stealthfader508
Well-Known Member
Hey all, I'm in the process of putting together an 8x4 indoor flowering tent over the next month. I'm hoping for some suggestions and comments for what I have planned from some real indoor LED experts. I'd like to apologize in advance for the length of this post....
For what it's worth... I've been an entirely outdoor grower since 2003... before that I got my start growing indoors for a few years. At the time I actually had what I thought was a decent setup, using 1000w MH for veg and 600w HPS for flower, both with homemade reflectors... it was crude but it worked. It's been a long time since then and it seems technology has changed everything... after much research I've decided to go LED. I like that it's more efficient, less heat, safer, and requires less maintenance than MH, HPS, or DE offers.
I however still consider myself an outdoor grower and the primary purpose of this tent will be to supply my 8 plant greenhouse with the best possible genetics/cuts every year. That is, and always will be, my priority. I have a separate veg closet I've always started in, but I can only get about 5-6 weeks in there before they get too big, and I typically start them in mid February.... so from about April 1 thru May 1 the tent will be used to continue veg for my best 8 plants, getting them as large as possible before the greenhouse is warm enough to move them into... the other 11 months of the year the tent will be in flower and basically used for fun. I can test clones, keep winners/mothers, breed, etc. I'm not worried about maximizing yield from this tent at all, that comes from the greenhouse, I just want to make sure that I have proven winners in the ground for the long season.
So far I haven't actually ordered anything yet... I got a ton of shit saved in the cart though... but I'm hoping for some good opinions/suggestions before pulling the trigger.
For starters I've almost 100% decided to go with the 4x8 heavy duty gorilla tent ($500+)... It's more than twice the cost of the comparable Vivosun tent ($200+) on Amazon... but I like the fact that it's much thicker material, stronger poles, and about 6" taller... this one I'm pretty much decided upon... unless someone compelled my otherwise.... but I think it'll be worth the extra money.
.... for the lights... after a ton research I'm leaning toward using (2) Timber Redwood VS for the tent... the reviews and grow logs are outstanding, and I feel this setup would work well for what I'm trying to do... but after digging deeper and looking into the components and how it's built, I realized I could easily (and more affordably) build my own COB light with comparable (or possibly better) results... in my past I was an electrician for about 10 years and have every tool imaginable ... I've read all the way through ledgardner.com and I'm 100% confident that I'll have no problem making something myself, but my OCD still has so many questions:
- According to the timber specs they use Vero29 Gen 7 COB's ... I've priced them, along with both Cree and Citizens COB's and it appears the best quality COB's are Cree... but they're priced significantly higher... is there a benefit to using Cree instead of the Vero29's Timber uses? ... I'd have no problem paying extra for better components... if its worth the cost...
- I also noticed that Timber no longer uses reflectors standard on their lights because it decreases wattage and allows the lights to be closer to the canopy... is that correct? or should I consider adding reflectors?
- I planned to follow the Redwood VS layout as closely as possible regarding size and layout of COB's... would I benefit from a different layout? or by adding additional COBs other than the 6 they use? Does the Redwood VS use 2 separate drivers, running 3 COBs on each side? ... or are those just junction boxes mounted on the crossrails?
- I've read into adding some red/dark red spectrum for 2/13 minutes at sunset .. is this something I could build into these lights now? ... or is that something I should build a separate light/driver, set on a different timer?
- when I plug (6) Vero29's into ledgardner's driver calculator it suggests using either HLG-240H-C700 or HLG-320H-C700 .. I'd like to run these as efficiently on a dimmer ... are there any suggestions on which of these drivers would suit me best?
- It looks like most drivers are run on regular 120VAC line power ... are there any drivers that run on 2P 220v? and if so is there any benefit to efficiency?
- I've been pricing some components on cobkits.com but they seem to have a narrow selection... is there one really good source that people routinely use to find better prices or selections?
- I estimate I could build each light for about $400-$500 each vs spending $750+ for the Timbers ... i like the idea of being able to customize or upgrade my own and I'm not intimidated in the least... but am I just better off spending the extra nickel and buying the Timbers?
I know .. a shit load of questions, and I don't expect anybody to take the time to answer all of them... but if any of the experts out there have any suggestions, I'd love the input. Thx again...
For what it's worth... I've been an entirely outdoor grower since 2003... before that I got my start growing indoors for a few years. At the time I actually had what I thought was a decent setup, using 1000w MH for veg and 600w HPS for flower, both with homemade reflectors... it was crude but it worked. It's been a long time since then and it seems technology has changed everything... after much research I've decided to go LED. I like that it's more efficient, less heat, safer, and requires less maintenance than MH, HPS, or DE offers.
I however still consider myself an outdoor grower and the primary purpose of this tent will be to supply my 8 plant greenhouse with the best possible genetics/cuts every year. That is, and always will be, my priority. I have a separate veg closet I've always started in, but I can only get about 5-6 weeks in there before they get too big, and I typically start them in mid February.... so from about April 1 thru May 1 the tent will be used to continue veg for my best 8 plants, getting them as large as possible before the greenhouse is warm enough to move them into... the other 11 months of the year the tent will be in flower and basically used for fun. I can test clones, keep winners/mothers, breed, etc. I'm not worried about maximizing yield from this tent at all, that comes from the greenhouse, I just want to make sure that I have proven winners in the ground for the long season.
So far I haven't actually ordered anything yet... I got a ton of shit saved in the cart though... but I'm hoping for some good opinions/suggestions before pulling the trigger.
For starters I've almost 100% decided to go with the 4x8 heavy duty gorilla tent ($500+)... It's more than twice the cost of the comparable Vivosun tent ($200+) on Amazon... but I like the fact that it's much thicker material, stronger poles, and about 6" taller... this one I'm pretty much decided upon... unless someone compelled my otherwise.... but I think it'll be worth the extra money.
.... for the lights... after a ton research I'm leaning toward using (2) Timber Redwood VS for the tent... the reviews and grow logs are outstanding, and I feel this setup would work well for what I'm trying to do... but after digging deeper and looking into the components and how it's built, I realized I could easily (and more affordably) build my own COB light with comparable (or possibly better) results... in my past I was an electrician for about 10 years and have every tool imaginable ... I've read all the way through ledgardner.com and I'm 100% confident that I'll have no problem making something myself, but my OCD still has so many questions:
- According to the timber specs they use Vero29 Gen 7 COB's ... I've priced them, along with both Cree and Citizens COB's and it appears the best quality COB's are Cree... but they're priced significantly higher... is there a benefit to using Cree instead of the Vero29's Timber uses? ... I'd have no problem paying extra for better components... if its worth the cost...
- I also noticed that Timber no longer uses reflectors standard on their lights because it decreases wattage and allows the lights to be closer to the canopy... is that correct? or should I consider adding reflectors?
- I planned to follow the Redwood VS layout as closely as possible regarding size and layout of COB's... would I benefit from a different layout? or by adding additional COBs other than the 6 they use? Does the Redwood VS use 2 separate drivers, running 3 COBs on each side? ... or are those just junction boxes mounted on the crossrails?
- I've read into adding some red/dark red spectrum for 2/13 minutes at sunset .. is this something I could build into these lights now? ... or is that something I should build a separate light/driver, set on a different timer?
- when I plug (6) Vero29's into ledgardner's driver calculator it suggests using either HLG-240H-C700 or HLG-320H-C700 .. I'd like to run these as efficiently on a dimmer ... are there any suggestions on which of these drivers would suit me best?
- It looks like most drivers are run on regular 120VAC line power ... are there any drivers that run on 2P 220v? and if so is there any benefit to efficiency?
- I've been pricing some components on cobkits.com but they seem to have a narrow selection... is there one really good source that people routinely use to find better prices or selections?
- I estimate I could build each light for about $400-$500 each vs spending $750+ for the Timbers ... i like the idea of being able to customize or upgrade my own and I'm not intimidated in the least... but am I just better off spending the extra nickel and buying the Timbers?
I know .. a shit load of questions, and I don't expect anybody to take the time to answer all of them... but if any of the experts out there have any suggestions, I'd love the input. Thx again...
