Feedback on my new COB array hanger

[Evil-Mobo]

I greatly increased the resolution on some of the the objects substantially. If you click on the images, you can see a lot more of the detail. I haven't added all the objects I'll really be using (like light yo-yo's or electrical). It's not necessary. But if these renderings are helping then I don't mind rendering and posting them.

Might even take a simple request or two (LOL)

What do you all think about the green paint on the rails? I may or may not paint them for real. I do want to paint the pipes. There's a lot you have to do to paint PVC, but I think it'd look really cool. Like the Alien systems:

Looks neat I like the black and green, and I too like the seconds renderings with the (4) separate lights each containing (4) COB's.

Because they can work in a 3x3 like my veg tent, or you can add more for larger areas as well..........

Very talented renderings brother!

 

[JSB99]

Looks neat I like the black and green, and I too like the seconds renderings with the (4) separate lights each containing (4) COB's.

Because they can work in a 3x3 like my veg tent, or you can add more for larger areas as well..........

Very talented renderings brother!

Exactly. I'm really split between mounting the drivers on the arrays or externally mounting them. Externally, I could have my controllers available without having to open the tent and the arrays are lighter. On the other hand, having the majority of the wires local, as well as the array being a single unit, making it easier to move.

My initial thought was keeping them outside the tent to prevent any heat. But from what I gather, that's not much of an issue.

Another thing, I was going to power 8 COBs with an MW 320. having four arrays with a driver for each means having to use 185s on each one, so the price goes up.

 

[Evil-Mobo]

Exactly. I'm really split between mounting the drivers on the arrays or externally mounting them. Externally, I could have my controllers available without having to open the tent and the arrays are lighter. On the other hand, having the majority of the wires local, as well as the array being a single unit, making it easier to move.

My initial thought was keeping them outside the tent to prevent any heat. But from what I gather, that's not much of an issue.

Another thing, I was going to power 8 COBs with an MW 320. having four arrays with a driver for each means having to use 185s on each one, so the price goes up.

Check the prices to make sure I never looked into the 185's but I do know some of the drivers are cheaper than other.

Ex for my build the 320-2100B was like $110......but there's other drivers if I would not have pushed them as hard that are like $50-$60.......

 

[ttystikk]

Go right ahead and use whatever want. Glad I could help

Here are some renderings showing two arrays and four arrays, as opposed to a single one. I think it's just going to weigh too much, being a single support for all the COBs. It also takes up a lot of real estate, which might make it more difficult to work around in there. You can also raise and lower them more precisely, depending on the growth of the plants below.

The downside is that now you have to raise and lower two, or even four, array racks instead of just one.

I think I'm leaning towards 4 independent arrays

Quartered:

I'm telling you, bars are better because they're more flexible in their application.

 

[JSB99]

Check the prices to make sure I never looked into the 185's but I do know some of the drivers are cheaper than other.

Ex for my build the 320-2100B was like $110......but there's other drivers if I would not have pushed them as hard that are like $50-$60.......

Yeah, I'll do that. I was contemplating getting 4 185s because the price difference for those vs 2 320s wasn't going to be all that much.

 

[JSB99]

I'm telling you, bars are better because they're more flexible in their application.

Meaning an inline strip of 4 COBs?

 

[JSB99]

Meaning an inline strip of 4 COBs?

I was actually going to make one of those for my 2x4 closet where I'll have my mothers.

 

[ttystikk]

Meaning an inline strip of 4 COBs?

Precisely. I even ran my chips in pairs on the ends of the bar so I get a more even footprint. Then there's room for the driver in the middle.

The flexibility advantage comes when you want to adjust overall light intensity without giving up even light distribution across a given surface; just spread the bars apart a bit as you raise them and you're done. With panels, you are stuck with the spread you built in.

 

[Rottedroots]

HEY JSB.. What platform are you using to do your renderings. I'm trying to commit to a frame design for three 300 watt COB kits. My space is only 46 inches wide by 13 feet long but the height is only 5 feet. If I build the array frames to run 3 COBs from side to side I won't be able to get in there with them for tending. I'm thinking on running the arrays length ways. It will use up 10 feet of floor space but I think that configuration will give me 20 inches of wiggle room along the side. I guess that is where having a rail that would allow you to adjust the COBS position dependent on the requirements of the moment. Sorry for babbling but I'm particularly toned ATM.

 

[Evil-Mobo]

Meaning an inline strip of 4 COBs?

Yes like his pic he posted elsewhere for you, that's how I did my 600w light (2) bars of 4 COB's his advice is spot on for adjust ability later on, and one of these would rock the house on your 2x4 I have a 2x4 as well that the T5 will probably be getting replaced by exactly such a light.

 

[JSB99]

Precisely. I even ran my chips in pairs on the ends of the bar so I get a more even footprint. Then there's room for the driver in the middle.

The flexibility advantage comes when you want to adjust overall light intensity without giving up even light distribution across a given surface; just spread the bars apart a bit as you raise them and you're done. With panels, you are stuck with the spread you built in.

I can see that. But I could also see that kind of flexibility having four 12"x12", or larger, square array of COBs. A line of COBs could cover half of two plants, but a square could completely cover one.

It's probably all one in the same, and comes down to personal preference in the end. If I thought it was really critical to have precise positioning of each COB, I would use rotators for mounts so they could be adjusted for anything. But I don't think that's really going to be necessary.

 

[JSB99]

HEY JSB.. What platform are you using to do your renderings. I'm trying to commit to a frame design for three 300 watt COB kits. My space is only 46 inches wide by 13 feet long but the height is only 5 feet. If I build the array frames to run 3 COBs from side to side I won't be able to get in there with them for tending. I'm thinking on running the arrays length ways. It will use up 10 feet of floor space but I think that configuration will give me 20 inches of wiggle room along the side. I guess that is where having a rail that would allow you to adjust the COBS position dependent on the requirements of the moment. Sorry for babbling but I'm particularly toned ATM.

By "platform", are you referring to my OS?
I'm using:
Google Sketchup 2016 and vRay 2 for the ray tracing
Windows 10
i7 3.4Ghz OC'd to 4.4Ghz, 16GB ddr3, SSD main drive, and a Sapphire Vapor-X video card (need a fast computer to render)
I do distributed rendering across my LAN to my quad-core HTPC as well

 

[JSB99]

HEY JSB.. What platform are you using to do your renderings. I'm trying to commit to a frame design for three 300 watt COB kits. My space is only 46 inches wide by 13 feet long but the height is only 5 feet. If I build the array frames to run 3 COBs from side to side I won't be able to get in there with them for tending. I'm thinking on running the arrays length ways. It will use up 10 feet of floor space but I think that configuration will give me 20 inches of wiggle room along the side. I guess that is where having a rail that would allow you to adjust the COBS position dependent on the requirements of the moment. Sorry for babbling but I'm particularly toned ATM.

As far as what you'd need for your layout, I couldn't really say. I'm new to COBs and never had anything larger than a perpetual 6 plant grow. But I'd think you could get the COBs closer to the tops if you took extra steps to remove the heat. Like externally mounting your drivers, using active intakes for better air flow, and even using active heat sinks.

 

[Evil-Mobo]

By "platform", are you referring to my OS?
I'm using:
Google Sketchup 2016 and vRay 2 for the ray tracing
Windows 10
i7 3.4Ghz OC'd to 4.4Ghz, 16GB ddr3, SSD main drive, and a Sapphire Vapor-X video card (need a fast computer to render)
I do distributed rendering across my LAN to my quad-core HTPC as well

Nice setup, I don't render but recently built myself an overkill system. Going to water cool it soon.

i7 5820K OC to 4.5Ghz, 16GB DDR4, SSD main and backup drives, (2) XFX R9 480's in X-Fire and the 28" Samsung 4K Freesyn display. Happy as a pig in shit with the entire setup. Can't wait to get the water cooling done but that will have to wait until after the lighting is done in my flower tent.

 

[JSB99]

Nice setup, I don't render but recently built myself an overkill system. Going to water cool it soon.

i7 5820K OC to 4.5Ghz, 16GB DDR4, SSD main and backup drives, (2) XFX R9 480's in X-Fire and the 28" Samsung 4K Freesyn display. Happy as a pig in shit with the entire setup. Can't wait to get the water cooling done but that will have to wait until after the lighting is done in my flower tent.

WOO HOO!!! Holy shit, dude, that's a serious f'n system! Very impressive! Rending images is cool because you get to push your PC to the max and see the results in real time as small segments of the images are processed at a time! "Nerd TV" lol

 

[Evil-Mobo]

WOO HOO!!! Holy shit, dude, that's a serious f'n system! Very impressive! Rending images is cool because you get to push your PC to the max and see the results in real time as small segments of the images are processed at a time! "Nerd TV" lol

Yeah I love running cinnebench lol.........

 

[JSB99]

Yeah I love running cinnebench lol.........

Did you build it for gaming?

 

[Evil-Mobo]

Did you build it for gaming?

Yes to game and for bench marking I like to tinker.

Man 60hz in 4K is the real deal. I sold my GTX 1070 and got BOTH 480's for the same $$ and I'm getting the performance of a 1080 easily with the dual card setup. And selling the 1070 and just a little more $$ paid for the two AMD cards lol.

 

[JSB99]

Yes to game and for bench marking I like to tinker.

Man 60hz in 4K is the real deal. I sold my GTX 1070 and got BOTH 480's for the same $$ and I'm getting the performance of a 1080 easily with the dual card setup. And selling the 1070 and just a little more $$ paid for the two AMD cards lol.

Dude!

Need I say more? lol

 

[JSB99]

I built mine a few years ago because I used to have a home studio. I played guitar, bass, a little keyboards, but only as a hobby. I enjoyed the engineering and recording much more than playing.

I actually haven't really played games since I got a computer in '82 (trs-80) and started programming. Nothing against games at all. I love games...but not to play. Programming, recording, and animation are my hobbies and I love creating things and making all the little components come together in a working environment. Programming is a whole bunch of problem solving and dynamic thinking. It's trying to figure out not only how to get to the end solution for the users, but figuring out a hundred solutions and picking the most feasible one. At the risk of sounding lame by using such an overused term, that's "Thinking outside the box" lol

I think you have to be a programmer or engineer to truly appreciate that logic