The PLC strips are back in stock. FYI. They said the site might crash from the volume, but keep trying!
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Under different circumstances, I would be there too lol
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I just keep upgrading incrementally. I depend on you to keep me informed as to whatâs the newest, and best thing to try.
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Youâre doing a pretty good job of it!
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I have that problem with all my hobbies.
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Youâre not the only one, Iâm only limited by account balances haha!
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Arenât we all.
If only there was a way to make money from these hobbies 
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I could be wrong but I was on the email list with pacific lights for when the photo boost strips came back in stock looking to build for a 4x4 space. After adding up all the components(strips, frame, wago, cords, 18g wire, meanwell 320w driver etc etc for that build it came out to be around $850.
Comparing that to the HLG 600H kit from growerslights for $700 that veg up to 8x7? and flowers up to a 5x5 space I wonât be going the PLC photo boost direction. Other than some added flexibility having 2 separate fixtures with the plc build 2 fixtures 2x4 each and added red I donât see the advantage to spending the extra $$ versus the HLG600H fixture
Same conclusion looking at the HLG 260 or 320 to cover a 4x4 needing 2 or 3 260 and 2 of the 320 still costs more $
Any feedback would be appreciated as Iâm no expert but am good at math lol
Compare the plc build to a fluence light.
I canât find the hlg600h for $700. It appears to be closer to $800, if itâs in stock
A 640w plc build will flower the same space, or larger than a 620w hlg600h
The plc build is more efficient @ 2.78 ”mols/joule than the hlg600h @ 2.5 Όmol/joule
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Iâve purchased 2 of them unassembled the first was $712 delivered with the dimmer installed the second was $692? Delivered with dimmer if I went with the Bluetooth option that pushes it up to closer to $800âŠif they are in stock is the key hereâŠlol seems like they sell a lot.
Not sure why I would compare PLC to fluence light as they are way more $ but I guess that would benefit the PLC option.
Yep I guess PLC has a better efficiency than the HLG but again $700 versus over $850 for PLC build. The PLC is just over 2.6 umols per Joule per the YouTube video buildâŠafter the driver versus just over 2.5 on HLG 600H.
The 600H has a greater PPFD? I think thatâs the right scale? Lol than anything weâve covered. At the center at full power is like 1,540 and at the ends was still better than the HLG 550. For some reason the manufacturer doesnât provide that info anymore on the 600H but I did come across that chart at one time but didnât copy it and remember comparing that to the 550 at the time.
Iâm currently running my 600 at about 36â and at about 60% power for late veg early flower so not sure how the dimmmed power affects efficiency overall etc etc but because of the great PPFD output Iâm able to run it well below full power saving electricity and plan on allowing the plants to grow up closer to light during flower which without increasing power will increase light they get. Will turn up power as flowering progresses but I donât think will need to go full power unless they keep taking increases along with distance closer as they grow up.
I did purchase a LUX meter to use as a reference for placing the plants and adjusting output with dimmer as well as using for my T5 fixtures for seedlings and clones to not over or under light them. I know that meter doesnât work well like a PAR meter for LED lights but there are also on line calculators to convert to get a closer idea.
Currently my flower tent LUX readings at 60% are between 20,000 to 25,000 lux above plants and even higher in the center of the 4 pots -no mans land- so based on how I am utilizing them am I better off with a fixture/s running full power to cover a 4x4 or running lower power still covering same area with probably better PPFD along the edges?
I donât know the answers to this as there are Iâm sure other calculations involved that I am not considering
It shouldnât. System efficacy should be about the same, or maybe in favor of plc build. Then you would have to compare to price of v2 rspec to have similar light spectrum. When itâs all said and done, thereâs not any huge differences. But youâll get a lot more balanced light intensity levels with a strip build than having all 4 boards right on top of each other on the cheesy Chinese Chinese heatsink extrusion.
Thatâs where comparing more to a fluence light comes in.
Thanks for the reply
Makes sense to calculate the new boards from HLG with rspec. Any idea of the additional cost over the current v2?
So the slate heat sinks they use are Chinese crap?
Not sure what the chart is called when they do the PAR readings but I do know the HLG600H readings were about 20% higher across the floor as compared to the HLG550 I just wonder why they wonât provide that anymore?
So the PLC build will have better even coverage using the same power as the 600?
Anyway will need another light for Veg tent and had looked at buying the PLC boards to do a build for 4x4 and was surprised at the totals is all.
Seemed less light for more $ when I looked when I got the email they were back in stock.
So will the build for a 4x4 also cover as much area for veg as the 600? I could move the PLC build with rspec into flower tent and move 1 600 into veg.
Iâve read a few reports of them bending easily, and it seems theyâre a little small for thermal load. But they do work.
Iâve always called them par maps, but Iâm not sure if thatâs the official technical term. 20% sounds right. Hlg-550 was dubbed from wall power being +/- 550 watts. Itâs an hlg-480 driver, with bonus current and driver efficiency losses totaling about 550 watts consumption. The 600 kit is hlg-600 driver. Iâm not sure how new boards load it when configured in parallel circuit. But a dimming unit would be capable of pulling close to 700 watts at wall if loaded full.
They give total ppf, which allows you to calculate ppfd average. In my opinion thatâs easier and more useful than a map at specific height. The map is relatively useless at a different height, or being wrapped in reflective surface vs not being wrapped in reflective surface. By giving total light output they eliminate things that could change effectiveness of sensor readings.
Sure, if you want it to. Youâre stuck with building it, so you build to fit needs. Spacing strips out more lowers diode concentration which would have a direct impact on light intensity levels below the fixture. With something like a hlg-600 kit you donât have the labor, but youâre stuck with layout. Itâs not a great layout for light level the kit produces either. Just means you have it to run it higher to get coverage to edges of space and keep intensity levels directly below fixture reasonable. Hlg stating itâs good for up to a 5x5 is merely suggesting the total flux of the fixture is high enough to reach recommended daily light integral for the space, not neccesarily saying that you get good coverage and light penetration in a 5x5 space. With the photo boost or any of the strips really, you are free to break up the strips and create a more diffuse light source. That correlates into more even intensity coverage in a fixture that can be run lower.
Well you pointed out the reason I direct most people in that direction. In my opinion, getting light into the space should take precedence over how even your intensity levels are, light spectrum, and things like that. Building with qbâs or even assembling with kits or buying assembled kits is significantly cheaper than any of fixtures using similar tech. In terms of their actual products, I probably wouldnât build with any of their current products. But I canât justify to everyone that spending a little more money will translate to significantly better results in grow either. For those wanting a more kick ass light not minding dropping a little more cash, here we are. Also worth pointing out that hlg has a format similar to these, did you see pricing on the sabre 100?
If you need a veg light, I probably wouldnât do these or an hlg-600. You get the benefit of running longer light cycle so a 30-40% reduction in intensity will still hit recommended DLI for vegging plants. That being said, a 400ish watt light using anything that will run close to 2.5 umol/joule will get you there in a 4x4. You could build out with bridgelux EB gen2, Samsung f-series gen3, or a few others will land you in $400- 500 range and more than meet requirements youâre looking for.
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No idea what that is⊠re lighting
I do personally own a Sabre 150 and a Sabre2 120 sq ft canopy for skydiving but where would I find the Sabre 100 you mention?
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Thanks
Missed them browsing earlier
Interesting for sure
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So I was at PLC site going to order some photo boost strips and it seems that they are only shipping to Canada.
Any ideas @dbrn32 for other sources?
I can come up with alternatives. But I donât think thatâs accurate. I believe the only place outside of U.S. they will ship is Canada. They are located in California, unless I missed something?
Was a snafu on my iPad using VPN I think.
Emailed them and they said only shipping to USA went and checked again and the Canada option that I had as only option was now USA.
Anyway thanks seems fine nowâŠlol Weird
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@dbrn32 I have a couple questions for you before I order the parts for a build.
Using the video of the PLC build for a 2X4 fixture it references 46â for the heat sink lengths but my tent is oversized and measures 96â X 54â so one of the 4X4 sides is fat by 6â. I will be hanging them with the long direction to the 54â direction. For better coverage does it make sense to buy the sinks at say 52â and split the distance of 6â in the center between the strips or 2â in center and 2â short on each end?
Or any other thoughts.
Will be ordering and building 2 of them using the meanwell driver suggested in the video HLG 320 I think it was. I have all the parts needed lined up with the exception of a dimmer rheostat for it. That I have to figure out where and what spec needed for it.
Thanks again for your earlier explanation of more even coverage compared to the HLG 600H fixture etc.
Edit to addâŠwill want to be able to use for veg and or flower. If there might be other strips to consider Iâm all ears on that too.