Does anyone have a decent COB build for around $150?

Cobkits:

Sweet! I'll check that all out in a few mins.

I got some other things in my tent, and currently an auto in flower and photo in veg. Much different heights, and I don't care all that much about the photo plant or the random crap I'm growing because I can.

Was thinking i would put my old led on one side for the less important plants and give my auto girl in flower the full cobs

if you wanted to go balls out you could get 2 hlg-120s, one for each cob, and dim them individually. youd get about 135W out of each

That's a pretty sweet offer from Cobby G there - you could do worse than going for that and save yourself a bunch of work for around the same kinda value. I've bought from him before and I vouch for him wholeheartedly. cheers

i dont really do customs anymore but those clu048 are cake to assemble, no soldering and dremeling and bullshit. and if anybody is wondering why im rec'ing the more expensive 1818 chips over the luminus is because they run at a little lower voltage and buy OP more watts out of a driver when run hard like this. 1825 even more so but then im into dremeling and soldering and bullshit

WantsToBuildCheapCOB said:

They got full spectrums

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They're still Chinese pieces of shit. At least go Vero, Cree, or Citi. Listen to CobKits or @Rahz, they know their shit.

CobKits:

I didn't catch how you were offering to make a hanger for me so I didn't have to build a frame to mount them on until I just got back to look into this! That is awesome man, I love this customer service!

Edit- don't bother answering all these, I was basically just thinking out loud here. I'm gonna do the 2x120h. I just wanna know what color temps you would recommend, and then when you think the PO run that will have all my stuff in it will be

So it would be $65x2 = $130 for the two lights, already in the light engines and mounted to a heatsink, and then you would attach a cable hanger so I can just attach it to grow light rope hanger to control height?

Then since I'm planning on growing peppers/tomatoes on one end I'll put those under my worse light, girl in veg in the middle, and then girl in flower on the right under 2 cobs. So I'd probably want the one hlg-185-48A driver that I can connect to both lights? Would you recommend this one driver, or would you think the 2 hlg-120s would be better for my needs? They can provide that extra power I would be getting over the one 185 to the lights without wasting it? one HLG-185H-48A looks like it is $54, compared to the HLG-120H-48A at $39x2= $78

I see the APV-12-12 (12V driver for fans) on your site for $8.50

Looks like theres 3 options for wagos, how many slots would I need? Only $1.25 for a 5 slot one so I'll use that for my math...

1x HLG-185H-48A option ---- 130+54+8.5+1.25= 193.75

2x HLG-120H-48A option ----130+78+8.5+1.25= 217.75

With the 2 drivers I would be able to dim the two lights individually, but I'm thinking it would make more sense to use my current LED on the side for my peppers/tomatoes , and then have these two COBs in the middle/other side for my plants in veg and flower. Veg in the middle getting light from both types of light, and flower on the right getting the full COB effect. I'm not sure if I would need to dim them individually, but I do like the flexibility it offers.

The lights would be able to use the more powerful individual power supplies at 100% power, just less efficient as you give them more power? But the cooling they have would be able to keep up with running them full blast 18 hours a day, or will I have to limit them to like 80% power? I have no extra cooling for my grow room, but I do have good ventilation and the ambient outside tent temps shouldn't go above 75-80, currently tent temps stay around 77ish, I wonder if I'll need to try to lower the temps a bit somehow?

To dim the lights, it sounds like it is just a nob on the drivers?

I'll probably spring for the double drivers sounds like a great deal seeing how I will basically just have to connect a couple wires in the wago(guessing wagos are just an easy way to connect cables it looks like?) and hang the nice hangers you offered to build me? I think I'll be doing this reaaallll soon

Interesting that somebody else came in looking for the exact same thing as me

Cobkits!!! take my money!

MJCanada said:

Interesting that somebody else came in looking for the exact same thing as me

Cobkits!!! take my money!

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Haha, yeah he's definitely got my order. This is amazing customer service! No idea I was in for this when people were telling me to post here.

I just wanna know what he thinks about my situation with what I had in mind for setting up the lights. Not sure if it would make more sense to use the single driver or the more powerful 2. I assume the lights must be able to take the full power of the 120 driver, but I just wanna make sure it can handle the heat. Also not sure if my tent will be able to handle the heat but I'll figure that out when I get there.

I think I just realized what my last question will hopefully be - what color temperature do you recommend? I got everything in my cart besides these babies

Actually I do have one more question besides what color temp you would recommend and confirmation that they would be able to run 100% 18 hours a day on the 120h drivers - when will the PO run that has my presents be?

You're going to have a nice little setup there with those 1818's and your roleadro @WantsToBuildCheapCOB, keep up the hustle, good luck!

visajoe1 said:

You're going to have a nice little setup there with those 1818's and your roleadro @WantsToBuildCheapCOB, keep up the hustle, good luck!

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Wish my account was old enough to like this

WantsToBuildCheapCOB said:

Wish my account was old enough to like this

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Gave ya both a like for the heck of it... No seriously though, I love reading these types of threads. Typically answers my questions, and i get to learn some shit to. Good all around if you ask me.

WantsToBuildCheapCOB said:

I'm pretty sure the other night I watched a growmau5 video where he built a frame and I think all the pieces already had holes in them and stuff so he didn't need a drill. Those parts would probably be more expensive, though.

I can probably come up with a reason to borrow a drill... I was coming up dry for reasons I would need to borrow a soldering iron earlier.

I could also just buy one too, but I haven't had the need for one besides for this, renting apt, nothing that can't be removed from the walls (stick on command things)

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Here's an idea for ya...
Buy two sets of these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/262916650691
Buy two 24 V 10 amp power supplies:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/302241381428
Mount all twenty strips to a sheet of 44" x 20" 1/8 aluminum sheet, using arctic silver thermal adhesive:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400247964580

Each power supply will run ten strips. No soldering needed, the strips have plug in terminals so all you need is some wire.

A local machine shop can cut you a sheet of aluminum to size.

400W LED light for about 100 bucks.

WantsToBuildCheapCOB said:

So it would be $65x2 = $130 for the two lights, already in the light engines and mounted to a heatsink, and then you would attach a cable hanger so I can just attach it to grow light rope hanger to control height?

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yeah like a triangle cable mounting you can hang from single point or later on if you want you can hard mount the same 2 points on a frame if thats useful.

WantsToBuildCheapCOB said:

Then since I'm planning on growing peppers/tomatoes on one end I'll put those under my worse light, girl in veg in the middle, and then girl in flower on the right under 2 cobs.

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its gonna catch enough sidelighting from the cobs that middle will still rock. theres nothing "wrong" with the roleadro. it not as efficient as others but that spectrum should still be great.

WantsToBuildCheapCOB said:

The lights would be able to use the more powerful individual power supplies at 100% power, just less efficient as you give them more power?

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slightly yeah, but like 10% less efficient. if your plants are doing great and can take more, its in your interest to give them all the light they can take

WantsToBuildCheapCOB said:

But the cooling they have would be able to keep up with running them full blast 18 hours a day, or will I have to limit them to like 80% power?

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naw with the fan on those heatsinks can take 400W of cobs all day long, no worries. be wary of the chinese mfrs that rate a 'duty cycle' for their lamps that means their heat management system is (at least as) under-designed as they claim, maybe worse.

WantsToBuildCheapCOB said:

Looks like theres 3 options for wagos, how many slots would I need? Only $1.25 for a 5 slot one so I'll use that for my math...

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you need 2x 3 slots for 2 cobs on one driver, and 4x 2 slots for 2 cobs 2 drivers. you can also but 5 slots and slap more cobs on later as you see fit. more cobs on a driver = more efficient

WantsToBuildCheapCOB said:

currently tent temps stay around 77ish, I wonder if I'll need to try to lower the temps a bit somehow?

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depending on what youre growing 85 should be fine with LEDs

WantsToBuildCheapCOB said:

I'll probably spring for the double drivers sounds like a great deal seeing how I will basically just have to connect a couple wires in the wago(guessing wagos are just an easy way to connect cables it looks like?) and hang the nice hangers you offered to build me? I think I'll be doing this reaaallll soon

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ill bet youre box-to-lit-up-tent in under an hour

hour and a half if theres bonghits involved

CobKits said:

yeah like a triangle cable mounting you can hang from single point or later on if you want you can hard mount the same 2 points on a frame if thats useful.




its gonna catch enough sidelighting from the cobs that middle will still rock. theres nothing "wrong" with the roleadro. it not as efficient as others but that spectrum should still be great.



slightly yeah, but like 10% less efficient. if your plants are doing great and can take more, its in your interest to give them all the light they can take



naw with the fan on those heatsinks can take 400W of cobs all day long, no worries. be wary of the chinese mfrs that rate a 'duty cycle' for their lamps that means their heat management system is (at least as) under-designed as they claim, maybe worse.


you need 2x 3 slots for 2 cobs on one driver, and 4x 2 slots for 2 cobs 2 drivers. you can also but 5 slots and slap more cobs on later as you see fit. more cobs on a driver = more efficient



depending on what youre growing 85 should be fine with LEDs



ill bet youre box-to-lit-up-tent in under an hour

hour and a half if theres bonghits involved

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Thanks for all those answers!

Now I just need to figure out what color temperature and then my last question is how long until the PO run that will have my presents in it?

I was reading another thread where someone got a few 3500ks, and a few 4000ks.

What CRI would be best? After I finish waking up maybe I'll check out that 'math behind' thread. I've tried looking at it a couple times but that looks pretty confusing. I suspect it just looks that way and I'll hopefully be able to follow it when I'm not half asleep/as baked as I was last night.

My order is coming as soon as I figure out which option lights to get

introducing-cobkits - c<o>m -specializing-in-diy-and-citizen-cobs. 916763 / page-15 # post-12935701

I really wish I could post links, having to mutilate this link.

Here's the post I found with the guy getting a few 3500s and a few 4000s, looks like they were 90 CRIs, same lights as me. Are these the best color temps for these lights? Grab one of each and off to checkout I go?

WantsToBuildCheapCOB said:

introducing-cobkits - c<o>m -specializing-in-diy-and-citizen-cobs. 916763 / page-15 # post-12935701

I really wish I could post links, having to mutilate this link.

Here's the post I found with the guy getting a few 3500s and a few 4000s, looks like they were 90 CRIs, same lights as me. Are these the best color temps for these lights? Grab one of each and off to checkout I go?

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gave you a like, but you should have enough likes to post, I forget the other requirements

you can prob save by using invotronics drivers as they are much cheaper than mean well with realy good effency and use vero 29 c cobs

jonsnow399 said:

gave you a like, but you should have enough likes to post, I forget the other requirements

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My account just has to be a day old

All the other numbers are way higher than they need to be already haha

justsmokedope said:

you can prob save by using invotronics drivers as they are much cheaper than mean well with realy good effency and use vero 29 c cobs

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If I built my own I would have to buy tools and figure out how to mount them, and buy the materials for that.

Cobkits is doing me a solid and building me a light engine that he doesn't build very often anymore (this one sounds a lot easier than the other ones listed)

Then he's going above and beyond by making a hanger for them for me.

I've got this one all planned out already, I'm gonna stick with this I think. Everyone has given great feedback about him, and I can see why!