Diy FOTOP grow board 280x900x2.0mm (L29.52"xW9.18")

[EmeraldØsiris]

Alright, beat me with a stick, but I'm gonna ask a really noob question right now. So, I got 2 qb960's with lm301b's (better hope they are or I'm gonna Kung Fu someone)

I've never built one of these before. I will power them on a 600 driver and I will have some heat sinks made for them so I can crank them up. I'm doing 40 pot sog single cola style. Anyways, now to my question... Wiring...

What type of wires/connectors do I need, where do I get them, how many etc?

 

[Airwalker16]

Alright, beat me with a stick, but I'm gonna ask a really noob question right now. So, I got 2 qb960's with lm301b's (better hope they are or I'm gonna Kung Fu someone)

I've never built one of these before. I will power them on a 600 driver and I will have some heat sinks made for them so I can crank them up. I'm doing 40 pot sog single cola style. Anyways, now to my question... Wiring...

What type of wires/connectors do I need, where do I get them, how many etc?

Most people here suggest Wagos for connectors but anything works. Soldering is always your best option though. Wire needs to be insulated 18awg with a high voltage rating of 200+.

 

[EmeraldØsiris]

Most people here suggest Wagos for connectors but anything works. Soldering is always your best option though. Wire needs to be insulated 18awg with a high voltage rating of 200+.

I'm prolly gonna settle for wagos. I really hope I do not have to get a soldering thing... I hate those... Not sturdy enough on my hands for those...

Where should I get this stuff?

 

[Airwalker16]

I'm prolly gonna settle for wagos. I really hope I do not have to get a soldering thing... I hate those... Not sturdy enough on my hands for those...

Where should I get this stuff?

Amazon or eBay, Where else?

 

[Dave455]

I'm prolly gonna settle for wagos. I really hope I do not have to get a soldering thing... I hate those... Not sturdy enough on my hands for those...

Where should I get this stuff?

Usually steady fine with couple shots of beam

 

[paradise1]

I have a question
So two 800 fotop board with 320h driver running at 150w per boards = 300w
This will be good light for 3x3 tent?

 

[Airwalker16]

I have a question
So two 800 fotop board with 320h driver running at 150w per boards = 300w
This will be good light for 3x3 tent?

It'll be great in a 3X3. They're right at 36" long too. So it'd be a tight fit

 

[paradise1]

It'll be great in a 3X3. They're right at 36" long too. So it'd be a tight fit

Thank you
Any better ideal for 3x3 tent, like 4-6 small board like 120qb or 3 288qb?
temperature is big issue because is very hot here
I want very cool light & efficiency

 

[eatstone]

I’ve got a 2x4 tent. I’m a brand noob grower long time toker. I just bought a similar light kit, 280x940. I wanted 2 but my budget said 1. Mandy at Meijiu is confident 1 will suffice. I hope I can do my part to make a successful run with it.

 

[Airwalker16]

Thank you
Any better ideal for 3x3 tent, like 4-6 small board like 120qb or 3 288qb?
temperature is big issue because is very hot here
I want very cool light & efficiency

Ya a 4 board setup at 75-100w each would be better.

 

[paradise1]

Ya a 4 board setup at 75-100w each would be better.

What board and what drive for 75w each boards? 120qb or 288?

 

[Airwalker16]

What board and what drive for 75w each boards? 120qb or 288?

https://atreumlighting.com
The 360s on sale can do 80watts without any heatsink. But they seem to now be sold-out. There's other great options there still. You're Welcome.

 

[paradise1]

I had some options
2x 800 with 320h drive
4x 288qb with 320h or two 185h drive
What everyone think are the best? The cooler the light the better

 

[Airwalker16]

I had some options
2x 800 with 320h drive
4x 288qb with 320h or two 185h drive
What everyone think are the best? The cooler the light the better

Oh from Rita. 4 boards will fit best but the 800s will dissipate more heat evenly and be cooler in some aspects.

 

[Randomblame]

I had some options
2x 800 with 320h drive
4x 288qb with 320h or two 185h drive
What everyone think are the best? The cooler the light the better

The best efficiency you would see from true LM301b top bins but on the other hand 300w are 300w. With a more efficent diodes you get less direct heat and more heat coming from the light but over all its still the same 300w. Less efficient diodes means the oposite.
Light gets reflected or converted into heat when it hits a surface other then leaves. And even than most of the light gets converted into heat. Plants use only ~8% or so for photosyntesis..
But with a more efficient light you can get away with less watts. 270w of original Quantumboard 288 v2 would be 30w per sft. But with 4 boards at 70w each system efficiency would be ~2,75μMol/J or so! Thats already 770μMol/s PPF out of 280w and with a reduced height you can easily set the light levels to 900 or 1000μMol/s PPFD.
You asked for the most efficient way.
You can also use the cheaper boards but I would use 6 of them just to make sure to reach the same efficiency level even if they not use top bin diodes. What ever ends up cheaper in the end would be my prefered solution. With low driven boards you can save a lot shipping costs cuz you don't need the heatsinks. 6 chinese boards with custom fees could be cheaper like 4 org. QBv2's without...

 

[not_a_doctor]

Has anyone had any warranty issues burnt chips etc as boards only covered 12 months?
Thanks

 

[Rocket Soul]

Ive had zero issues. The only thing mentionable is the connectors that can be a bit dodgy. Dont pull hard from them, or better throw a wire to a wago glued to the frame, then its easier to disconnect/reconnect and if you pull on the wire the force goes to the wago

 

[not_a_doctor]

Ive had zero issues. The only thing mentionable is the connectors that can be a bit dodgy. Dont pull hard from them, or better throw a wire to a wago glued to the frame, then its easier to disconnect/reconnect and if you pull on the wire the force goes to the wago

Thanks
Been speaking to James and he recommends 4 X 320 for 1mx2m space but he is unclear what HPS this would replace ie 600w or 1000w

 

[Rocket Soul]

Thanks
Been speaking to James and he recommends 4 X 320 for 1mx2m space but he is unclear what HPS this would replace ie 600w or 1000w

I can tell you straight away that that is too much wattage. I did the exact same space, or actually even a bit more like 2x1.1m using 5 boards, lm561c s6, on 3 hlg240-48a and the results were good enough for my hps growbuddy to drop a few more thousands on boards. Infact this setup was the money shot, the best trays in the grow. Boards are spaced 12 cm apart, powered together thru a 8way wago by 3 drivers. At such low wattage, 150ish w the boards do not need a heatsink. Usual keep it between 20-30 cm over as final hanging height. You can bring it closer to go up in the +1000ppfd zone but usually dont. There is allready plenty of light.

Id like to point out the form factor of this: all of the cannopy have board above it or just a few cm from it. It gives an even spread and a massive photon blanket.
If you have your boards at 320w:
- the hot spot in the middle is more extreme.
- youll need a lot more hanging height, light is lost to the walls.
- youll have to use (and ship) heatsinks
- youll end up buying a pack deal which are usually not that great a deal. Buying just the boards and then drivers locally in case of warranty issues makes more sense. The lm561c boards are around 75-80$ each and a steal of a deal. I remember when that was the price of one cree cob.
- When you have such a dense diode rich light which covers all your cannopy you dont need so many watts, you can increase light levels by lowering the light. As long as you have enough boards you wont see hotspots, even coverage.

 

[Airwalker16]

I can tell you straight away that that is too much wattage. I did the exact same space, or actually even a bit more like 2x1.1m using 5 boards, lm561c s6, on 3 hlg240-48a and the results were good enough for my hps growbuddy to drop a few more thousands on boards. Infact this setup was the money shot, the best trays in the grow. Boards are spaced 12 cm apart, powered together thru a 8way wago by 3 drivers. At such low wattage, 150ish w the boards do not need a heatsink. Usual keep it between 20-30 cm over as final hanging height. You can bring it closer to go up in the +1000ppfd zone but usually dont. There is allready plenty of light.

Id like to point out the form factor of this: all of the cannopy have board above it or just a few cm from it. It gives an even spread and a massive photon blanket.
If you have your boards at 320w:
- the hot spot in the middle is more extreme.
- youll need a lot more hanging height, light is lost to the walls.
- youll have to use (and ship) heatsinks
- youll end up buying a pack deal which are usually not that great a deal. Buying just the boards and then drivers locally in case of warranty issues makes more sense. The lm561c boards are around 75-80$ each and a steal of a deal. I remember when that was the price of one cree cob.
- When you have such a dense diode rich light which covers all your cannopy you dont need so many watts, you can increase light levels by lowering the light. As long as you have enough boards you wont see hotspots, even coverage.

You got a link to any posts where there's pics of yer setup? Or could Ya post one? I'd love to see a tent packed with boards.