IF you are new to LED and want help choosing what to buy, POST HERE!

I'll rephrase the post from yesterday.
I'm impressed by the white COB's, but am concerned about how close they could be used in a small cabinet - say 4' high, 18" x 32" footprint, with NFT or ebb / flow taking ups some space at the bottom leaving little vertical space.
I also like the idea of having additional - if not equal amounts of blue and red LED's. Yes, many COB users don't believe they are needed but I'm not ready to drop what I've seen that wavelength making a difference. The results of a ratio of 2 or 3:1 HPS to MH is the best I have seen personally (other than displays of houseplants under red / blue LED). Lots of heat and old school - oh, the 18" x 32" footprint, not unlimited space.

I want to build it. Would like the colored CREE's to be mounted on a star since I don't have much experience with surface mount soldering. Through-hole no problem.

I have other hobbies that take more time that I can manage, for that reason don't want to spend too much time researching - in other words I'm going to be a bit lazy for now.

No idea about output of COB's, but guessing two is enough with up to 8 total red / blue being used at any one time. Would like ability to switch blue and red on / off and use in different combinations at different times - using switches. Would be nice if all lights were on dimmers.

Maybe there is already a build thread for this project? If not, would be happy to share a BOM and guide after testing.
Budget? I was hoping $200. Already have a couple of random CPU heatsinks, big chunks of aluminum, and 12v fans with some type of power supply (may run fans at lower voltage for less noise).

Thanks, and keep up the good work!

disengaged said:

I'll rephrase the post from yesterday.
I'm impressed by the white COB's, but am concerned about how close they could be used in a small cabinet - say 4' high, 18" x 32" footprint, with NFT or ebb / flow taking ups some space at the bottom leaving little vertical space.
I also like the idea of having additional - if not equal amounts of blue and red LED's. Yes, many COB users don't believe they are needed but I'm not ready to drop what I've seen that wavelength making a difference. The results of a ratio of 2 or 3:1 HPS to MH is the best I have seen personally (other than displays of houseplants under red / blue LED). Lots of heat and old school - oh, the 18" x 32" footprint, not unlimited space.

I want to build it. Would like the colored CREE's to be mounted on a star since I don't have much experience with surface mount soldering. Through-hole no problem.

I have other hobbies that take more time that I can manage, for that reason don't want to spend too much time researching - in other words I'm going to be a bit lazy for now.

No idea about output of COB's, but guessing two is enough with up to 8 total red / blue being used at any one time. Would like ability to switch blue and red on / off and use in different combinations at different times - using switches. Would be nice if all lights were on dimmers.

Maybe there is already a build thread for this project? If not, would be happy to share a BOM and guide after testing.
Budget? I was hoping $200. Already have a couple of random CPU heatsinks, big chunks of aluminum, and 12v fans with some type of power supply (may run fans at lower voltage for less noise).

Thanks, and keep up the good work!

Click to expand...

COBs work fine in small cabinets - just run them at lower current to avoid bleaching the plants. You can check out my cabinet (linked in my signature) for an example, or NVHAK449's cabinet here: https://www.rollitup.org/t/nvhak49s-cabinet-garden.878861/. It will be trickier to do a hydro grow in a height restricted cabinet though, unless you can design a low profile ebb or NFT system. Short veg times are a must too, along with LST or SCROG setups to control plant height.

The Vero 29s in my cabinet are driven at 1.05 amps and I've had plants grow within 4-5" of the cob with no damage to the plant (I try to keep them about 8" away though).
I'm running 3 Vero 29 3000k cobs, but added some royal blue mono's to the mix and think the end result is similar to the 4000k cob that NVHAK449 is running. So if you use the Vero 29 4000k I don't think mono's are necessary. If you do want to add mono's, you could run 4 Vero 29s on the HLG-120h-c700 driver that NVHAK449 is running (although I'd get the HLG-120h-c700b version of the driver if you want to dim it with a potentiometer). At 700ma, Vero 29s use about 35.6v each, so the total voltage for all 4 is 142.4. The driver voltage range is 107 - 215, so you'd have a lot of extra room on the driver to add a bunch of monos. Also, since the driver is running soft at 700ma, it will be compatible with many monos, which often have a max current of 700 - 1000ma. You can find mono's mounted on stars at Steve's LEDs, Rapid LED, or on many aquarium lighting websites on the web. If you wanted to be able to turn on and off different sets of mono LEDs, you'd either need to get creative with the wiring using switches, or just run the mono's on separate drivers. Vero 29s run about $28 each, and the driver is around $68 (both at Digikey), so if you have heatsinks, fans, etc I think $200 is a reasonable budget for a small cabinet light.
Cree CXB3070s are any option too, or if you want even better efficiency you could use Cree CXB 3590s (the 3590s will blow out your budget though). The Vero 29s run at 700ma would be a little under 50% efficient.

EDIT - I don't think the Meanwell drivers are at Digikey - I got mine from Mouser.

Hi, i search for a LED Light the area is 80x80x160cm are the MarsHydro Reflector 96x5 good? I road much about the Light manny like it but i have no idea! Hans Panels better?

Thanksfull for Help

Hey guys I need some advice. I currently have a couple of DIY Cob panels that I'd like to upgrade. In a side by side with HPS they fell a little short but I still believe done right they'll outperform the HPS. So on one side I had a 3x6 tray with 2 HPS 1000 dumbed down to 500 each, the other side had 3x6 tray with 3 panels pushing approx. 140w each with Vero 18's at 3000k. Each panel has 4 V18 at the corners driven at 1.05 amp by a 4 channel inventronics and 1 v18 in the center driven at 700ma.. The difference seemed to be about 25% less weight off of the V18's so I figured I'd bump them up to 2 amp, unless that's overkill. I'd like to do this with one driver and have it dimmable. That would be 5 Vero 18's in series. Thanks.

Thanks BYC... trying to give you a thumbs up for the reply but can't see how it is done (the thumbs up).
Are 4 COB's really needed in for that small of a cabinet? I've read a little on how bright they are at x%. The footprint would be from 3.1 square feet if I conservatively measured the inside of a cabinet with footprint of 18"x30" or actual of 3.75 square feet if I build something with that as internal - leaning towards having 18 x 30 as outside dimensions... maybe 17x32 outside... I don't want to under do it, and don't want to waste money either. I'm new to LED.
For potentiometer, 100K? Don't know the math to determine a good size. It doesn't have to dim down too low, but also want to be sure there is proper power so nothing is stressed from running with too much or too little juice.

I figure the hydro setup will take less height than a 5 gallon pot with the reservoir top off supply outside, on the side of the cabinet disguised as a paint bucket dark plastic storage bin. Using this method can to keep an eye on the nutrient levels and pH can be a little like driving an F1 race car and admit I don't have the proper tools for monitoring. It does leave one with the option of going away for a couple of days, visiting parents, etc. A brief period with very low nutrient levels doesn't do much harm, might even do some good on occasion.

Hello guys. I'm looking for LED lights and it seems optic and area 51 gets most votes from you. But today I noticed one member talking about "hans-panel" . I checked these lights and grow journals of the lights developer himself and it seems legit. What do you think about these panels ? And why nobody is talking about them here ?

egret said:

Hello guys. I'm looking for LED lights and it seems optic and area 51 gets most votes from you. But today I noticed one member talking about "hans-panel" . I checked these lights and grow journals of the lights developer himself and it seems legit. What do you think about these panels ? And why nobody is talking about them here ?

Click to expand...

I got 2 hans panel , 65W version.
I grow in 1mx1mx2m , 5 plants ( skunk1 from sensi ) in soil.
Yield was 95gr for whole thing for 130W ( and i start in veg mode .. some start full mode )
It seems not too much , but i hadn't put any extraction and intraction , i just let the seeds grow ( no cut or other thing )
plant was too height.
sometimes i dont give them water for 2 weeks ( they wont seems to demand to drink )
Well if if do cut tech or thing like this to keep the plant small , i think u can easily do 1gr/W .
It tell it on the site , hans panel are good for scrog or sog specially it seems .

I repeat , when i've done this grow , it was in style " i do not really care" and got some good results so ...

Are the Fan laud from the Hans Panel??? Damm the Mars Hydro are really Shit i road much from the Shit LED Chips.... The Best is the Area 51 but not availeble in Euro ;-( If i go with the Hans Panel which is the Best for 80x80x160cm? 150 Watt ore 2x80 Watt? Hm not Cheap the both together the 150 Watt is cheaper 300€.. But i dont now the Best for the Size?

Fiete said:

Are the Fan laud from the Hans Panel??? Damm the Mars Hydro are really Shit i road much from the Shit LED Chips.... The Best is the Area 51 but not availeble in Euro ;-( If i go with the Hans Panel which is the Best for 80x80x160cm? 150 Watt ore 2x80 Watt? Hm not Cheap the both together the 150 Watt is cheaper 300€.. But i dont now the Best for the Size?

Click to expand...

Can tell only for 65w version , hmmm i will say , so-so . depend your tolerance
For me , both panel running at full power ... they make much less noise than a pc when your are playing .
Mine is i5 3570 with original fan with an PNY gtx670
I think if you got your tent in your room , it wont bother you for sleeping , unless if an pc even isnt in load ,already bother you in this case ...

hmm did you read the spec from hans panel site ??

The 80W : Recommended maximum grow area 60*80 cm, 24" * 28" price for 2 ; 200€
the 150W : Recommended maximum grow area 80*100 cm, 32" * 39" price for 1 : 299€

It seems that 80W its same as 65W but "overclocked"

the 150W has more led of each kind ( and especially 7 white whereas only 2 with 80W )

For me , i will go for 150W in 80x80 ,
2x80W would have been nice in a 100x100 for better aera coverage , but it if you got money better should go 2x150W ofc lol )

they are very small panel .the 150W size is 30 cm * 35 cm * 4 cm, 12" * 14" * 1.6" , as you can see
In the middle of your 80x80 tent , it let 20-25cm space between panel and tent side.
With 150W you 'll win some light penetration due to more white led. but its a little bit more expensive than 2x80w and less coverage.

I'm not pro , this is my opinion , wait another advice from guys who know better than me

disengaged said:

Thanks BYC... trying to give you a thumbs up for the reply but can't see how it is done (the thumbs up).
Are 4 COB's really needed in for that small of a cabinet? I've read a little on how bright they are at x%. The footprint would be from 3.1 square feet if I conservatively measured the inside of a cabinet with footprint of 18"x30" or actual of 3.75 square feet if I build something with that as internal - leaning towards having 18 x 30 as outside dimensions... maybe 17x32 outside... I don't want to under do it, and don't want to waste money either. I'm new to LED.
For potentiometer, 100K? Don't know the math to determine a good size. It doesn't have to dim down too low, but also want to be sure there is proper power so nothing is stressed from running with too much or too little juice.

I figure the hydro setup will take less height than a 5 gallon pot with the reservoir top off supply outside, on the side of the cabinet disguised as a paint bucket dark plastic storage bin. Using this method can to keep an eye on the nutrient levels and pH can be a little like driving an F1 race car and admit I don't have the proper tools for monitoring. It does leave one with the option of going away for a couple of days, visiting parents, etc. A brief period with very low nutrient levels doesn't do much harm, might even do some good on occasion.

Click to expand...

It's not just how many cobs you use, but how hard you drive them. By running the 4 cobs soft at 700ma they'll produce less light than if you ran them harder, but you'll be able to spread the light across your plants better, giving you better coverage. I ran the numbers (hopefully I did it right - I'm still learning this stuff too), and it looks like with 4 vero 29s at 700 ma, you'd be at 547 PPFD. But, if you're going to add some mono LEDs those would add additional light to the space too. For larger grow spaces I think the recommendation is to be > 700 PPFD, but in smaller grows with shorter plants or SCROGs with even canopies, you can go with less PPFD. Captain Morgan runs about around 550 PPFD I think on his scrog, and he is producing some fat buds.
The main reason for going with a 700ma driver is to keep it compatible with most mono LEDs, since that was what you requested. If you decided not to use monos, I'd probably move up to the HLG-120H-C1050B driver that I use and stick with the 4 Vero 29s. Then you could dim the lights a bit if you wanted - if you use the 700ma I'd run it full power.
Yes on the 100k potentiometer - those are a few dollars on Amazon/Ebay.
If you wanted Cree CXB 3070s, you'd probably get a couple % better efficiency on the COBs, but they are more expensive unless you order them from Kingbrite shipped from China. Digikey has the Veros, and Mouser and other places have the drivers.

700ma driver (35.1vf Vero 29)
18” * 30” = 3.75 sq ft
24.92W * 4 = 98 Dissipation W
98 * .46% efficiency = 45 PAR W
45 * .9 reflector/wall losses = 40.5 PAR W
40.5 / 3.75 sq ft = 11 Par W/sq ft
11 * 4.65 * 10.7 = 547 PPFD not including light from any mono LEDs you might add

1.05A driver (35.9vf Vero 29)
18” * 30” = 3.75 sq ft
37.7W * 4 = 151 Dissipation W
151 * .4475% efficiency = 67.6 PAR W
67.6 * .9 reflector/wall losses = 61 PAR W
41.4 / 3.75 sq ft = 16.27 Par W/sq ft
16.27 * 4.65 * 10.7 = 810 PPFD

Mr.Head said:

organics and time. I was having uptake issues due to it being so much colder in here during the day when the A/C kicks in. It's taken a bit to adjust and get used to how little heat these lights put off.

Click to expand...

Ok, so I bought this LED, Kind, yeah, the UV, and noticed the PAR part of their video is missing so might take back, anyway, I notice all this talk of cree then I found these, what is the deal on these?
http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server700/68d95/products/82/images/429/marko5428_logo_wmtile_v2__45168.1347618108.370.350.jpg?c=2

They use cree and seem to work well, at one point, they were 20,000, then I saw another on for $1799.00, looked pro, cree crowd, maybe, this months, yields magazine is full of LEDS so they are doing but anyway, this company, ((Cant remember the name)), has this cool BUYBACK program, so you buy a light from them, 3 years or 2 or 1 something new comes out, they buy it back at a great credit, you ay a small amount and keep getting the latest. Interested in these lights, might keep the KIND, got it for less than anything Ive seen anywhere, under 14, but I just want to know the best and found this awesome article last night that it really is coming that HD and HPS and MH are gone, or will be soon enough, mark my words, I was right about CDS and right about Pro Tools and using any hardware (20 years ago), new HDS (hard drives were the medium of the future for audio/video, just new it needed good compression or micro-photolithography....

So I just want to know the best and hope these lights I posted are good and if I find that link I will post it..
and post my results here.

Peace out..



Thanks

Thank You Bro!

I send a email to area 51 maybe they ship to me with a Trick ore so... If not i go for the Hans Panel 150 Watt If this is the Best led for the Price...

This LED good?www.amaretechnologies.com/collections/solarspec/products/solarspec-ss150es

Fiete said:

This LED good?www.amaretechnologies.com/collections/solarspec/products/solarspec-ss150es

Click to expand...

"Epistar components"
Not good, there are certainly much better lights.

LOL same Chips have the Mars LED! Thx

Area 51 LED 150 Watt here in Germany for over 600 USD very Bad Price....

Fiete said:

LOL same Chips have the Mars LED! Thx

Area 51 LED 150 Watt here in Germany for over 600 USD very Bad Price....

Click to expand...

No look at this http://www.amaretechnologies.com/collections/modular-arrangement-collection/products/solareclipse-e220 it has cree

LOL i cant spent 700 USD!

Didn't get any response to my request for a light recommendation the other day, so I thought I'd chime in again.

Still looking for a light for the setup I referenced here (https://www.rollitup.org/t/if-you-are-new-to-led-and-want-help-choosing-what-to-buy-post-here.633304/page-328#post-11823067). I'm not looking for a world-beater as I'm growing 100% for personal consumption (primarily for my SO who has a serious auto-immune disorder and needs to self-medicate, but also has problems with strong sativa strains, e.g., anxiety and paranoia).

So, after reading through all 300+ pages of this thread, I've settled in on this light: http://opticgrowlights.com/250-watt-vero-led-grow-light.html

Can anyone give me the OK on using that light in a 4x4x7 tent over a two-bucket DWC SCROG? Is that the best price/performance ratio I'm going to find in the ~$500 range? And also, can anyone advise me on the ideal spectrum (they offer 3K, 3.5K, 4K, 5K)?

I mentioned initially that I wasn't eager to DIY a panel, but if I can replicate that Optic light for half the price, I'd certainly be interested in that.

Thanks again guys, this thread has been super helpful and I appreciate all the work you all do.

LiquidPony said:

Didn't get any response to my request for a light recommendation the other day, so I thought I'd chime in again.

Still looking for a light for the setup I referenced here (https://www.rollitup.org/t/if-you-are-new-to-led-and-want-help-choosing-what-to-buy-post-here.633304/page-328#post-11823067). I'm not looking for a world-beater as I'm growing 100% for personal consumption (primarily for my SO who has a serious auto-immune disorder and needs to self-medicate, but also has problems with strong sativa strains, e.g., anxiety and paranoia).

So, after reading through all 300+ pages of this thread, I've settled in on this light: http://opticgrowlights.com/250-watt-vero-led-grow-light.html

Can anyone give me the OK on using that light in a 4x4x7 tent over a two-bucket DWC SCROG? Is that the best price/performance ratio I'm going to find in the ~$500 range? And also, can anyone advise me on the ideal spectrum (they offer 3K, 3.5K, 4K, 5K)?

I mentioned initially that I wasn't eager to DIY a panel, but if I can replicate that Optic light for half the price, I'd certainly be interested in that.

Thanks again guys, this thread has been super helpful and I appreciate all the work you all do.

Click to expand...

Uh uh no way that will work. Optic is a good brand but youd need magical spectrum to properly light 16sqft with 250 w. Platinum led sells magic.

But i suggest you keep learning diy, save up and build something, bright and efficient and a good value.

I have an optic 360 i use it in a 4x2. Works great but i added on to brighten the edges.

Holy Shit
opticgrowlights.com/120-watt-vero29-led-grow-light.html

I need this Light i never here about the vero Light bevor... Is that really so good?? For the 80x80x160cm this Light is perfekt i think? I hope they ship to europe.. 120 Watt beat any 250 Watt Incredible!