Apache AT600 led vs 1000w HPS Blue Dream Grow

captainmorgan

Well-Known Member
Seems like most companies and DIY'ers use a cooler white if they add the reds,not sure if it's proven to be better or not for just flower or to make it more of a veg and flower light.
 

OutofLEDCloset

Well-Known Member
what earth juice are you using? grow, bloom, or both? If you are only using the bloom in your happy frog you are going to have problems. Are you trying to stay organic?
im using grow, bloom, catalyst, micro, brix molasses, pro-tek silicone and sensizyme. I am trying to go completely organic. Trying to keep the nutes around 8ml per gallon of each. 'Im going to flush with some RO to give a fresh start. Normally I use our crappy tap water here in SD, per instructions. I let sit out over night and add the silicone first. Does the humic acids make the chloromine benign?
 

OutofLEDCloset

Well-Known Member
Seems like most companies and DIY'ers use a cooler white if they add the reds,not sure if it's proven to be better or not for just flower or to make it more of a veg and flower light.
Hey Captain!! The A51 190xgs I bought has only the cool white. Any opinion on the light and company?
 

Red1966

Well-Known Member
My other thought was the high cri version in the center.
I don't understand why CRI is even worth considering. Color Rendering Index is a measure of how well the light appears to the human eye. Might be of interest for illuminating your home or commercial building, or photographers, but wouldn't that be immaterial to plants?
 

hyroot

Well-Known Member
I don't understand why CRI is even worth considering. Color Rendering Index is a measure of how well the light appears to the human eye. Might be of interest for illuminating your home or commercial building, or photographers, but wouldn't that be immaterial to plants?

the higher the cri the more even the spectral distribution and more usable light.
 

Greengenes707

Well-Known Member
I don't understand why CRI is even worth considering. Color Rendering Index is a measure of how well the light appears to the human eye. Might be of interest for illuminating your home or commercial building, or photographers, but wouldn't that be immaterial to plants?
You are correct...but in order to show all those colors so well...they must be present in the spectrum to be seen. And that is what the higher cir brings to the table...more far red, filing out the "full spectrum". And a bit of IR is present in there too which will b beneficial in small amounts.
It was just a thought to get away from the ridiculously easy plug and play 3000k's.
The 2700's were my third choice, but I haven't given it much thought. This is just a concept test first, then I will tweak where/if it needs it. Then making a full sized panel to replace 1000w's.

With SDS's break down the 3000K will do everything all on it's own. I have been saying it for years...QUANTA. And the high cri's spectral gains are not that much when the RQE is factored in. So really the 3000k are perfect. Maybe the 2700k's when they are more readily available...but the 3K's are hot to trot imo.
 

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
Awesome setup GG you will be getting some pounds of LED nugs! Regardng the DIY (unasked for advice I know) I suspect AT120 heatsink will mistreat you with 220W of dissipation because of a lack of surface area. The COBs can handle that heat no problem, but the efficiency will take a big hit. Also, the COBs would perform much better in a 3X3 if they were spread out further. Sounds crazy but, you would get much better cooling by using 4 good CPU coolers ($40 when they are in stock). I understand having 4 things dangling in the tent to whack your head on may not be for every grower LOL. You can connect CPU coolers with those plastic boards or just use a few long heatsinks with a thick base. I think the AT120 heatsink would be good for at least 2 COBs @ 1.4A if you installed a pair of 120/140mm fans to cover all of its fins.
 

Greengenes707

Well-Known Member
Are those the 100 watt? I don't think Cree makes those at 2700K, ........yet.
I don't believe in a led is "X" amount of watts...an LED is how ever many watts you drive them at...they are all "variable"(able to drive at different currents).
And all led's are most efficient and optimum well below their rated power/currents. Which is why we drive them at between 30 and 50w...because at 50w or less, they are more efficient in producing photon than hps...by almost 10%.
Same reason why 5w chips only get run at ~2w...because that is where they perform best, and better than hps.

The CXA3070 is rated at 2800ma and 36.8v...W=A*V...CXA3070=~100w

Awesome setup GG you will be getting some pounds of LED nugs! Regardng the DIY (unasked for advice I know) I suspect AT120 heatsink will mistreat you with 220W of dissipation because of a lack of surface area. The COBs can handle that heat no problem, but the efficiency will take a big hit. Also, the COBs would perform much better in a 3X3 if they were spread out further. Sounds crazy but, you would get much better cooling by using 4 good CPU coolers ($40 when they are in stock). I understand having 4 things dangling in the tent to whack your head on may not be for every grower LOL. You can connect CPU coolers with those plastic boards or just use a few long heatsinks with a thick base. I think the AT120 heatsink would be good for at least 2 COBs @ 1.4A if you installed a pair of 120/140mm fans to cover all of its fins.
I have been meaning to calculate the surface area and cooling capacity of the AT heat sink. Scotch had some good measurement of it and I could do some easily fairly quickly.

This is just my proto/proof of concept. My main design/idea is more like mr. flux's design or an illumitex/bml. Bar like. And CPU heatsinks connected together by an aluminum bar or something is the way I was probably going to do it. But maybe buy individual cut heatsinks from heatsinkUSA then connect/configure.
So the AT heatsink is just a temporary situation. but I do want to make the best light /I can out of it.
 

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
Gotcha, if you can find the measurements I can punch it into the spreadsheet and find out surface area. For active cooling I have been getting away with about 30sq cm/W. It is possible to get the heatsink temp to stay just a few degrees above ambient without too much trouble/expense.
 

Greengenes707

Well-Known Member
Here is what I got...
Base plate is 13.5"L x 11"W x 1/4"Thick
On the plate are 25 fins 11.25" long, 1" high, 1/8" thick, and 1/4" apart.
 

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
Good info, so based on that width a pair of 140mm fans would hit almost all the fins.

Total surface area is 5600cm². So assuming the fans were ventilating all the fins, it should be good for 185W. Your driver/COB combo will dissipate about 220W so if you really crank those fans you may still get a nice Tj.

If you decided to use it as a passive sink for a vegging lamp etc it would be good for 50W.
 
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Red1966

Well-Known Member
I don't believe in a led is "X" amount of watts...an LED is how ever many watts you drive them at...they are all "variable"(able to drive at different currents).
And all led's are most efficient and optimum well below their rated power/currents. Which is why we drive them at between 30 and 50w...because at 50w or less, they are more efficient in producing photon than hps...by almost 10%.
Same reason why 5w chips only get run at ~2w...because that is where they perform best, and better than hps.

The CXA3070 is rated at 2800ma and 36.8v...W=A*V...CXA3070=~100w


I have been meaning to calculate the surface area and cooling capacity of the AT heat sink. Scotch had some good measurement of it and I could do some easily fairly quickly.

This is just my proto/proof of concept. My main design/idea is more like mr. flux's design or an illumitex/bml. Bar like. And CPU heatsinks connected together by an aluminum bar or something is the way I was probably going to do it. But maybe buy individual cut heatsinks from heatsinkUSA then connect/configure.
So the AT heatsink is just a temporary situation. but I do want to make the best light /I can out of it.
They have a maximum current and that's what they're rated at. But, yeah, nobody runs them at the maximum, not only for efficiency, but longevity, too.
 
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