DIY with Quantum Boards

mdan89

Active Member
Quick question and maybe already asked, but what size screws should I use to attach these boards to the heatsink? I see m3 but having tough time finding the tap or self tapping screws in store. Any alternatives or should I just order the m3's on Amazon.
 

ChefKimbo

Well-Known Member
Thanks Chef. That's what I was thinking originally. Now I have to figure out how to wire it all up, possibly with a potentiometer on the 4 boards in the 4x4. Do I need to worry at all about heat and board life running the qb288 at max power?
I don't run anything at full power, but that's just me. As far as longevity goes, there are plenty of other factors like ambient temps/RH that will have an effect over time.

Just do what you can now, and plan for the future. Run them close to max rating, then add more diffused light(strips/boards) and lower the wattage later.
 

Norml56

Well-Known Member
I've got a 4x4x7ft tent, and plan on keeping plants fairly short so I should have lots of height to keep proper distance from the lights. I'm still trying to decide how I want to set everything up. Then I have to figure out how to wire everything.

Future plans for upgrades I couldn't tell you at this point. Tech is changing so fast, and money comes and goes. I may be stuck with what I have for quite a while, or I may be able to upgrade in about a year and I have no idea what I'd go with then.

Given 6 qb288 boards, 2 HLG-320H-2100B drivers, and a 4x4 tent what are some good light configurations? Either using just these 2 drivers, or getting another. I have a very small cabnet I could use for 2 of the boards, but if I am going to use a separate space I will probably get a 2x4 tent.
I'm running 2 288's on a HLG 320H - 54B at full power right. This is my first exp with any LED and they are producing a reasonable amount of heat. More than I thought they would but I plan on dimming them as soon as everything shows up to do that. I'm try an dim them down to about 125 watts per board. I can't say about longevity of the bulbs but there is a YouTube video of LED Gardner running a 288 at 600watts without blowing the board so I can't imagine running them at 150 will have any real long term effects.
 

Keegan12L

Member
Hey all. I recently purchased a 260watt qb 288 kit and have started my first grow this week. I'm new to growing (never grown before) and was wondering what distance I should keep these from seedlings? The boards can be dimmed. After reading a few pages here, I know I should get a meter to test it for best results.

On a side note, I am so glad I found this thread. A lot of great info and helpful people here.
 

ChefKimbo

Well-Known Member
Hey all. I recently purchased a 260watt qb 288 kit and have started my first grow this week. I'm new to growing (never grown before) and was wondering what distance I should keep these from seedlings? The boards can be dimmed. After reading a few pages here, I know I should get a meter to test it for best results.

On a side note, I am so glad I found this thread. A lot of great info and helpful people
Whats your square footage?
 

Budzbuddha

Well-Known Member
That was my original plan, but with the boards all running at full power or close to it I was wondering about heat and how well the boards will hold up over time. Running 6 would give around 100w per board instead of around 150w running these drivers at full power if I'm understanding things. Would that make much of a difference in heat and the lifespan of the boards?
I've been running an original QB S5 bin 304 board ... No stop for over a year ...
18/6 or 12/12 ....
No burn out or issues .....
 

HydoDan

Well-Known Member
Hey all. I recently purchased a 260watt qb 288 kit and have started my first grow this week. I'm new to growing (never grown before) and was wondering what distance I should keep these from seedlings? The boards can be dimmed. After reading a few pages here, I know I should get a meter to test it for best results.

On a side note, I am so glad I found this thread. A lot of great info and helpful people here.
16" - 24" depending on how much you dim..
 

stawawager

Well-Known Member
I LST autos mostly ... It allows the inner bud sites to grow out.
Autos typically have a Dom cola but you can top some strains and even LST them around pot perimeter ( lay sideways ) and get buds to shoot up that way too. Check the specifics of your strain , pheno types can vary , even from same batch . Breeders will state alpha / beta tested runs but take that with a grain of salt. I tend to tether the more Sativa dominate strains to control height.

As I mentioned, I bitch slap them into " shape " then let the Quantums carry on.

View attachment 4079342 View attachment 4079344 View attachment 4079348

As far a yellow leaves ... They will fall . Sometimes I pinch them .
With regular seeds , I lollipop them a little . But haven't SCROG anything lately.
Very nice, especially the one in the window!

Re my strains: I used 25 year old seeds, they produced a hermie, I use the seeds from the hermie and haven't had one mail plant since. So, I'm calling this strain Mongo Mongrel lol. They are doing great, 4 weeks into bloom, can't wait to add the quantum's to them.

Thanks for the wiring diagram. Just got to figure out how to put the potentiometer inline.
 

stawawager

Well-Known Member
awesome! what exactly are you building - the HLG 550? easy or hard so far?
Thx. Two 288''s,.whatever that is 576?

Easy with technical help. And a Chop saw.

Going to build one more, in 1/4 of the time with some minor and Technical improvements.
 

kdt15

Active Member
Thx. Two 288''s,.whatever that is 576?

Easy with technical help. And a Chop saw.

Going to build one more, in 1/4 of the time with some minor and Technical improvements.
im not sure how much price the equivalent board is on HLG, or what equivalent product that is (im assuming similar to the hlg550 which gives 510watts). did you figure out how much you are saving vs original cost? :)

2 left thumbs here and trying to figure out if its worth it
 
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