Sun Systems LEC 315 - Reviews?

[Evil-Mobo]

To answer all of your questions, yes, the Prism Lighting Science 315w CMH ballast is a square wave, low frequency ballast optimized to run with the Philips 315w CDM lamp. Since Philips 315w CDM lamps are an industry standard, the ballast was specifically designed to make sure compatibility perfectly matches the Philips lamp bulb specifications.

And a thank you for pointing out that our product pages did not have that information. We have since updated it

What hoods/reflectors do you guys recommend with these kits?

 

[growershouse]

What hoods/reflectors do you guys recommend with these kits?

Any reflector made for 315w lamps will work very well with the Prism Lighting Science ballast. If you get the adapter to go from the 315 style socket to a mogul style socket, you can use virtually every reflector available on our site. That said, you'll notice that most high-end 315w fixtures (Sun System, Cycloptics, Phantom) come with a vertically hanging socket/bulb design with a relatively square/circular light footprint. This is mainly because when hung vertically with a well focused reflector, the 315w lamp is able to penetrate vertically deeper into your plant canopy. This is important because most growers are use to 600w or even 1000w bulbs, which are very intense. The 315w vertical, focused design helps get the penetration of closer to a 600w, but this is at the cost of making the light more focused over an area of about 3' x 3' or so, depending on the reflector. If you put a 315w in a traditional reflector, like a Block Buster with a socket adapter, then you will get a larger footprint at the expense of penetration. Not saying one setup is wrong while another setup is right. Different tools for different applications. I'd use the 315w horizontally in a Block Buster over a 4' x 4' for veg, while a 315w in a more focused vertical reflector over a 3' x 3' for flower when the plants are taller and are hungrier for photons.

The way we like to describe it is think of holding a flashlight about 6 inches away from a wall. You'll have a great deal of light over a small area. Now hold that flashlight 2 feet from the wall. You'll now be covering a larger area, but the light is dimmer across the surface of the area it lights up. Still the same quantity of light, just a different way of applying it.

 

[Evil-Mobo]

So how would you light a 5x9 with cmh lights for flowering?

 

[growershouse]

So how would you light a 5x9 with cmh lights for flowering?

You could go with as few as 4 lights if you're on a budget, or as many as 6 if you want to cram them in there, but 5 lights would provide for great coverage. Whether you go with 4, 5 or 6 lights, you'll want to slightly checkerboard them across your 5' x 9' or else you'll have some pretty strong hot spots and less even light intensity at the canopy. I did a quick mockup in draw.io, the open source engineering program we use, and you can see how the lights should be laid out, approximately. Notice the light in the middle is closer to the northernmost wall than the other two units to the right and left of it. This provides for more even coverage when cross-lighting from fixture to fixture is considered.

Edit: I'd recommend also leaving plants out of the southeast and southwest 1' x 1' corners. These are great areas to put your accessories you may keep in your grow tent or grow room e.g., CO2 generator, CO2 tank, shelf, etc...

 

[Evil-Mobo]

You could go with as few as 4 lights if you're on a budget, or as many as 6 if you want to cram them in there, but 5 lights would provide for great coverage. Whether you go with 4, 5 or 6 lights, you'll want to slightly checkerboard them across your 5' x 9' or else you'll have some pretty strong hot spots and less even light intensity at the canopy. I did a quick mockup in draw.io, the open source engineering program we use, and you can see how the lights should be laid out, approximately. Notice the light in the middle is closer to the northernmost wall than the other two units to the right and left of it. This provides for more even coverage when cross-lighting from fixture to fixture is considered.

I appreciate all of this information. Now the magic question, what hood is the diagram based on?

 

[JJFOURTWENTY]

There was a 100w T2-1400 when the business first started.

I'm running one of these at the moment alongside a 4000k a51 W90 in my veg tent. These particular lamps are totally overbuilt and very efficient! Instead of a dimmer knob it's got a full/half power rocker switch. The fan is noisy as all hell but very effective... like I said, overbuilt. Killer units and if I found one used for sale I'd definitely pounce in a heartbeat.

The new T2-1400s however are very sexy units. The red color and three cobs controlled by a dimmer knob are awesome. @Rahz - didn't you initially these with 3500k 90 cri cobs?

 

[Rahz]

I'm running one of these at the moment alongside a 4000k a51 W90 in my veg tent. These particular lamps are totally overbuilt and very efficient! Instead of a dimmer knob it's got a full/half power rocker switch. The fan is noisy as all hell but very effective... like I said, overbuilt. Killer units and if I found one used for sale I'd definitely pounce in a heartbeat.

The new T2-1400s however are very sexy units. The red color and three cobs controlled by a dimmer knob are awesome. @Rahz - didn't you initially these with 3500k 90 cri cobs?

Initially I was using 3500K 80CRI. I recently built some T2s and T4s with 3000K 90CRI but have decided to use 3000K 80CRI from here on out.

 

[mytwhyt]

A 32"x 32" at 24" is claimed to be the best foot print... 7 sq. ft.. I ran two 32"x 24" screens with 2 ss 315w lights, my first grow with them... A combined 26 oz off 11 sq. feet of screen.... It's perfect if you grow 1 plant in place, a one light scrog.... I think the right plant, with a 5 week veg, could do 1 lb..

 

[JJFOURTWENTY]

Initially I was using 3500K 80CRI. I recently built some T2s and T4s with 3000K 90CRI but have decided to use 3000K 80CRI from here on out.

cxb3590s running at 1.4mpa each, 3000k seems to be the ticket. The 90 cri versions would be pretty dope though for spaces with a lot less headroom. Doesn't a higher color index rating equal less lumen output? To me 90 cri cobs seem like the most exotic option, maybe not the best performing however??

 

[Evil-Mobo]

cxb3590s running at 1.4mpa each, 3000k seems to be the ticket. The 90 cri versions would be pretty dope though for spaces with a lot less headroom. Doesn't a higher color index rating equal less lumen output? To me 90 cri cobs seem like the most exotic option, maybe not the best performing however??

I am running the 3K 80 CRI in flower right now. Too early to make any assumptions but happy so far. The plants under the HPS seem to be maturing faster right now. I can't make any determinations as of yet but the advantages of the COBs are definitely less heat and watts being used but the plants under the HPS seem to like their lighting and be responding faster up to this point. The bulb in the hps is the hortilux super enhanced hps.

This is where I could see the cmh as a middle ground and do. You get what i consider a more complete spectrum of light because the UV etc in the cmh but not as much heat as the hps and comparable temps and what not to the cobs. And to date the sun system 315 that I use to own is one of my favorite lights to date aside from my quantum bad boy T5.

 

[growershouse]

I appreciate all of this information. Now the magic question, what hood is the diagram based on?

No problem. Glad we could help. This lighting diagram would based on just about any of the vertical 315w specific reflectors including:

Sun System Complete: http://growershouse.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Sun+system+lec+light+fixture+315

Sun System Remote: http://growershouse.com/sun-system-lec-315-ra-remote-reflector

Cycloptics: http://growershouse.com/cycloptics-greenbeams-315w-cmh-ceramic-mh-reflector

Phantom: http://growershouse.com/phantom-315w-ceramic-metal-halide-cmh-reflector

 

[Evil-Mobo]

Thanks I sent you a pm with a few questions as to not keep clogging this thread with my BS.

 

[Rahz]

cxb3590s running at 1.4mpa each, 3000k seems to be the ticket. The 90 cri versions would be pretty dope though for spaces with a lot less headroom. Doesn't a higher color index rating equal less lumen output? To me 90 cri cobs seem like the most exotic option, maybe not the best performing however??

The 90CRI sample tests out to about 6% less photon output in the PAR range under the 80CRI. Giving the red spectrum some weight puts the 90CRI sample a little closer. The only thing I know for sure at this point is that the 90 CRI cobs (any temp) will cause more stretch because the red peak bleeds out to 730-740nm. That is the reason I decided to stick with 80 CRI.

 

[JJFOURTWENTY]

Excellent info as always Rahz!!

 

[JJFOURTWENTY]

I am running the 3K 80 CRI in flower right now. Too early to make any assumptions but happy so far. The plants under the HPS seem to be maturing faster right now. I can't make any determinations as of yet but the advantages of the COBs are definitely less heat and watts being used but the plants under the HPS seem to like their lighting and be responding faster up to this point.

^^This about sums things up. These particular two advantages mean quite a lot in a small, closet style grow. To me having the driver output controlled by a potentiometer is best. Basically you dial up the output the further the plants are along. Way more efficient than running a 600w hps or 315w lec at full power throughout the entire flowering cycle in my opinion.

Only problem with cobs are their way more direct, focused beam of light. LEC is better in this respect though they apparently radiate a ton of heat, plus bulbs are expensive as hell.

 

[Evil-Mobo]

^^This about sums things up. These particular two advantages mean quite a lot in a small, closet style grow. To me having the driver output controlled by a potentiometer is best. Basically you dial up the output the further the plants are along. Way more efficient than running a 600w hps or 315w lec at full power throughout the entire flowering cycle in my opinion.

Only problem with cobs are their way more direct, focused beam of light. LEC is better in this respect though they apparently radiate a ton of heat, plus bulbs are expensive as hell.

The bulbs can be had for $60-$70 if you shop around not a biggie. (On sale at GH right now for $69.99 and you'd have to see if the Black Friday discount applies to that)

But yes I agree with your thoughts on the dimmer and that's why all three of my DIY lights have them and are over built. However I can tell you I have had no issues with my COBs on full blast so far in flower. And I didn't start the plants dimmed. They came out of the 275 watt led 3x3 and went right under the 600w plus in flower right off the bat no dimming.

From my exp so far the heat generated by the LED is only a few degrees difference (less than 5) all else being equal. So that's a wash, you turn a fan in higher etc and same thing. I think remote mounting the ballasts like I did for my flower COB light does a good deal for heat too but youre local weather year round will dictate betrer for you what is and isn't too much heat. If the heat with the hps wasn't such a issue for me I would have stopped there and continued with the blue mh for veg. But that led me to look at other options for lighting again and building my cobs and now soon I will have a run under cobs vs hps and I have used the 315's and T5's as well. I actually think the T5's are very under rated and still have a lot of good uses they're just not the most efficient anymore is all. I'm doing just as good with cobs in my 3x3 so far as I was in my old 2x4 veg tent running the T5's and using half the power with less heat too there is something to be said for that.

Anyhow sorry for the rant. But I am basically down to cmh vs COB and it's not as black and white of a decision as many would have you believe there are plusses and minuses to both.

 

[P.DIZZLE]

Hi all,

I researched but could find next to nothing about these lights. Is anyone running them? I saw one set up in a 4x4 at my local WTG yesterday. Looked like a 600w HPS only a whiter light. Intensity felt nice on the back of my hand a couple of feet below the fixture. Dude at the store said he had a buddy using them and doing well........

Heres the draw for me... very little heat load. The ballast is internal to the unit even and there seems to be less heat than from an 8 bulb T5. I just upgraded my grow area to a 4x4 tent and my (3) 240w LEDs seem lost in there. I'm thinking of getting one of these and using the LEDs around the perimeter.... would be nice to know if they actually grow weed before I drop the $500.

Thanks again for any assistance.

Here's the sales blurb and a link to the site.

Sun System® LEC 315 utilizes cutting edge Light Emitting Ceramic™ technology. Highly efficient agriculturally engineered CDM-T Elite 315/930/U/E Agro Lamp (lamp included). Greatly improved full color light spectrum out of next generation ceramic lamps. Higher amounts of beneficial UV and far red spectrums increase the lamps growth power to the plants. Very high 1.95 PPF per second light source. 3100K color temperature, high 92 CRI, 33,000 initial lumens (105Lm/W). Long life 20,000 hour lamp. High 90% lumen maintenance @ 8000 hr./High 85% PPF maintenance @ 20,000 hr. Unique open rated lamp construction reduces radiant heat from the arc tube and is suitable for open fixture use. 50/60 Hz low frequency, square wave, highly efficient electronic ballast rated for 50,000 hour ballast life. LEC 315 driver incorporates built in thermal protection. One year warranty lamp.

https://www.sunlightsupply.com/p-14953-sun-system-lec-315-light-emitting-ceramic-fixture.aspx

Look around I've seen the same light for a $100 less than the quote that place gave u

 

[P.DIZZLE]

S

Thanks for all the info. I figure a 4x4 ought to handle two of them well enough. I agree one is not enough alone.

 

[P.DIZZLE]

Thanks all. I bought the light. At the store I put my hand on the bottom of the ballast enclosure - it was only warm to the touch. I'll post pics tonight.

I just bought 2 trying to figure out sq. Footprint for 2 I think a 4x4 is to small I may go two separate huts at 3x3 what's ur opinion

 

[P.DIZZLE]

Here's some pics for you all. I really like the lights. I'm at 4.5 weeks of flower. I've had some issues with nutes and the Blumats, but the plants that I haven't sabotaged with my noob skills are looking to produce heavy. I've got two of the 315w fixtures over a 4x3 area.....

Holy shit two over a 4x3 wow that's seriously well lite I personally seen awesome results scrog 3x3 n its producing big time good luck hope u achieve ur goal as production goes