all sorts of options. RapidLed.com has a good rep and an easy site to use. Check out their videos on solder less DIY...That what convinced me!!

2x2 you should be able to KILL that space pretty easily with a DIY setup. (cheaper, higher quality too)

Good Luck.