Covetsculitvars
Well-Known Member
Hey mac, I've run LEDs for 5 months.....I'm truly trying to understand this lol
The best led for a 2x4 tent
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ChiefRunningPhist
Well-Known Member
Yep
ChiefRunningPhist
Well-Known Member
Not even high end. They work very well.
The big difference is effeciency, or heat. The new LED panels are MUCH cooler than our old screw in LED bulbs. I used to run 250 w/plant with screw in, but only need 140 w/plant with the new LED panels. Less mess with 1 panel vs a frame of screw-in's. Dimmable. I like em.
CMH are great. They are better than HPS.
DangerDavez
Well-Known Member
https://www.amazon.ca/SANSI-Equival...ocphy=9047940&hvtargid=pla-522185290979&psc=1
These seem interesting and decent efficiency. Could be a good option in a pinch
These seem interesting and decent efficiency. Could be a good option in a pinch
Covetsculitvars
Well-Known Member
I appreciate this! After using magnetic tech since 2006 ........a few things in between that rattled my storage banks in my head alil bit.......it's a chore so far trying to keep up with all the tech so I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me. I'd LOVE to try these builds you describe .......I'm prone to easily distractions while trying to concentrate so doing wiring and soldering would prob be a no go for me, if I could find a trustworthy person up here to build me one I'd grab one in a heartbeat! I mentioned the CMH because I was concerned I wouldn't be capable of doing diy build successfully. Electricity scares me after I watched an asplundh lineman burn his arms off during an internship in Galloway township in south jersey........yeah don't need that smell in my head again.
ChiefRunningPhist
Well-Known Member
Ouch! Haha
And ya most of these QB builds are pretty much plug and play.
Most recommend about 35w-40w per ft^2 to have good growth.
Most times a QB will be labled with its chip count, ie QB288 = 288 chips, QB304 = 304 chips. Most ppl max the chips out at ~ .4w. Using this theoretical max will help provide a way to estimate how many, and what kind of QBs are needed.
So figure out your grow space area...
6' × 6' area = 36ft^2
And then multiply by (35w-40w/ft^2)..
36ft^2 × 37.5w = 1350w total needed
Then divide the total watts by how hard you want to drive your chips (0 -> .5w)...
1350w ÷ (.4w/chip) = ~3,375 chips
Then you'd choose the panels that you like, and you'd buy enough to get around 3,400 chips...
3375 ÷ 288 = 11.7 boards, or 12 boards
3375 ÷ 304 = 11.1 boards, or 11 boards.
I think 12 boards can be more evenly distributed, so in this example Id go with the (12) 288s over (11) 304s. It better to round up than down.
Once you got your QB or strip needs calculated, then youll need to choose the correct driver. Lol I guess it is more complicated than I was thinking, but drivers aren't such a big deal either. Drivers are sold by how many watts they can push and what voltage and amperage they use to achieve that wattage rating. Watts = Amps × Volts. The QBs or strips will have a Vf and max current rating which you use to calculate driver requirements from. It has to deal with series and parallel wiring. If you're rusty with that, jump on YouTube and get a refresher. Ask around once you think you've got an idea, and people can help you finalize it better.
The lower you drive your chips, the brighter per watt they will be. 100w pushed through 500 chips is brighter than 100w pushed through 50 chips.
Hopefully this helps.
These rules are only a guideline and won't be applicable in every scenario, just to get you pointed in a direction..
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ChiefRunningPhist
Well-Known Member
Those look like they'll have better thermal dissipation than the ones I was using, (20) for $51..
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-Bulb-L...hash=item41d361073a:m:mgJMhA_cqSna90ML8JFqPkw
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