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  1. Mechmike

    The GreenSanta Grow

    An easy way to determine whether it's a bad driver or an open led is to plug a known working driver into the two clusters. Just unplug one that's working and plug the suspect clusters into it. If they light up, it's the drivers. If not, you have a diode out. I've had some experience...
  2. Mechmike

    Passive cooled 3w DIY LED Halo

    Thanks! My grow is small but its productive! In my state, as a mm patient I am allowed only 3 in flower and 3 immature. So to stay within whats allowed I just keep 2 in each veg and flower and 1 mother. The only way for me to get a great yield with only 2 plants is to get a little height and...
  3. Mechmike

    New light test and first grow

    You're not an idiot! You did get a little overzealous though. Just give them a week or two in veg and they will look great. I routinely defoliate and recommend it but I'm really just looking to get light to every bud site or potential bud site. So if a fully developed big ass fan leaf is...
  4. Mechmike

    Passive cooled 3w DIY LED Halo

    Here's the latest. The top colas are big, dense and frosty and the bottoms are not far behind. The time is near...
  5. Mechmike

    G2-800w PARmaxx parabolic refraction integrated full spectrum LED grow light - 4x4 cr

    OUCH! That looks pretty nasty. Lets hope its an isolated thing like 1 bad part out of 10,000. Keep us posted on how Magnum handles the warranty.
  6. Mechmike

    Flowering with Cree bulbs

    I use a light rail. The light on the mover is customized with narrow 45 degree angle lenses so it needs to be moved to prevent light bleaching if kept close to the canopy. The result is super intense and penetrating light within an inch or two of the canopy with no bleaching. I can say that...
  7. Mechmike

    Passive cooled 3w DIY LED Halo

    Just a bit over a week to go. The tops are dense and frosty and bottoms are almost bulked up enough. Reserva Privada Kosher Kush.
  8. Mechmike

    Passive cooled 3w DIY LED Halo

    Cool! How do you intend to cool them? Here http://www.heatsinkusa.com/ is the best supplier of heat sinks I have found. That 1.813" wide is what I would use today if I were building a new bar type side light. When it comes to heat sinks bigger is usually better.
  9. Mechmike

    Passive cooled 3w DIY LED Halo

    Glad to help. Post a picture or two of your creation whenever you get it up and running. I love seeing the neat stuff we diy sorts build.
  10. Mechmike

    Passive cooled 3w DIY LED Halo

    I would use them especially if it's your first build. $68 is about what 20 Cree XTE or Luxeon ES would run. Those more efficient leds aren't 5x more efficient than the Epistars. More like 10%, maybe a bit more at equivalent amperage but not 500%. So, without breaking the bank, those 'cheap'...
  11. Mechmike

    What would your dream light setup be...if money was no object???

    Water cooling is an interesting idea. It would certainly be nice for driving leds at their max rated amperage. I'm not an ace welder or I might build myself one. I'd be concerned about leaks. When charged with coolant it would probably be fairly heavy as well. It would be doable. I'd try...
  12. Mechmike

    Passive cooled 3w DIY LED Halo

    The second and bottom rows are 25mm wide x 10mm high. The long bars are 90cm, short ones 50cm. The third and top rows are cut from several 120mm x 90cm x 20mm high heatsinks. All of the heatsinks were bought off ebay. I am pretty happy with them as they get warm but not hot. I do have to...
  13. Mechmike

    Passive cooled 3w DIY LED Halo

    The side lighting is all home made. The top two rows are all Luxeon ES leds with a small number of 3000k Cree XTEs all running at ~650ma. The bottom two rows are Chinese Epistar leds running at 350ma. As far as cost goes it wasn't cheap but then these are custom made. For me, the joy of...
  14. Mechmike

    Passive cooled 3w DIY LED Halo

    Here are a few pics of the latest. It's two Kosher Kush girls with about 3 weeks left to go. I expect 20-30% more swell in the buds by the big day. The overhead light is on a mover. I like to keep it real close and keep it moving which gives me super intensity the plant can handle. I did...
  15. Mechmike

    Anybody here going full term consistently with no root rot.

    You are very welcome Spotlights! I hope you can find it. If you can I think you will love how well your garden does with it. Another thing that I like about it is that it works well with H2O2 since it doesn't off gas like chlorine based preventatives. So, reservoir temperatures somewhat...
  16. Mechmike

    Anybody here going full term consistently with no root rot.

    I recommend a product called Hydro Sparkle also know as Hydro Fungicide where its made in Australia. I have not had a single problem with root rot since I began using it. Its a non toxic reservoir additive which prevents any single celled organism from growing while allowing the roots to...
  17. Mechmike

    Is my math right? LED and electricity usage.

    That's about right. The Blackstar 240 has 80 diodes. Assuming an average of 3v use per diode that's 240v. If they drive the leds a .55a it would work out to 132 watts. 240v x .55a = 132 watts. They may be driving the diodes at .5a which would be 120w for the diodes and the rest for fans and...
  18. Mechmike

    Is my math right? LED and electricity usage.

    Ooops! My typo. I shouldn't medicate before posting! It should have read ~3v x .55a = ~1.65W Original post is now edited. Thanks for the heads up.
  19. Mechmike

    Is my math right? LED and electricity usage.

    That's a pretty good ballpark figure! I build my own panels and had to learn the math to be successful. The equation is: volts x amps = watts used. Most commercially made Chinese grow lights that use 3w diodes run them at 550ma and the common average forward voltage of the leds is about...
  20. Mechmike

    Jimjim's new diy 'creeation'

    Nice job Jimjim! Those 10 watt red/blue are an excellent choice! I might have to build myself one using some of those. They have a nice balance for flowering. When put together with the warm white XTE's as you have done your light should provide a good spectral balance. You might consider...
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