Exactly what I was asking sorry.
No problems, I was just making sure.
I’m not sure about how to mechanically get it to fit the best, but grabbing 10% at arrow with 24 strips and 3 hlg 185’s with that extrusion profile would probably be in the neighborhood of $500 or so after other materials. I would think it would be a fairly solid light in that space.
Ironically enough it’s cheaper to get 25 of those from arrow then it is to get 22 due to the volume price break. It’s $266 for 22 or $250 for 25 lol. But with 25 and a 10% discount code it would be only $10 more than the bridgelux. But the 3 drivers may tip the cost in the right direction as I can get three of those 185s cheaper than two larger drivers and build a 24 strip board have one spare in case anything happens later.
And by using the .61 heat sink instead of the 1" I can build the light, driver’s, heat sink minus the border which I already have material for, for $460ish not including shipping.
Sure, this is what I was talking about as far as possibilities. If you’re gonna get 25 you can go with the three hlg-240’s and 30 strips too. Or do something like two hlg-240’s and 1 hlg-185.
Shipping from arrow will be free. Heatsink usa will get you s little though.
I’ll go out in my room later on with a tape measure and some chalk and try out some different layouts and see which way looks like the best coverage. I was worried I’d never be able to get enough light for the budget I’m working with but this might far exceed my hopes.
Arrow does have the 3000k in stock for 2$ more as well.
Would the 3k or the 3500 be better for whole growth?
Sweet! I’m caught up, right about the time it’s getting difficult to type lol
I’m going to lean on existing builds I can read about here, but I know the “best” is a moving target. While I understand it 100%, I have a hard time, on a good day, following some of these conversations as far as how a layout will differ from another with the same equipment, etc. I have a hard time with visualizing things, spatially like that. And comparing the quality/efficiency of one light with another, but run at different currents and other comparisons I see often…confuse the hell out of me lol
I’m wicked smaht, I’m just kinda slow. Thanks in advance for your patience, when I get to that bridge!
95% of what I know about lighting I’ve learned from all the reading here. Thankfully I’ve done a bit of wiring on different projects and repairs to not be afraid of that side. But putting one together and fully understanding the technical part are two different things. I feel like people are speaking a different language when it comes to par, ppfd, lumens etc. But I’m certain if I throw enough light from the right LEDs at my plants they’ll grow. So I’d rather over do it than under.
Speaking of it I don’t know why I had to think so hard about this. With the 520mm strips I can put 2 per 48" heat sink. Build my 4x4 foot frame then place one heat sink every 3.4 inches. That will give me 24 Samsung strips on 3 of the 185 drivers. And if I feel it’s lacking I can add 8 more strips 2 on each border rail and one more driver. I’m not sure how to calculate the wattage of that but hopefully it’ll be enough.
They are really pretty close, the 3000k just had a bit more red in it, but there are many members who use both during the whole growth and are seeing great results from both.
Also it’s the .601 Heatsinks. I’ve never matched them up. I am going off of another members recommendations. He bought a couple hundred of the single row strips and is selling lights.
The strips are .7" or 18mm, the sink would be 15mm or .601", but you dont need much really to dissipate the heat, as they already have such a long surface area.
I would agree, 3000k or 3500k I would buy whichever is cheaper for seed to harvest growing.
You know a lot of the stuff we talk about is kind of trivial in the big picture. That comes down to things that are within our control because we’re building, so we may as well try to put in our favor as much as possible. Getting to a solid ppfd average is probably good enough, there doesn’t seem to be huge differences to tweaking led spacing here and there to provide a more even canopy intensity. Maybe in extreme cases the difference is more noticeable, otherwise led placement is more a function of what heights you’re going to run than anything else.
Rule of thumb for led efficiency is 10% increase every time you cut current in half. Thinking of this in terms of what it means to your build, it’s more money up front to run more efficiently. For example… you decide that 100 watts of bridgelux eb strips is ideal for your space. For 560mm strips that’s 5 strips at 1050ma. We’ll say strips are $8 each and $25 driver and the other costs you’ll have either way, so $65 in major components. To get roughly 10% more efficien, you’d need 10 strips and 500ma driver. That’s going to be $105 in major components, but get you 10% more light for same power consumption.
The efficiency of the components themselves is a different story. Depending on the design of the leds the current/temp relationship varies on the leds quite a bit. As does the way the data is shown. It’s important to double check currents and binning temps when comparing leds, that can vary a lot. But it’s pretty safe to say any of the leds we’re talking about are pretty much within striking distance of the others in the right circumstances.
That actually makes sense. So in laymen terms you’re saying by running more lights with less power you get the same volume of lighting with less energy used. Did I get that right? And probably less heat because you’re not pushing the lights as hard as well?
Yes pretty much. Technically you can look at it that way or more light for the same amount of power.
I’ve noticed a 8 degree drop in temps since building my new light.
That’s a big improvement. What setup did you build? Can you tag me in it please.
@fano_man here’s the thread. Maybe you can learn a little from it but the big DIY thread has way more info. I can tag you into it if you want as well.