The big switch, HPS to LED

Hashman0042

Well-Known Member
He's using HLG 550s I think, if its double A.

You can definitely up your weight without spending any money though. Pretty sure you could be hitting 2lb per light with some tweaks using what you currently have.
Yes my brother thinks the same thing. Also been looking into super soils but those AKs are freakin touchy man. My customers love it though
 

kgp

Well-Known Member
How much more are you getting compared to hps
It averaged out to .26 grams per watt on the strains I have been running a while. While nothing extravagant I can say the terpene profiles are much better for taste and smell also so I think it was a win. One think I did notice is that I had a couple cal mag deficiencies at first which I haven't had with hps so I do recommend going heavier in the cal mag.
 

Tym

Well-Known Member
I've been using leds for the last year, and honestly I cant imagine going back. I bought a CMH just to see if the new HID could compare, it didn't.

The very best parts of going led are obviously the heat and power reduction, but also how close you can get to the plants and moreover how you can spred that light over a larger area rather than having a single hotspot.

For fixtures, it would depend on what way you wanted to go, I would stay away from COB lights as they act more like a single hotspot. If you want reliability and a company that stands behind their product, I suggest going with HLG or some other well known manufacturer that overcharges for their fixtures.

Personally I went with the more hands on approach.. you seem to like researching. I suggest looking in to quantum boards. I dont like the name either, sounds like a scam right away. But honestly, they can be hands down the absolute best lights you could have. By any measure.

They are now mostly using Samsung lm301b or lm301h leds. That are not shitting you 80% brighter than other LEDs on the market. Making your ppfd per watt insane, depending on how you build it. Basically hlg, spyder farms and all these other manufacturers are just building their own quantum boards and putting their name on them. But because you can build your own, you pay half the price or less and get way more options and the ability to build your own spectrum.

Search alibaba for "quantum board". They are great, fanless, robust, modular, cheap and can even be waterproof.

Hope I didn't just send you all down a rabbit hole lol.
 

Hashman0042

Well-Known Member
I've been using leds for the last year, and honestly I cant imagine going back. I bought a CMH just to see if the new HID could compare, it didn't.

The very best parts of going led are obviously the heat and power reduction, but also how close you can get to the plants and moreover how you can spred that light over a larger area rather than having a single hotspot.

For fixtures, it would depend on what way you wanted to go, I would stay away from COB lights as they act more like a single hotspot. If you want reliability and a company that stands behind their product, I suggest going with HLG or some other well known manufacturer that overcharges for their fixtures.

Personally I went with the more hands on approach.. you seem to like researching. I suggest looking in to quantum boards. I dont like the name either, sounds like a scam right away. But honestly, they can be hands down the absolute best lights you could have. By any measure.

They are now mostly using Samsung lm301b or lm301h leds. That are not shitting you 80% brighter than other LEDs on the market. Making your ppfd per watt insane, depending on how you build it. Basically hlg, spyder farms and all these other manufacturers are just building their own quantum boards and putting their name on them. But because you can build your own, you pay half the price or less and get way more options and the ability to build your own spectrum.

Search alibaba for "quantum board". They are great, fanless, robust, modular, cheap and can even be waterproof.

Hope I didn't just send you all down a rabbit hole lol.
See this is why i love this site. Great info and lots of love. Yes sir money is king of the grow world. Hps has VERY good to me and the price of those led lights has been scaring me off for months now. Thank you for sharing. Very appreciated
 

diggs99

Well-Known Member
anyone looking to buy QBs, should def be giving @Prawn Connery s boards a real good look. They are bigger than the HLG with top bin diodes and can be ran harder. They are boards created by a bunch of growers in Aussieland....they just started a company RIU account recently, @Grow Lights Australia lights

Im on another forum with some real legit growers that have been using these boards for a bit, all have had great results and love the spectrum and overall quality the Highlights offer.
 

Hashman0042

Well-Known Member
I've been using leds for the last year, and honestly I cant imagine going back. I bought a CMH just to see if the new HID could compare, it didn't.

The very best parts of going led are obviously the heat and power reduction, but also how close you can get to the plants and moreover how you can spred that light over a larger area rather than having a single hotspot.

For fixtures, it would depend on what way you wanted to go, I would stay away from COB lights as they act more like a single hotspot. If you want reliability and a company that stands behind their product, I suggest going with HLG or some other well known manufacturer that overcharges for their fixtures.

Personally I went with the more hands on approach.. you seem to like researching. I suggest looking in to quantum boards. I dont like the name either, sounds like a scam right away. But honestly, they can be hands down the absolute best lights you could have. By any measure.

They are now mostly using Samsung lm301b or lm301h leds. That are not shitting you 80% brighter than other LEDs on the market. Making your ppfd per watt insane, depending on how you build it. Basically hlg, spyder farms and all these other manufacturers are just building their own quantum boards and putting their name on them. But because you can build your own, you pay half the price or less and get way more options and the ability to build your own spectrum.

Search alibaba for "quantum board". They are great, fanless, robust, modular, cheap and can even be waterproof.

Hope I didn't just send you all down a rabbit hole lol.
1000$. Damn thats alot of money
 

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xtsho

Well-Known Member
The very best parts of going led are obviously the heat and power reduction, but also how close you can get to the plants and moreover how you can spred that light over a larger area rather than having a single hotspot.
From what I've always read most people keep their LED lights 18 or more inches from the plant. I can get my 600 watt HPS 8 - 10 inches from the top of the plants using a sealed hood. Maybe you were keeping your HID too far away from the plants and that's the reason you are noticing better results.
 

Tym

Well-Known Member
From what I've always read most people keep their LED lights 18 or more inches from the plant. I can get my 600 watt HPS 8 - 10 inches from the top of the plants using a sealed hood. Maybe you were keeping your HID too far away from the plants and that's the reason you are noticing better results.
Been growing for years man. 8 to 10 inches from an HID is going to show on the plant sealed hood or not. Unless you're running Co2, maybe. Your leaf temps at 8 inch is going to be insane.

Regardless, even if you manage to pull that off consistently, it's one fixed point of light, the closer your plant gets, the less light the rest of your plant gets, and you still cant compare to LEDs efficiency, heat, light distribution, or spectrum.

I'm not saying HIDs arent good. I'm saying the right LEds are better.
 

Tym

Well-Known Member

Tym

Well-Known Member
On average I harvest 3 pounds every 70 days of AK-47. Each 1000 Watt HPS bulb produces 1 lb under its light coverage. I am now at a time where I need a double that that's why I was looking into the LED
For reference. I just completed a small medical tent grow for a client. A 3x3 tent, 240w of led yielded me 12g short of a pound. If I included the popcorn it would easily be over a pound. For a quarter the wattage.

I my main rooms I get more, due to the light saturation. But not much more. About 2.2g per watt.
 

DoubleAtotheRON

Well-Known Member
@diggs99 .. Thanks for the tag!.. sorry for the slow response, we are balls deep in a harvest! But, Im taking a short break, its been a long week. But yes, those are great links to show energy costs and what we run.
 

Tym

Well-Known Member
I don't look at it as growing more. It doesn't matter what light you're using, you can just add more. Or more plants, more room etc...

To me it's about efficiency, cost, and return on investment. If you run a business, you find out very quickly how advantageous led lights can be.
 

Tym

Well-Known Member
From what I've always read most people keep their LED lights 18 or more inches from the plant. I can get my 600 watt HPS 8 - 10 inches from the top of the plants using a sealed hood. Maybe you were keeping your HID too far away from the plants and that's the reason you are noticing better results.
Oh also forgot to mention, I can get 8 inches away from my qb's easily. And have gone much closer without adverse effects. Strain dependent of course.
 

Hashman0042

Well-Known Member
Why spend 2 to 3 times the money?
Wow thats awesome. I will be ording 3 of these as soon as my crop is done.
 
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