Best light coverage for 10x5x6 tent

[HardLuck71]

@2com @diggs99, I finally completed my order. I went with 16 of the 3000k (90cri) and 16 of the 5000k (80cri). I had to wait till today cause I had to get ahold of my bank and have them allow transaction out of the country. I just cant believe that since I had to wait 2 more days, the price of the strips actually went up (not much but still) and so did shipping which I really don’t understand seeing it was the same exact order from 2 days ago! Shipping went from $91 to $97.20 which I’m still not happy at all about cause that’s a lot for shipping but like u said @diggs99 , with the other strips being more narrow, I would’ve had to order quite a few more strips so in the end it was still cheaper to go through Cutter. So now I need to figure out the best driver to go with and if it would be cheaper to go with 2 or 4 drivers. I’m about to order 80/20 for framing, T-Nuts, thermal tape and heatsinks from Heatsink USA.

 

[diggs99]

@2com @diggs99, I finally completed my order. I went with 16 of the 3000k (90cri) and 16 of the 5000k (80cri). I had to wait till today cause I had to get ahold of my bank and have them allow transaction out of the country. I just cant believe that since I had to wait 2 more days, the price of the strips actually went up (not much but still) and so did shipping which I really don’t understand seeing it was the same exact order from 2 days ago! Shipping went from $91 to $97.20 which I’m still not happy at all about cause that’s a lot for shipping but like u said @diggs99 , with the other strips being more narrow, I would’ve had to order quite a few more strips so in the end it was still cheaper to go through Cutter. So now I need to figure out the best driver to go with and if it would be cheaper to go with 2 or 4 drivers. I’m about to order 80/20 for framing, T-Nuts, thermal tape and heatsinks from Heatsink USA.

Nice man, glad you got the order placed. Heres to hoping the lead time wont be bad and you get the strips quick.

Im just waiting to hear back from Mark myself, got 4 new lights to build , using more J series everywhere with a few added perks in there

Happy new year!


edit: I just noticed @Rocket Soul was online, he was a strong supporter of more modular builds and versatility when i built my first lights, if hes still around, he might offer some help on the driver situation.

 

[HardLuck71]

Nice man, glad you got the order placed. Heres to hoping the lead time wont be bad and you get the strips quick.

Im just waiting to hear back from Mark myself, got 4 new lights to build , using more J series everywhere with a few added perks in there

Happy new year!


edit: I just noticed @Rocket Soul was online, he was a strong supporter of more modular builds and versatility when i built my first lights, if hes still around, he might offer some help on the driver situation.

Happy New Year brother! It said expected delivery 1/8/19 but not holding my breath on that lol. Just cant believe shipping was pretty much $100 ya know. You think I went with good kelvin temp lights using 5000k with the 3000k (90cri)? After researching CRI I found out that with the 3000k being 90cri that it has more far red than if I went with 80cri and the 5000k should add plenty of blue spectrum don’t ya think? I was think of going with 5700k or 6500k but I think that’s the reason my current plants are so short and bushy cause I have some 6500k on them along with the led and since putting them under that new Mars TSW-2000 I bought, the look much better and growing much better as well. I got that to use in my smaller 5 x 5 tent. Regardless, I’m looking forward to getting these built and seeing how they grow under the new lights.

 

[HardLuck71]

@diggs99 here are how they look under the new light compared to the blurple light.

 

[diggs99]

@diggs99 here are how they look under the new light now and the 3 newer ones i started.View attachment 4447653View attachment 4447654

They look great man, the first 2 are screaming for some bondage or straight HST!!! Id start tying down those 2 really tall shoots on each plant let the lower stuff catch up, or supercropping is my go to. I love bending and breaking shit lol and i really love flat canopies lol

 

[HardLuck71]

They look great man, the first 2 are screaming for some bondage or straight HST!!! Id start tying down those 2 really tall shoots on each plant let the lower stuff catch up, or supercropping is my go to. I love bending and breaking shit lol and i really love flat canopies lol

That’s what I’m trying to figure out now, not really sure how to prune or train. Bondage? Those 2 with tall shoots, I topped them and worked out pretty well. I did buy a screen but not sure where to put it? Isn’t that considered LST? Am I supposed to use screen at a certain time? I getting ready to switch them over and start flower.

 

[2com]

They look great man, the first 2 are screaming for some bondage or straight HST!!! Id start tying down those 2 really tall shoots on each plant let the lower stuff catch up, or supercropping is my go to. I love bending and breaking shit lol and i really love flat canopies lol

I think the so called "GML topping" technique is actually great. Low stress, and very effective. Also very easy.

 

[diggs99]

That’s what I’m trying to figure out now, not really sure how to prune or train. Bondage? Those 2 with tall shoots, I topped them and worked out pretty well. I did buy a screen but not sure where to put it? Isn’t that considered LST? Am I supposed to use screen at a certain time? I getting ready to switch them over and start flower.

Bondage....just using tie downs to pull taller growing branches back down and away from the center of the plant, opens the plant up and allows all the lower shoots to catch up.

If you want to use a screen for a true scrog it should be about 10-12" above the base of the pots, the idea is to grow the plant wide and bushy, spreading her out and filling the screen in the process( This also involved longer veg times while you wait to fill the screen 60-80%). Many growers also use the screen as a trellis for support, if this is your plan, you can install it anytime, either now, before you flip or during stretch.

 

[2com]

@2com @diggs99, I finally completed my order. I went with 16 of the 3000k (90cri) and 16 of the 5000k (80cri). I had to wait till today cause I had to get ahold of my bank and have them allow transaction out of the country. I just cant believe that since I had to wait 2 more days, the price of the strips actually went up (not much but still) and so did shipping which I really don’t understand seeing it was the same exact order from 2 days ago! Shipping went from $91 to $97.20 which I’m still not happy at all about cause that’s a lot for shipping but like u said @diggs99 , with the other strips being more narrow, I would’ve had to order quite a few more strips so in the end it was still cheaper to go through Cutter. So now I need to figure out the best driver to go with and if it would be cheaper to go with 2 or 4 drivers. I’m about to order 80/20 for framing, T-Nuts, thermal tape and heatsinks from Heatsink USA.

Excellent.
Things to consider for drivers, in my opinion.
-Are you concerned with dimming at all? Will you be wanting to use the dimming function to lower/increase the output of your lights?
-Are you going to mount the drivers to the light fixture/frame, or remotely - like on a wall/board, etc?
-Are you concerned with downtime after a potential driver issue? More drivers is more redundancy, in a way. Know what I mean?
-Also, I think you get a little more power with, say two 240w drivers versus one 480w driver, just because of how much each individual driver can go slightly above rated output (might only apply to type-a drivers. ledgardener videos again, lol).

I can't recommend type-a drivers anymore, it makes no sense. You have to use a screwdriver to adjust the dimmer screw on the actual driver.

 

[diggs99]

I can't recommend type-a drivers anymore, it makes no sense. You have to use a screwdriver to adjust the dimmer screw on the actual driver.

I couldnt agree with this more.....its a total nuisance , not too mention one twist a little too hard and you just stripped it.

From this point on, ill always buy and wire dimmers

 

[2com]

I couldnt agree with this more.....its a total nuisance , not too mention one twist a little too hard and you just stripped it.

From this point on, ill always buy and wire dimmers

A win for rationality. Haha.
MeanWell makes an "AB-Type" now as well, for anyone wondering. So there is literally no need for an A-type, unless you can't wait for the lead time shipping of an AB-type (hopefully(!) they just become regular stocked items).

 

[HardLuck71]

Excellent.
Things to consider for drivers, in my opinion.
-Are you concerned with dimming at all? Will you be wanting to use the dimming function to lower/increase the output of your lights?
-Are you going to mount the drivers to the light fixture/frame, or remotely - like on a wall/board, etc?
-Are you concerned with downtime after a potential driver issue? More drivers is more redundancy, in a way. Know what I mean?
-Also, I think you get a little more power with, say two 240w drivers versus one 480w driver, just because of how much each individual driver can go slightly above rated output (might only apply to type-a drivers. ledgardener videos again, lol).

@2com
I can't recommend type-a drivers anymore, it makes no sense. You have to use a screwdriver to adjust the dimmer screw on the actual driver.

So you guys think I chose good kelvin temps to use? Ok, to answer ur question.
-No I’m not worried about dimming at all
-I want to mount drivers to fixture cause I don’t really have anywhere else
-Downtime??? Redundancy??
Thanks for your reply!

 

[HardLuck71]

I think the so called "GML topping" technique is actually great. Low stress, and very effective. Also very easy.

So I checked out that GML topping technique and can’t believe how simple it is, all you do I remove a fan leafs with stem on your tallest tops to slow dwn growth but not stop it to allow the rest dwn low to catch up. Correct?

 

[HardLuck71]

@diggs99, @2com, so I just order all my 80/20 framing, fasteners along with tool hangers that will slide right into the t-slot, heatsinks, thermal tape, power cords, 3 pin connectors, hook up wire and gland boxes. What is a Potentiameter? Is it for constant current (type-b) driver to turn up & dwn? If so, I’ll also order some of those. I think all thats left now is to finally figure out which driver to use and I’ll have everything I need I believe! I forgot how to figure out exactly how many watts the strips will be running at to get total wattage? Don’t know if I need a 240w or 320w? Everything added up a little more than I was thinking lol, so I’m hoping to be able to run a driver that’s not real expensive but it is what it is and I just wanna make sure they come our good and produce like I’m hoping they will cause like I said it all came to more than I was expecting. Cant thank everyone enough that helped me!

 

[2com]

So I checked out that GML topping technique and can’t believe how simple it is, all you do I remove a fan leafs with stem on your tallest tops to slow dwn growth but not stop it to allow the rest dwn low to catch up. Correct?

Basically, yes.

@diggs99, @2com, so I just order all my 80/20 framing, fasteners along with tool hangers that will slide right into the t-slot, heatsinks, thermal tape, power cords, 3 pin connectors, hook up wire and gland boxes. What is a Potentiameter? Is it for constant current (type-b) driver to turn up & dwn? If so, I’ll also order some of those. I think all thats left now is to finally figure out which driver to use and I’ll have everything I need I believe! I forgot how to figure out exactly how many watts the strips will be running at to get total wattage? Don’t know if I need a 240w or 320w? Everything added up a little more than I was thinking lol, so I’m hoping to be able to run a driver that’s not real expensive but it is what it is and I just wanna make sure they come our good and produce like I’m hoping they will cause like I said it all came to more than I was expecting. Cant thank everyone enough that helped me!

Potentiometer, or "Pot". It's a rotary resistor, basically. It's a resistor with a "range" of resistance.
But I'd go with this https://www.rapidled.com/cased-potentiometer-with-knob/
Double check with @diggs99 because he knows more of the specs for your build. One (1) of those rapidled dimmers can dim anywhere from one to four drivers. No brainer.
But you said you weren't concerned with dimming. Either way, I'd get a B-type driver...you'll probably realize the functionality of dimming and want to use it. If you mount the drivers to the fixture, for example, you can at least wire all their dimming leads to a dimmer/pot/controller and not have to climb a ladder or some other stupid shit. Haha.

 

[2com]

I still don't know where @diggs99 got his 2020 aluminum extrusion. I don't see it listed at tnutz.com or whatever.

 

[diggs99]

1020 not 2020

i used all 1010 for outside frame and 1020 for center beam.....sorry if i said 2020 ? mighta been a typo lol


Ill never use 1020 again either, way too big and heavy and simply put, overkill.

1010 or 1"x1" is plenty rigid and makes for a much lighter fixture.

 

[coreywebster]

@2com @diggs99, I finally completed my order. I went with 16 of the 3000k (90cri) and 16 of the 5000k (80cri). I had to wait till today cause I had to get ahold of my bank and have them allow transaction out of the country. I just cant believe that since I had to wait 2 more days, the price of the strips actually went up (not much but still) and so did shipping which I really don’t understand seeing it was the same exact order from 2 days ago! Shipping went from $91 to $97.20 which I’m still not happy at all about cause that’s a lot for shipping but like u said @diggs99 , with the other strips being more narrow, I would’ve had to order quite a few more strips so in the end it was still cheaper to go through Cutter. So now I need to figure out the best driver to go with and if it would be cheaper to go with 2 or 4 drivers. I’m about to order 80/20 for framing, T-Nuts, thermal tape and heatsinks from Heatsink USA.

Was there a currency drift?

 

[HardLuck71]

Basically, yes.

Potentiometer, or "Pot". It's a rotary resistor, basically. It's a resistor with a "range" of resistance.
But I'd go with this https://www.rapidled.com/cased-potentiometer-with-knob/
Double check with @diggs99 because he knows more of the specs for your build. One (1) of those rapidled dimmers can dim anywhere from one to four drivers. No brainer.
But you said you weren't concerned with dimming. Either way, I'd get a B-type driver...you'll probably realize the functionality of dimming and want to use it. If you mount the drivers to the fixture, for example, you can at least wire all their dimming leads to a dimmer/pot/controller and not have to climb a ladder or some other stupid shit. Haha.

Ok thanks, I was just wondering what it was lol. I am going a B-type

 

[HardLuck71]

1020 not 2020

i used all 1010 for outside frame and 1020 for center beam.....sorry if i said 2020 ? mighta been a typo lol


Ill never use 1020 again either, way too big and heavy and simply put, overkill.

1010 or 1"x1" is plenty rigid and makes for a much lighter fixture.

@2com I also ordered 10 series. Below is what I ordered. I didn’t order anything for center support tho. I’m basically building my lights based on how GreenGene built his in that video. That will wrk rite?