Wow, beautiful! That would be amazing to build!
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For example, you could do something like meanwell lpc-100-1050 driver and 4- 560mm bridgelux eb strips. Would give you about 90ish watt light. The driver $25 and the strips are usually $7-8 each. If you donāt have to buy heatsinks, rest of the stuff you need for build would coat you about $30 on Amazon, but would be enough of most to do multiple fixtures.
Heatsinks would be like $5 each from heatsink usa. You would need 1 per strip, and there is a small cut charge and shipping. Then maybe a couple small pieces of aluminum angle to hold it all together. A 24"x10" piece of aluminum plate would do too as long as itās thick enough.
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On recommendation of @dbrn32 I built 2 PLC Photo Boost strip lights. The ones I built are designed for a 2x4 space. This build will be perfect for your space. Iāll link the video to build on YouTube. Remember that you can use design on video and use other light strips other than the PLCās. I mention that so you will be aware that you can make changes based on need and availability of strips. But I will say that I have no regrets using PLC Photo Boost strips. They definitely will help produce dense buds. Also this light will be less $400 to build. With dbrn32 help you can probably get it into the $350 range. The final thing is to trust @dbrn32 and @Myfriendis410 they will give you the best advice on many things.
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@dbrn32 Writing a materials list nowā¦
Really appreciate the help too!
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Thatās the 320 - 330w build right? I am adding 4 23" strips to supplement my current light. Just waiting for the M3 screws and square nuts from china (Iām using the PLC heat sinks )
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@Bulldognuts in that video, he said the light is for āflowering outā does that mean itās meant for only flower, not veg?
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They will grow just fine start to finish. He means it have enough intensity to hit maximum DLI on 12 hour schedule for space itās designed for.
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You guys are all amazing! Thanks for helping this newb!
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I ordered three diy kits from Horticulture Lighting Group. For lack of a better term, these kick ass! I assembled all three in less than an hour and all I needed were wire strippers. The performance is absolutely stunning. I could have bought everything but the heat sink individually and saved a little coin. However, Steve at HLG is a tremendous resource. After buying their lights, they offer free support and are always willing to help. Shipping was ridiculous fast. Ordered lights on a Thursday night and they were on my doorstep Saturday morning. They have a small light for less than $100 that will veg a plant or two as well. I canāt recommend them highly enough.
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They have newer model. Which one are you looking for again?
This is the driver for the build I was speaking about. Itās good for 8 of the PLC Photo Boost strips. So if you are doing a 4 strip build I would assume you can go with smaller driver. Donāt want to give you the wrong info so if you havenāt already checked with @dbrn32 that would be better than me taking a guess because thatās all that it would be. LOL.
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I think its kinda weird how, and this is not meant to be unkindā¦ many folks dont take the time to research the basics about lighting for plants? I mean I found the process interesting and kinda fun. It lead me to all kinds of places, testing spheres, different manufacturers, their take on light spectrum and plant behavior etc. I figure if a person really wants to throw down on growing plants, they should take the time to research what they are getting into.
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Some people donāt need to know how watch is made to tell what time it is. That is what my boss says anyway haha! Otherās want to know how to tell time by themselves. Itās all good, we are here to help.
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Thatās correct, driver you posted too big for 4 plc strips
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@dbrn32 What would you think of these?
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Thats a pretty good analogy! I like that! I suppose this hobby is so complex that we all study without realizing thats what weāre doing anyway. Case in point, they ask you what to do and you provide infoā¦ thats research in a nutshell. Every year / season I learn new stuff, thats what I like about this hobby. I use the same lessons in my food gardens too!
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I think a lot of people even the ones who research on how they want to grow just donāt realize how important lighting is. The ones like myself who didnāt really intend to get into it as far as I have just wants to be able to grow enough for themselves and donāt believe at first that itās necessary to to buy the best possible lighting available. The first thing people do is start looking for equipment that they think they need and see all the hype on Amazon about how great the lights are and arenāt aware that forums like this even exist.
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Those will work for grow light, but you may need multiple drivers during to low operating current.
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@dbrn32 I donāt know exactly what that means, but Iāll research it cus I donāt want to waste peopleās time. I really thank you for all of your help.
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I think those of us that are genuinely interested in understanding a certain aspect or maybe all of them find a niche. I donāt know shit about making edibles, but I know a couple of members that seem to be real good at it. Same with hydroponics, or probably dozens of other things. Thereās a lot of things that I can offer a little help with. A few things I can offer a lot of help with. But thereās always someone around the corner that can pick up where I canāt. Thatās how communities like this are successful.
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