Rocket Soul
Well-Known Member
I got a bunch of these aswell, hoping to use the red buddies to support an autogrow that dont get too much sun on my balcony but it all about the corona now.
Buddies, side-light and under-canopy LEDs
- Thread starter Prawn Connery
- Start date
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
You got a set of these just lyin around? Put em to use!
Rocket Soul
Well-Known Member
Dude, the whole country is in jail right now, no growshops open, nowhere to get seeds or clones or anything. Spain is grim right now and US is coming up on it. Get all your stuff sorted cause youll be sitting tight for a while i bet.
Prawn Connery
Well-Known Member
I've had them for just over a month. There are others using them, but there aren't any public journals that I'm aware of. All LEDs are low wattage until you put a few together. In my case I've added 60W of Buddies to a tent that already has about 340W of LED panels, so that's a decent increase in wattage.
diggs99
Well-Known Member
ya same here bud, I have mine still in packages not opened yet. Hoping within the next month or so I can get my new lights built and the buddies put to use.
right now it’s not real high on my list of priorities tho
Stay safe bro, all the best
Rocket Soul
Well-Known Member
Props on cool use of them, if i get some spares ill do some intracannopy on alu angle for my buds grow but after were all jailbroken. Take it from someone whos allready eleven days into curfew; be good to yourself and the people around you cause its really challenging, especially when you see no sign of numbers coming down. Im lucky, i married the right person for a thing like this, my wifes a real star.
Prawn Connery
Well-Known Member
Yeah I forgot to mention that each string of 20 LEDs is 2m long, so the individual LEDs are spaced about 10cm apart. In my tent I have four strings. I soldered a white and red string together and looped them around one side of the tent to make two rows that start and terminate in the same spot, then I did the same to the other side of the tent. The four ends of each two combined strings (each end has a + and a – wire) are then soldered to a connector which plugs into a DC wire connected to the external driver. That driver is then on the same timer as the other LEDs, so everything turns on and off at the sae time (12/12 cycle).
I can't tell you when the production Buddies will be ready, as the Coronavirus has put a damper on everything.
Prawn Connery
Well-Known Member
I just decided to do the simplest thing I could with them, which was to stick them to the sides of my tent. They have been in place now for I think about six weeks (maybe more?), and there is no sign of the 3M tape coming loose. In fact, I tried to relocate one of the LEDs and ended up pulling half the tape off the LED instead of the tent, so I can say from experience they stick like you wouldn't believe!
In fact, my main concern would be if you have a cheap tent with crappy reflective coating, these things will pull the silver lining off if you are not careful. You also have to bear in mind the tent is somewhat humid and it hasn't even affected the adhesives.
As to the results, I have noticed that instead of having lots of larf around the bottoms of my plants that are normally shaded, the two plants I have harvested since installing the Buddies have both been pretty solid, with small thumbnail buds instead of fluff. I know that's not very scientific, but I have certainly noticed the difference.
I am just about to start a full cycle with these, so I will know in another 8-10 weeks how much they improve yields. The two plants I pulled had slightly higher yields than they normally do (about 1/2oz each), but I would expect with a 15-20% increase in light I should get a similar increase in yield.
For me they're ideal, because I often grow a mix of plants and have tall sativas in there that get neglected near the bottom of the plants as very little light gets through. I think in the case of Buddies, a little bit of light goes a long way to improving flowering structure.
hybridway2
Amare Shill
Nice! Its really too bad Teknik had a boner for Knocking the lights i like. We could have n probably would have got along n who knows, maybe I would have been able to assist. In testing as his work is everything I'm interested in. I still wish him my best in his endeavors & think he will open unexplored avenues to Horticultural leds.
To bad for me. Smart dude.
To bad for me. Smart dude.
Prawn Connery
Well-Known Member
He's not the most diplomatic chap. And that's putting it mildly
But in hindsight, I think even you can agree he was right to call out Scammy and her HGL lights. Teknik was just a bit ahead of his time and of course he's not a grower so he didn't get extra kudos for that. But he knew bullshit when he smelled it and wasn't shy to call it.
I would be the first to try to broker a peace between Teknik and Admin, but I don't think it's going to happen. And even if it did, some egos would need to be kept in check.
Prawn Connery
Well-Known Member
The PC Red use a 660nm pump combined with a red phosphor – similar to the red phosphor used in white phosphor LEDs (along with green, which absorb the primary blue light and re-emit it along the spectrum). The red phosphor/red die combo creates a wide red spectral emitter that is also high efficiency due to the 660nm pump.
EDIT: I found this in another thread. This isn't a Buddies spectograph, but is part of a similar PC Red report that shows a 3:1 Red:Far Red ratio
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diggs99
Well-Known Member
<3 TeknikHe's not the most diplomatic chap. And that's putting it mildly
But in hindsight, I think even you can agree he was right to call out Scammy and her HGL lights. Teknik was just a bit ahead of his time and of course he's not a grower so he didn't get extra kudos for that. But he knew bullshit when he smelled it and wasn't shy to call it.
I would be the first to try to broker a peace between Teknik and Admin, but I don't think it's going to happen. And even if it did, some egos would need to be kept in check.
One of the smartest and most helpful dudes ive come in contact with. Also shows very little mercy to bs artists and wants nothing but transparency, rules to live by imo
Not a diplomatic bone in his body tho , i dont think lol
did i mention how much i <3 Teknik?
Prawn Connery
Well-Known Member
Yeah, there's very little drop-off in the cyan range like most CRI80 and even CRI90 LEDs. He's made a good choice with the colours. There's a 6500K that could be used for cloning, but personally I like the 4000K best as an alround clone, veg and flowering light.
2.08 umol/l is good. You're never going to get super-high PPE numbers with those housings, but that's the price you pay for ruggedness and water protection. Because these LEDs are designed to be mounted under and near the plants, they have to take a bit of a beating from the elements and plants rubbing up against them. You could stick them around the edge of your pots facing straight up if you wanted to and wouldn't have to worry about watering them or spilling dirt on them or even dead leaves dropping on them. Individually, they're not strong enough to burn anything, so they won't cause a fire hazard being near combustibles.
They're a bloody good idea!
Prawn Connery
Well-Known Member
He loves you too mate
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
Still curious to whether these or using single end wired 4' T5/8 LED bulbs, just bullet connected to the pins would be better for under and side lighting. With the bulbs, you could slide them literally right In to the middle of your under canopy. Super light, and needing to be wired on only one side, makes it really easy to use. Ballast could be outside tent even.
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
I am SO SICK OF LARF.
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
Shit, I'd be using those from the day I got em! So cool.
diggs99
Well-Known Member
Im 30 days into flowering this current crop, the plan is to build my new lights and also utilize the buddies on the next crop, i have a little bit of tinkering to do with my room to set it up the way i want.
Hes gonna send me a few more packs as well, so once all this craziness settles down, ill get everything done and setup.....hopefully
hybridway2
Amare Shill
Right but I'm definitely Not talking about Scammie or HydroGrow. Although him & Scammie are the only 2 poeple that used the phrase "Cookie Cutter" when reffering to the Bar-8. Then the Conspiracy Theories started running through my head. Idk! I thought had to be a sock puppet account from another company cuz why try so hard to knock a quality product that makes spectral efforts? So i just avoided him n never gave him a chance.He's not the most diplomatic chap. And that's putting it mildly
But in hindsight, I think even you can agree he was right to call out Scammy and her HGL lights. Teknik was just a bit ahead of his time and of course he's not a grower so he didn't get extra kudos for that. But he knew bullshit when he smelled it and wasn't shy to call it.
I would be the first to try to broker a peace between Teknik and Admin, but I don't think it's going to happen. And even if it did, some egos would need to be kept in check.
It was just weird. Im glad he turned out to be legit & is doing the things he told me he would do for the community through PM.
I call a Peace Treaty with the man if he'll have it.
Wouldn't know how to contact him. If someone wouldn't mind passing the word that'd be appreciated. Thanks!
diggs99
Well-Known Member
dont hold your breathe lol
The list of people who really got to him is short, you are on it.
But ill gladly pass the message along, maybe he has had a change of heart during these crazy times lol