Check my signature line. There's a whole thread full. In the vertical section are a few more of my vertical threads as well.Inspiring stuff. Im still really green to all this. I should probably nail down my nutrients a little better before i take a bite out of something like that. Thank you for sharing i look forward to seeing more. So wild.
Check my signature line. There's a whole thread full. In the vertical section are a few more of my vertical threads as well.
I had my water cooled COB LED lights custom made. They're fun to play with lolNice. I like the out of the box thinking. I chose RDWC partially because theres so much to it. This last grow kinda wound up in the weeds due to Nitrogen toxicity. But i learned something... i like that.
I think its very impressive when i read about people that build their own lights. I would have done that if i knew a little more about how successful these people are. I bouggt my lights just a few months ago, and they will be around awhile
The research and data has been posted in this thread. From page 1-10 you see my journey from knowing nothing about LED, to where I'm at now. My goal was to match a 1000w HPS DE light with a COB LEDSo Ive been growin with hps se and hps de for a while with good enough results
There is a limiting factor there with sq ft coverage which also coincides with watt efficiency and we all know that there is a ceiling to amount of kWs one can run..
So ive always been shocked at electricity bills but the cost has been a drop in hat for a good run.
If LED Cobs the ones listed in this thread the diy builds are as effective and more efficient if not way less economical can you compile a list of references and links to research for an enthused grower on cusp of new build..
I just got the title to my new house today and am planning a 15x20 flower garage build posted a thread today.
Now OP has anyone posed the question to you of the costs upfront on LED vs CMH or HPS DE?
Ill share..
The cost of sourcing from China manufacturer 12 x 630W CMH complete with hood n ballast plus 2 crates of 12 630W Double Ended (DE) CMH bulbs plus 24 hangers and 6 fans is only $2420 plus $700 shipping
$3120. Ive ordered from China a few times...guess who manufacturers nanolux and many more "American made" grow products.
Convince me kindly if I should go LED for my new build please.
Cost is always a factor upfront...
As a grower with experience will also know that the cost of electricity is only relevant to the weight of return. I dont mind paying more electricity down road as my crops keep me fed and its my understanding that keeping initial upfront costs low in order to get your "investment" back is the actual economy of successful long term growing.
Total cost for the 50 ft² space?For COB's I use Citizen 1212's ($12/ea). The heatsinks are CPU coolers bought in bulk, they don't have to be great, they won't even get warm to the touch unless I turn the fans off ($5/ea but I have since bought them for as low as $2.61/ea for a future build). I use 2x Meanwell HLG-320H-36A's for each fixture (I bought them In bulk for $71 from TRC). The Aluminum frame I use is 1x1x1/8 and I bought enough for 7 fixtures and had nearly a full 20' piece left over (around $200). Everything gets soldered and I don't use reflectors/lenses, I just see no need for them really.. I would only use reflectors/lenses if I was not growing inside of a tent and didn't have wall's to bounce the light off. Of course there is thermal adhesive and wires/connectors That I bought.. This puts me under $450 not figuring in the cost of wire/connectors/thermal adhesive/ect. which an additional $50 more than covers. I run these at full power in bloom, less in veg depending on maturity. 2x 320's pull close slightly over 750 watts at the wall. According to the PPFD formula This puts down 1150PPFD. I have since sourced Citizen 1206's (exactly half the size of a 1212) for $4.61. When paired with the cheaper CPU coolers I bought that puts me at $7.22 per actively cooled COB engine. I plan on running well over 100 in a 5x10 with 6x meanwell 320's.
Neat ideas. Sounds a bit like a planetarium for plants.I haven't been on here in a few days... I've missed quite a bit! This thread is going in a great direction. I have a Vero29 3500K 80CRI driven by a Meanwell LPC-100-1750, not sure exactly what wattage it's pulling (Someone else's design that was left to me) but I don't think I'll ever go back to HPS/MH. It worked well for both veg and flower, but now i'm considering buying a Vero29 6200K or 6400K to experiment with Veg/Mothers/Clone trays in my room as well. I've been thinking of the potential of warehouse scale grows being achieved with COBs or LED in general, especially with the fraction of the power costs.... I've also thought about the possibilities of someone making a COB surface that can be bent or molded into a dome/semicircle big enough to house one or a few plants, so it's essentially a micro-sky... Using the same technology in RGB computer hardware/peripherals, you could control which sections of the COB dome are on, which are brighter/dimmer, and their position throughout the day, to emulate the sunrise and sunset of various seasons, climates, or geographic location.
This is exactly the type of thing I've been thinking about. I've been told it wouldn't be space efficient/energy efficient, but I disagree and don't think that call can be made yet. Right now, it seems we are slamming certain parts of our plants with mass amounts of light to achieve the desired affect. If every angle of the plant including the top had an evenly distributed amount of light, then the total amount of light the plant receives could be the same yet the production of that plant could be increased almost supersonically. Theoretically, this is the best way to grow plants. Its just time to build some panels and a system to hold them then see where this takes us.I haven't been on here in a few days... I've missed quite a bit! This thread is going in a great direction. I have a Vero29 3500K 80CRI driven by a Meanwell LPC-100-1750, not sure exactly what wattage it's pulling (Someone else's design that was left to me) but I don't think I'll ever go back to HPS/MH. It worked well for both veg and flower, but now i'm considering buying a Vero29 6200K or 6400K to experiment with Veg/Mothers/Clone trays in my room as well. I've been thinking of the potential of warehouse scale grows being achieved with COBs or LED in general, especially with the fraction of the power costs.... I've also thought about the possibilities of someone making a COB surface that can be bent or molded into a dome/semicircle big enough to house one or a few plants, so it's essentially a micro-sky... Using the same technology in RGB computer hardware/peripherals, you could control which sections of the COB dome are on, which are brighter/dimmer, and their position throughout the day, to emulate the sunrise and sunset of various seasons, climates, or geographic location.
Interesting. Very, very close to my fixture in terms of wattage and PPFD (you're a bit higher in both), but way cheaper. It looks like you're saving most of the money on your heat sinks. At bulk pricing, the heat sinks I chose were $16/pc but are considered to be the best on the market right now. I may have been falling into the hype.For COB's I use Citizen 1212's ($12/ea). The heatsinks are CPU coolers bought in bulk, they don't have to be great, they won't even get warm to the touch unless I turn the fans off ($5/ea but I have since bought them for as low as $2.61/ea for a future build). I use 2x Meanwell HLG-320H-36A's for each fixture (I bought them In bulk for $71 from TRC). The Aluminum frame I use is 1x1x1/8 and I bought enough for 7 fixtures and had nearly a full 20' piece left over (around $200). Everything gets soldered and I don't use reflectors/lenses, I just see no need for them really.. I would only use reflectors/lenses if I was not growing inside of a tent and didn't have wall's to bounce the light off. Of course there is thermal adhesive and wires/connectors That I bought.. This puts me under $450 not figuring in the cost of wire/connectors/thermal adhesive/ect. which an additional $50 more than covers. I run these at full power in bloom, less in veg depending on maturity. 2x 320's pull close slightly over 750 watts at the wall. According to the PPFD formula This puts down 1150PPFD. I have since sourced Citizen 1206's (exactly half the size of a 1212) for $4.61. When paired with the cheaper CPU coolers I bought that puts me at $7.22 per actively cooled COB engine. I plan on running well over 100 in a 5x10 with 6x meanwell 320's.
And this is what I'm most excited about.Suddenly, this isn't just about growing Cannabis anymore.
I agree, nobody can really say until it's done and documented extensively several times.but I disagree and don't think that call can be made yet.
There's a well known limit to how much light the plants can take;I agree, nobody can really say until it's done and documented extensively several times.
I already line the walls with LED lighting, including making more walls. This is an approach that works from a space efficiency, access and worker productivity standpoint.Yeah I totally agree with the floor space aspect, the design I though of is only really beneficial to one plant per dome, which is totally cost inefficient... Maybe if I were to line every wall with quantum boards, and then use (x)COBs for the overhead lighting? It would be a large initial investment, but it would be interesting to see the results.
Your approach produces some great results too. I think i'm looking at it from a viewpoint of playing with various models/styles/makers/spectrum etc and I'm just too high to properly dictate it lol.I already line the walls with LED lighting, including making more walls. This is an approach that works from a space efficiency, access and worker productivity standpoint.
I'm all for playing with different designs. Done intelligently, this process will not only help nail down WHAT the best configurations are, but WHY- which to me is even more valuable. Such guiding principles can then be applied to every application going forward.Your approach produces some great results too. I think i'm looking at it from a viewpoint of playing with various models/styles/makers/spectrum etc and I'm just too high to properly dictate it lol.
I should note that I've only harvested one small test plant with 1 COB to date.
Just one more step ahead, exactly. I don't just want to produce, I want to further understand the specimen.but WHY- which to me is even more valuable.
There's the specimen, and then there is optimising the system of indoor culturing.Just one more step ahead, exactly. I don't just want to produce, I want to further understand the specimen.
Yeah I've been looking into TC and the equipment I could use in a home(sanctioned/dedicated room). So far there's only one person I follow on a different platform who is undergoing TC and has the equipment and is documenting it, and who I can message and receive a response from. So far it's going well for him, and I'm familiar with a few of the components/equipment involved with it.There's the specimen, and then there is optimising the system of indoor culturing.
I'm even more interested in the latter than I am in the former, and that's saying something!