LED Without LEDs -My First T5 Grow

AltarNation

AltarNation

Well-Known Member
Alright here they are alone (don't mind the lack of reflectors, they got moved to more efficient slots after the pics)

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Here they are with the other bulbs (immediately adjacent are the red suns--again, rearranged my bulbs after these shots so that the red distribution was more even)

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Here are some "before" shots with the Fijis in, also will be used as a marker for how the buds were looking before they were added:

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And here are a few after shots with teh 660's in place of the fijis so you can see the difference in overall growspace color:

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Pretty noticeable increase in overall red, but that's to be expected since they replaced purps and not reds.

They definitely "look pink" to me overall... they aren't red bby a longshot... but they are definitely significantly more pink than the floras.

Noticed this at the end, a definite gap of distinct white at the end near the cap... I am assuming this is normal, but looks a little weird... makes me wonder how long these will last:

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That's all for now folks... will post an update in about 4 days to show where the buds went in the mean time.
 
kpmarine

kpmarine

Well-Known Member
rollinbud said:
Excuse me, I really do understand all the excitement here, but I have yet to see a compelling reason to spend $200 on 8 bulbs or more to produce 1-2 ounces per plant. Does anyone have a comparison of all this exotic stuff to regular T5's or the cursed HPS/HID?
Just curious, I want a compelling reason before I spend the $$$$$$$$$$$$
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Yes, you definitely did ask about HID. Though, a couple people covered generic grow and bloom bulb vs. PAR too for you. So either way, you should be covered. Unless something was unclear?
 
polyarcturus

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
filter perhaps? or maybe a new design like another chamber or one phosphor reacting off another to create red light? or like dude said could be from the way they fill the tubes. another thing i would like to get answered is if all phosphers aren't florescenceanty equal, is this why blues are so easily obtained? are they as powerful as say the greens yellow and high blues or less than? regardless more useable light is better than more lumens i understand this just trying to get a grasp on how phosphors relate to fluorescence
 
AltarNation

AltarNation

Well-Known Member
hyroot said:
Altar. Your scrog is lookin good. I think I want some of those bulbs meow.
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Thanks man... they look better and better by the day... it'll be interesting to see how they like the new bulbs... I will be doing a feeding tomorrow, then I'm going to ignore them for 3-4 days and see how it looks...
 
AltarNation

AltarNation

Well-Known Member
polyarcturus said:
filter perhaps? or maybe a new design like another chamber or one phosphor reacting off another to create red light? or like dude said could be from the way they fill the tubes. another thing i would like to get answered is if all phosphers aren't florescenceanty equal, is this why blues are so easily obtained? are they as powerful as say the greens yellow and high blues or less than? regardless more useable light is better than more lumens i understand this just trying to get a grasp on how phosphors relate to fluorescence
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lol poly... defintely not ignoring you intentionally... just didn't know what to say to this. Hoping someone with more understanding of fluoros can answer your questions. I don't think it's a filter, but maybe just a poorly filled bulb. It has no visible tint at all when off. And since infinitalus' bulbs don't do it it makes me think he sent me the more flawed bulbs because I bought the very last two he had.
 
kpmarine

kpmarine

Well-Known Member
AltarNation said:
lol poly... defintely not ignoring you intentionally... just didn't know what to say to this. Hoping someone with more understanding of fluoros can answer your questions. I don't think it's a filter, but maybe just a poorly filled bulb. It has no visible tint at all when off. And since infinitalus' bulbs don't do it it makes me think he sent me the more flawed bulbs because I bought the very last two he had.
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Most likely, you got an improperly coated bulb, at least in questionably informed opinion. I'd call in and ask why they charge you for a half-ass prototype.

The phosphors themselves are what make the light, it's that particular phosphor's chemical makeup that allows it to put off a specific wavelength. The intensity of said light is dictated by electrical current primarily from what I can see. The only way to get more energy is more electrons in this case. I think most of the reason blues are so common is quite simple: it's cheaper to obtain the phosphors for blues than the red heavy lighting. I remember that being one of the big reasons red dominant bulbs are pricier and less common.
 
Undercover Cop

Undercover Cop

Active Member
exactly, I believe its Magnesium Arsonate that is needed for the deep reds, and just like almost all other rare earth metals, it is mined and sourced almost exclusively in china, and they've been artificially inflating their price lately because they are also needed in manufacturing electrical components and alot of high tech stuff like ipods etc. Its been in the news that the International Trade Committee or some kinda international group that promotes trade/commerce is filing official complaints against China and is considering some kinda punishment like cancelling trade agreements or ending cooperation with China over it. Anyway, it is more expensive for the Red phosphors, it takes different combos of phosphors to create different colors. for all practical purposes, we can use these lights and count on their output being practically equal, but on a micro-physics level the longer Red wavelengths are not as powerful as the shorter Blue waves, the Blues cary more photonic energy. Through the visible spectrum, the difference isnt really too much (at least for our practical usage), where as the difference between UV and IR is a little more dramatic. In flower when you switch to a red spectrum, a little bit higher percentage needs to be dedicated to Red than Blue would be in Veg. This is due to the weaker Red waves that are needed dont carry quite as much energy so you need a little more Red to actually tip the balance towards the red end of the spectrum

Theres no tint on these bulbs, its a powdered phosphor compound that coats the inside of the tubes like a glaze, if there are spots that are a lighter shade or not the same hue (like on the ends) its prob from that area not getting an equal coating of the phosphor glaze. I dont think it should affect how long the bulb will last, just the hue emitted in that area. Without that coating, the bulbs would emit Hazardous UVc, like germicidal lamps which are basically clear quartzglass fluoros. In our bulbs, the UVc created by the electrical current excites the phosphors to start glowing/emitting the desired colors... kinda similar to colored fireworks in a tube if ya think about it :)
 
AltarNation

AltarNation

Well-Known Member
Excellent response UC. Great info summary. What are your thoughts on the inch at the end being uncoated? Is it a hazard to my plants? Or to me for that matter? It's only the last inch so if anything maybe it will help by adding a little UV-C? I don't know whether that's good or bad for plants, but it seems other UV's in small doses are good for them, so maybe this is beneficial in a strange way? One more reason to make sure I wear my welding shades in there.
 
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