2 Mars Hydro TS1000 + Mars Hydro 1 SP 150 / or FC 3000 ? 5x5 ( Mars Hydro Users Opinions :)

chronnie49 said:

He didn't mention reducing the footprint but if that's the plan then I think he would have better results. 600 watts in a 5x5 packed full will leave with you with a lot of larf on the outer plants in most cases.

I'm by no means a pro or pull maximum yields in my space but I just like to use the lights to their full potential. Plus I hate trimming larf haha.

If your buddy is happy pulling 388 grams out of a 5x5 then thats great for him. We all have different expectations but personally I wouldn't be satisfied with that

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388g? 600x1.5 is 900lol. 938 to be exact from the last run.

VincenzioVonHook said:

388g? 600x1.5 is 900lol. 938 to be exact from the last run.

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Oh yea that sounds more like it lol.

cobshopgrow said:

the strips are better in every aspect and can be even cheaper.

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Can you link to a few good LED strips that are also obtainable? I've been scouring the Amazon a little but didn't find anything exceptional. The offering is simply too great.

cobshopgrow said:

removing the dome is also just a mediocre good idea, as you need to be aware that their electrical safety concept is relying on beeing enclosed in plastic.
you have exposed main this way and not a single barrier in between.

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I haven't inspected a bulb yet myself, but sawing off the bulb cover does not mean you've exposed primary power now. The LED side itself is only low voltage.

The person who runs Migro who did this self-made video mentioned this as well. He said, from the top the sockets are not sealed in his makeshift setup, but that could be done, but from below he sees no problem since high voltages are not exposed. I trust him so far.

Maybe there are cheap bulbs where this is not the case. It could also be that it's not even allowed to sell bulbs that are unsafe in this regard. Overall it's not an issue that I'm overly concerned with.

cobshopgrow said:

i saw halfway decent 150W lights with real drivers for about a good 50$.

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Yeah, they're really affordable now. Maybe it's just not worth to mess around with light bulbs or LED strips for that reason anyway.

Amazon isnt a great source for diy electronic components.
digikey, arrow, future electronics are the ones i would recommend for this.
the bridgelux strip i linked a few posts back is just 83 cent and provide 156 lpw, thats not bad for the price.
the recent bridgelux strips are almost a third better but 5 times the price iirc.
there is a whole thread about the arrow offerings.
sometimes they also offer very cheap "delta" drivers.
one can make a hell of a deal there with some luck.
sadly i have no overview how the european market is atm for ready made lights, or if there are comparable offerings.
as i dont know which leds are used in these 50$ amazon lights its hard to make any claim, but i would bet theyre easily also the 150lpw league.

regarding the safety concept, there are so many bulbs out there, but not only a few have 2 solder joints in the middle which is straight on your mains.
also its specified, normed, if they dont offer a galvanic isolation by a transformer they need to be enclosed in a plastic enclosure, same is true for pretty much all common electronics.
lots of people use bulbs opened and i never read of real world problems, still with a cheap driver you get quite some safety for free and be in the norm, beside that it converts your power more efficient in first.

cobshopgrow said:

the bridgelux strip i linked a few posts back is just 83 cent and provide 156 lpw, thats not bad for the price.
the recent bridgelux strips are almost a third better but 5 times the price iirc.

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OK, I went back to your earlier post, I've found the Bridgelux modules at a retailer close to me.

I did not understand that you were talking about "LED modules" when you said "strip", I assumed the ready-to-use strips one can find on Amazon.

Of course these LED modules require quite a bit of DIY, but boy are they cheap.

I've found the current-generation Bridgelux modules here: https://www.digikey.de/en/products/detail/bridgelux/BXEB-L1120Z-50E4000-C-B3/7907662

This one is 27,3 W nominal at 180 lm/W (as per datasheet, mileage will vary I guess).

For €7.40 -- that is not even €0.30 per Watt. Simply amazing.

So, thanks a lot for the infos, I will definitely look into this. Seems like a really affordable way to DIY a light.

(Still saying, screwing a few bulb sockets on a piece of plywood and screwing in bulbs from a hardware store is a lot easier. The LED strip DIY is not feasible for a lot of people)