Hey, Surge, thanks, dude. Good luck to you too. I presently have 15 females in the second week of flowering under a pair of 400 watt HPS. But I was thinking of stepping up my game. My main concern is not getting ripped off when purchasing the LEDs. I want to make sure I'm getting a good product at a fair price, and it will really work. The one i mentioned supposedly covers 50 square feet and replaces a 1000watt HPS. I figure if I had three of them in one room, I'd be good, but I don't know if that's a good product or if there is a better solution. Hopefully, the vets in here will help a brotha out.
Led Users Unite!
- Thread starter project fuoro
- Start date
surgedup
Active Member
Well most of the guys on here will tell you and myself is that what some of these LED's advertise that is really really false is the coverage area. Yeah the will probably cover that area but what matters with LED's and what is crucial is the penetration of those LED's and one of the main reasons what I liked about gotham hydroponics and the blackstars is they dont bullshit you on the amount of space there units cover for maximum yield my 240w blackstar states on there sight it will cover 4-6sqft being the max. See what you really need is the penetration and concentration of the lights is what I learned to grow some really killer bud with LED's man. I dont know if you have checked out ledbudguys grow journals if you have not go check them out! he has some amazing results with his ISIS FX1 panels and they are way cheaper than those gro panel pro's which I think are not really going to give you what you need for your space requirements. Also check out dunit hes doing a grow with two 357 magnum lights which is going pretty well its his first run with LED's and his growth is looking great if you ask me. So ask them questions they will have alot more knowledge on LED's than me. But yeah man check oher LED sites man id be really weary of sunshine stating they can cover a 50sqft area with that light but than again every LED company I would tell you to be weary and do alot of research before dumiping that amount of money on them. Also check out www.kessil.com they are taking LED lights to the next level man and I might buy a couple of there lights just because of how well they work...
Hudsonvalley82
Well-Known Member
Use two 300W Blackstars, or a 500W Blackstar with two or three kessils (actually I like that whole 500W with 2 or 3 kessils myself) that should light it up very nicely. The 500W will give you a bunch of spectrum saturation and the kessils will light up where the 500W can't. The 500W has about a 3x4 foot print, and the smallest I have heard a kessil cover is 2x2. 12 sq feet from the 500W and 8 to 12 square feet from the kessils (depending on two or three) and you will have a banging set up and probably shut a lot of people up for like 605 watts (not even actual draw either).
fourtwentyish
Member
Wanted to join in on this thread. I have a 180w Blackstar UFO from Gotham Hydro. It is for a GL60 tent which is 2'x2'x63" or something. My white widow fem seeds from Nirvana are still germing so I haven't gotten the grow going yet. First grow, will be using the LED only from start to finish. Thanks for all of the info on LEDs in this thread.
Hudsonvalley82
Well-Known Member
Good shit man, put up a link to a journal, (or start one if you haven't) we all want to follow...
TshirtNinja
Well-Known Member
YES!!!!! please start a journal....... That is my next grow and i want to see how you do it. I will stage yours as a gauge for my grow with 480w worth of blackstar. We are all iced in here in DFW so I will be calling them today to order since i called into work.
fourtwentyish
Member
I will be working on that at some point soon. I just put them in soil a few mins ago and took some pics for documentation sake. I'll be sure to link the journal once it is up and running.
Hudsonvalley82
Well-Known Member
Hot shit, get that journal rolling +rep
fourtwentyish
Member
Ok, just started a journal (I think). I am not sure if I am doing it right, I had a hard time finding any info or FAQ about the journal section but I added a journal post. Here is the link.
https://www.rollitup.org/blogs/blog7140-180w-blackstar-led-gl60-tent.html
Very happy to see interest already, thanks for the added motivation (as if I needed any more haha). Still trying to figure out pics, profile as well as journal. Tried to start an album but can't figure out how to add pics to it. Is there a place to upload them here on RIU or do I need to use a different place and then link them?
https://www.rollitup.org/blogs/blog7140-180w-blackstar-led-gl60-tent.html
Very happy to see interest already, thanks for the added motivation (as if I needed any more haha). Still trying to figure out pics, profile as well as journal. Tried to start an album but can't figure out how to add pics to it. Is there a place to upload them here on RIU or do I need to use a different place and then link them?
Devilspawn
Well-Known Member
OK, my grow is now all LED- CFL for heat removed with addition of the 240 W blackstar yesterday into my Coolcab. It is adding plenty of heat along with the two UFOs. Temps are up 14 degrees vs UFO alone at top of cab. INtake air is blowing in below the lights at the current plant height with 70 degree fresh air. So now its 180 ws of 1 w leds and 240 w of 3 w. Pics up in my journal.
Hudsonvalley82
Well-Known Member
I find it easier to post a new thread in the journal section here instead of using the embedded journal thingy...Most people do the same.
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/
Just click the link and hit +Add new thread (on the upper left hand corner of the window) and cut/paste the text from you first journal in there. I find putting a journal in that area easier to maintain and easier for people to follow. (especially easy to add pics (rectangle looking icon next to the globe with the chain link))
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/
Just click the link and hit +Add new thread (on the upper left hand corner of the window) and cut/paste the text from you first journal in there. I find putting a journal in that area easier to maintain and easier for people to follow. (especially easy to add pics (rectangle looking icon next to the globe with the chain link))
Hudsonvalley82
Well-Known Member
fourtwentyish
Member
fourtwentyish
Member
Right on man, the new journal is much more what I was looking for. Got some pics up, will keep them coming. Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/405263-180w-blackstar-led-gl60-tent.html#post5252456
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/405263-180w-blackstar-led-gl60-tent.html#post5252456
meharmon
Member
Ok, here's the followup with some more info on the Blackstar 240W we had questions about earlier...
Dunit, KaptainKron, etc., whoever else wants to know
I finally got my 240W Blackstar in-- ordered on a Saturday, arrived 9 days later on a Monday (UPS from east to west coast).
Here are some pics of the internals, fans are 80mm "fpl8025bh" from fan-cooling.com.
I couldn't find any info on CFM online
so I will just say they move a "lot" of air. I will compare them to a cooler master fan which also moves a "lot" of air whenever I get around to it, but its of little concern. Closeup of back panel shows one of the black boxes(controllers?) flipped over with a sticker which says "80-130V 630mA".
Connecting it to a Kill-a-Watt showed 1.13 A, and 133W. I am confused why a 240W panel is pulling 133W, especially when you subtract a few watts for each fan, and a few more for conversion efficiency-- you're looking at between 100-120W actually reaching the LEDs. At 80 LEDs, assuming 120W= 1.5W per.... so half the rated power? WTF?
After running for several hours, the internal temperature as measured with an infrared gun on the back surface of the aluminum heatsink/fan areas was about 35C (95F) with an ambient temp of about 25C (77F). I did some looking on how much temp effects the wavelength output, and I think this is well within acceptable limits (perhaps dunit can shed more light on this?)
Dunit, KaptainKron, etc., whoever else wants to know
I finally got my 240W Blackstar in-- ordered on a Saturday, arrived 9 days later on a Monday (UPS from east to west coast).
Here are some pics of the internals, fans are 80mm "fpl8025bh" from fan-cooling.com.
I couldn't find any info on CFM online
so I will just say they move a "lot" of air. I will compare them to a cooler master fan which also moves a "lot" of air whenever I get around to it, but its of little concern. Closeup of back panel shows one of the black boxes(controllers?) flipped over with a sticker which says "80-130V 630mA".Connecting it to a Kill-a-Watt showed 1.13 A, and 133W. I am confused why a 240W panel is pulling 133W, especially when you subtract a few watts for each fan, and a few more for conversion efficiency-- you're looking at between 100-120W actually reaching the LEDs. At 80 LEDs, assuming 120W= 1.5W per.... so half the rated power? WTF?
After running for several hours, the internal temperature as measured with an infrared gun on the back surface of the aluminum heatsink/fan areas was about 35C (95F) with an ambient temp of about 25C (77F). I did some looking on how much temp effects the wavelength output, and I think this is well within acceptable limits (perhaps dunit can shed more light on this?)
Hudsonvalley82
Well-Known Member
I put a post up getting 95 degrees as well...I know that no LED runs at full capacity, yet on the same token I have never seen anyone do as an in depth analysis of their LED grow light. I wonder what comparable models are pushing.
Who wants to tear apart their grow light?
Who wants to tear apart their grow light?
Cereall
Well-Known Member
LEDs have to run at minimal/half powerOk, here's the followup with some more info on the Blackstar 240W we had questions about earlier...
Dunit, KaptainKron, etc., whoever else wants to know
I finally got my 240W Blackstar in-- ordered on a Saturday, arrived 9 days later on a Monday (UPS from east to west coast).
Here are some pics of the internals, fans are 80mm "fpl8025bh" from fan-cooling.com.
I couldn't find any info on CFM online
Connecting it to a Kill-a-Watt showed 1.13 A, and 133W. I am confused why a 240W panel is pulling 133W, especially when you subtract a few watts for each fan, and a few more for conversion efficiency-- you're looking at between 100-120W actually reaching the LEDs. At 80 LEDs, assuming 120W= 1.5W per.... so half the rated power? WTF?
After running for several hours, the internal temperature as measured with an infrared gun on the back surface of the aluminum heatsink/fan areas was about 35C (95F) with an ambient temp of about 25C (77F). I did some looking on how much temp effects the wavelength output, and I think this is well within acceptable limits (perhaps dunit can shed more light on this?)
View attachment 1416672View attachment 1416673View attachment 1416674
Running at full power makes them run too hot and significantly decreases its lifespan.
When they get too hot, their spectrum usually shifts to a different, incorrect wavelength, which is not desirable.
All LEDs run at 1/2 power, just depends on how the manufacturer rates them as why it may come as a shock
Growledhydro lists actual usable wattage and i think they are one of the few that do this, but most manufacturers just list max theoretical wattage
Thanks for pulling it apart for all of us
My 260W panel was pulling 1.37A or 167W so pretty similar power consumption