CXM22 DIY Build for 2x3 - Advice Wanted

shimz said:

While what you say is true, there would be very little difference between 2 drivers at 94% efficiency driven at 80% each and one big 94% efficient driver at 99% load, but if there was a difference, the edge would go to the 99% loaded driver. Assuming 230VAC, as it looks like efficiency actually takes a little hit at high loads when input is 115VAC.

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I agree that I am probably over thinking the 2 vs 1 thing, after all I am only running 4 COBs.
The 185 appears to bit slightly more efficient @ 115V than the 320V at the loads that I will be using.
Everything considered, in my case there is probably minimal running cost difference between running 1 vs 2 drivers if your final output is the same. In a large grow operation though, a couple % can be big bucks, especially over time.

shimz said:

Also, I would be willing to bet that there is an efficiency vs. Tcase that they're not showing us. Assuming the bigger driver would run hotter, that might just wash out any load efficiency gains.

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I think that might be similar to what I was thinking. Basically what factors are missing that could distort the theoretical numbers that are on paper.

Anyways, I finally decided to just do it and just ordered 2 of the 185s.

I use 2 of the 185-c1400s, they do just fine. Im not one to get all into the #'s of efficiency and all that crap. Efficacy is another thing, because after all, the Spectrum, and how well the Cob itself produces usable light for the plant. Because if you have everything dialed in correctly, like environment, and nutes, then things fall into place. And when you do have those things in line, you get better fruits of your labor, and if you dont, then well, what does it all matter? Your wasting electric anyways,lol..

JustChillinLPA said:

OK now I understand your 65 factor, I assume that you pulled the 60 and 70 numbers from a chart someplace?
I still don't understand the calibration. Isn't the meter suppose to zero out with the cap on it, no light thus 0 LUX.
Wouldn't you just be able to take a reading under your lights and then divide by the correct factor to get your PAR?
So you take a reading and you get a lux of 40,000 (or where did the 40,000 come from) and divide that by your factor of 65 to get the 615. Drilling a hole in the cap limits the amount of light hitting the sensor, and the tape is acting as a magnifier? This is the part I'm just not understand why/what is happening.
Have you tried any other meters. I saw a couple others that say they have a wider spectral sensitivity to catch more of the lower blues and higher reds but they don't show a graph. A reviewer posted a picture of the instructions for the one you have and the graph shows that most of the sensitivity is focused between 500 - 650 nm, so I was wondering if it is capturing all the blue in the 450 area on these COBs and the reds that venture to 700 and above.
I've never used one of these meters so perhaps I'm missing something.

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Man, the premise of this ( lux with hole) is so you can read on the fly, just like the par meter. Yes, it will read O lux with the cap on, but hole lets light into the meter. lol, sorry man, i had to chuckle on that one bro. The tape acts as a diffuser, simply put. I got the 40,000 lux by putting the meter under the Cobs.

You want a picture by picture procedure for this explanation? I have some time, i can throw some things together to show you what i mean.

Now, as far as the whole blue/red/white thing. I dont care about all that. I know these cobs have the correct spectrum to produce fantastic fruits, all im looking for is intensity figures. And thats exactly what this does for me.

I have a plan to buy a PAR meter from amazon, calibrate my lux meter, and send it back. I just need it for 10 minutes. Im not changing my light rig, i love it, and its perfect for my needs. Then i can get a true reading.

But i can tell you this much about it all. I had a Perfect sun mini, and my hacked lux meter gave me the exact PAR reading, so take it for what its worth, and i think spending $125 on something I dont really need, is wasteful spending, just to get a "Sense" of what the PAR is. From what Ive read, the HydroFarm PAR meter is not even true, and bounces around, and some also said its just a Lux conversion anyways. WAY overpriced.

You understanding this bro? At the end of the day, PAR numbers and Lux numbers are just intensity values of the spectrum coming out of the light source. We know the spectrum, we need intensity values, just to simply adjust the light distance.

Ok, so, the meter is a lux meter, and when you check Lux, you hit the multiplier button, 100X setting, to get lux figure. Then, you put the cap on, with the hole, then hit the multiplier till it says 10X, that gives me the PAR.

25inches-205 watts

37inches-205 watts

these are 27 days from seed, started 12/12--- but, currently on 6on/10off light schedule. Its experiment, lol.. all female except front right, 20inches tall, front ones, 18 inches backones,sides are shorter. Far left is a trioloid, or 3 shots from birth, the far right, I fimmed, ugly, lol.. All the others were also topped. They are in "day" 9, day 6 real time.

InTheValley said:

Ok, so, the meter is a lux meter, and when you check Lux, you hit the multiplier button, 100X setting, to get lux figure. Then, you put the cap on, with the hole, then hit the multiplier till it says 10X, that gives me the PAR.

View attachment 4214088 25inches-205 watts
View attachment 4214089
View attachment 4214092 37inches-205 watts
View attachment 4214095

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Now I understand. You are using the tape diffuser as a calculator so that you don't have to manually make the conversion. That's the part I wasn't understanding. Thanks for taking the time to break it down for me.
These are the other 2 meters that I was looking at:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H94CJPR/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CSWTHPT?noLL=1&askMessage=USER_BANNED#Ask

The 2nd one is a bit cheaper than yours, but neither one has any reviews and the one you have has the remote sensor/collector.

InTheValley said:

these are 27 days from seed, started 12/12--- but, currently on 6on/10off light schedule. Its experiment, lol.. all female except front right, 20inches tall, front ones, 18 inches backones,sides are shorter. Far left is a trioloid, or 3 shots from birth, the far right, I fimmed, ugly, lol.. All the others were also topped. They are in "day" 9, day 6 real time.



View attachment 4214101 View attachment 4214100

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It looks like they are stretching a bit. Do you think it is because they are looking for more light in the Blue spectrum?
Do you think that lowering the lights during veg would stop them from stretching?
Or do you like them that way?

JustChillinLPA said:

Now I understand. You are using the tape diffuser as a calculator so that you don't have to manually make the conversion. That's the part I wasn't understanding. Thanks for taking the time to break it down for me.
These are the other 2 meters that I was looking at:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H94CJPR/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CSWTHPT?noLL=1&askMessage=USER_BANNED#Ask

The 2nd one is a bit cheaper than yours, but neither one has any reviews and the one you have has the remote sensor/collector.

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from my research, the lux meter i use is the best for the value. and, very welcome bro

JustChillinLPA said:

It looks like they are stretching a bit. Do you think it is because they are looking for more light in the Blue spectrum?
Do you think that lowering the lights during veg would stop them from stretching?
Or do you like them that way?

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This strain stretches. Its my creation. FireOGxbagseed ( lemon Thai ) i think. Not really sure. anyways, the FireOG was very short and stout when i grew it, but i also used a Mars300, and that light keeps them small anyways. The bagseed, when I grew it out, the male was very tall. Even when the lights were right ontop of it. Grew 44 inches in 40 days, and that was under a 12/12 from seed also. I wanted the stretch, because when you do scrog, runners or stretchers fill out pretty fast a scrog.
here is my scrog of this strain, but had horrible humidity and couldnt control it, and chopped it. I would actually be harvesting it this week, smh.. humidity was in the 80's, and just couldnt get it down. the run before the scrog attemp, had mold in the buds, and threw away 90g because of it. just couldnt chance it. want to punch myself in the face everyday because of it. it was going to be atleast a lb. Not sure if i posted this on page 1,

It grows very fast once it gets going. I could easily flip these back to veg, top a bunch, and in a month, have this same exact scrog. then, of course, 70 days, plus another 30-40 days to veg, looking at 100+ days before i chop.