In cooperation with ViparSpectra - XS1000 in the mix with my HLG lights

[PJ Diaz]

Thanks to @ViparSpectra Grower for letting me test out one of their newest lights, the XS1000. This light had already been on my radar as one of the best quality units in it's price range, but it's always hard to really tell from advertisements, so glad to be able to get one in my hands. The light just arrived today, so here's the box opening..



The unit arrived well packed, complete with a hanging kit, instruction manual, and some stickers..







I'll be adding this to my mix of HLG units and 315 CMH, and do some lux comparisons and such as well.

 

[King Gheedorah]

At least you got one

 

[PJ Diaz]

So I did a little lux testing. I don't have a par meter, but as a simple comparison my lux meter should do the job.

What I've been using for veg is a v1 HLG QB288 in 4k color temp. This uses the older lm561c diodes, the precursor to lm301b, but still a highly efficient diode.



I power my single board with a Meanwell HLG-120H-54A driver.



I will compare lux of this board with the ViparSpectra XS1000.

I decided to dim both boards down to 100watts power draw from the wall, using my kill-a-watt meter.



I measured the lux of each fixture @ 100watts draw, each from 24-inch distance from diodes to floor. I did my best to measure directly center under each fixture.

First I tested my HLG 288 v1 @ 24-inches, which came out to 18,800 lux (188 @ x100 scale) at the center point below the fixture:



Next I tested the xs1000, also at 100watts draw from the wall, and also at 24-inches from the floor. The lux tests were a hair lower, but basically the same, at 18,200 lux:



A couple things to note in these comparisons.. We're sort of comparing apples to oranges here, because the HLG board is all 4k white diodes, while the Viparspectra board is more of a mixed spectrum, but they are still quite similar. Also the diodes on the HLG board are a bit closer together than the Vipar spectra, and I only did one center point test.

 

[PJ Diaz]

At least you got one

Honestly at the price of $1/watt ($120) this is a pretty nice prebuilt fixture. I use the "A" version drivers on my HLG boards, so I always need to get out my tiny screwdriver to change the dimming levels, which is a pain. The nice smooth dimmer on the Viparspectra light is really nice and handy..

 

[PJ Diaz]

@hotrodharley these are decent fixtures, if you finally wanna ditch the hps, lol.

 

[bodhipop]

Any insight when it comes to manually adjusting output outside of the dimmer knob? I could be wrong but some reviews have stated that the wattage usage would be 230 watts compared to the expected 240 at max with the knob. I'm a n00b wondering if we can manually do anything for max output?? I know you're pro!!

 

[PJ Diaz]

Any insight when it comes to manually adjusting output outside of the dimmer knob? I could be wrong but some reviews have stated that the wattage usage would be 230 watts compared to the expected 240 at max with the knob. I'm a n00b wondering if we can manually do anything for max output?? I know you're pro!!

I haven't tested max wattage yet. I should do that next. My guess would be that the dimmer could simply be disconnected from the circuit to get max output from the driver. The "dimmer" is really just a variable resistor after all, so once you remove resistance there is no dimming. Surely that would void the warranty however. This unit is rated for 120watts, so it's not going to get anywhere near 240watts. I assume you are referring to the higher wattage models. One thing to consider is that the XLG series of drivers have a pretty wide voltage range (up to 56volts), so if your LED board only draws 48 to 54v, then you really can't max out the driver the same way you can with some other drivers. That said, the more watts you crank thru your boards, the less efficient they become. I generally run my boards a lot lower than max rated power. They last longer that way too.

 

[SBBCal]

I use the xs2000’s and turned the driver pots up full and the xs dimmer full and got close to 315w. Only did it for a couple minutes as stated above, diode life. I run them at 230w .
-looks like this new model has xlg drivers not hlg like the rest of the line .

 

[PJ Diaz]

-looks like this new model has xlg drivers not hlg like the rest of the line .

Yeah, the XLG line is less expensive, which is likely the reason for the change. They are still a quality series driver however, and about the same efficiency as the HLG series.

 

[SBBCal]

Yeah, the XLG line is less expensive, which is likely the reason for the change. They are still a quality series driver however, and about the same efficiency as the HLG series.

Yeah I’m definitely not knocking, they just don’t have the external pots for dimming

 

[PJ Diaz]

Yeah I’m definitely not knocking, they just don’t have the external pots for dimming

Which type drivers do your units have? Type "A" or "AB"?

 

[SBBCal]

Which type drivers do your units have? Type "A" or "AB"?

 

[PJ Diaz]

Oh, ya those AB type offer the best of both worlds. They are pretty expensive drivers too. I'm sure that they had to switch to the XLG series in order to keep the final costs down. You scored by getting that driver before they switched to XLG.

 

[SBBCal]

Oh, ya those AB type offer the best of both worlds. They are pretty expensive drivers too. I'm sure that they had to switch to the XLG series in order to keep the final costs down. You scored by getting that driver before they switched to XLG.

Yeah I got them cheap too. I was running their p1500’s and got a promo (late 19’)from Vipar on the XS line. I’m not sure why people still knock them , they’ve come along way since the bluperls

 

[ViparSpectra]

If you want to cooperate with us, please contact us directly, thanks PJ Diaz, my friend

 

[PJ Diaz]

I use the xs2000’s and turned the driver pots up full and the xs dimmer full and got close to 315w. Only did it for a couple minutes as stated above, diode life. I run them at 230w .
-looks like this new model has xlg drivers not hlg like the rest of the line .

I checked the wattage on max today, and it hit 122watts:



At max, that turned out to be 20,600 lux at 24-inches (at center):



I do have some plants vegging under it now, which I took out for the lux readings, but will post some pics of plants under the lights soon.

In the meantime, here's a shot of my super lemon haze at around 3/4-weeks flowering in my flower tent:

 

[PJ Diaz]

GG4 (Josey's cut) in my flower tent (a combination of HLG QB96's and 315cmh for lighting) also at around 3/4-weeks flowering:

 

[Hygropia]

Hmm anyone else have an xs1000 with 350 diodes and XLG 100 driver?
Maybe I have a copy

 

[SBBCal]

Looks normal to me

 

[PJ Diaz]

Super Lemon Haze around 30-days 12/12 in my flower tent..



Wedding Cake also @ around 30-days 12/12..