I’m considering setting up a veg tent and converting my existing tent into a flower tent. I already have a HLG 600 kit w/ the 3000k V2 Samsung quantum boards. I built it out on @dbrn32 recommendation; so, I’m considering getting another one but in 4000k. I hope he’ll chime in. Tent size will be 4x4 or 5x5. Probably 4x4. My current tent is 5x5 and a 4x4 would give me plenty of veg room to fill the 5x5 with flowering plants, I think; AND, it’d fit a little better in the space that I have available.
So, does anyone have any better suggestions for an LED light? I want to stay under $900 and I really like that $720 price for the HLG 600 kits.
the hlg 600 is good have u checked the hlg 550? it is higher efficiency. but in general hlg are the best lights. u can save a little with some elbow grease, but im a mild diy-er and the assembly of hlg lights is the most diy i wanna do
You really don’t need anything that big to veg a 4x4. If it were me, I’d probably look at doing something with the 120 or 132 boards. Like 4 of either maybe. There is supposedly going to be qb 120 v2 boards available on Amazon any day now. Four of them in 4000k on hlg-240h-c2100a would probably be my first choice. Could probably do it for $250 or so.
That’d be awesome! I’d rather not spend any more than necessary. Where would I get the heat sink from?
That HLG 600 is a kit so I had all the parts and the heat sink was already properly drilled out. So it was easy. But I’m confident I could drill out my own holes and build it out myself, if I had a big chunk of that heat sink material.
On a side note…have you ever looked at “Fluence” lights? They’re pretty crazy expensive but they sure look slick to an untrained eye, like mine. Lol!
To me, the HLG 600 kit was a better deal. The slight efficiency improvement with the 550 would take a long time to recoup the added cost, over the 600. Plus, I wanted the additional 362 PPFD because it was going in a 5x5 tent; and could, eventually, be part of a system in a pretty good size flower room.
I love what dbrn32 has to say about what I need for a veg room light, though! Always looking to save some cash that I can put into building premium soil!
You don’t need heatsink with either of the boards I posted about previously, that’s what keeps build cost lower. The diode spacing and quantity is enough that pcb itself provides enough surface area for cooling.
For what it’s worth, the only reason hlg-550 is more efficient than 600 kit is because of lower operating current. If you dim the 600 kit to same output current as hlg-550 the 600 kit is probably more efficient than the 550. I believe 600 watt driver is more efficient than hlg-480 and there’s more surface area for cooling on the 600 as well.
I wouldn’t use wood, anything easily combustible in grow room seems like no no to me. I would recommend aluminum built to line up with holes in factory pcb.
So just some bar stock aluminum or what would you recommend? Since I’ll be able to build them for so much less than I thought, I’ve got plenty of room to buy good materials.
@dbrn32 can really explain it well but basically, plants use different spectrums at different periods of growth. For cannabis, a cooler light (higher number - i.e. 4000) during their vegetative growth stage and a warmer (lower number - i.e. 3000k) during their flowering or ‘budding’ stage. It’s the plant’s physiology and we’re simply trying to tailor the light we provide to the particular type of growth they’re undergoing at any particular time.
I know they’re more expensive but they have a 5000k option. Have you heard of them or know anything about them? They’re certainly more expensive but would also be within my budget. What do you think? You know how to understand the specs and I do not. Lol! Would they be any better in some regard or are they just a more expensive option?
Once I hear back I’m going to jump.
Any recommendations for an online source for that aluminum angle; maybe that’ll cut it to length? It’s a long ways to a metal yard (that would carry what I need) from here so ordering online would be much more convenient.