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Replacing the pannel
- Thread starter one Q
- Start date
What you do with the unit at 5 years is really up to you. We will have better units available at that time, not necessarily because our design will change a whole lot, simply that LED's are becoming more and more efficient every day (like computer chips). Either way, even if you replaced the guts, you're still "dumping" a vast majority of it...
Maybe in the future we will offer swap out boards that you can screw in, and connect up to the two pre-existing power wires in your unit, but for now, that's not something we have in mind.
Maybe in the future we will offer swap out boards that you can screw in, and connect up to the two pre-existing power wires in your unit, but for now, that's not something we have in mind.
SnozzleBerry
Member
I have to say, it'd be nice to keep it as green as possible. It's become chic now, haven't you heard? No, but in all seriousness, as a potential consumer, I would definitely like to see that a it's not overly wasteful. I wouldn't demand interchangeable boards (not in this technology's infancy anyway), but it would be nice to be able to ship them somewhere to get them swapped out.
They are both good suggestions, and companies generally make policies based on customer input, so in the future I can see where that may become an option, much the same way you can swap RAM in a computer without replacing the whole motherboard.
I'll talk to my supplier about how feasible it would be to make interchangeable boards.
I'll talk to my supplier about how feasible it would be to make interchangeable boards.
A
ak-51
On the environmental issue,
Although re-use is probably greener than recycling, I'm sure that whatever the casing is made out of (steel or aluminum probably?) is recyclable. Also, if the manufacturer is located in China, shipping a small piece of metal all the way there and then back may be even more harmful to the environment than just throwing the whole thing in the trash (I am not advocating throwing anything in the trash, please recycle). A few times a year my town has an electronics collection day when you can bring in old televisions, computers, and the like and they take it and dispose of it properly. I can't say for sure if they try to recycle any of that stuff but that would be an option for what to do with the spent board and circuitry, and at least it wouldn't just be going straight into the landfill. How about removing the LED's and making a 126-site incense burner/holder? Kidding.
Although re-use is probably greener than recycling, I'm sure that whatever the casing is made out of (steel or aluminum probably?) is recyclable. Also, if the manufacturer is located in China, shipping a small piece of metal all the way there and then back may be even more harmful to the environment than just throwing the whole thing in the trash (I am not advocating throwing anything in the trash, please recycle). A few times a year my town has an electronics collection day when you can bring in old televisions, computers, and the like and they take it and dispose of it properly. I can't say for sure if they try to recycle any of that stuff but that would be an option for what to do with the spent board and circuitry, and at least it wouldn't just be going straight into the landfill. How about removing the LED's and making a 126-site incense burner/holder? Kidding.
StaggerLee
Member
Not to sound combative, but, so what youre saying is every 5 years I would have to just chuck the unit and buy a whole new one. Just doesn't seem very cost effective, nor environmentally friendly. I will go back to hugging my tree now.
Your friend
StaggerLee
In 5 years I would certainly be replacing my lights, just as you would your computer (although some of you aren't as speedy as I am). So do you have to throw them away? No. Like ak-51 mentioned, recycle it if you want. Or, you could put it over some lettuce, tomatoes, or some plant you don't care that much about as your light intensity will drop by 20-30% depending on how long you leave the light on each day. It would also make a good supplemental light at that point...
Again as stated, we MAY be able to swap out internals in the future, but GUYS, THIS ISN'T THE FUTURE yet, this is the INFANCY of this technology. The outputs will only increase as they have been over the past several years, causing this year's unit to be obsolete in 4 or 5 years, as the same wattage will have double or triple the ouput. These units don't contain any environmentally harmful components in them, so if you like to hug trees, I'm sure you'll do the right thing. It's not like you don't currently replace those Mercury containing HID bulbs once a year, or those ballasts every 5-8, so don't pretend like HID is a green technology, especially when you use 3x the watts to get our results. That's REALLY UN-GREEN.
Again as stated, we MAY be able to swap out internals in the future, but GUYS, THIS ISN'T THE FUTURE yet, this is the INFANCY of this technology. The outputs will only increase as they have been over the past several years, causing this year's unit to be obsolete in 4 or 5 years, as the same wattage will have double or triple the ouput. These units don't contain any environmentally harmful components in them, so if you like to hug trees, I'm sure you'll do the right thing. It's not like you don't currently replace those Mercury containing HID bulbs once a year, or those ballasts every 5-8, so don't pretend like HID is a green technology, especially when you use 3x the watts to get our results. That's REALLY UN-GREEN.
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E-bay works great for recycling stuff like that!
And who hasn't hawk some older hydro equipment on the bay b4.
Excellent Point Skip.
Mr.Wags
