Cycloptics Greenbeams 315w owners thread

McKush · Nov 29, 2015

Hi all -

This thread is dedicated to the Cycloptics Greenbeams 315w fixture with either bulb 930 or 942. I couldnt find any GB threads when i searched so im starting one for owners and anyone interested in the fixture. Anything related to specifically the GB fixture and bulb is welcome. For discussion of the bulb go to Rives excellent thread which has tons of info and is geared towards DIYers.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=299165 .

Im using a Phillips 942 220v (200-277v model) GB over a 3x3 tray in a room just a tad wider 38"x45" and serves as my veg room. I use jacks+calcnit in ro/di water @ 600ppm both in flower and veg. I feed with a timer and recirculate the run off.

Here is Cycloptics site but many vendors carry them. They are a tad pricey $530 to my door but they are also the tits too so ya gotta factor that into the price. Seriously though the reflector is specifically designed for the bulb to give its output a very even distribution with hardly any hot spots and it is also made in the USA.

https://www.cycloptics.com/greenbeams

Here is my GB in use

Tactical Farmer · Nov 29, 2015

At what distance above canopy can the 315 cmh be set without causing damage I wonder ?

McKush · Nov 29, 2015

That I do not know at this time, I don't think I've burned anything yet and I've run 28" to 36 or so... I'm hoping to elicit that discussion, input anyone? I am also interested in knowing what height is ok for seedlings with a GB and what the working distances are

Scrappy-doo · Nov 30, 2015

Great thread!

People been sleeping on these units cause they're set in their ways. Cycloptics hoods are a complete game changer and imo are superior to anything else on the market. The light itself is impressive but the fixture is what makes these so special.

As far as canopy distance goes it depends on the type of reflective material used and the distance from bulb to walls. Using orca or flat white paint diffuses the light and would allow you to get closer. Since the spread of light utilyzes wall reflection primarily, simply widening the space also will allow you to bring the bulb closer if you wanted. but the more you lower it the less efficient it becomes because you lose penetration from lack of angle in side reflection. The strategy for these lights isn't about how close you bring the bulb, it's how well you place relative to your room size. Bit of adjusting mentally to get out of the old lighting paradigm.

milkyjoe · Nov 30, 2015

So say a 20 ft wide room. Do you need more lights near the center of the room due to less wall reflection? Guess it is best to let Cycloptics model the room for you

Scrappy-doo · Nov 30, 2015

Yeah if you don't have a wall close to the light on one side you need another light to overlap and create that angular penetration.

I didn't use cycloptics modeling because they have you mount them on top of the ceiling several feet away from canopy. I used 3 lights very effectively in a 5x10 space hanging 30" above the canopy. By their model I would have needed twice as many lights for that space if not more, making the argument for better efficiency fall flat on it's face.

Remember Flip from Cycloptics is not a grower and models the room based on mathematics. But talking to him on the phone, he wasn't able to give me any real concrete answers on how I should set the room up because admittedly, he doesn't know what's best and what works aside from how it looks on paper. Best he could do was point me toward some college studies that were done. We are the real pioneers and will figure what's ideal through trial and error. My money is on hanging reflectors at the optimal distance rather than fixing them above the roof of your flower room. That's just wasting electricity afaic.

timmur · Nov 30, 2015

milkyjoe said:
So say a 20 ft wide room. Do you need more lights near the center of the room due to less wall reflection? Guess it is best to let Cycloptics model the room for you

Hey milkyjoe, follow this link for a room that Beta Test team modeled. It doesn't directly answer your question, but you should be able to get the general idea. Also follow this link for an approximation of the lights you'll need for that space given a target PPF. You're right though, you should use their modeling service and then buy a light meter to confirm/dial it in.

milkyjoe · Nov 30, 2015

Thanks timmur and Scrappy

smile · Nov 30, 2015

Yo Scrappy,

Yo Scrappy,

Scrappy,

With fixtures 30" above the plants what size plants did you grow?

Lower buds were ok and not too fluffy?

Thanks

Avinash.miles · Nov 30, 2015

tagging in to follow this thread...

Scrappy-doo · Nov 30, 2015

All different size plants from 1oz to 4oz a piece. Some went in very small others were established. Yielded just over 3 and 1/4 lbs in that space and that's just a first run not dialed whatsoever. I think I can hit 4+.

Everything is in the link in my sig.

McKush · Dec 1, 2015

Hey Scrappy - i read your thread last night. Wanted to see your use of the GB. You started at 2' on plants vegging under a different light and reported some lumen shock (light damage.) Then i think you raised the light to 3'. Are you still running that way? Any height diff in veg or flower?

Ive had some spotting on my plants in veg but im not sure it is light damage or not yet. Ive had plants from 2+ to 3 feet from the light. So far the damage has been confined to the lower and older fan leaves. New growth and tops seem ok.

Scrappy-doo · Dec 1, 2015

Yeah they vegged under t5/fluorescent and got shocked when I flipped so had to raise the light. Settled on 30" from canopy. I'm on hiatus from growing atm so I only have the one run with the greenbeams. Next time at flip I'll start them at 42" to be safe and let them stretch into the light. Sounds like yours are pretty comfortable with your setup if the new growth is healthy. Good luck I'll be looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

timmur · Dec 2, 2015

Greenbeams o'plenty

Greenbeams o'plenty

Hey milkyjoe, here's a nice room full of Greenbeams!

Abcann Medicinals

Looks like they are using them for veg.

Dank Whisperer · Dec 23, 2015

Interesting to see a GB thread since I was thinking about them in the future. I'm curious if anyone can take some reasonably accurate measurements of the interior of their unit? I bet I could make something more appropriate for my needs by modifying the panels of a Silver Sun parabolic to achieve the same shape.

Also, I think I see the beginning of a misconception forming around these reflectors and I'd like to dispel it if I may. [To be clear, this is not a criticism of the company, reflector, or any of it's owners and should not be taken as such.]

I think the term "uniform output" is being misconstrued by consumers. I'm willing to bet my life that the level uniformity in output that they claim is only achievable: 1) in a very small area @ just the right distance from the light, or 2) using their complete system w/ modeling included. That is why you need so many reflectors, because each one is only capable of producing the necessary uniformity/penetration within a small "footprint".

Dank Whisperer · Dec 23, 2015

[I'm not in on many threads yet, and trying to get to 50 posts legitly, so excuse my multiple posts.]
If you were to wear goggles allowing you see the way the light projected out, you wouldn't see some magic glowing orb, you'd see something similar to what you get from a Maglite. Imagine hanging a bunch of Maglites so that their beams produce an even coverage, and that's what Cycloptics has done on a large scale.

Dank Whisperer · Dec 23, 2015

This is why using them, you have to back them of off to 30"+ to avoid problems, while the same bulb in other reflectors has allowed growth a few inches away w/ no problem. I've seen the same thing after switching a 400 MH/HPS from my first homemade reflector to the OG (P.O.S., tell your friends), thinking their claims of adequately lighting a 4x4 were legit. It might cover 3x3 w/ 600wHPS on a good day.

Dank Whisperer · Dec 23, 2015

And the OG burned plants when it was 36" away when one of the reflector panels distorted by the suction from the adjacent exhaust port. Had to back it off several inches to be safe.

Well, it turns out with any parabolic, you have to mount it way up high to get it to spread, and from my experience I've come to the conclusion that they generally project an intense beam of light that, on its own, is rather awkward and mostly unusable. You have to know where the "sweet spot" is within the projected beam, and it is rather small with these things. Again, that is why they require so many individual fixtures.

Dank Whisperer · Dec 23, 2015

In the end, it is just another parabolic reflector (been around since ~350 BCE) -- albeit a very well designed one. It was designed to be a constant variable in their computer model (1 fixture, for 1 bulb, @ a set height, spaced @ an even interval), not to be the end-all-be-all in small-op grow light design.

The vast majority of sales of fixtures are large scale growers with many of them having greenhouses. Magnum XXXXXXXXXXL-types are right out because they would block too much sun. Also, commercial growers don't mind shelling out the extra $ on ballasts and fixtures to achieve even light w/ minimal interference w/ the sun.

Dank Whisperer · Dec 23, 2015

If you have a larger operation where you plan to buy several fixtures anyway, then Greenbeams should definitely be considered. Smaller or irregular areas though, might be better suited with different reflectors. Something like a tent/enclosure would be an exception since the walls are reflective and very close, yet it's temp can be controlled.

Always use the right tool for the job. That means use the reflector that projects light in the "footprint" of your grow space; and more importantly, one that produces the proper intensity within that "footprint" at the canopy level, and not the ground.

So, to surmise:
I am not shitting on Scrappy-doo or McKush, as I am also a prospective Greenbeams customer. I am simply informing folks that the physics at work is a little different than the image they have conjured up when read how Cycloptics markets their uniformity levels. Don't get caught up in the hype, even if the hype is mostly true.

Cycloptics Greenbeams 315w owners thread

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