Led Users Unite!

[booms111]

I been using LEDs for over 5 years, they work good for enclosed areas and can do good as side lighting but not a great main lighting source from my experience.

Are your Leds blurples? I never thought I'd buy into LEDs but I grabbed two boards to try between hps 1k hoods for plants that get to tall and grow out of the cross lighting and they work great there so I figured I'd give them a go by themselves. I'm still reluctant to totally believe everything so time will tell if the hps get replaced or not. Would be nice to only run 650watts per light rig compared to 1k hps but finished product means more to me then power used/efficiency.

 

[Yodaweed]

Are your Leds blurples? I never thought I'd buy into LEDs but I grabbed two boards to try between hps 1k hoods for plants that get to tall and grow out of the cross lighting and they work great there so I figured I'd give them a go by themselves. I'm still reluctant to totally believe everything so time will tell if the hps get replaced or not. Would be nice to only run 650watts per light rig compared to 1k hps but finished product means more to me then power used/efficiency.

I have numerous different types, got white, white / red , blurple (cobs , monos ), they work decent for closet/micro grows or side lighting but they aren't gonna broadcast the same intensity of lighting as a single bulb would because of the law of the inverse square, a single point with more intensity will broadcast further than mutliple sources will. It's why right now i'm using my LEDs as side lighting for my HPS lights.

 

[booms111]

I have numerous different types, got white, white / red , blurple (cobs , monos ), they work decent for closet/micro grows or side lighting but they aren't gonna broadcast the same intensity of lighting as a single bulb would because of the law of the inverse square, a single point with more intensity will broadcast further than mutliple sources will. It's why right now i'm using my LEDs as side lighting for my HPS lights.

I agree when it comes to hps. I got buddy's that swear by using multiple 600s hung lower and I'm always saying I'd rather run 1ks hps's hung higher.

With these 324 boards ran at 160w each two of them are without a doubt just as intense as one 600hps at just over half the wattage based on my meter and plant growth I'm seeing. Im running them similar to greengrassgrower1, hung up high like 1k hps and the plants really took off and are around 4ft tall now, i like 6ft tall plants under 1k hps. Plants look like there under 600hps but the entire area not just directly under hood since there's two light sources. They are basicly being grown like there under hps. So time will tell and results will speak for themselves wether this hype is real or bullshit.

Have you tried any of the new quantum boards or newer diode led's? What's your newest LED your running?

 

[Yodaweed]

I agree when it comes to hps. I got buddy's that swear by using multiple 600s hung lower and I'm always saying I'd rather run 1ks hps's hung higher.

With these 324 boards ran at 160w each two of them are without a doubt just as intense as one 600hps at just over half the wattage based on my meter and plant growth I'm seeing. Im running them similar to greengrassgrower1, hung up high like 1k hps and the plants really took off and are around 4ft tall now, i like 6ft tall plants under 1k hps. Plants look like there under 600hps but the entire area not just directly under hood since there's two light sources. They are basicly being grown like there under hps. So time will tell and results will speak for themselves wether this hype is real or bullshit.

Have you tried any of the new quantum boards or newer diode led's? What's your newest LED your running?

i got some cree cxa3050s and cree xte, they are pretty good not as good as efficient as samsung diodes

 

[Yodaweed]

I agree when it comes to hps. I got buddy's that swear by using multiple 600s hung lower and I'm always saying I'd rather run 1ks hps's hung higher.

With these 324 boards ran at 160w each two of them are without a doubt just as intense as one 600hps at just over half the wattage based on my meter and plant growth I'm seeing. Im running them similar to greengrassgrower1, hung up high like 1k hps and the plants really took off and are around 4ft tall now, i like 6ft tall plants under 1k hps. Plants look like there under 600hps but the entire area not just directly under hood since there's two light sources. They are basicly being grown like there under hps. So time will tell and results will speak for themselves wether this hype is real or bullshit.

Have you tried any of the new quantum boards or newer diode led's? What's your newest LED your running?

Do you notice the coverage is kinda meh tho? that's the problem i always had, not great coverage from leds and they lack intensity to be hung high. like a 600w hps can legit cover a 4x4 area, are you getting a 4x4 covered by 320w of leds?

 

[booms111]

Do you notice the coverage is kinda meh tho? that's the problem i always had, not great coverage from leds and they lack intensity to be hung high. like a 600w hps can legit cover a 4x4 area, are you getting a 4x4 covered by 320w of leds?

There covering 2.5 x 5 way better then a single 600hps ever could. I had a board go bad and hung a 600 in there until I got the board working again and the 600 was dingy looking and weak compared to the quantums. Meter says I'm losing alittle in the corners but nothing like a 600 does by itself. I also have a four 132 board rig that replaced a 600hps in a 2 x 4 and it's running at 280w and I can say it's coverage is like a blanket of light compared to the 600 they replaced. The 2 x 4 I use to test genetics before they go into main rooms. The 2.5 x 5 is basicly 25% of my main hps room, thats why i bought it to test the quantums, so I figured if two boards in there can equal what 25% of my 1k hps's room does then I'll believe and switch everything out to quantums.

 

[Randomblame]

I have numerous different types, got white, white / red , blurple (cobs , monos ), they work decent for closet/micro grows or side lighting but they aren't gonna broadcast the same intensity of lighting as a single bulb would because of the law of the inverse square, a single point with more intensity will broadcast further than mutliple sources will. It's why right now i'm using my LEDs as side lighting for my HPS lights.

Nonsense! Not with reflective walls. You have a hotspot in the center and less than half the intensity on the sides. Both is not useful but counterproductive. Also with a big hood! It's a law and always valid, that's right, but you clearly need to learn how to apply it.

@booms111
If you do not forget keeping the temperature and humidity higher on the LED side (25-30°C/60-65%) then you will be amazed. Do not compare them in the same room, because otherwise one or the other has advantages or disadvantages because of too low/high temps/humidy.

 

[Randomblame]

Do you notice the coverage is kinda meh tho? that's the problem i always had, not great coverage from leds and they lack intensity to be hung high. like a 600w hps can legit cover a 4x4 area, are you getting a 4x4 covered by 320w of leds?

I could make a 1000w COB light for you bumping out twice as much intensity as any HPS at any heights. Get a heatsink with the same outer dimensions like a DE case, throw 600w COB's on that heatsink and use 60-90° lenses to fucus the light where you want it. 600w will beat a SE, 700w a DE! That's a fact!
If you want to bridge long distances, you need lenses or reflectors, like an HPS, by the way. Quantum board and strips are for relatively short distances without lenses.
But I suppose you work with open space, otherwise you would not need so much space. Look at the Budmaster COB, it is a small but heavy LED light with lots of small Osram COB's and is designed for longer distances. I forgot which model it is, but Budmaster does not have that many. Maybe a half or a year old.

 

[Blacks0113]

Hello there just needed abit of advice im using a 200,120, 120 and using a led mars hydro 480w. Any advice and help would be much appreciated and also is the light okay and the temps and humidity around the light im using?

 

[Randomblame]

Don't know your temp/humidity values but you should keep the temps between 77°/25° and 86°F/30°C and humidity between 60 and 65%.
A 480w Mars Hydro is probably not enough to make you happy. These lights(all chinese junk) are massively over rated, a 400w HPS would do a better job! If it's not too late send it back and get a quality light.
Timber Growlights or HorticultureLightningGroup offering nice and efficient growlights. If you have the skills you could build a DIY growlight from F-strips, EBgen.2 strips or COB's.
Speaking COB's, cobkits offers COB kit's, lol! All needed parts are included and easy to assamble.

 

[coreywebster]

Hello there just needed abit of advice im using a 200,120, 120 and using a led mars hydro 480w. Any advice and help would be much appreciated and also is the light okay and the temps and humidity around the light im using?

That mars 480w is only a 200w light so best thing I can say is either use it as a veg light or if you have to flower with it then stick to only 2 feet by 2 feet of plant(one quarter of your tent) Otherwise your seriously under lit.

 

[Blacks0113]

That mars 480w is only a 200w light so best thing I can say is either use it as a veg light or if you have to flower with it then stick to only 2 feet by 2 feet of plant(one quarter of your tent) Otherwise your seriously under lit.

What if i lower the light as its the only one i have at the mo its for veg and flower i have two pineapple chunk plants growing one dwc one soil should i lower it?

 

[Randomblame]

You can try 16-18" over 2,5x 2,5' canopy! A gifted grower can get up-to 1,3g with such a light. At least 1g/w should be
possible when you keep your ladies happy.

 

[Blacks0113]

You can try 16-18" over 2,5x 2,5' canopy! A gifted grower can get up-to 1,3g with such a light. At least 1g/w should be
possible when you keep your ladies happy.

Is that 16 or 18 inces of the top of the plants?

 

[Randomblame]

Is that 16 or 18 inces of the top of the plants?

Yepp!

 

[Blacks0113]

Yepp!

But arnt they meant to be hung high to get morw light as there leds?

 

[coreywebster]

It will cover more space but be less intense, not enough intensity to grow good solid buds. At least in the case of your light which is not powerful enough to cover your tent.

 

[Randomblame]

If you raise them even higher, you cover a larger area, but the intensity is not enough. Sweet spot is 12-18". When we use the 35w/sft. rule, 200w is enough for ~5,7sft., 2,5 x 2,5' is 6,25sft. so already a bit more and the diodes in Mars lights are from the low end, maybe 25-30% efficient. 2x 2' is probably better but with 2,5 x 2,5' you can maximze yield per watt. You'll need 3-4 of this inefficient f.....s to lite up the whole tent

 

[Blacks0113]

Ill drop them to about 18 see how it goes from there thanks

 

[Dave455]

But arnt they meant to be hung high to get morw light as there leds?

Let a Par meter or lux readings guide you !!