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PSUAGRO.

PSUAGRO.

Well-Known Member
epicfail said:
For the CXA3070 1 per/sf is what is I needed in my opinion. When got my first 2 COBs and hung them I couldn't believe how bright they were they lit up an empty cab very nicely. The problem was as soon as I put a plant under them I noticed some really dark shadows. I had used HID w/reflector, T5, CFL and A51 RW panels before these and they all do a better job at evenly spreading the light than only a few COBs. Though I might have had more photons in the space they were mostly concentrated in one area. The parts directly under the light would be great but everything else was showing lots of stretch from shade avoidance. I realized that lowering the current and adding more was the solution. With 1 per/sf @700-1050mA I don't get anymore real shadows due the amount of overlap from each.

I see people using 1 per 4/sf @2A+ and I'm sure they will quickly experience what I have explained. though the wattage/photons are there the lack of spread will be the downfall. These things are awesome but not as a single light source, you need a bunch spread out or there will be lots of shadows and plants will be stretching towards the light which can add up in cost. One good thing is you can start with a few driven harder then just get more reduce the current when its affordable. I am going to take some par readings of my setup later today if I have time and see if I can put together a little graphic but I don't have a 2A+ driver for comparison.
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Same shit happened to me running one (100w) cob for a test run, immediately noticed I would have to rotate pots like a mofo to get anything out of it......sucked :leaf:

Edit....forgot to add that any bulb in a REFLECTOR shouldn't be considered a true SINGLE POINT light source for obvious reasons.
 
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FranJan

FranJan

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Bueno I just wanted to say you're probably on the right track, even coverage can be a bitch, fucking shocked the piss out of one of my plants cause it was too close to my Vero18 and Illumitex rigs, and softer more efficient multiple sources sounds right. Probably better than dimming in the right setup. Question, how come you don't angle your monos toward the center of the grow. Looks like they're lighting your walls as much as the plants. If they're 120° you don't have much play, you'll have to get them more outside the canopy and lower too. 90° is good. Illumitex are 50° and they are great for angling but cost too much to recommend.

DSCN0038 - Copy.JPG
 
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keysareme

keysareme

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Heres what I would like to ask you about.

I found three Mars led lights.

900w 5w diodes
700w 5w diodes
Reflector 144x3w diodes

The guy has agreed to take a flat $700 for all three.

What's your input on this? We're talking nearly 2000w of let output power while drawing near the same or less than what I currently am. Let me know, I'm looking to acquire these ok Friday. thank you.
 
PSUAGRO.

PSUAGRO.

Well-Known Member
keysareme said:
Heres what I would like to ask you about.

I found three Mars led lights.

900w 5w diodes
700w 5w diodes
Reflector 144x3w diodes

The guy has agreed to take a flat $700 for all three.

What's your input on this? We're talking nearly 2000w of let output power while drawing near the same or less than what I currently am. Let me know, I'm looking to acquire these ok Friday. thank you.
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Think about why he's trying to dump all of them @ that price for a second:confused:...................it's NOT 2000w ACTUAL led draw, also you don't know how many hrs they have been used already.

basically stay away IMO.

be safe
 
Abiqua

Abiqua

Well-Known Member
keysareme said:
Heres what I would like to ask you about.

I found three Mars led lights.

900w 5w diodes
700w 5w diodes
Reflector 144x3w diodes

The guy has agreed to take a flat $700 for all three.

What's your input on this? We're talking nearly 2000w of let output power while drawing near the same or less than what I currently am. Let me know, I'm looking to acquire these ok Friday. thank you.
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Actually it is probably less than half of that, Actual Draw.....
 
keysareme

keysareme

Well-Known Member
Each light used for 3-6 months, had to move so needs to sell equipment. This change anything? Possibly I can still acquire one of them?
 
A

az2000

Well-Known Member
keysareme said:
The guy has agreed to take a flat $700 for all three.
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You could buy them new $900 and get a 3-year warranty. If you contacted smokesara on TopLED's support forum at 420mag, she'd probably give you a 10% discount.

If I bought those used & without a warranty, I'd expect to get them for $450. Half price seems fair under such circumstance. Even then I don't think I'd do it. But, a 20% discount doesn't sound good when you don't know how long they've been run, there's no warranty, and I'm almost positive you can get 10% out of Sara. She gives 10% discounts all the time.
 
keysareme

keysareme

Well-Known Member
Hey, thank you for such good input, that's the reason I posted here.

He is telling me this info about the overall useage of each light. So I have no way to make sure of its validity.

Even if I were to purchase one, the 900w, for $300. Would that be a good choice?

I mainly am interested in these because the guy is local.
 
A

az2000

Well-Known Member
keysareme said:
Even if I were to purchase one, the 900w, for $300. Would that be a good choice?
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The Mars 900 sells for $320 new. Is saving $20 for no warranty and an unknown provenance a good choice?

keysareme said:
I mainly am interested in these because the guy is local.
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What benefit do you perceive from buying local. I assume the sale is ASIS. If you're not growing legally, I'd hope it's ASIS because the last thing you want to do is get in a squabble with someone who can make the problem disappear with a simple tip to the police.
 
keysareme

keysareme

Well-Known Member
Well put. No the $20 is not a worthwhile discount.

Yes, all legal and medical for me. I've been wanting to upgrade to led for awhile.

I'm not set on these particular lights, but I saw them and wanted to at least ask for some experienced input. So thank you.
 
J

Jansen

Active Member
So despite my previous posts I want to venture into some DIY LED setups while I wait for the investments for my big project to come in.

Where can I get started? There is so much information in various threads here. I see the COBs and the Crees and all that, what is a good way to go? I'll be doing more reading here but I'm wondering if there is an easy answer too.

I want to create a prototype of a much larger light array used for flowering.
 
A

az2000

Well-Known Member
Paperboi said:
I've got a grow cabinet that is 34"x14"x10", any recommendations on LED fixtures?
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10" tall? Cree A19 60w equiv. "lightbulbs" sold at Home Depot. Your space is 3.3 sq ft. You need about 20-25w/sq ft. So, you need 74w total. The lightbulbs are 9.5w. So, you need 7-8 bulbs.

However, 22.5 w/sq ft. is more for standard height spaces. With your 10" tall space, a bulb will consume 30% of your vertical space, restricting how much sq. ft can be used for plants. So, you may only need 5-6 bulbs. You can read more about how to use them here. (<<link)
 
keysareme

keysareme

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My space is a tent, 4ft by 2ft by 5 ft tall. What are some recommendations for led fixtures that would provide decent coverage? The $ part is negotiable, I'd prefer a fixture that might last a few years. Let me know, I'll appreciate checking out what you send my way. Thank you
 
Abiqua

Abiqua

Well-Known Member
az2000 said:
10" tall? Cree A19 60w equiv. "lightbulbs" sold at Home Depot. Your space is 3.3 sq ft. You need about 20-25w/sq ft. So, you need 74w total. The lightbulbs are 9.5w. So, you need 7-8 bulbs.

However, 22.5 w/sq ft. is more for standard height spaces. With your 10" tall space, a bulb will consume 30% of your vertical space, restricting how much sq. ft can be used for plants. So, you may only need 5-6 bulbs. You can read more about how to use them here. (<<link)
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I am going to go out and venture to say that, 34" is probably the height.....if that is the case, I do not recommend LED light bulbs!
 
Abiqua

Abiqua

Well-Known Member
keysareme said:
My space is a tent, 4ft by 2ft by 5 ft tall. What are some recommendations for led fixtures that would provide decent coverage? The $ part is negotiable, I'd prefer a fixture that might last a few years. Let me know, I'll appreciate checking out what you send my way. Thank you
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Area 51 ,Onxy Bloom, Apache Tech 120/200, Diy Cree Cxa or Bridgelux Vero cobs.
 
Abiqua

Abiqua

Well-Known Member
Paperboi said:
I've got a grow cabinet that is 34"x14"x10", any recommendations on LED fixtures?
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Well you have the classic LED problem. A very small footprint and a tall cabinet? Lots of penetration with little spread across the canopy is what i needed.

A couple of DIY LED's with lenses, could correct this. I am about to start messing around with [x6] Vero 10 3500's in a 32" x 17x17 @ 46 watts.
 
keysareme

keysareme

Well-Known Member
Abiqua said:
Area 51 ,Onxy Bloom, Apache Tech 120/200, Diy Cree Cxa or Bridgelux Vero cobs.
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For $440 on preorder I can get the a51 xgs 190. Does this sound like a worthwhile investment?

Next for me would be the onyx bloom, as I've been looking at this since they were released. I can get one of these for around $350.

Apache tech is tempting, I have the resources to just place an order, but it seems their units are about twice the cost of the other you've listed.

And as for DIY, would love to, it just takes some time, and I would need some guidance on each part to order and from where. I know all that info is posted amongst these topics and threads though. I feel that with DIY I would be getting the most out of my $, while making the highest quality light fixture specific for what I need right now?
 
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