How efficient are blue used in COB ?

alesh

Well-Known Member
Very interesting potential but I wouldnt give it a title since it looks like that diode is still in the lab. The model that is currently currently available is 72% @ 350mA IF you can source the top bin. If I understand correctly OSRAM reels are sold in groups of bins so you have to buy a reel of 600 to find out what bin it is? Mouser is selling them as the low bin 1120 mW for $2-$3 ea.

Same problem with the deep red, I know of no way to secure the top bins , you have to buy reels and play the "lottery" to see what bin you might get? At 350mA the top bin deep red (4T) is 57.6% and cost $5/PAR W. I have some 3Ts and they are nice for a mono.
Has anyone actually seen the 4T?
 

speedyganga

Well-Known Member
i talked with sanlight @ cannafest in prague 2 weeks ago, they claim they get a special selected bin similar to 4t which they use in their new s4w panels (not yet on their website, 300ppf out of 140w according to the flyer)

https://www.greenlight-shop.de/media/pdf/datenblatt-sanlight-s4w.pdf
https://www.greenlight-shop.de/media/pdf/produktflyer-sanlight-s4w.pdf
300ppf is huge for a 140W commerical grow lamp... Passive design, and oslon, impressive lamp, how much is retail price ?
 

Positivity

Well-Known Member
Has anyone actually seen the 4T?
What's been available are either 2t-3t or 3t-4t. I've never seen them separated. Maybe to more easily sell led bins evenly.

Makes me wonder if I tested my 3t-4t would I end up with two distinct performances. Hand selected 4t for the sanslight?

Somewhere supra had a chart comparing Cree photo red and I thought I remembered the Cree coming out ahead. So thermal performance characteristics would than be the next thing to look at

But really, what's available is the best to me. If it's a oddity I rather wait until it becomes reasonably available.
 

Positivity

Well-Known Member
@SupraSPL

Thanks. Looks like the philips got passed up a bit, all pretty close. I like using top bin cobs when possible but when adding colors I'm not really concerned about efficiency. At least not compared to cobs. More concerned about running with a broader spectrum. Keeps my small grow interesting...stuff like that..
 

sethimus

Well-Known Member
300ppf is huge for a 140W commerical grow lamp... Passive design, and oslon, impressive lamp, how much is retail price ?
they sell with shops, so it's quite steep, 530eur/each :/


fun fact: i asked what they think of cobs. according to them, they are not so usefull in a growing environment due to the phosphor degrading over time because the plants emit something that weakens them? anyone ever heard of that?
 

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
Cannabis terpenes are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) so the LEDs will be exposed to some amount of VOCs. That said, I have several CREE XRE 6500K Q5 LEDs in my cloning box that have been in use almost non stop since ~2008. They are phosphor based and have been sharing the same air with flowering plants. It would be interesting to compare the output with a brand new one.

This report addresses the issue but they are talking about LEDs trapped inside hermetically sealed fixtures with VOCs. Apparently the damage to the LED is visible and it affects blues LEDs as well. Only certain VOCs are incompatible with LEDs, so Cannabis terps may or may not be a problem.
VOCs.png
VOCs 2.png


From time to time I have accidentally smeared trichomes onto the surface of a bare COB when moving plants around. It comes off with alcohol and no visible damage from VOCs.

CREE and OSRAM chemical compatibility notes
Page 5 of the CREE note shows how VOC affected LEDs will outgass the VOCs once exposed to a VOC free environment and the LED returns to full output. It would be interesting if we could find a picture of a VOC affected COB.
 
Last edited:

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
they sell with shops, so it's quite steep, 530eur/each :/


fun fact: i asked what they think of cobs. according to them, they are not so usefull in a growing environment due to the phosphor degrading over time because the plants emit something that weakens them? anyone ever heard of that?
Yes, I've heard of that. It's called BULLSHIT, LOL
 

PurpleBuz

Well-Known Member
Typical numbers:
View attachment 3551166

Good efficiency from the deep reds but when you look at the price per PAR W of $4-$6, you can get 64% efficiency for less than half the price using 3500K:
View attachment 3550949
if you want to compare efficiency numbers between cobs (phosphors) and monos then you at least need to compare one that's a little bit close in spectrum. say 2700k or lower to deep reds. A 6500K to royal blues.

Since I use monos to supplement cobs I actually only care about the efficiency to produce a narrow wavelength band, which means I would actually have to filter out most of the light from a cob. for example, to supplement the deep red zone I can use a deep red mono or a cob with light above 600nm filtered out (~20%).
 

heckler73

Well-Known Member
This report addresses the issue but they are talking about LEDs trapped inside hermetically sealed fixtures with VOCs. Apparently the damage to the LED is visible and it affects blues LEDs as well. Only certain VOCs are incompatible with LEDs, so Cannabis terps may or may not be a problem.
.

I would say it is not a problem. Consider also the test conditions; hermetically sealed, no intermediate materials.
I think general wear'n'tear is the biggest problem one has to be concerned with, unless you are sticking your LEDs in some beaker of alcohol. :mrgreen:
 

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
@PurpleBuz Including deep red may be an individual goal of your build, but it is not required. So if a DIYer allocates some of their watts/money on a 50% efficient deep red, they made the decision not to spend those watts on the cheaper 64% warm white. That difference is not small and spectral tweaking cannot make up for it, in my experience.

KNNA originally believed that tweaking the spectrum would give us an additional edge over HPS but he found himself using more and more white LEDs, and we have continued in that direction. So far it seems to be much easier to clobber HPS with raw efficiency/photons rather than spectrum. I am all for experimentation, but I have seen evidence that efficiency trumps spectrum, especially considering the 3500K 80 CRi DOES have a very effective flowering spectrum on its own. Most recent batch was over 1.45gpw in 56 days, ROLS, mid yielders, cool canopy temps 75-78F. Not sure I can repeat those results every time but I am going to give it my best.
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
@PurpleBuz Including deep red may be an individual goal of your build, but it is not required. So if a DIYer allocates some of their watts/money on a 50% efficient deep red, they made the decision not to spend those watts on the cheaper 64% warm white. That difference is not small and spectral tweaking cannot make up for it, in my experience.

KNNA originally believed that tweaking the spectrum would give us an additional edge over HPS but he found himself using more and more white LEDs, and we have continued in that direction. So far it seems to be much easier to clobber HPS with raw efficiency/photons rather than spectrum. I am all for experimentation, but I have seen evidence that efficiency trumps spectrum, especially considering the 3500K 80 CRi DOES have a very effective flowering spectrum on its own. Most recent batch was over 1.45gpw in 56 days, ROLS, mid yielders, cool canopy temps 75-78F. Not sure I can repeat those results every time but I am going to give it my best.
My recent experience with 860W CDM lamps would tend to confirm your point here; even 93 CRI isn't increasing yield, just better frost n flavor.

Personally, I think tweaking spectrum for desired effects is still in its infancy and I think there are plenty of opportunities to alter growth patterns using them.

Example; if you veg under high Kelvin lighting like 6500k T5, it seems that the switch to HPS in bloom exaggerates the stretch.

If you're vegging under HPS and bloom under a high Kelvin light like the 4200k 315W LEC, your stretch might all but disappear!

Then there's the well known benefit of UVB supplementation.

What I'm sure of is the way to beat HPS is by brute force; more PPfd on the canopy. Spectrum is no shortcut. If it was, we'd all be happily running blurple panels!
 

speedyganga

Well-Known Member
Well, for me if one could replicate the closest possible canna absorption spectrum with a high efficiency we would get the first real horticultural light cob for our purpose. We need phosphor !!!
 

SupraSPL

Well-Known Member
http://plantozoid.com/extreme-420x-pro-vertical-led-grow-light-review/

615W draw, maybe 510 dissipation W. As far as I can tell they are generic epileds. So if we cal it 20% efficient, that is 102 PAR W or $14.70/PAR W. About the triple the price of a good commercial COB unit

Interesting design though, if you replaced the epileds with COBs it might be interesting to experiment. I would offer him $200 and that is probably generous.
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
http://plantozoid.com/extreme-420x-pro-vertical-led-grow-light-review/

615W draw, maybe 510 dissipation W. As far as I can tell they are generic epileds. So if we cal it 20% efficient, that is 102 PAR W or $14.70/PAR W. About the triple the price of a good commercial COB unit

Interesting design though, if you replaced the epileds with COBs it might be interesting to experiment. I would offer him $200 and that is probably generous.
Me? Jump the gun? Never! LOL

The stated draw is 5.3A@240V, that sounds like a lot more watts than you're calculating for. I have a Kill-A-Watt and it apparently runs on 120V as well, so I could take my meter with me and get an actual reading.
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
I think I just need to be patient for a few more weeks. My 4 x CXB3590 @56% modules will get here and I'll feel MUCH better!

But it's Christmas! I GOTTA BUY SOMETHING! LMAO!
 
Top