I don’t consider asking questions being needy. There’s a lot of different options. These are very popular.
2 Likes
GoodGuy,
i suggest starting small and expanding as u learn how to grow,
maybe start with one 550 QB or 1-2 260w QB’s,
a lot of new growers that start big usually fold up and quit before their 3rd grow,
it is too overwhelming to deal with 32 sq ft of grow space with little/no experience.!!
with 1000-1100 watts of QB u will need a lot of ventilation, air circulation, and controlled intake air.!
a/c, dehu., centrifugal or mixed air fan/s, oscillating fans, filters.???, humidifier…???, …
read all the grow books u can find, watch a chit ton of u-tube vids, then re-read all the grow books.!!
then plant some seed and fire up a 260w XL.!!!
3 Likes
@SlowOldGuy I appreciate the suggestion. Unfortunately I’ve never been able to do something half way. @dbrn32 Do you think the HLG600H kit would cover me for each half of the tent?
2 Likes
Ya that would be solid. They run a little warm at 100%, I would consider grabbing clip on fan to have blowing over top of heatsink on each if you plan on running wide open. 80-85% also seems to be plenty of light.
2 Likes
Would you consider this the best option?
It’s probably the best option for the money. There are better lights, they also cost significantly more.
2 Likes
This is just my o2 but I agree with the starting slow. Mainly because you may find you will not be using all the space to grow in. I have a 4x8 as well. I can run 3 lights to cover 3/4 of my tent. leaving me a 2x4 area to work in. I have a QB 320 light and 2 of the DYI lights. I probably gave @dbrn32 a headache from trying to get as much wattage from my lights as I could. in the end. I am only running 200w on one light and 220w on the other 2. If you were to get one light now. it may be easier for you to make a real word decision on what would really work for you. I have 6 viparspectra lights sitting on a shelf because I took off running and then found what I bought was not really what I should have gotten. just my thoughts here. it could save you from buying more than you really need 
4 Likes
I should be ordering my light stuff for the build within the next 2 weeks. @dbrn32, what do you think of 2 sets of:
- 4pcs lm301B HLG-288 board
- 1pc heatsink 660x490x4mm
- 1pc meanwell driver HLG-480H-48AB
- 1pc dimmer switch with remote
- hang wires, wires, connectors, plug wires.
I’m concerned that the driver might be just a little light, but ordering parts, I can save nearly $200 per fixture.
Guy
Curious as to why you’re going constant voltage? This seems like an Alibaba setup, and it seems like there is some differences in voltage bins on leds even when you get authentic leds. I’m also not familiar with a driver model that ends in AB. Should be A or B, and there are some pretty specific differences between the two.
The lights are sourced from a company I worked with in a former profession. They source for most of the biggest lighting companies in the US. I have personally visited the factory and seen the shipments going out to big box retailers as well as source manufacturers when they are behind (always). I’ve bought HID and LED warehouse lights from them and never had any issues. I was a little unsure about the drivers but am sure the lights are top quality.
Guy
You understand that it’s not an hlg board then correct? I was just going by what you posted…
1 Like
Yes sir. I understand that it’s not their brand name.
Guy
@dbrn32, I took your advice and decided to go ahead and order the boards from HLG. Doing 2 sets of 4 HLG-288 boards.
Guy
6 Likes
Buy some shades!! You’re gonna love 'em!! 
2 Likes
Very nice! Let me know if you need any help getting them together.
2 Likes
He ladies ladies love mine!
I got the lights in. Man, are they bright! I set them up about 18-24" from the plants turned on to 50%. I figured I would gradually up the potency of the light until I got to 100. I do have a problem, however. I have ordered a RO machine for my water but don’t have it in yet. I have very hard water but have filtered it with a 125 micron filter. I can’t seem to keep my ph stable even with AN nutes. My ph is naturally 8. I used citric acid to drop it down. Got it within reason and added the AN nutes (3 part). This morning, my ph is back up to 8.5. I added more citric acid this morning before I left for work. I figure that I have 100 gallons of water for my 8 plants. Any ideas other than to just keep adding citric acid? I also seem to have quite a bit of DOCS (foam) even before adding nutes.
1 Like
This is dwc system right, how big is your res?
@dbrn32 It’s 4 27 gallon Brute totes (each with 2 plants) and an external (to the tent) 27 gallon to help cool the water/soup. I figure 100 gallons because the totes are only about 2/3-3/4 full. Running undercurrent RDWC.
Full water exchange about 2-3x per hour. 1-1/2" pipes connecting the 4 tubs in series with a 3/4 filling the reservoir.