Which Led ?

[alkalien]

May I conclude that since the fight on whose panels to buy has replaced the fight whether to use LEDs or not that LEDs are accepted now?

Ok, I'll stop throwing fuel into the flames.

It is sad however that there is so few information on the LED-panels you can buy. Why doesn't one of those producers just take a picture of an open unit to show the build quality? Why don't they just state the type and bin of the LEDs used? I'd rather buy a known bad bin than an unknown one. I allways assume the worst if an advertising company hides critical data from customers. But that can be my misconception...

The type and the bins are critical! You can have your panel emit 10% of the power it cosumes or up to 40 perhaps 45%. That means a well designed 100W DIY can be ways better than a cheap unit which draws 300W. That difference is realistic! And since I feel like a unit that draws about 300W will be advertised as a 400W one I really would be pissed as a customer.

I haven't dealt with any company mentioned in this threat so I won't blame any of them but none of them has the information I ask for public.

 

[mad librettist]

Which Led ?

I got some Procyon 50's from homegrownlights. it is a kit with minimum assembly required.

the units consume roughly what the vendor says, according to a lab power supply I used on one. they are dc only so you need a power supply.

I can't say anything about flower, but these puppies are perfect for vegging my 4 foot square mod scrogs.

also, I have a kind of plant in there that is green under most artificial lighting but takes a reddish tint in the sun. well under the Procyon minis it is a very deep shade of red.

 

[Eschatos]

"Yeah I use them, cranked all the way up the whole way

If you are growing seedlings under one turn them down to like 7 and make sure it's at least 18" above them or the high intensity will stunt them. Also in flower don't get closer than about 12" or you can bleach tops, other than that make sure you have some 740 nm spectrum (far red) in early flower so response is no delayed. I use 6500k HO T5's around garden perimeter for this but there are other sources and Lumigrow makes some LED's now on the website that are 740 nm. You don't really need the 740 nm in veg.

SOTF"

Thanks for the info, SOTF!

Cheers

 

[rives]

Sometimes... people use yield as an indiction.

Get over it rives!, this about LED performance.

Keep dragging red herrings across the path here, Clowd. I harvested just shy of 10 ounces from 3 plants which were two different BOG varieties known for being low yielders. This was in a 30"x30" scrog, first run with the ES330, first run with these strains, and first run with a new nutrient line. To me that "indicates" that these fixtures work just fine. And no, this is not just about LED performance - indeed, for me, a significant portion of the purchase decision was based on not helping to perpetuate companies that are ethically repugnant.

 

[CLOWD11]

Here you are sm0k4, dont say i never do anything for you!





I hope HGL dont mind me posting their inner workings

 

[Squiggles]

Howdy IC friends,
Im in the market for a 3x4x4 area led light. I have done tons of research trying to find one and NOTHING still with solid info. Is there anywhere thats a led grow only site? Or something of that nature ? I just dont want to get hooked for $1300 or waste my time.
I have inmind 2x180's or 1 300+.What do you guys think?Do they work well on light movers? Also I am growing 12 Mi5 wich are under 8 4 ft t8s at 5 weeks. All info will be taken to heart.


much thanks
SpX

hi mate ive ordered a selection of the lighthouse blackstar led fixtures
ill keep you posted on how they go
ill be running them in a xxxl growlush tent
no additional lighting
with Ducthgowns DG select mix and a few of my z99/mbs crosses

regards Squiggs...

 

[alkalien]

Thx for those pictures CLOWD11! I was really hopeing to see some!

I figure you can make the cooling more silent but it sure works that way. No point in futher criticising the cooling design

 

[CLOWD11]

Thx for those pictures CLOWD11! I was really hopeing to see some!

I figure you can make the cooling more silent but it sure works that way. No point in futher criticising the cooling design

Hey no probs alkalien, it certainly works well. Ive been using this light for near 6 months and i retested it yesterday to find it has exactly same current draw as measured when i first got it. As diodes wear out they consume less power giving an easily measured indication of wear. There is some fan noise, pretty good though for the job they do. Any other pics required? lol Better not give away too many design plans, im still waiting for sm0k4's critique, im sure it wont be good

 

[sm0k4]

Hey no probs alkalien, it certainly works well. Ive been using this light for near 6 months and i retested it yesterday to find it has exactly same current draw as measured when i first got it. As diodes wear out they consume less power giving an easily measured indication of wear. There is some fan noise, pretty good though for the job they do. Any other pics required? lol Better not give away too many design plans, im still waiting for sm0k4's critique, im sure it wont be good

Does the metal stay below 90 degrees F? If it does I have no problems other than the heat sink could have taller fins for better passive cooling and maintaining a better junction temp at the LED. That junction temp is critical on maintaining a high output. Maybe the 6 fans blow enough fresh air onto the heat sink for it to effectively cool, but its all in the junction temp which is hard to get a reading of.

Thank you for taking pics, I am just curious on construction quality is all. You are easing some of my doubts anyway.

This article is a nice read on LED cooling: http://www.nuventix.com/files/uploa...ional Article - Passive vs Active Cooling.pdf

A mix of both passive and active is the best, but I'm not sure how much you have to adjust the heat transfer coefficient due to the speed and temp of the air you are cooling it with. That bit of thermodynamics is beyond me still. So I designed for more passive cooling to account for the margin of error and perhaps the hot days. Heat sinks are expensive once they approach 15cm of area per inch, so I can see why they chose that one.

 

[CLOWD11]

Does the metal stay below 90 degrees F?

I dont think it does reach 90f, but im only judging by the grow area temps and the cool to warm air that is expelled.

Thank you for taking pics, I am just curious on construction quality is all. You are easing some of my doubts anyway.

No probs, id be concerned too with all the negative feedback and constant barrage of lies.

This article is a nice read on LED cooling: http://www.nuventix.com/files/uploa...ional Article - Passive vs Active Cooling.pdf

Nice find!

 

[alkalien]

I got a commercial unit myself. Works pretty good. It claims to be a 155W unit but consumes 120W. Take away the power for the drivers and the fans and you'll be below 100W. Now you know why I feel, uhm let's say, betrayed. It's a strong word but that's what I feel like. I do have to admit though, I could have given myself more time for research and could have known up front. I feel I fell for false advertising, that's why this advertising pisses me off...

Here you can see a picture of one of my lights, its a 120W panel. Notice the huge heatsink, I'm able to keep my LEDs alive even if the fan, which on this photo is still to be mounted on the back, fails. It is a panel with only red (630 and 660nm) and white (Cree XM-L @1,5A).

Judging from what I found out about commercial panels they use LEDs they get their hands on extremly cheap. Units costs for small purchases are around 1$/W ready assembled and shipped from China. That leaves less than 0.25$ per LED. (Just calculating like I learned to) You won't be able to get LEDs with a efficiency above 20% for that kind of money, I'd say it's even closer to 10% than to 20%. On my panel I know the efficiency to be around 40%, 50% on the white ones, that would make my 120W comparable to a commercial 300W which are sold at an even higher rating.

Those figures are from the units I sourced myself, they are identical to the superior, designed in Holland unit I bought. Even if you forget about the power consumption don't you feel fooled by the advertising? Don't get me wrong, those Made in China panels work but they could work ways better. That's a feeling I can't stand...

 

[SouthrnPrideX]

Well spectra did become the winner of my business, this go around. Mike is pretty laid back dude.
Now the wait !! 2 290's,1pack of sour60 and 1 pack of purple mazar all in the mail !!
After all the looking, I think the next batch of lights I'm going to try will be advanced light systems. They look pretty well chimed in themselves.I found a new grow, a guy is doing, so I'm going to see how it turns out.
Also I found this new site called led jungle. Notto much info there yet,but will be. Maybe they can keep the haters out of there and find some solid info for future led growers.

 

[rives]

Great! Keep us posted on how Mike's lights work for you. I have been pretty intrigued by IrishBoys grows.

 

[mantizz007]

I've been thinking about these

http://cgi.ebay.com/900-LED-Hydropo...915?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3366f2469b

I'm just starting to research led's and would love to learn more. I was thinking of buying 2 set's of these(8 panells total) with a 5x5 grow tent. Just curious as to what you guy's think. The 16 square ft they claim in coverage sounds bs from what I've read so far. They def would fit into my budget nicely. I grow to smoke for free and be able to supply a few friends also. Could these possibly supply me with what I'm looking for?

 

[rives]

I've been thinking about these

http://cgi.ebay.com/900-LED-Hydropo...915?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3366f2469b

I'm just starting to research led's and would love to learn more. I was thinking of buying 2 set's of these(8 panells total) with a 5x5 grow tent. Just curious as to what you guy's think. The 16 square ft they claim in coverage sounds bs from what I've read so far. They def would fit into my budget nicely. I grow to smoke for free and be able to supply a few friends also. Could these possibly supply me with what I'm looking for?

You would be better off rolling joints with your dollar bills. 56 watts of LEDs = 1000 watts of HPS? I think that is a new record for claims made by shysters selling LED's.

 

[yesum]

I've been thinking about these

http://cgi.ebay.com/900-LED-Hydropo...915?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3366f2469b

I'm just starting to research led's and would love to learn more. I was thinking of buying 2 set's of these(8 panells total) with a 5x5 grow tent. Just curious as to what you guy's think. The 16 square ft they claim in coverage sounds bs from what I've read so far. They def would fit into my budget nicely. I grow to smoke for free and be able to supply a few friends also. Could these possibly supply me with what I'm looking for?

Don't do it is my take. Blackstar is as low as I would go with LED.

 

[gasman420]

I've been thinking about these

http://cgi.ebay.com/900-LED-Hydropo...915?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3366f2469b

I'm just starting to research led's and would love to learn more. I was thinking of buying 2 set's of these(8 panells total) with a 5x5 grow tent. Just curious as to what you guy's think. The 16 square ft they claim in coverage sounds bs from what I've read so far. They def would fit into my budget nicely. I grow to smoke for free and be able to supply a few friends also. Could these possibly supply me with what I'm looking for

please dont buy these. they are the worst of the worst trust me. you wont get an 1/8 of an ounce from each panel

 

[CLOWD11]

You would be better off rolling joints with your dollar bills. 56 watts of LEDs = 1000 watts of HPS? I think that is a new record for claims made by shysters selling LED's.

Each panel uses a whopping 14W each, that deal is for four panels.
The worst possible place to start with LEDs is panels with 225 diodes consuming only 14W = .06W per diode.
Good advice rives, roll up your cash and smoke it.

 

[optimal]

i just ordered from blackdog led's. got the platinum XL unit, which uses 5 watt chips.
pulls over 700 actual watts., can't wait to get it, will do a grow report.

 

[mantizz007]

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-500w-Blacks...393?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a5c7b4b1

ok so this is more what i'm looking for then?