What is the room like? What type of home (apt/townhouse/house/rent/own)? What is your plan for venting?
Panda is fine too if you aren't going to use UVB. I use UVB so panda wouldn't do nearly as good a job as Mylar, white doesn't reflect UVB like mylar/aluminum.
My own house basement with ceilings about 74 inches. Think I am going to vent outside through a window after through a carbon filter in the tent. The venting is the main reason i want a tent to contain the smell.
I have about 40 foot of panda left over but would like something a little more solid for smell. Would love to try out UVB but I have a couple 1k HPS left over that i think i will use.
UVB is supplemental anyway, won't get it in any decent quantity from any of the main lighting options. If you want to use UVB and other supplemental lighting, just add a cheap shop light fixture or two. UVB 10% reptile bulbs and 6500k bulbs would be great to supplement your HPS. 2x 4ft T8 UVB 10% bulbs is all you would want in a 4x4. ($15 fixture and 2x$15 bulbs, again check reflector on the fixture, it should look like aluminum, not white.) I would get 2 fixtures and run 2xUVB and 2x6500k, 1 of each bulb in each fixture, only use UVB in flower unless breeding.
Is it going to be in a wide open room or do you have a room you will dedicate to it? Basically do you have walls you can just cover with mylar/panda?
The problem with UVB is they are so under powered, they need to be about 6 inches away, if you want to UVB lumens that are still dense enough.
I think you overestimate how much you want to deliver. A little goes a long way. I have just over 6w per sqft of UVB 10% lighting. If I turn them on on plants that have not seen UVB before and leave them on for a 12 hour cycle there will be burned leaves the next morning. My lights are mounted on a rack at the same height as my CMH lights and LEDs. (about 20" above plants). 3-4w per sqft should be fine. 2x 32w UVB 10% T8's would be perfect for a 4x4.
I think I will go with 2 tents in a spare bedroom this time. I have a 32x32x60 that is fine for running up the humidity, to start clones and contain a bonsai mother or 2. Then I would add a much larger tent, for Veg with a CFL. The rest of the space with be for Bloom.
I was just going by photon density spread and what I read about the intensity needed. I agree 3-4w/sq ft at 20 inches should be just fine.
No walls. Open room that is why was looking for the tent. Also this is an old basement and not that huge.
Yep, I wanted to ensure I had it sized enough that I could setup to deliver a UV index of 12 or greater, effectively allowing me to recreate the conditions in the hindu kush mountains or more intense. Basically in my room they will experience as much or more UVB than they would anywhere on earth, and I can always adjust duration or run at 50% to reduce exposure.
I would just build a L shaped frame/wall that fits in a corner, install mylar/panda and a zip door on the frame, line exterior walls also with mylar/panda and you are done.
Very near instant cataracts, maybe.
A basement corner is ideal for earth connected cooling. You will never warm those walls.
No that is what it feels like when you test fire the LEDs and they blast you directly in the eyes, lol. Takes 10 minutes until you see normally and head stops hurting. I won't ever make that mistake again. I've got dark and cheap sunglasses everywhere now, lol.Very near instant cataracts, maybe.