Building a Home Made LED

[tenthirty]

Rives, damn, started really chuncking the number for where I think the spectrum should be, the 315w agro started look'in pretty good......until i saw the price. WOW!
http://lightbulbhut.com/elite-315wt12agro-p-7324.html

 

[rives]

That's fucking absurd! The Agro lamps typically go for around $100-115 each. The ballasts are ridiculous at around $400 for the Philips Advance model, but I understand that Global Energy & Lighting is working to bring the price of their Ceramatek ballast down substantially, and it appears to be far superior to the Advance version. It is really difficult to find a source for the lamp sockets, almost all of them are made in Europe and they want huge minimum orders. I finally found them through Mitronix, a US manufacturer, and the minimum order was 10. You can buy parts through some of the fixture manufacturers in the US that are using this stuff, but they want a premium for them through their spare parts departments.

 

[tenthirty]

Seems that we'll both be waiting for a little while on this one. It looks like it would be a fine replacement for the 600w HPS.

When googleing it, I saw in german "plasma killer" go by. didn't click on it though, enough said.

 

[rives]

Actually, I have all my parts and am in the process of assembling everything. I went with the standard 930 lamps for now, I found a killer price for a case of them and couldn't pass it up. I want to see how it works out, and then either pick up some of the Agros or supplement with some 660nm led bars.

 

[tenthirty]

What did all the pieces set you back?
When ya going to put it to use?

 

[rives]

I've got about $600 into everything (excluding the reflectors), and am setting up three of them side-by-side. I had planned on having my new setup rolling this winter, but I tore up my shoulder and can barely use one arm, so it may have to wait a bit.

 

[PetFlora]

Could HPA Be In Your Future?

Could HPA Be In Your Future?

Here is what hpa (high pressure aero- sans accumulator/solenoids...) can do. It's quite simple a Aquatec 8800 high pressure pump + mist heads (I use Reptile Basics as they are mounted in articulating assemblies- great for adjustments). If you look closely in pic 1 you will see part of a 4 head mister; they are available in 1 -2 & 4 head. Also the plastic keeps the roots from off the bottom

It took me a few grows to find a happy place, that place depends on root chamber volume. In my 33G tote 8 seconds every 8 minutes during lights on; 12 minutes lights off

Root volume will increase considerably once bud sites begin to develop. These plants are slightly smaller than a soccer ball, but getting ready to explode.

Oh, I use Hydro-Research VEG+BLOOM. It's a one step dry formula: veg at 200ppm, weekly increase to 400- 450 during veg *they will show sex > ~ 450 without changing light schedule, and in bloom ~ 600- 800. Still working that out, but pretty sure max of 600 will be just fine

Here is netprophet's grow using RW + V+B https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=228994&page=16

I run D2W (drain to waste) but during veg I collect runoff, adjust pH and reuse. Nutes are completely replaced weekly

Clean up is a breeze - chop the roots (excellent compost), wash out the chamber, repeat

View attachment 185975 View attachment 185976

This is 66 day old from a previous hpa grow

 

[vukman]

Hey PetFlora........those are some damn nice looking root systems...Very healthy and clean looking...Looks like you found the right set up and timing schedules for the strain you're running...

Looking forward to seeing how they blow up when it's flowering time..

 

[medmaker420]

man do I want to play with some aero again..

petflora looking great.

It also seems like a ton of you guys are going diy style which is exciting to see which spectrum or ratio ends up working out for everyone.

STOKED to see where 2012 takes us and totally amped to see what 2013 has for leds.

 

[vukman]

testing this to see what kind of difference it makes.........
Holidays are over in China and I got a tracking number for chips so........things are moving now..

 

[tenthirty]

The first hydro, I ever ran was a ebb and flow bucket system with pea gravel for the medium.
An old guy down the street made up the systems.
Got the nutes from the same guy, no EC meter only PH. Came in bags of blue crystals and he gave us the mixing instructions.

So far, I've run some water culture and a heath flooded tube and an aero, before it was called aero.

It's cool to drive a Ferrari, but watching it and fixing it, not so much.

With the rockwool in ebb and flow, the cycle and results have been very consistent, and the way the grow is setup, ultimately the leds can be phased into the system slowly and changes will be much easier to see.

By the way, under the HML with the latest group, there are some changes.
Considering this group got switched directly to 12/12 under the light,
there are some striking differences between rows/individuals.
For one thing, the bottom internodes under the HML, just took off with the branches, maybe 4" long and 2 nodes,
where under the Pro-Grows the max the branches have grown is maybe an inch.

Almost for sure, at least these plants need to be at least 12" from the XM-L leds.
The Pro-Grows a little less.

 

[repuk]

I'm not sure to have understood right, are you saying the clones under the HML had more stretch??

That would point to the light needing more Blue (if we were to keep internodal length short)

 

[tenthirty]

Repuk, the main stem is about normal, it's the lower branches that seem to be stretching and already have 2 nodes on them.

I don't know if that is good or bad. This is also 5 days at 12/12.
Also the HML plants are already showing sex hard!

 

[repuk]

So it can be said they develop faster?

vukman, are those LED chinese knockoffs?

 

[vukman]

weeeeeeeeeeee...Part 1 has arrived..

weeeeeeeeeeee...Part 1 has arrived..

Oh boy oh boy oh boy......

Now just to get the rest of what I need..

These were originally meant for 1 light but changes have taken place...Still not sure how many to use but at least I have them now...

 

[vukman]

So it can be said they develop faster?

vukman, are those LED chinese knockoffs?

I don't understand what you mean by "Chinese knockoffs"....?

Were they bought directly from China and not a retailer?? Then yes, they are....

 

[tenthirty]

So it can be said they develop faster?

vukman, are those LED chinese knockoffs?

At 5 days, I would say yes, they are developing faster.
If I had to guess, I would say that hormone production is up and maybe, I say maybe photosynthetic growth is up.
None of them look bleached yet.
I didn't look at them last night, but I will tonight.
Tomorrow will be day 7.

Vuk, nice collection of leds. what is the inventory?
What are you missing?

 

[repuk]

Repuk, the main stem is about normal, it's the lower branches that seem to be stretching and already have 2 nodes on them.

I don't know if that is good or bad. This is also 5 days at 12/12.
Also the HML plants are already showing sex hard!

That's great for SCROG!

I don't understand what you mean by "Chinese knockoffs"....?

Were they bought directly from China and not a retailer?? Then yes, they are....

[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=39955&pictureid=950351&thumb=1]View Image[/URL] [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=39955&pictureid=950348&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]

I meant the LED lights in those pictures, please forgive me if you already specified that in a post but I think I read too much threads and sometimes things get mixed up in my head

What LEDs are those (the bag ones)? where did you source them?

 

[vukman]

Ahh, okay guys,,,got ya...Yeah, they are Chinese knock-offs.. Got them fairly cheap for testing and what-not. When I settle on a design, layout and ratio, then I'll invest is some better quaility LED's but for now I don't see the sense in it if I am just experimenting.

As for what is missing, I'm waiting for everything else!! LOL....Just got the LED's and waiting on the drivers. The heat sink will be sourced locally but am finding it difficult getting a nice big piece of finned (extruded) aluminium. Haven't hit the scrappers yet and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay who knows how much for shipping a hunk of metal across the border. Again, I might just use a piece of plate for testing and then invest in something more worthy.

Thanks for the questions and wanna say good luck to everyone with your projects as well..Keep the info flowing..

 

[hempfield]

Ahh, okay guys,,,got ya...Yeah, they are Chinese knock-offs.. Got them fairly cheap for testing and what-not. When I settle on a design, layout and ratio, then I'll invest is some better quaility LED's but for now I don't see the sense in it if I am just experimenting.

As for what is missing, I'm waiting for everything else!! LOL....Just got the LED's and waiting on the drivers. The heat sink will be sourced locally but am finding it difficult getting a nice big piece of finned (extruded) aluminium. Haven't hit the scrappers yet and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay who knows how much for shipping a hunk of metal across the border. Again, I might just use a piece of plate for testing and then invest in something more worthy.

Thanks for the questions and wanna say good luck to everyone with your projects as well..Keep the info flowing..

If you will use active cooling (fans) a standard Al plate (2-4mm thick) will do the job.

Can you tell us what kind of LEDs did you ordered ? 1W ? 3W ? What wavelengths ?