Buddies! Flexible LEDs for side lighting, under canopy and supplementary Far Red

Grow Lights Australia

Well-Known Member
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Looking for a handy, water-proof solution to side-lighting, under-canopy lighting, supplemental 660nm red lighting and 730nm far red lighting?

Look no further!

Buddies are arguably the most flexible LED lighting solution available to growers. Newly produced by Australian company LED Teknik and sold by Grow Lights Australia, these 24V strings of LEDs can be mounted almost anywhere and have tough, fully-encosed plastic housings with special diffuser lenses that spread light evenly across the canopy.

This means Buddies can be used as side-lighting or under-canopy lighting mounted very close – or in amongst – the plants without burning them in close contact.

Buddies can also be used as supplementary top-lighting – especially Far Red (730nm) lighting for flowering initiators. The diffuser lenses mean only a small number of Buddies are required to provide a very even spread of light. They also blend very well with existing grow lights.

Buddies can be mixed and matched with different colours and come in the following options:

CRI 95 White (4000K)
Phosphor-coated Red (wide-band 660nm)
Far Red (730nm)
Deep Red (high-power/efficiency 660nm)


Buddies can be matched to 24V constant voltage and some constant current drivers, such as Mean Well's XLG range for a completely splash-proof indoor lighting solution.

Buddies are on sale at www.growlightsaustralia.com – don't forget your 10% online discount by using the word "FORUM" during check-out.

You can also check out the long-running thread here for more info: https://www.rollitup.org/t/buddies-side-light-and-under-canopy-leds.1009726/
 

Offmymeds

Well-Known Member
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Looking for a handy, water-proof solution to side-lighting, under-canopy lighting, supplemental 660nm red lighting and 730nm far red lighting?

Look no further!

Buddies are arguably the most flexible LED lighting solution available to growers. Newly produced by Australian company LED Teknik and sold by Grow Lights Australia, these 24V strings of LEDs can be mounted almost anywhere and have tough, fully-encosed plastic housings with special diffuser lenses that spread light evenly across the canopy.

This means Buddies can be used as side-lighting or under-canopy lighting mounted very close – or in amongst – the plants without burning them in close contact.

Buddies can also be used as supplementary top-lighting – especially Far Red (730nm) lighting for flowering initiators. The diffuser lenses mean only a small number of Buddies are required to provide a very even spread of light. They also blend very well with existing grow lights.

Buddies can be mixed and matched with different colours and come in the following options:

CRI 95 White (4000K)
Phosphor-coated Red (wide-band 660nm)
Far Red (730nm)
Deep Red (high-power/efficiency 660nm)


Buddies can be matched to 24V constant voltage and some constant current drivers, such as Mean Well's XLG range for a completely splash-proof indoor lighting solution.

Buddies are on sale at www.growlightsaustralia.com – don't forget your 10% online discount by using the word "FORUM" during check-out.

You can also check out the long-running thread here for more info: https://www.rollitup.org/t/buddies-side-light-and-under-canopy-leds.1009726/
Hey, this was my idea!

I am a noob setting up a build from a YouTube vid. I 'll have 16 LED strips wired in series., GenesGreenGarden ulitmate build with the Samsung 301b's + photo red. I'll have them running on two Mean Well HLG-320H-1400B drivers. Can these be wired into my build? I want to make the light "more ultimate".
 
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Grow Lights Australia

Well-Known Member
nice to see them on a website.

would be great if you can put the measurements here, or on the website so they have a place one can look them up.

the prices are good, especially the far red and deep red ones are well priced compared to other offerings.
All specs are here: https://growlightsaustralia.com/product/buddies/

Yes, we think they're well-priced considering how robust and well they work.
 
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Grow Lights Australia

Well-Known Member
Hey, this was my idea!

I am a noob setting up a build from a YouTube vid. I 'll have 16 LED strips wired in series., GreenGenesGarden ulitmate build with the Samsung 301b's + photo red. I'll have them running on two Mean Well HLG-320H-1400B drivers. Can these be wired into my build? I want to make the light "more ultimate".
No mate you need to run them off a separate driver, either a 24V constant voltage driver or a constant power driver like a Mean Well XLG. You can click the link in the previous post for specs, but basically the 4K White and PC Red are 24V/30mA strings of 20 in parallel (24V forward voltage, 14.4W) spaced 10cm apart (2.5m including end wires), while the 660 and 730 monos are 2V/350mA strings of 12 in series (24V forward voltage, 8.4W) spaced 12.5cm apart (1.7m including end wires)
 

Offmymeds

Well-Known Member
No mate you need to run them off a separate driver, either a 24V constant voltage driver or a constant power driver like a Mean Well XLG. You can click the link in the previous post for specs, but basically the 4K White and PC Red are 24V/30mA strings of 20 in parallel (24V forward voltage, 14.4W) spaced 10cm apart (2.5m including end wires), while the 660 and 730 monos are 2V/350mA strings of 12 in series (24V forward voltage, 8.4W) spaced 12.5cm apart (1.7m including end wires)
That's just as well. I think they should be on a separate timer anyway. Thank you.
 

Grow Lights Australia

Well-Known Member
I wanna buy a bunch of these things! Do you have any idea when the PC blues come out? I am excited to add some side lights.
Hi Nizza I know Teknik is working on something but we don't expect to see them any time soon. They could be 2-3 months away. They won't be PC Blue either, they will be a combination of individual 400nm (x2), 430nm (x2) and 480nm (x4) LEDs in Buddies housings in a string of 8. This is due to the higher voltage of the near-UV and UV diodes which is closer to 3V (3V x 8 = 24V).

All Buddies are designed to run off 24V constant voltage drivers which is why some strings have more diodes than others. Some colours are naturally much more powerful, such as the 660nm monos which are really efficient at around 3.5 umol/j (pretty impressive considering they are behind a diffuser lens and 3.5 umol/j is actual testing with these lenses on).

The blue strings will be a great compliment for Quantum Boards and other similar LED boards that use standard LEDs with little or no near-UV or cyan. I'm also hoping Teknik will make an all-in-one Quantum Board supplement which will look similar to this. It fills in all the gaps of a typical CRI80 Samsung LED.

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Grow Lights Australia

Well-Known Member
As per the request from @cobshopgrow here are the specs for all Buddies we currently have in stock:

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CRI 95 White (4000K)
This is the alrounder for side-lighting and under-canopy lighting. The high CRI white phosphor LED provides balanced, full-spectrum light that can be used throughout the grow and bloom stages. They can even be mounted inside cloning boxes and used as LED cloners, providing a small amount of warmth inside the cloner that replaces a heat pad. The diffuser lenses mean plants can grow right into these LEDs, suffering only minor spots on leaves that come in contact for long periods. Other close-proximity growth will not be affected.

Specs
20 Buddies per string
2.5m length – 100mm between each LED (1.9m) and 300mm connector wires on each end
24V, 30mA x 20 Buddies = 14.4W
Wired in parallel
Can be matched to 24V constant voltage drivers, as well as constant current drivers
Can be cut to length or wired together with other Buddies of different colours
Recommended for side-lighting, under-canopy lighting, cloning. Works well when blended with PC Red


1597488538891.png
Phosphor Coated Red (660nm)
These Buddies are suited to side-lighting and under-canopy lighting in flowering rooms where extra red is needed. The “PC Red” is a broad-spectrum red peaking at 660nm but covering a wide range from 600nm all the way into the Far Red 700-800nm spectrum. The PC Red is not as powerful as the hyper red monochromatic 660nm Buddies, which are designed as supplementary top lighting. The diffuser lenses mean plants can grow right into these LEDs, suffering only minor spots on leaves that come in contact for long periods. Other close-proximity growth will not be affected.

Specs
20 Buddies per string
2.5m length – 100mm between each LED (1.9m) and 300mm connector wires on each end
24V, 30mA x 20 Buddies = 14.4W
Wired in parallel
Can be matched to 24V constant voltage drivers, as well as constant current drivers
Can be cut to length or wired together with other Buddies of different colours
Recommended for side-lighting and under-canopy lighting. Works well when blended with 4000K White


1597488583515.png
Far Red (730nm)
These Far Red Buddies are perfect for adding photosynthetically active Far Red light during growth and bloom, enhancing the “Emerson Effect”, as well as for flowering initiators that stay on for 15 minutes before and after each dark period to promote faster flowering. Thought they do not look as bright as other LEDs, they produce very powerful Photosynthetic Active radiation (PAR) that spreads far and wide, and are therefore recommended as supplementary top-lighting and not as side-lighting.

Specs
12 Buddies per string
1.7m length – 125mm between each LED (140mm) with one 300mm connector wire (other end terminated)
2V, 350mA x 12 Buddies = 8.4W
Wired in series
Can be matched to 24V constant voltage drivers, as well as constant current drivers
Cannot be cut to length!
Can be wired together with other Buddies of different colours
Recommended for supplementary top lighting during growth and bloom (Emerson Effect) as well as flowering initiators


1597488601141.png
Deep Red (660nm)
These are the “Big Guns”. Powerful and efficient Deep Red 660nm Buddies that give flowering rooms a serious red boost! Unlike other Buddies, it is advisable not to look directly at these LEDs, as they produce a very strong light, even with the special diffusers. Due to their strength, they recommended as supplementary top-lighting and not as side-lighting.

Specs
12 Buddies per string
1.7m length – 125mm between each LED (140mm) with one 300mm connector wire (other end terminated)
2V, 350mA x 12 Buddies = 8.4W
Wired in series
Can be matched to 24V constant voltage drivers, as well as constant current drivers
Cannot be cut to length!
Can be wired together with other Buddies of different colours
Recommended for supplementary top lighting during growth and bloom
 

Offmymeds

Well-Known Member
As per the request from @cobshopgrow here are the specs for all Buddies we currently have in stock:

View attachment 4654210
CRI 95 White (4000K)
This is the alrounder for side-lighting and under-canopy lighting. The high CRI white phosphor LED provides balanced, full-spectrum light that can be used throughout the grow and bloom stages. They can even be mounted inside cloning boxes and used as LED cloners, providing a small amount of warmth inside the cloner that replaces a heat pad. The diffuser lenses mean plants can grow right into these LEDs, suffering only minor spots on leaves that come in contact for long periods. Other close-proximity growth will not be affected.

Specs
20 Buddies per string
2.5m length – 100mm between each LED (1.9m) and 300mm connector wires on each end
24V, 30mA x 20 Buddies = 14.4W
Wired in parallel
Can be matched to 24V constant voltage drivers, as well as constant current drivers
Can be cut to length or wired together with other Buddies of different colours
Recommended for side-lighting, under-canopy lighting, cloning. Works well when blended with PC Red


View attachment 4654211
Phosphor Coated Red (660nm)
These Buddies are suited to side-lighting and under-canopy lighting in flowering rooms where extra red is needed. The “PC Red” is a broad-spectrum red peaking at 660nm but covering a wide range from 600nm all the way into the Far Red 700-800nm spectrum. The PC Red is not as powerful as the hyper red monochromatic 660nm Buddies, which are designed as supplementary top lighting. The diffuser lenses mean plants can grow right into these LEDs, suffering only minor spots on leaves that come in contact for long periods. Other close-proximity growth will not be affected.

Specs
20 Buddies per string
2.5m length – 100mm between each LED (1.9m) and 300mm connector wires on each end
24V, 30mA x 20 Buddies = 14.4W
Wired in parallel
Can be matched to 24V constant voltage drivers, as well as constant current drivers
Can be cut to length or wired together with other Buddies of different colours
Recommended for side-lighting and under-canopy lighting. Works well when blended with 4000K White


View attachment 4654212
Far Red (730nm)
These Far Red Buddies are perfect for adding photosynthetically active Far Red light during growth and bloom, enhancing the “Emerson Effect”, as well as for flowering initiators that stay on for 15 minutes before and after each dark period to promote faster flowering. Thought they do not look as bright as other LEDs, they produce very powerful Photosynthetic Active radiation (PAR) that spreads far and wide, and are therefore recommended as supplementary top-lighting and not as side-lighting.

Specs
12 Buddies per string
1.7m length – 125mm between each LED (140mm) with one 300mm connector wire (other end terminated)
2V, 350mA x 12 Buddies = 8.4W
Wired in series
Can be matched to 24V constant voltage drivers, as well as constant current drivers
Cannot be cut to length!
Can be wired together with other Buddies of different colours
Recommended for supplementary top lighting during growth and bloom (Emerson Effect) as well as flowering initiators


View attachment 4654213
Deep Red (660nm)
These are the “Big Guns”. Powerful and efficient Deep Red 660nm Buddies that give flowering rooms a serious red boost! Unlike other Buddies, it is advisable not to look directly at these LEDs, as they produce a very strong light, even with the special diffusers. Due to their strength, they recommended as supplementary top-lighting and not as side-lighting.

Specs
12 Buddies per string
1.7m length – 125mm between each LED (140mm) with one 300mm connector wire (other end terminated)
2V, 350mA x 12 Buddies = 8.4W
Wired in series
Can be matched to 24V constant voltage drivers, as well as constant current drivers
Cannot be cut to length!
Can be wired together with other Buddies of different colours
Recommended for supplementary top lighting during growth and bloom
I have a 4 X 4 area with a DIY 600W white + photo red. Is there a way to estimate as a %, how much far red would be added with one string of Buddies? Is one string overkill? Do I need 2?
 
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cobshopgrow

Well-Known Member
i really like the description, but arent there also all the nice spectre and data or am i just blind atm?
no stress also, just thought its nice to have them online somewhere, would be also enough if you drop them here.
 

Grow Lights Australia

Well-Known Member
I have a 4 X 4 area with a DIY 600W white + photo red. Is there a way to estimate as a %, how much far red would be added with one string of Buddies? Is one string overkill? Do I need 2?
Hi mate, it would help to know exactly what you are already running, but the simplest way would be to calculate watts as a percentage. Far Red Buddies will be a little more efficient than the lights you have – maybe 20-25% more efficient – so you can work it out that way. If you added two strings of Buddies at 17W (8.4W + 8.4W) to 600W of lighting, then 17W divided by 617W (600W + 17W) would be 2.8%. Multiply that by 1.25 (25% better efficiency) and you get about 3.5%.

That is a "near enough" calculation, and assumes your current lights have 600W to the boards (not from the wall) and that it is a true 600W – not "600W equivalent" as some LED manufacturers like to say. Far Red Buddies are around 3 umol/j at 8.4W.

You can drive the Far Reds higher at up to around 12.5W per string (for slightly less efficiency) so I'd suggest 2-3 strings would be a good start for top lighting in your 4x4. You could run 2-3 strings off an XLG-25 driver for around 5% total light or 4-6 strings off an XLG-50 driver for around 10%. That assumes you don't already have Far Red light in there. Most standard LEDs have a small amount of Far Red.
 

Grow Lights Australia

Well-Known Member
i really like the description, but arent there also all the nice spectre and data or am i just blind atm?
no stress also, just thought its nice to have them online somewhere, would be also enough if you drop them here.
Unfortunately Teknik is in Melbourne and they are in stage 4 lockdown. He was in the middle of preparing datasheets for the Buddies when he got locked out of his testing facility. He is still hoping top get them done soon. I will post them up as soon as we have them.
 
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