...All Things Vero...

Would you consider buying a VERO after reading through some of the posts?


  • Total voters
    357

SomeGuy

Well-Known Member
I know uh. Im driving 10 of them at 1.4a works great. No problem keeping them cool either. AS a matter of fact I really need to get some fan speed controllers to bring temps back UP.. LOL
 

AquariusPanta

Well-Known Member
Exactly what I was asking for thank you!

So do you suggest just using the same Vero 3000k lights the entire seed - > harvest grow? I would still shoot for ~35w/sqft right (flower)?
In your situation, I'd advise either 700mA or 1050mA. You get 40% efficiency with the V18 @ 700mA, while with 1050mA you gain a little more light and heat, while lowering the efficiency close to 38%.

Exactly what I was asking for thank you!

So do you suggest just using the same Vero 3000k lights the entire seed - > harvest grow? I would still shoot for ~35w/sqft right (flower)?
You could certainly grow a 'weed' from start to finish with either 2700K or 5000K. The results will vary though, some more desirable than others.

The 3000K seems to be a popular choice for seed-to-harvest but things change over time so again, results may vary with newer products. If your feeling chancy, roll with the 3500K on the Vero side.

Someone asked what my final yield was . I will go post it in the other thread too. But...

2x4 tent.
500w
268grams

about 1/2g per watt.

It should be noted that I was beyond the point of diminishing returns as far as w per sq ft. I have put these same three bars in a 4x4 tent now. (twice the space) and will see if I can double my yield number with the same amount of photon.
I'm assuming that the one-half gram per watt is based off of the total draw (watts) from each cob and then added together and divided by dry weight. The only problem that I have with this methodology ($/W or Grams/W) is that the formula takes into account wattage of both PAR and heat. So technically and more reasonably, if one your COBs is producing 50W off the killa-watt meter and is running 33% efficient, than only 16.5W of PAR are being transferred and consumed. This being said, 10x COBs (all giving 16.5W PAR each) gives you 165W PAR output, raising your ratio of grams over watts to 1.6 grams per PAR watt.

Some people are most likely going to get grumpy and throw a hissy fit at this point in the discourse because most are accustomed to old ways of thinking but the former method undermines the purpose of solving for PAR/heat efficiencies. Heat doesn't grow buds, PAR does.
 
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Scornfulheal

Active Member
If I have the Arctic 11 plus cooler, do you think I could be able to stick 2 V18s on one of them? That way I could run 4x Vero 18s on 2x heatsinks.
 

Scornfulheal

Active Member
In your situation, I'd advise either 700mA or 1050mA. You get 40% efficiency with the V18 @ 700mA, while with 1050mA you gain a little more light and heat, while lowering the efficiency close to 38%.



You could certainly grow a 'weed' from start to finish with either 2700K or 5000K. The results will vary though, some more desirable than others.

The 3000K seems to be a popular choice for seed-to-harvest but things change over time so again, results may vary with newer products. If your feeling chancy, roll with the 3500K on the Vero side.
Even better with 3500k + reds and blues? Or just go solo Veros to get a feel for it and keep things simple and costs down?
 

AquariusPanta

Well-Known Member
Even better with 3500k + reds and blues? Or just go solo Veros to get a feel for it and keep things simple and costs down?
Supra and some others like the reds and blues stars because they typically super efficient (from what I've heard, not tested). In your case, start with some Veros and later on, if you feel the urge, throw in some blue and red stars as supplemental lighting.
 

uzerneims

Well-Known Member
Someone asked what my final yield was . I will go post it in the other thread too. But...

2x4 tent.
500w
268grams

about 1/2g per watt.

It should be noted that I was beyond the point of diminishing returns as far as w per sq ft. I have put these same three bars in a 4x4 tent now. (twice the space) and will see if I can double my yield number with the same amount of photon.
daaaamn, that is kind of low compared to cxa dudes...
i'm waiting for final decision and i will go in digi-key and buy veros29. But don't know which spectrum. Feeling kind of lame :D

And how was the bud look? Quality? Trychs?
 

SomeGuy

Well-Known Member
I was at 68w per sqft.. past the point of diminishing returns.. LOL less wattage would have done as much IMO I expect to yield twice as much by using twice the space and bringing my w per sq ft down to 30ish.

What I am saying is... I could have used less watt and got the same yield IMO. AAAANNND I feel I can easily hit the g per w goal by simply distributing the watts I did use over a larger area.
 

Scornfulheal

Active Member
Also AP, am I reading Supra's spreadsheet wrong? I thought a single Vero 18 @ 700 mA would bring a little under 20 watts, while you're saying that 2 of them would bring 16 watts.

I was thinking of 2x Vero 18 3500k @ 1050 mA if I could get close to 30w out of each of them, if not I'd want to go to 2x Vero 29s at 800-1050 mA instead.
 

AquariusPanta

Well-Known Member
I was at 68w per sqft.. past the point of diminishing returns.. LOL less wattage would have done as much IMO I expect to yield twice as much by using twice the space and bringing my w per sq ft down to 30ish.

What I am saying is... I could have used less watt and got the same yield IMO. AAAANNND I feel I can easily hit the g per w goal by simply distributing the watts I did use over a larger area.
Didn't you have your bars set up and operating before or around September? I think the newer Vero series will provide better results (data sheets depicting better numbers were updated and released late August, early September).

Also AP, am I reading Supra's spreadsheet wrong? I thought a single Vero 18 @ 700 mA would bring a little under 20 watts, while you're saying that 2 of them would bring 16 watts.

I was thinking of 2x Vero 18 3500k @ 1050 mA if I could get close to 30w out of each of them, if not I'd want to go to 2x Vero 29s at 800-1050 mA instead.
Your reading it right but your understanding of the efficiency is undeveloped. While the V18 produces 20W, like you see, it's made up of both PAR/visible light and heat. The efficiency is around 40%, meaning 40% is PAR - the stuff we and the plants are after; the heat, not so much. Take another look at the sheet upon page four. You will notice how the efficiency gets better at lower currents but less total wattage is produced.

According to Supra's 'cheat' sheets, 2x V18's (3000K, 3500K will be slightly more efficient) will bring around 23W (PAR) @ currents of 1050mA.

The V29's are more efficient, boosting possible PAR watts at given currents hence the prince difference.
 
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Greengenes707

Well-Known Member
Do not start using radiant watts for g/w calculations. That is ridiculous. You pay for the whole watt, no matter how much goes to light or heat.

There are 2 ways to calculate input to output of you grow(taking just lighting into consideration

1) is basic g/w of flowering lamp and the way most know and go by. With hps they usually just use the bulb wattage instead of the whole system as we do with less cause it all comes as one...but whole system(bulb and ballast, or fans and drivers) is the best way considering this way isn't the most accurate to begin with.
Ex
300w led pulled 250gs...250g/300w=.83g/w

2)This way is g/KwH...and it takes into account your veg wattage as well as the time/duration of the whole grow. This way is the most accurate and will also let you plug your own power cost into it and see how many grams per dollar spent your are growing.

Ex
vegged at 18/6 for 30 days using 200w(or .2 Kw)... .2kw*18*30=108KwH's used
+
flowered at 12/12 for 60 days using 600w(or.6Kw)... .6kw*12*60=432KwH's used
= 540KwH used in the whole grow(just for lighting)

And say the whole thing yielded 600grams(1g/w by the basic way).
So 600w/540Kwh's= 1.11g/KwH used

And then you pay $0.25/KwH...and used 540KwH...
540kwh*.25$= 135$

Last but not least...
You produced 600g at a cost of 135$...
135$/600g=$0.23 per gram is what your bud cost you(just considering lighting)

And I have one question...I don't think it is a new vero...I thought they just updated/corrected some stuff in the data sheet...????
 

Scornfulheal

Active Member
Your reading it right but your understanding of the efficiency is undeveloped. While the V18 produces 20W, like you see, it's made up of both PAR/visible light and heat. The efficiency is around 40%, meaning 40% is PAR - the stuff we and the plants are after; the heat, not so much. Take another look at the sheet upon page four. You will notice how the efficiency gets better at lower currents but less total wattage is produced.

According to Supra's 'cheat' sheets, 2x V18's (3000K, 3500K will be slightly more efficient) will bring around 23W (PAR) @ currents of 1050mA.

The V29's are more efficient, boosting possible PAR watts at given currents hence the prince difference.
Okay so I am looking for an ideal around 30W (PAR) per sqft flowering, and drive them down in order to get about 5W (PAR) per sqft during veg stage? Is this a decent goal?

[edit] And thank you for clearing up the tables for me! I felt like I was missing out on something important haha.
 

AquariusPanta

Well-Known Member
Do not start using radiant watts for g/w calculations. That is ridiculous. You pay for the whole watt, no matter how much goes to light or heat.

There are 2 ways to calculate input to output of you grow(taking just lighting into consideration

1) is basic g/w of flowering lamp and the way most know and go by. With hps they usually just use the bulb wattage instead of the whole system as we do with less cause it all comes as one...but whole system(bulb and ballast, or fans and drivers) is the best way considering this way isn't the most accurate to begin with.
Ex
300w led pulled 250gs...250g/300w=.83g/w

2)This way is g/KwH...and it takes into account your veg wattage as well as the time/duration of the whole grow. This way is the most accurate and will also let you plug your own power cost into it and see how many grams per dollar spent your are growing.

Ex
vegged at 18/6 for 30 days using 200w(or .2 Kw)... .2kw*18*30=108KwH's used
+
flowered at 12/12 for 60 days using 600w(or.6Kw)... .6kw*12*60=432KwH's used
= 540KwH used in the whole grow(just for lighting)

And say the whole thing yielded 600grams(1g/w by the basic way).
So 600w/540Kwh's= 1.11g/KwH used

And then you pay $0.25/KwH...and used 540KwH...
540kwh*.25$= 135$

Last but not least...
You produced 600g at a cost of 135$...
135$/600g=$0.23 per gram is what your bud cost you(just considering lighting)

And I have one question...I don't think it is a new vero...I thought they just updated/corrected some stuff in the data sheet...????
Thanks for sharing.

To comment with your question, you could totally be right about that, as I never thought about it that way. Although, if they went back and corrected numbers like you have considered, they must have really been high during the initial data testing and recording (Spring 2014) because numbers, such as thermal resistance and efficiency, have CLIMBED all across the board.

That was my understanding GG They just updated information to include typical calculations instead of just min.
O? That could have been, as I started getting into all this DIY/COB stuff around late August/early September (2014), so my memory of the old data sheets and the new data sheets is somewhat of a mix/blur.
 

SomeGuy

Well-Known Member
Im challenging myself this next round to try and hit 1lb from the 4x4 tent. thats not even a g p w. I am
Thanks for sharing.

To comment with your question, you could totally be right about that, as I never thought about it that way. Although, if they went back and corrected numbers like you have considered, they must have really been high during the initial data testing and recording (Spring 2014) because numbers, such as thermal resistance and efficiency, have CLIMBED all across the board.

I think thats because those new numbers reflect typical not minimums.
 
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