[repuk]

Hi tenthirty!

The aliexpress page you mention specs 45 2W LEDs.. current draw is 70W because they don't run the LEDs at 100%...

I'm also into building my own LED lamp and considering RapidLED for convenience, did you see their Ultra Premium Retrofit kits? why did you prefer to get the components and not a kit? The deep red LEDs are 3W?

[repuk]

After some research and tinkering with the shopping cart I see why No use in adding royal blues when one can cover that with XM-L NW

Are your sure those Deep RED are just 1W?? I also checked the spectral coverage and adding far red looks sound ... though what PetFlora said also...

I'm thinking on taking also the RapidLED route but with just NW LEDs, so far nobody has tried that? (I will be using it just for flowering)

[vukman]

The fantastic thing about using the whites whether it is WW, CW or NW is that it covers a broad spectrum and I know I'm not saying anything we don't already know but the heat given of is almost negligible compared to HID's so you can really pack in the lux/lumens and with the right optics (30-60degree)...all things being equal....you should be able to do some damn heavy duty growing and not have the heat issues. So the savings in electrical costs would add up real quick.

I am not speaking from experience mind you but a light band spectrum is a light band spectrum whether it's MH compared to the CW LED or the WW and HPS..

I may be way off but it really does sound spot on. I'm sure someone has this going already and like everyone else, I would really be interested in the results...

[tenthirty]

repuk, Good, fast, cheap. pick 2. I went with rapid led because of known quality name brand top bin leds....The spec sheets for the LEDs are your friend as well as ohms law!
The LED manufacturing process is not super consistent.

Right now we're running 2 pro-grow led panels as well as HPS. It will be interesting to see the difference between the pro-grows and the first test model.

I'm working on access to a good multi-thousand dollar quantum meter as well, while I wait patiently at the front door for my package to arrive.

[repuk]

I'm going the all NW route. Will use them for flower, the cab will be 60x50x120cm, (23"x19"x47") 18 XM-L.

At 80% power that would mean 144W or like 45w per sq feet, which lens would be better in my scenario? 60 or 80 degrees??

[repuk]

I see tenthirty!! (didn'r see your reply)
Well, I'm going the all NW so we will see how it goes!

[tenthirty]

Originally Posted by repuk

I'm going the all NW route. Will use them for flower, the cab will be 60x50x120cm, (23"x19"x47") 18 XM-L.

At 80% power that would mean 144W or like 45w per sq feet, which lens would be better in my scenario? 60 or 80 degrees??

144w for the 1.5" heat sink hits me as being a bit much. I would go with the 4" wide one, though your real power draw at the LEDs will probably be closer to 100w. It's going to take 2 of the Mean Well drivers, each maxing out at 60w per driver.
Check out the spec sheets and do the math.
https://www.rapidled.com/mean-well-lp...urrent-driver/

As far as lenses go, I'm starting out with none. So that is a "we'll see". The spec sheet for the LEDs calls out a 120 degree angle, but the graph shows that they really start to drop off at about 90.

This also brings up the viability/usability of diffuse light.
IMHO, I'm thinking that we want to share the light from all of the leds, apposed to having 18 little spot lights. The cumulative advantages to having multiple HPSs' is well know.

Just say'in.

[medmaker420]

once built and tested time will tell what works best indeed

a ton of different ideas flowing in the led threads lately and I'm diggin it.

Anyone who was around a few years ago during the led debates compared to NOW would realize how far led grow lights have actually progressed and in a POSITIVE WAY especially for the DIY types.

can't wait for the pics and grow show!

[rives]

I'm very interested to see how the various flavors of white work out. I'm still on the fence regarding their usage vs, for instance, PL-L fluorescent lamps. I was definitely impressed with the way that mine vegged this last run, but the cost is substantially more, and there is no comparison in the complexity of assembling the two. Fun to play with, though!

[medmaker420]

Rives I too am a pl-l lover as I have used them 100% for ALL my vegging for YEARS and when I first got started I used them for both veg and flower ( those 55w biaxes are AWESOME ).

They do have many uses and last a damn long time