metalgod69

Hello all
Well I received my red/blue spectrum LED "grow" light and I must say I am VERY DISAPPOINTED. The area of light that it emits is hardly enough to even cover my 2 ladies 5 days into flower. I tried it with 2 40w 2700k CFL's and you could not even notice the LED light one bit. I believe i would need 4 of them for my small 3x4 area i use.

I know UpNorth and Knna have great experiences and I was hoping to follow, but it looks like i need to shell out another $600 for 3 more lights, NO THANKS. Am i doing something wrong UpNorth or Knna lol?

Anyways I reverted back to my 400w 3200k MH and 2x40w 2700k CFL's. Hope I did not shock the girls to much. I will post some pics of my LED unit that i got so you all know to not buy it HAHAH.

Cheers

EMj

Thanks for the info, sorry it wasn't what you wanted. When LED is ready for indoor

growing it will be a good day.

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metalgod69

Live and learn i guess. Lesson learnt for me!!!

UpNorth

Like I said in my journal, the LED's definitely lack for flowering. That is why I added 200 watts of CFL's, because like you I realized those panels don't have enough umph. Regarding not noticing the color... I don't really think it matters since white light is what our eyes see best. It's what the plants see that matters, and from what I can tell they prefer the LED light to the CFL light.

Sorry it didn't work out for ya...

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Something clever...

knna

This is why im continously warning about LED seller's marketing hype.

Cheap UFO are using very low efficiency LEDs, than can do very little. Unlike traditional lighting ways, efficiency of LED vary a lot, there is no a direct relationship between watts burned and light emitted.

I always advice to not but anything until you see as least a sucessful journal using it.

Some pics of my last array. It burns 1/4 of the power a UFO does

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metalgod69

Knna do you have any schematics lying around that you care to share?

knna

Yep, i did a building tutorial of that lamp. But it on spanish. Im trying to convince somebody to shoot a video (i have no more hands ) while mounting, so people without previous electronic skills see how many time to keep the solder in place and such things. And ill translate it.

Hmmm....thinking it better, ill start here a building tutorial, and i will add the video when avalaible.

About schematics, there is no any need of them. LEDs are wired in series of about 50V (22 Golden Dragon or 14 Crees or a mix of them running below 52V) and conected to a dimmable constant current ballast that works directly from universal mains (90-265VAC, 50-60Hz).

Distribution on the LEDs are determined for the size of the cab. I cut the heatsink bars at the desired size (aluminium is very easy to work with). Then you distribute the colors on a way plants receive all of them and finally you wire the series.

Im trying to do a web page where people interested may buy all the components needed, from the LEDs themselves to drivers, adhesives, wire, etc. And order custom made lamps.

Currently i have excess of Golden Dragons (bin JX, 45-52lm, 625nm dominant wavelength), some Cree Royal Blue (Group 15, 450mW, 450nm) and Cree Coolwhite (Q4, 100-107lm, color WF) and drivers, kapton tape, copper tape and adhesives

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metalgod69

I have decided to take apart my LED panel that I bought rather then returning it. I am going to check out how it is wired, and if anything salvage the awesome enclosue and replace all the LEDS with 1 watt LED's. I Just have to get the power distribution calculated as that is the only part that is really difficult. Calculating components required should not be an issue.

knna

Measure current on the strings. I believe UFOs run their LEDs at 330mA.

If it uses a constant current balast, its just a matter of replacing LEDs on it. But from what ive heard, replacing LEDs on the UFO is difficult, as there is an aluminium panel against the base of LEDs, and the only way of replacing LEDs is breaking such panel. But i dont know if all UFOs are made the same.

Anyway, i think one of the worse part of the UFO is its brick design. A fan failure seriously compromise the surveillance of all the array. And it not distribute the light very well. Modular designs allows you to distribute the light evenly and exactly where you need the light. Once you start working with the solder, do it the best way. Its not only the crap LEDs what may be improved on UFOs.

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metalgod69

Thanks Knna again, but what do you mean modular designs?