Guide me to the Light....

grotbags

Well-Known Member
Just when I thought I'd closed my last alibaba tab...

Funny enough I have just received a quote from Forest over there for a few of these.

Are they better than what I can get on digikey/cutter?
no, cutters strips are far better.
 

grotbags

Well-Known Member
If that's really the spectrum they put out on a single board... I'm impressed...
I just have a hard time believing it honestly...
They could use a little less Blue, but I guess that's what you'd expect where they're getting that near UVA Spike. Kind of unavoidable with those diodes.
View attachment 4557376
far to much blue just look at the size of that spike, they are using 80cri 561 which already has a massive 450nm pump then adding more 450nm mono's?. doesn't make sense.
 

DukeFluke

Well-Known Member
no, cutters strips are far better.
Jesus, I'm so fuckin glad you said that.

I was talking to Mark from cutter last night for quite a while... fell asleep twice lol... Foiled by timezones I was

Anyway, he wants a basic sketch of my grow space before he puts the order in, which I think is a pretty solid thing to do. I was ready to go with my basket and he could have took the payment there and then, but instead I'm getting on to him tonight and mailing him a basic drawing of the area.

So... if all goes well I'll be official tonight. Then we'll move on to the heatsinking and other bits and bobs.
 

Nizza

Well-Known Member
If you are limited on vertical space , I would think some extra blue could be of benefit to reduce stretching. Not 100% sure but I always use extra blue for stretchy plants in an attempt to reduce stretch, along with kelp sprays late veg/early flower, then after the stretch is done I turn up my more "red" lighting and dim the blue back.
 

DukeFluke

Well-Known Member
Yo Nizza, I hear you. But believe it or not the vertical space wouldn't be such a problem. My screen starts very close to the ground and then I install drippers and run a semi auto feed thing where I just turn on the pump. The distance between the canopy and the light would be the same as someone growing taller plants and having a higher ceiling

So...

When Moflow linked me that R2T strip it had me thinking. R2T had just given me a quote

This is what they had

R2T Strip

Rock 240+X LED Board, Al,
Board Spec.: 995*70*2mm
HASL, 1oz,2.0w/m
240pcs Samsung301B/SK/SL ,CCT: 3000k/3500k/4000k/5000k/6500k, RA:80
14pcs Samsung LH35H-660nm chips

input is:45-54Vdc/1400mA(max.2100mA with heatsink),

And this is what Mark from Cutter helped me narrow my choice down to

Cutter Strip

Cree 2835 HE(96)3500k with Cree XPG-3(4) G bin 660nm.
The blend of 3500k and XPG3 Deep Red creates a final CCT of 3094K at 93CRI
 
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grotbags

Well-Known Member
Jesus, I'm so fuckin glad you said that.

I was talking to Mark from cutter last night for quite a while... fell asleep twice lol... Foiled by timezones I was

Anyway, he wants a basic sketch of my grow space before he puts the order in, which I think is a pretty solid thing to do. I was ready to go with my basket and he could have took the payment there and then, but instead I'm getting on to him tonight and mailing him a basic drawing of the area.

So... if all goes well I'll be official tonight. Then we'll move on to the heatsinking and other bits and bobs.
mark from cutter posts on here as @welight if you didnt know.

what strips are you thinking of going for?.

just to touch on heatsinking for a second, the fewer strips you buy the harder you will have to run them needing a more robust heatsink. finding long enough lengths of good multi finned heatsink in the uk is hard and expensive, often as much as the strips can cost. its often better to buy more strips and run em softer and you will get away with just some lightweight "C" or "U" aluminium channel which can be sourced easy and cheap enough in the uk.
 

DukeFluke

Well-Known Member
The original kit uses 16 strips.

I was hoping to get away with just some aluminium sheet

Thoughts on that?
 

DukeFluke

Well-Known Member
@Airwalker16 Fair enough, but then I lose part of the point of the build, which is to allow heat to rise and escape between the strips and ventilate directly out of the room
 

grotbags

Well-Known Member
The original kit uses 16 strips.

I was hoping to get away with just some aluminium sheet

Thoughts on that?
you will have to check the specs to see how hard they need to be ran to meet your required watt/foot.
for a piece of flat ali sheet i would probs want to be less than half power? not really sure as i have never used it.
 

DukeFluke

Well-Known Member
From the cutter site

with 500ma for 25 watt operation recommended drive current with minimal heat sinking, at 1amp, 50 watt, would recommend good quality thermal bed, Cooler or Aluminium Sheet

so 16 of these at 25w runs me at 400W which is about where I'd like to be
Driver maxed out at 480w and they're still only 30 a piece, which is well below the 50 max

Edit: So if aluminium sheet is recommended at 50w, I'm sure I'll get away with 3mm strips at 25-30w, yep?
 

grotbags

Well-Known Member
From the cutter site

with 500ma for 25 watt operation recommended drive current with minimal heat sinking, at 1amp, 50 watt, would recommend good quality thermal bed, Cooler or Aluminium Sheet

so 16 of these at 25w runs me at 400W which is about where I'd like to be
Driver maxed out at 480w and they're still only 30 a piece, which is well below the 50 max

Edit: So if aluminium sheet is recommended at 50w, I'm sure I'll get away with 3mm strips at 25-30w, yep?
i doubt it. they must need a better sink than flat sheet for their 50w max?
 
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