LED Companies w/ LINKS

Hybridway

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know more details about the Fluence 2.15 umol / J efficiency claim? I find that hard to believe unless they are getting absolute TOP bin from Osram every time, AND using the most efficient Intematix phosphors, etc. Personally I'm not sure I would believe without third party verification.

Spectra appears to show a 660nm peak (Osram Oslon?) as well as broad spectrum (white packaged LEDs or COB?)
In speaking to them they explained to me they use companies such as Osram, Samsung as main suppliers but also use Cree, Filips, Nichia. They deffinetly use all top of the line & know what's up scientifically & with incredible knowledge on shat they do. I think there new spectrum is absolutely perfect & am going with x2 525 watt Vyprs. The Amare Pro-9 is another bad ass light that im pretty sure there is no other on the commercial mkt that can outshine it. Inline cooling option as well pumping 1678 umol @ 48" with glass lenses. Over 2000 umol @ 24". That's serious commercial lighting. I wonder why more people on RIU don't talk about Amare? Self-Advertising? Dunno! There's many good companies out there & I think they should all get the attention they deserve so that prospective buyers know what their options are instead of hearing only Mono-Burples are good or only CREE COBS rock. There are growers smashing it with each kind of tech out there just about. Some are garbage & that should be noted & exposed as many get ripped off. But the good ones should be expressed as with the quality they are even if a RIU guy happens to own a nice COB light company too. And props to those guys too!
 
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Hi folks, my name is Christopher and I'm the CEO of Luxtheon Lighting Corporation. I recently came across this thread, and as a fixture manufacturer and someone who has been working directly with plasma technology (Luxim and Topanga since 2009) and full spectrum LED's I thought I could lend a hand and help with any questions regarding solid-state technology.

PS. I am not here to promote our product only to provide technical information about lighting technology. If you have a question about the product please message me privately. Thanks
 
mh plasma is dead to me:wink:=========50,000 hrs on that module! yeah,ok:roll:

damp location "friendly", I have no idea what that means...........moisture will buy it a beer?lol
Hi PSUAGRO,

TECHNOLOGY:
I just wanted to help provide some useful information to your above message. Metal halide and high pressure sodium are both high intensity discharge lamps which illuminate when the gasses inside the lamp are ignited by the internal electrode. The state of light that is created is called plasma. This is not the same type of plasma that is commonly referred to in grow lighting though. Plasma solid-state technology uses a digital driver which emits a radio frequency into a resonator holding a tic tac size electrode-less lamp filled with gasses to produce illumination. The state of the light that is created is called plasma. Plasma is a type of matter.

LIFETIME:
Solid-state plasma technology has a long-lifetime because it does not require an electrode to ignite the gases inside the lamp. Plasma lights have a lifetime over 50,000 hours. The digital driver and power supply are also part of a plasma lighting system and have a lifetime of 100,000 hours. A plasma lamp that has been operating for 50,000 hours will have 70% of its original output. A 30% loss in intensity is noticeable to the human eye and in commercial applications (street lighting, warehouses, etc.) that is the time when a user would expect to replace the lamp. However, in horticultural applications it's not what the human eye sees, it's what the plant sees and thus the requirements are different. In order to maintain consistency from grow to grow a plasma lamp (or any other lamp for that matter) should be replace when it has loosed 10% of its original output. A plasma lamp will have lost 10% of it's original output when it has operated for 10,000 hours. This information is obtained from MTBF and LM70 reports which are attainable from any lamp or power supply manufacturer.

ENVIRONMENT:
There are various types of operating environments and ratings for various fixtures and applications. The technical term is an IP rating. A description such as "explosion proof, water tight, damp freindly," is sometimes simpler to explain rather than stating IP62. Damp friendly would indicate an item can be in an environment where there is moisture but cannot be sprayed down with water. A damp friendly example is in a greenhouse where there is moisture always present and the grower waters the plants without directly hitting the fixture.
 
there is no plasma that can do 50,000 hours
the decay begins after the first 1000 hours (and see the cost of plasma spare parts....)
we compared a "famous" plasma, misure with instruments, and compared with LEDs at same wattage...
a dispassionate advice:
been with COB....
Hello Zangtumtum,
I just wanted to take a moment to respond to your above message. Plasma lamps do in fact last 50,000 hours. When a plasma lamp has operated for 50,000 hours it only has 70% of its initial light output compared to when it was new. A 30% loss in light output is noticeable to the human eye and is the replacement point in commercial applications. Plasma technology has a 10% loss at 10,000 operating hours and is the suggested replacement time for horticultural applications in order to maintain illumination consistency between grows. The working parts in a plasma system are the lamp, driver, and power supply. The only consumable part that a user would ever replace would be the actual plasma lamp. The cost of the lamps depends on the manufacturer. Luxim incorporates it's plasma lamp into ceramic with an aluminum heatsink surround, and lamp cost isn't cheap. Topanga has simple bolt with a bulb on the end, and cost is the ten's of dollars. Prices vary depending on distributors.

REPLACEMENT:
Although the lamp cost is straight forward, the cost to replace the lamp in a given application varies drastically and must be taken into consideration. In a commercial application the user can expect to pay between $80 to $540 to replace a lamp. If we were comparing labor costs to LED then any plasma (Luxim or Topanga) would be the way to go since you only need to replace a lamp not the entire fixture. Since most LED fixtures for horticultural applications are not intended to be user replaceable, a plasma lamp could be more cost effective.

COMPARING:
Unfortunately with lighting it is vary hard to make an apples to apples comparison. Many variables need to be accounted for. How you compare two fixtures depends on what information you're seeking. Variables to factor into any comparison would be the optics or reflector angle, distribution area, wattage, specific wavelengths, spectrum intensity, etc. I have seen products that indicate an intensity of 1,000 PPFD @ 18" above the canopy with a 40 degree optic claim to be superior to a product with an intensity of 800 PPFD @ 18" above the canopy with a 120 degree optic. Fact is that if you replace the 120 degree optic with a 40 degree optic then the original 800 PPFD product becomes superior. A light may be bright, but that doesn't mean it will distribute light adequately over the entire grow area. Another consideration is the spectrum that is produced per watt consumed. If the fixture consumes 100 watts but 90% of that is used to produce light within the green spectrum, then it's a waste to the plant. Two fixtures may consumes the same wattage but chances are the spectrum they produce isn't the same. If one is looking at two fixtures with the same wattage and measuring lumens then a comparison could be considered, but lumens are for humans and usable light for plants is measured in micormoles not lumens; and to be more specific the micormole measurement for a given wavelength within the spectrum. The point is to take many factors into consideration to make an educated comparison.
 

frica

Well-Known Member
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Hybridway

Well-Known Member
Hello Zangtumtum,
I just wanted to take a moment to respond to your above message. Plasma lamps do in fact last 50,000 hours. When a plasma lamp has operated for 50,000 hours it only has 70% of its initial light output compared to when it was new. A 30% loss in light output is noticeable to the human eye and is the replacement point in commercial applications. Plasma technology has a 10% loss at 10,000 operating hours and is the suggested replacement time for horticultural applications in order to maintain illumination consistency between grows. The working parts in a plasma system are the lamp, driver, and power supply. The only consumable part that a user would ever replace would be the actual plasma lamp. The cost of the lamps depends on the manufacturer. Luxim incorporates it's plasma lamp into ceramic with an aluminum heatsink surround, and lamp cost isn't cheap. Topanga has simple bolt with a bulb on the end, and cost is the ten's of dollars. Prices vary depending on distributors.

REPLACEMENT:
Although the lamp cost is straight forward, the cost to replace the lamp in a given application varies drastically and must be taken into consideration. In a commercial application the user can expect to pay between $80 to $540 to replace a lamp. If we were comparing labor costs to LED then any plasma (Luxim or Topanga) would be the way to go since you only need to replace a lamp not the entire fixture. Since most LED fixtures for horticultural applications are not intended to be user replaceable, a plasma lamp could be more cost effective.

COMPARING:
Unfortunately with lighting it is vary hard to make an apples to apples comparison. Many variables need to be accounted for. How you compare two fixtures depends on what information you're seeking. Variables to factor into any comparison would be the optics or reflector angle, distribution area, wattage, specific wavelengths, spectrum intensity, etc. I have seen products that indicate an intensity of 1,000 PPFD @ 18" above the canopy with a 40 degree optic claim to be superior to a product with an intensity of 800 PPFD @ 18" above the canopy with a 120 degree optic. Fact is that if you replace the 120 degree optic with a 40 degree optic then the original 800 PPFD product becomes superior. A light may be bright, but that doesn't mean it will distribute light adequately over the entire grow area. Another consideration is the spectrum that is produced per watt consumed. If the fixture consumes 100 watts but 90% of that is used to produce light within the green spectrum, then it's a waste to the plant. Two fixtures may consumes the same wattage but chances are the spectrum they produce isn't the same. If one is looking at two fixtures with the same wattage and measuring lumens then a comparison could be considered, but lumens are for humans and usable light for plants is measured in micormoles not lumens; and to be more specific the micormole measurement for a given wavelength within the spectrum. The point is to take many factors into consideration to make an educated comparison.
I dig the light but after looking into plasma more I saw the LEC 315 smash the Lep 270 by a long shot. So, is it the 2 LEDs that allow 800 umols? How much is it to replace the mini-bulb once a year?
 

Hybridway

Well-Known Member
Hello Zangtumtum,
I just wanted to take a moment to respond to your above message. Plasma lamps do in fact last 50,000 hours. When a plasma lamp has operated for 50,000 hours it only has 70% of its initial light output compared to when it was new. A 30% loss in light output is noticeable to the human eye and is the replacement point in commercial applications. Plasma technology has a 10% loss at 10,000 operating hours and is the suggested replacement time for horticultural applications in order to maintain illumination consistency between grows. The working parts in a plasma system are the lamp, driver, and power supply. The only consumable part that a user would ever replace would be the actual plasma lamp. The cost of the lamps depends on the manufacturer. Luxim incorporates it's plasma lamp into ceramic with an aluminum heatsink surround, and lamp cost isn't cheap. Topanga has simple bolt with a bulb on the end, and cost is the ten's of dollars. Prices vary depending on distributors.

REPLACEMENT:
Although the lamp cost is straight forward, the cost to replace the lamp in a given application varies drastically and must be taken into consideration. In a commercial application the user can expect to pay between $80 to $540 to replace a lamp. If we were comparing labor costs to LED then any plasma (Luxim or Topanga) would be the way to go since you only need to replace a lamp not the entire fixture. Since most LED fixtures for horticultural applications are not intended to be user replaceable, a plasma lamp could be more cost effective.

COMPARING:
Unfortunately with lighting it is vary hard to make an apples to apples comparison. Many variables need to be accounted for. How you compare two fixtures depends on what information you're seeking. Variables to factor into any comparison would be the optics or reflector angle, distribution area, wattage, specific wavelengths, spectrum intensity, etc. I have seen products that indicate an intensity of 1,000 PPFD @ 18" above the canopy with a 40 degree optic claim to be superior to a product with an intensity of 800 PPFD @ 18" above the canopy with a 120 degree optic. Fact is that if you replace the 120 degree optic with a 40 degree optic then the original 800 PPFD product becomes superior. A light may be bright, but that doesn't mean it will distribute light adequately over the entire grow area. Another consideration is the spectrum that is produced per watt consumed. If the fixture consumes 100 watts but 90% of that is used to produce light within the green spectrum, then it's a waste to the plant. Two fixtures may consumes the same wattage but chances are the spectrum they produce isn't the same. If one is looking at two fixtures with the same wattage and measuring lumens then a comparison could be considered, but lumens are for humans and usable light for plants is measured in micormoles not lumens; and to be more specific the micormole measurement for a given wavelength within the spectrum. The point is to take many factors into consideration to make an educated comparison.
$80-540 to replace a lamp? Meaning the bulb only? Please explain? Why haven't other companies run Plasmas at over 270 watts, new upgrade in tech.? As you can see I know little about plasma lighting but do find your light quite interesting & would consider giving it a shot. E-mail you?
 

Hybridway

Well-Known Member
Has anyone seen the Amare Pro-9? Super high #'s & inline cooling option. You'd have to contact Victor at Amare to find out more until it hits the web-site. I just ordered the SE-450 to tryout before buying the Pro-9. Also bought a X5-500 from Hydroponics Hut. Being my first time growing with LED I had to get a full spectrum Burple too just to see for myself. Their both about equal in wattage so I'll be running a side by side on a thread.
 

tripleD

Well-Known Member
Has anyone seen the Amare Pro-9? Super high #'s & inline cooling option. You'd have to contact Victor at Amare to find out more until it hits the web-site. I just ordered the SE-450 to tryout before buying the Pro-9. Also bought a X5-500 from Hydroponics Hut. Being my first time growing with LED I had to get a full spectrum Burple too just to see for myself. Their both about equal in wattage so I'll be running a side by side on a thread.
You shld Do a side by side with the spydr600 for me.....:lol:
 

zangtumtum

Well-Known Member
Hello Zangtumtum,
I just wanted to take a moment to respond to your above message. Plasma lamps do in fact last 50,000 hours. When a plasma lamp has operated for 50,000 hours it only has 70% of its initial light output compared to when it was new. A 30% loss in light output is noticeable to the human eye and is the replacement point in commercial applications. Plasma technology has a 10% loss at 10,000 operating hours and is the suggested replacement time for horticultural applications in order to maintain illumination consistency between grows. The working parts in a plasma system are the lamp, driver, and power supply. The only consumable part that a user would ever replace would be the actual plasma lamp. The cost of the lamps depends on the manufacturer. Luxim incorporates it's plasma lamp into ceramic with an aluminum heatsink surround, and lamp cost isn't cheap. Topanga has simple bolt with a bulb on the end, and cost is the ten's of dollars. Prices vary depending on distributors.

REPLACEMENT:
Although the lamp cost is straight forward, the cost to replace the lamp in a given application varies drastically and must be taken into consideration. In a commercial application the user can expect to pay between $80 to $540 to replace a lamp. If we were comparing labor costs to LED then any plasma (Luxim or Topanga) would be the way to go since you only need to replace a lamp not the entire fixture. Since most LED fixtures for horticultural applications are not intended to be user replaceable, a plasma lamp could be more cost effective.

COMPARING:
Unfortunately with lighting it is vary hard to make an apples to apples comparison. Many variables need to be accounted for. How you compare two fixtures depends on what information you're seeking. Variables to factor into any comparison would be the optics or reflector angle, distribution area, wattage, specific wavelengths, spectrum intensity, etc. I have seen products that indicate an intensity of 1,000 PPFD @ 18" above the canopy with a 40 degree optic claim to be superior to a product with an intensity of 800 PPFD @ 18" above the canopy with a 120 degree optic. Fact is that if you replace the 120 degree optic with a 40 degree optic then the original 800 PPFD product becomes superior. A light may be bright, but that doesn't mean it will distribute light adequately over the entire grow area. Another consideration is the spectrum that is produced per watt consumed. If the fixture consumes 100 watts but 90% of that is used to produce light within the green spectrum, then it's a waste to the plant. Two fixtures may consumes the same wattage but chances are the spectrum they produce isn't the same. If one is looking at two fixtures with the same wattage and measuring lumens then a comparison could be considered, but lumens are for humans and usable light for plants is measured in micormoles not lumens; and to be more specific the micormole measurement for a given wavelength within the spectrum. The point is to take many factors into consideration to make an educated comparison.

Small and quick consideration.
We are interested in quality and duration of PAR flow , not in lumens.
Any plasma bulb, already degrades after 1000 hours, is the same technology as it is studied,
that is not lasting and degrades quickly.
If you have different data, please post.

Even if it were not so, You confirm that the degradation is 10% per 10,000 hours.
Well, after 50,000 hours we will be at 50%.
A COB LED is much, much more long-lived.....The data say, not me.
Not to mention the operating temperatures, critical node......

The costs of spare components on Plasma is on average higher,
and usually the manufacturer does not provide the prices of spare parts, when you buy.
For example, Gavita, after 30,000 hours for some parts,50.000 for other,
recommended to replace the AC adapter, reflector and many other components....
Have you that price? ... buy a new system is better.....

Work on a LED system to replace parts and components, designed for DIY,
it's simple,and economic.....
A plasma is not done for the DIY, and will not be made for this.

Comparisons between LED and plasma you can do,
we have done.

We,and professionals involved in research,with professional tools,
also compared spectra,μmoli m-2 s-1,final result in biomass and active,
projections of costs in five years, BTU and all that could be done....

Plasma tecnology, brand is not important, it's not effcient as a COB,
Plasma has no spectrum taylorizzabile, all plasma have high costs,
and limited life.
Their PAR flow over consumption in watts, is not interesting....

Not education, is technology.
You can argue as long as you want ....
This is reality, today.

Thank you for your consideration
 
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The Dawg

Well-Known Member
I'm Calling BullButter. Omfg Another Nasa Design Led Get A Fucking Life Plus One Part Say's This
Californian Built; Created, Designed, Tested In California

Built, Designed, Tested in California USA.and I will personally assemble your Lamp with US Quality Control Standards

Then He Goes on To Thank His Chinese Backer
2013 Angelo Koh flew me over the Pacific landing me in Hong Kong
Koh set up the office and facilities needed for mass production of this art
Koh and I have been the two responsible for bring forth
the lasts generation of the LED grow lamp
Mr. Koh has carried all the expenses for business, molds, prototypes, basic tools, room, and board
 

flexy123

Well-Known Member
Yeah I can get those "NASA" heat pipes with any standard PC cooler and make such a light. That's hideous.

As for a GOOD company in Europe who sells/builds you lights based on CREE/Vero chips, I highly recommend
todogrowled.es, based on my own experience. The guy, David, doesn't speak English, but I communicated with him via Google translate emails and it worked out great. He sells various pre-made fixtures based on CXA/CXB (passive, active etc.), as far as I see he'll also shortly offer fixtures based on CXB3590s. Prices are very low, for me *barely* over the cost of materials, low shipping etc. too. I am very satisfied with the lamp he built me.

You can also contact them with custom wishes (send him the parts) and he'll make fixtures according to your wishes. They're also selling some essential parts like heatsinks, LEDs, thermal paste, fans etc., really good prices. So I can recommend them if you're in Europe.

(He told me they're "moving" currently so I think they're temporarily closed until mid February. He might add English/German to his site too, I offered him to translate product descriptions)
 
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