LED Light Pods

Ok, I guess no one is brave enough to attempt wrecking their set up....so, after two successful outdoor grows I am up to accept this challenge. I have already built a 4 plant aeroponic tote system....by the way thank all of you for your helpful insight and instructions. My only drawback is the heat, or lack therof using this lighting system, 4 of the red/blue LED 12x12 fixtures for one tote. I will be growing in an unheated/uninsulated room away from the house. I figured I would use an aquarium heater for the water resivoir and/or a small thermostatically controlled heater for the room. Hoping to have seeds to crack by the end of this month. Suggestions? I have no idea on how to do a grow journal, but willing to learn.

nowstopwhining said:

900 leds only use like 20-30 watts....so yeah you will definitely save money.

Click to expand...

This is not necessarily true. LEDs can be 3-Watts a piece...and there are other factors in determining the actual power consumed.

LEDs can come in many wavelengths (colors), which should allow the user to select which spectrum he is trying to produce for the plant.

Also, LEDs have a "viewing angle" which needs to be taken into design considerations...some are very narrow (15 degrees for example).

I am surprised that no one has done the research and created a simple one-plant growth chamber...

mrsoul said:

This is not necessarily true. LEDs can be 3-Watts a piece...and there are other factors in determining the actual power consumed.

LEDs can come in many wavelengths (colors), which should allow the user to select which spectrum he is trying to produce for the plant.

Also, LEDs have a "viewing angle" which needs to be taken into design considerations...some are very narrow (15 degrees for example).

I am surprised that no one has done the research and created a simple one-plant growth chamber...

Click to expand...

People have look around,theres plenty. theres some new guy with a thread with a single tote and 75 watts of LED. He claims 2grams per watt but hasnt shown it yet

Luxeon makes a very important point about selection of the proper wavelengths of light.

As for "brightness" of the LEDs, I have seen a few that were so bright, you could not look directly at them...
All of the better high-tech catalogs will give you some kind of intensity value (lumins,etc.), maximum wattage, and viewing angle.
Last time I looked at equating CFL to Lumins to CFL...I got bored and distracted...but maybe there is a website out there that makes sence of this now.

Hi all, I am new to the forum, looks like a great collection of enthusiasts

I hope to be able to contribute in all areas as I am an avid hobbyist. However, the LED is something I'd love to try as it eliminates alot of issues with current technology, such as: heat, humidity, noise from fans and ballasts. So all the past experience to balance all of this technology has me dumbfounded.
If in peat/perilite and pots, how much water will they consume?
If in pipes with drippers how often to water?
If aeroponic.....etc..

im so used to taking humidity out of the air and controlling the environment.

co2 generators, any tips,
in winter time, use oil filled heaters?

shit, wife is coming downstairs, i gotta run, ttly

I sell these lights and I have the specs for the light I sell. I sell the ufo 90 watt led lamp for $350 shipping included. The specs are as follows:

90W UFO LED w/3-year warranty

1: For indoor growers, the amount of energy consumption is of great concern for most. At 90W of power, this is like having an extra small light on and would account for a samll amount of total electric bill.
2: The HEAT signature problem is no longer an issue with this LED Grow Light.. Say goodbye to any of those worries....

3: The Yield.....This is pretty much what it's all about right? well the output of (1) 90W LED Grow Panel is equivalent to (1) 400W HID Grow Light.....Most indoor growers use a 400 or 600 watt light because of the heat signature, the expected yield should be slightly less than a 400 Watt HID...and you only use 90W of power!!!!

4: The HID Bulbs are only good for 2 cycles before you see the yield start to diminish.. That means you have to buy new bulbs every 2 cycles...They aren't cheap either..The lifecycle for the 90W LED is for 50,000 hours that's nearly 10 years if you use 14 hour cycles on average...That pays for itself many times over..

5: No Ballast required, No thermal footprint, No bulbs to replace, No maintenance costs.

6: Covers an easy 5'x5' area...All this and comes with a 3 year warranty.

Retails for $699

Product Specifications:

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY - 80% more energy efficient than Metal Halide or HPS lamps
MONEY SAVING - Massive reduction in energy use and costs
MONEY SAVING - No expensive bulbs to replace - Zero maintenance costs
5'x5' coverage area
Can be used with any indoor growing method - hydroponics, aeroponics, soil
Discreet - No thermal footprint
MONEY SAVING - No need for additional cooling equipment or energy to cool
Safe to operate - no risk of exploding bulbs or burns
Weighs only 8 lbs - no ballast required
50,000 hour life cycle
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY - CE compliant - contains no hazardous materials.
Three year warranty
Usage Info
Recommended height (based on 25 sq. ft. coverage):
2-6 feet (adjust as needed)

Coverage Area:
25 square feet

Photoperiods (adjust as needed)
Vegetative Stage: 14-16 hours
Flowering Stage: 10-12 hours

Technical Specifications
Output Power: 90 Watt
Operating Temperature: -20C~+40C
Voltage: 110v US / 220v European
Weight: 8 lbs.

420 4 fun said:

Hi all, I am new to the forum, looks like a great collection of enthusiasts

I hope to be able to contribute in all areas as I am an avid hobbyist. However, the LED is something I'd love to try as it eliminates alot of issues with current technology, such as: heat, humidity, noise from fans and ballasts. So all the past experience to balance all of this technology has me dumbfounded.
If in peat/perilite and pots, how much water will they consume?
If in pipes with drippers how often to water?
If aeroponic.....etc..

im so used to taking humidity out of the air and controlling the environment.

co2 generators, any tips,
in winter time, use oil filled heaters?

shit, wife is coming downstairs, i gotta run, ttly

Click to expand...

If in peat/perilite and pots, how much water will they consume?
They will use less water because there is no heat genorated from leds

I guess you would need to try it yourself.

smppro said:

People have look around,theres plenty. theres some new guy with a thread with a single tote and 75 watts of LED. He claims 2grams per watt but hasnt shown it yet

Click to expand...

My grow lights (ufo 90 watt led) is being used everywhere. Just check it out on youtube.

trapper said:

ive never seen one experiment done dureing flowering that has proven led to work,the manufacturers claim they do,then why dont they show us a detailed journal.if some one could post one successful led journal dureing flowering for under 10 grand i would like to see it posted.

Click to expand...

I sell the 90 watt led ufo and many people buy them. I have seen plants fruit on youtube several time.

nowstopwhining said:

900 leds only use like 20-30 watts....so yeah you will definitely save money.

Click to expand...

They do work check it out on youtube. They are using panels and ufo 90 watt which I sell. I have posted the specs at the end of this thread.

I saw a site that boasted great yields with vine tomatoes, I did see the vegging vines, but no bountiful FRUIT pics, thats the same on youtube, alotta comps of HPS vs LED vids in veg, but no mature thick donkey dicks before it is time to cut down.

Unless you can show us a link or something, I think your sales pitch is not holding any water.

I'd like to try it out, but 350x4 = $1500 dollars to try something out in a real life scenario.

It's a shame that there is alot of hype, and no true evidence that it would be worth it to risk the money for the reward of less heat, less electricity, less fertilizer and an equal yield.
If there was, I and I am sure many others would be jumping off the MH/HPS ship like rats off a sinking boat.

I hope you can provide some links to something concrete, cuz I think it would increase your sales by a couple hundred percent.

TY

3: The Yield.....This is pretty much what it's all about right? well the output of (1) 90W LED Grow Panel is equivalent to (1) 400W HID Grow Light.....

Ok, I am game. Please explain to us all just how your 90W LED is equivalent to a (1) 400W HID Grow Light.
Also, how do the spectrums compair between the HID and your LED Grow Panel?

maybe this file will help out...
http://www.energybooks.com/pdf/D1150.pdf

I have a 90w UFO LED and ther is no way it is equal to my 400w HPS. I can max out at about 12 plants under my 400w HPS. I could not grow more than 4 plants under the 90w UFO. So This 90w = 400w is simply not true.
Also this story about the UFO not having a ballast is also simply not true. If you think about what a ballast does, it transforms the 110v AC power in to some other kind of power that the lights use. Well LED's work on DC not 110v AC. When my UFO broke after 3 months of operation, it was the ballast! I opened it up and was able to get the LED's to light up by using a laptop power supply. In fact the UFO has 2 transformers in it and 3 cooling fans. Its like saying that a hood that has the ballast enclosed in it has no ballast. It DOES have a transformer and they DO break.
That said they do have there uses. I am able to add another 400w of LED light to my closet in places where it would be impossible to put another kind of light, due to heat.
One thing I have learned is any single LED that is less than 1/2w is not worth using. Those low power LED's do not produce much light so those 900 led's are not good. If you count the individual LED's on a UFO there are about 180 so they are 1/2w LED's. This TI Smart Bar is better it uses 2w LED's.
Those 55w or 48w LED Panels on e-bay or htgsupply are a better deal than the UFO in my opinion. They use 1/2w LED's and go for $100 to $150. They have no fan. The ballast/power supply is external so if it breaks it is easy to get an old laptop power suppy to fix them yourself.
I think in the next few years they will have single LED's that use 30w of power. Right now they sell them but not in the colors we need.
If your intent is to experiment with LED's buy them, they are fun and cool. If your goal is to spend the least money on light+electricity for the most good smoke, HPS is your best bet.

marchold said:

I have a 90w UFO LED and ther is no way it is equal to my 400w HPS. I can max out at about 12 plants under my 400w HPS. I could not grow more than 4 plants under the 90w UFO. So This 90w = 400w is simply not true.
Also this story about the UFO not having a ballast is also simply not true. If you think about what a ballast does, it transforms the 110v AC power in to some other kind of power that the lights use. Well LED's work on DC not 110v AC. When my UFO broke after 3 months of operation, it was the ballast! I opened it up and was able to get the LED's to light up by using a laptop power supply. In fact the UFO has 2 transformers in it and 3 cooling fans. Its like saying that a hood that has the ballast enclosed in it has no ballast. It DOES have a transformer and they DO break.
That said they do have there uses. I am able to add another 400w of LED light to my closet in places where it would be impossible to put another kind of light, due to heat.
One thing I have learned is any single LED that is less than 1/2w is not worth using. Those low power LED's do not produce much light so those 900 led's are not good. If you count the individual LED's on a UFO there are about 180 so they are 1/2w LED's. This TI Smart Bar is better it uses 2w LED's.
Those 55w or 48w LED Panels on e-bay or htgsupply are a better deal than the UFO in my opinion. They use 1/2w LED's and go for $100 to $150. They have no fan. The ballast/power supply is external so if it breaks it is easy to get an old laptop power suppy to fix them yourself.
I think in the next few years they will have single LED's that use 30w of power. Right now they sell them but not in the colors we need.
If your intent is to experiment with LED's buy them, they are fun and cool. If your goal is to spend the least money on light+electricity for the most good smoke, HPS is your best bet.

Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your honest feedback. I've been really wrestling between the T5 (high-output flourecent light) and LEDs. HPS isn't an option simply because I need to Stealth Grow. It's important that heat and power be minimal. I have the space, but can't change other external factors.

I would assume LEDs are best for stealth, but again I've read so many conflicting things for LEDs. It was obvious to me the UFO wasn't going to work. I did take a look at The LGM5 Pro-5 LED Grow Light but this site comes with no specs! How can you sell stuff with no specs?

Any advice you all can give would be great. Debating between soil or hydro. Virgin hydro grower, but have had great success in soil. I'm on the verge of deciding best bang for buck and STEALTH in growing. Turn-key Growboxes are ridiculously expensive.

Looking for advice here.

marchold said:

I have a 90w UFO LED and ther is no way it is equal to my 400w HPS. I can max out at about 12 plants under my 400w HPS. I could not grow more than 4 plants under the 90w UFO. So This 90w = 400w is simply not true.
Also this story about the UFO not having a ballast is also simply not true. If you think about what a ballast does, it transforms the 110v AC power in to some other kind of power that the lights use. Well LED's work on DC not 110v AC. When my UFO broke after 3 months of operation, it was the ballast! I opened it up and was able to get the LED's to light up by using a laptop power supply. In fact the UFO has 2 transformers in it and 3 cooling fans. Its like saying that a hood that has the ballast enclosed in it has no ballast. It DOES have a transformer and they DO break.
That said they do have there uses. I am able to add another 400w of LED light to my closet in places where it would be impossible to put another kind of light, due to heat.
One thing I have learned is any single LED that is less than 1/2w is not worth using. Those low power LED's do not produce much light so those 900 led's are not good. If you count the individual LED's on a UFO there are about 180 so they are 1/2w LED's. This TI Smart Bar is better it uses 2w LED's.
Those 55w or 48w LED Panels on e-bay or htgsupply are a better deal than the UFO in my opinion. They use 1/2w LED's and go for $100 to $150. They have no fan. The ballast/power supply is external so if it breaks it is easy to get an old laptop power suppy to fix them yourself.
I think in the next few years they will have single LED's that use 30w of power. Right now they sell them but not in the colors we need.
If your intent is to experiment with LED's buy them, they are fun and cool. If your goal is to spend the least money on light+electricity for the most good smoke, HPS is your best bet.

Click to expand...

Great post...

breetai1210 said:

Thank you so much for your honest feedback. I've been really wrestling between the T5 (high-output flourecent light) and LEDs. HPS isn't an option simply because I need to Stealth Grow. It's important that heat and power be minimal. I have the space, but can't change other external factors.

I would assume LEDs are best for stealth, but again I've read so many conflicting things for LEDs. It was obvious to me the UFO wasn't going to work. I did take a look at The LGM5 Pro-5 LED Grow Light but this site comes with no specs! How can you sell stuff with no specs?

Any advice you all can give would be great. Debating between soil or hydro. Virgin hydro grower, but have had great success in soil. I'm on the verge of deciding best bang for buck and STEALTH in growing. Turn-key Growboxes are ridiculously expensive.

Looking for advice here.

Click to expand...

Hey breetai, are you from California?

I'd stick with what you know best when you are changing a system. Matr the new setup in dirt 1st, then start trying new things slowly and keep a journal so you track back to where you fucked up, if things start going south.

I wanted to add to the other post you quoted, I read that the LED does not have any penetration power to get past the initial canopy of growth. Thus it would be a fair assumption to try a scrog setup with the LED system.

On another note, I have been reading about 300 and 600 watt LED with a R:B ratio of 8:1

600 watts would be equivilant to aprox. 1500 watts according to ppl who sell the products, but if we put that asside and jus call it 600 watts, would it produce as good as a 600 watt hps for the flowering period? from what I hear and have seen, the LED has no problems in veg, I think they make them with a little more blue spectrum for vegging, if the user wanted to get more specifically techy about the show.

So, to me, in regards to 600w led, the key factors would be
1. heat reduction
2. yield
3. quality of end product

even taking out one of the top enemies of indoor growing, heat, what are the benifets after one has just dropped a serious paycheck on the show?
I have seen these priced at $2400 a piece, so with what I would wanna try, I'll call it show A ( 2x1000hps over a coliseum pipe system, TFT) as what I am comparing to. this system takes up about 6'x10' of floor space

to this show B, what I wanna try
9x300watt led, the 300 watters run $1350/p
on a scrog so that all the flowers are in direct light
in dirt
co2

Less heat=

less moisture to control
easier to add co2 as co2 gennys add heat and moisture unless you use big ass tanks
save power in regards to a\c
can run a carbon can inside and dont have to vent it out
can will last longer due to no moisture/dust creating grit inside the can
less feedings=more time to do other things
less ballast noise

Anyone please feel free to jump in and add anything

Go to a grow shop and pick up a free copy of the November issue of Maximum Yield magazine. In there you'll find a 3000 word essay on why LED grow lighting is a total fraud from an engineering and photobiology stand point.

As an engineer myself who's well versered in photobiology with extensive experience in LED and other types of lighting all I have to say is don't waste your money on LEDs at this stage of technology.

I highly recommend anyone about to take the LED plunge to read this essay first. The major point is that there is not a shred of evidence to back up the claims that the LED grow light manufactuers make about how much more efficient LED grow lights are despite years of research from NASA, universities and private companies funded under SBIR contracts that show otherwise.

Many good points are being made here, but just remember that Watts are not a direct measurement of brightness and/or spectrum of the light emitted from the LED.

they work amazing in veg..ive got 2 UFOs from HID Hut and got 2 journals following both..in one ive got 12 plants under 1 UFO by itself and the other i have 13 plants under a UFO and a 150w HPS...both doing great for me and going to hopefully switch to 12/12 next thurs

breetai1210 said:

I would assume LEDs are best for stealth, but again I've read so many conflicting things for LEDs. It was obvious to me the UFO wasn't going to work. I did take a look at The LGM5 Pro-5 LED Grow Light but this site comes with no specs! How can you sell stuff with no specs?

Click to expand...

They hide the specs so you dont know how bad it is. Those lights are low wattage and therefore low output.