Let's just talk about BULBS!

gladstoned

gladstoned

Well-Known Member
Corso312 said:
I want to grab some of the hortilux blue bulbs but yesterday at store they wanted 190$ per bulb...is that goin rate or anyone have a link to betteer place? The cheapest i can find on ebay was 160$ i currently use no blues n the cheapo hps generic bulbs.
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I have used the hortilux blue for a good year now. I have a 1000W and a 400W. I like them but yes, they are expensive as fuck. I buy them as cheap as I can find on ebay, FROM a reputable seller.
My goal for veg is to use a t5 bad boy light for seedlings/clones like I have been, then move them to a 600w hortilux blue. I think for veg 1000s are overkill. I'd rather use 2-600s.
 
slumdog80

slumdog80

Well-Known Member
What do you think of this light Rrog? The price is crazy but, I am thinking it may be necessary for my mom room next summer.
I am using a 1k on a 6' light rail now which works great but, I would not be able to manage the heat without AC on hot days.


[h=3]SG Veg[/h] The VEG light is the superior solution for growers who run a constant vegetative grow room. The VEG spectrum is dialed in to promote: Tight inter-nodal spacing, dense leafy growth, and more flowering sites! This light has proved itself to significantly outperform 1000watt Metal Halides for only 350watts, 3 amps and minimal heat. If you are tight on amps but still want to run more power to your bloom room, the SG VEG is your light.

  • Wattage: 1000 Watts; actual power draw 560 watts*
  • 3 amps @ 220V; 6 amps @ 110V
  • Spectrum of Light: Peaks at 455-475nm and contains blue, full-spectrum white and red LEDs
  • Effective Area of Coverage: 4' x 6'
  • Lifespan: 50,000-100,000 hours
  • Dimensions: 13" x 21" x 4"
  • Lifespan – 50,000-100,000 hours
  • Number of LEDs – 288
  • LED Chip Power – 2 Watt Hi-power LED Chip
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Slumdog, I'd sure look at building a panel before I'd look at buying one. You can build insane killer units with the blue and red. Assembly is not that big a deal if you're a handy guy. Especially if you need more than 1 unit
 
slumdog80

slumdog80

Well-Known Member
Do you know of a good source to read? I saw the picture of the DIY one you posted a while back.
If you had to buy a unit would the one above be good? Many thanks.
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
I'm not up on the commercial units. I only researched the topic to the extent I could build one.

I know UFO and Area 51 get a lot of positive reviews.
 
slumdog80

slumdog80

Well-Known Member
I read up on some DIY ones and came to the conclusion that I am an idiot. Sometimes I need a reminder. lol
I am good for the economy though. LED makers have to eat too!
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
This would be such a great group class to have. A workshop. If you saw it being done and tried a couple of solder joints (oops, I said joint...) you'd build a bunch. Smaller so you can put 'em where the sun don't shine, as it were.
 
HGK420

HGK420

Well-Known Member
home made LED's are where its at. a guy once told me that if he spent the cost of a store bought unit on a home made one he could do 4 lights with more AND better LED's in each. i got a book on home LED projects and another one on electrical engineering for dumbies that i need to dig out.

heres the one with LED projects. http://www.amazon.com/Brilliant-LED-Projects-Electronic-Experimenters/dp/0071778225 if i recall (been a few years) it has a section that breaks it down in the beginning. pretty easy concept once you see it in black and white.
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
I was dragged kicking and screaming when I was being told how to build these. Actually the issue was the designing of these. So my thought was to sort of define the process, and make a parts list, instructions with pics and / or a video. So someone is essentially building a kit. You'd have to be a handy person, but again, the design is the much bigger pain in the ass.
IMG_0329.jpg

My buddy here really felt comfy with the lights way low, and this actually kept plants squat and super-full. Not going to help us with yield. So I convinced him to raise them, and boom! Nice stretch and 3/4" a day growth.

Runs cool and low electrical use.
 
HGK420

HGK420

Well-Known Member
ya I've never had to design anything. i don't think i could do that. that book has some really ez things to do that i kinda just assumed would transfer to building a bigger panel. i imagine now that a panel probably has more to it?
 
SCARHOLE

SCARHOLE

Well-Known Member
Rrog said:
I was dragged kicking and screaming when I was being told how to build these. Actually the issue was the designing of these. So my thought was to sort of define the process, and make a parts list, instructions with pics and / or a video. So someone is essentially building a kit. You'd have to be a handy person, but again, the design is the much bigger pain in the ass.
View attachment 2884277

My buddy here really felt comfy with the lights way low, and this actually kept plants squat and super-full. Not going to help us with yield. So I convinced him to raise them, and boom! Nice stretch and 3/4" a day growth.

Runs cool and low electrical use.
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Sup RROG
Im going to Suppliment my Inda Gro 420 with small Hallogen next round.
You still using em? Any issues?
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
I should add that a 60W little halogen was also added for more red. They are great, cheap and not all that hot.
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Biggest advantage to building these is access to a drill press

Starting a small panel plan as I described above. Fortunately this RIU forum has the best concentration of LED minds so I started a thread over there.

Project SWARM

I think this could be low cost, simple DIY build, and if the components are all the same, maybe some volume discounts.
 
gladstoned

gladstoned

Well-Known Member
gladstoned said:
OK. I called green finger garden supply in st ignace.
He said it the light isn't a gavida.
It's a gavida hood ($100 ea) with a Ushio high-lux double-ended bulb. (or something along those lines.)
He says the gavidas are 400 volt and these others run off reg. 1000w ballasts.
He says the bulbs retail at about $170 and he can do them for me at $130.
I keep repeating he says....
He says with the gavida hoods and those bulbs you need to be 38 inches above the plant cuz they are so fucking bright.
They have brand new AC/DC hoods that are air cooled. That cost about $320 apiece and $250 for me, buying a few.
With those hoods they are great at cooling the bulb and the plants can me more like 16" off the plants.
He told me several times the gavida hoods are fantastic for the price.
I haven't researched any of this at all. But he will have two sets for me on Wednesday in the Menominee store.
He said there are a few other brands that are a little cheaper for the bulbs, but I am not really interested in those.
So it's looking at close to $800 for 2 ushio high-lux double ended bulbs in 2 of the ac/dc air cooled hoods.
These are brand new on the market, sunlight is the distributor.
Now maybe I should look some shit up, eh.
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Belle just said to get this shit out of her car.
I got extremely fucked up last night and forgot we picked these fuckers up.
This store is 1 1/2 hours each way. I was charged $140 per bulb and $259.99 per hood.
They lied and charged me $40 extra. Should I be pissed? I told this dude I was posting online, when
he quoted me the prices. I can't grasp why so many shitty businessmen open grow shops.
Whatever. I'm pretty hung over. I know I'm not hanging these pricks tonight.

(trying to get pics from iphone to here)
 
slumdog80

slumdog80

Well-Known Member
I make a homemade reflector/tunnel now out of insulation board and orca film. I had planed on
using the same design but sticking two gavita's in there over a 5x10 bed, these reflectors seem
like they may be a better fit for my design for a number of reasons besides the air cooled part.

I just saw this on sunlight supplies website about AC/DE:
Due to the unique properties of all current 1000w HPS DE lamps, they are very sensitive to temperature, cooling & air flow. You will only achieve maximum performance by allowing the lamp to attain full operating temperature – even a slight amount of airflow across the outer lamp jacket will result in negative effects (decreased lumens, decreased PAR, & increased operating current) –all of which the innovative AC/DE reflector design will avoid.


Did the hydro shop guy say anything about this? I have read it like 10 times and still do not what the F they are saying.
 
gladstoned

gladstoned

Well-Known Member
He didn't explain anything, but I read up a little too. The air flow part is extremely tricky with these bulbs. I think these are the most complex hoods on the market.
That's why they retail at $350. On ebay they are running for the full $350 too. Looking through the reflector everything is blocked off for the directional air flow.
I hung the light last night, but I didn't have any ballasts w/sunlight ends here. Also all my adaptors were going from sunlight to hydrofarm (for raptors) and not the other way
around. I'll take some better pics later of the hood and have it fired up.
 
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