Thinking about DIY LED, hmmm.

[hhibrownsbacker]

First off, I dont have a clue as to what I might be getting myself into so bear with me. I want to use it to see how it compares with a 1000w HPS in a 4x4 room. I'm happy with the HPS but figured WTF lets see what all the fuss is about. Basically I want the best quality light without the bells and whistles. I see reference to cob, strips and boards, which one is better. I realize that there is different quality versions of each one, but what is considered the better option and then I can search for the best available version once I figure out what Im dealing with. Also with all the reading I've read on remote controlled this, blue tooth that, writing codes, bla bla bla. Whats wrong with just a solid light that turns off and on with a timer. My internet is sporatic at best and goes out every hour or so for a couple minutes and there's no way I want to trust my garden to its mercy. The only connection I want it to have with the outside world is thru a timer telling it to come on at 6pm and shut off at 530am. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated

 

[shimz]

I'm with you on simplicity which is why I like to build with quantum boards. Just less to put together, less to go wrong. Four Q-boards, 1 HLG 480-54 or 480-C2100 driver, wire and an aluminum sheet. Add a simple timer and...done. If you want a 1000W replacement, get 6 boards and a 600-54 driver.

 

[hhibrownsbacker]

"Less to put together, less to go wrong", now that's what I'm talking about. I was just looking at the quantum boards at HLG and was wondering what the differences were between the 288 V1 and V2. They seem quite similar.

 

[shimz]

They are pretty close. I believe the V2 are slightly lower voltage, but either will run with the drivers listed above. V2 are somewhat more efficient due to the new 301B diodes.

 

[hhibrownsbacker]

Yeah it looks like Im going to go with the V2. I forgot to mention that this will be used for flowering only. My next question though is in regards to the 6 boards. I seem to remember reading several times that 4 boards will sub for a 1000 HPS. I might have just completely misunderstood what I was reading but figured I'd throw this out here. Is your suggestion of 6 boards just a cushion or overkill so to speak (sounds like a good idea as you should never send a boy to do a mans job) or are they needed? Sorry for all the questions but building it will be a piece of cake, deciding on what Im going to build it with is the hard part

 

[TerpyTyrone]

Yeah it looks like Im going to go with the V2. I forgot to mention that this will be used for flowering only. My next question though is in regards to the 6 boards. I seem to remember reading several times that 4 boards will sub for a 1000 HPS. I might have just completely misunderstood what I was reading but figured I'd throw this out here. Is your suggestion of 6 boards just a cushion or overkill so to speak (sounds like a good idea as you should never send a boy to do a mans job) or are they needed? Sorry for all the questions but building it will be a piece of cake, deciding on what Im going to build it with is the hard part

400-600w of led for a 4x4. The qb288s are up to 150 watts each at full,tilt.
If U dont have a need for full tilt and u can afford the 6 and run em at 50-75% they would be alot cooler,efficient.
Right @ChiefRunningPhist ?

 

[JamesBodhin]

400-600w of led for a 4x4. The qb288s are up to 150 watts each at full,tilt.
If U dont have a need for full tilt and u can afford the 6 and run em at 50-75% they would be alot cooler,efficient.
Right @ChiefRunningPhist ?

right on.. in a 4x4 you'd want to be closer to the 600 for flowering but you could veg under 400. Their hlg-600 kit - (4) v2 288's + 600w driver - is just about perfect for a 4x4 and the price is proper compared to other lamps that will cover a 4x4

 

[TerpyTyrone]

right on.. in a 4x4 you'd want to be closer to the 600 for flowering but you could veg under 400. Their hlg-600 kit - (4) v2 288's + 600w driver - is just about perfect for a 4x4 and the price is proper compared to other lamps that will cover a 4x4

Right but why pay them,to build it when u can get every piece seperate for cheaper by reading whats in it?

 

[hhibrownsbacker]

OK its starting to make a little more sense, if they will run cooler and more efficient I think 6 would be the better path and well worth the added expense, less stress on components is always a good idea. Also with them running cooler I'm thinking heat sinks might be optional but i'll have to look into that further

 

[JamesBodhin]

Right but why pay them,to build it when u can get every piece seperate for cheaper by reading whats in it?

the kit doesn't come assembled so you save a couple bucks there.. it's usually around $700, I think you can find occasional discounts. I think they had one already built for another $100 or something. I'm sure the boards may have come down some but when I priced it out 6-7 months ago it was damn near cheaper than ordering it separately after you factor in other costs (shipping alone from a lot of these vendors will add up quickly for the components).

OK its starting to make a little more sense, if they will run cooler and more efficient I think 6 would be the better path and well worth the added expense, less stress on components is always a good idea. Also with them running cooler I'm thinking heat sinks might be optional but i'll have to look into that further

Hell ya.. run 6 around 100 a piece. Throw them on some aluminum and it would probably be cool enough to touch without a fan!

What about 4 288's and a couple 96's?

 

[shimz]

For a 1000W replacement you're going to want at least 600W of LED, but I do agree that a 4x4 can be lit with 400W and end up with some decent results. Never had any heat issues with just a fan blowing over aluminum sheet. I run the 288 boards right around 100W each.

 

[TerpyTyrone]

Over 75w needs a heatsink. I want the r spec next

 

[TerpyTyrone]

In another thread it was stated the new r spec qb288 have 272 lm301b diodes in 3500k and 16 red

 

[ChiefRunningPhist]

First off, I dont have a clue as to what I might be getting myself into so bear with me. I want to use it to see how it compares with a 1000w HPS in a 4x4 room. I'm happy with the HPS but figured WTF lets see what all the fuss is about. Basically I want the best quality light without the bells and whistles. I see reference to cob, strips and boards, which one is better. I realize that there is different quality versions of each one, but what is considered the better option and then I can search for the best available version once I figure out what Im dealing with. Also with all the reading I've read on remote controlled this, blue tooth that, writing codes, bla bla bla. Whats wrong with just a solid light that turns off and on with a timer. My internet is sporatic at best and goes out every hour or so for a couple minutes and there's no way I want to trust my garden to its mercy. The only connection I want it to have with the outside world is thru a timer telling it to come on at 6pm and shut off at 530am. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated

QB LED is most effecient so far, meaning it takes the least amount of wall watts to produce X amount of light. QB's utilize several individual mid power LEDs per light. HLG I believe was the initial trend setter with the mid power arrays, and they called their lights "Quantum Boards" or QB's. It's now a common term referring to any mid power LED array.

COB LED is second most effecient, closer to 90% of mid power LED, but uses less space to create the light that QBs use. Because of this more concentrated power consumption they can produce more light per area than QB or mid power. Because COB have more concentrated power, they need to be hung higher and heatsinked pretty much at all times. They can produce more light per area, but take more watts to produce that light compared to mid power.



If you're used to HID I think COB hang heights and light intensity will be more translatable to you, but QB is very good. Both can be managed with a mechanical timer. HID manipulates wall juice with HID ballast then pumps to HID light, LED manipulates wall juice with LED driver then pumps to LED light (figuratively). Generally speaking, it costs about half to DIY your own version of a premade commercial light, but there's always tradeoffs.

HLG
Pre made versions of the QB setups rivaling/surpassing HID

Timber Grow Lights
Pre made versions of the COB setups rivaling/surpassing HID

ARROW, Digi-key, eBay, Alibaba - Places to source DIY from

DIY COB/QB combo

 

[gwheels]

What would be the cheapest way to build a 2 board fixture with parts? I will either build a pair of these or some citi cobs

I want 2 boards placed length wise in a fixture to cover about 4 (or longer) x 2 feetish (supplementation of existing flower room).

meijui has really good deals on boards with expensive shipping. That 2 board kit in 288V2 samsung was 125.00 plus shipping.

 

[TerpyTyrone]

Where did this guy come from!?!? Whytewho? Hahahaha hahahahaha
We dont need no stinking whyte mang!

 

[TerpyTyrone]

What would be the cheapest way to build a 2 board fixture with parts? I will either build a pair of these or some citi cobs

I want 2 boards placed length wise in a fixture to cover about 4 (or longer) x 2 feetish (supplementation of existing flower room).

meijui has really good deals on boards with expensive shipping. That 2 board kit in 288V2 samsung was 125.00 plus shipping.

Did I look at the r spec qb288? Up to 140w on one fixture with red supplements for 99$ w/ heatsink. 1$/1w

 

[gwheels]

That QB/COB combo looks real nice...

 

[gwheels]

Did I look at the r spec qb288? Up to 140w on one fixture with red supplements for 99$ w/ heatsink. 1$/1w

You are correct!. page 1 shows what i need to know.

 

[ChiefRunningPhist]

What would be the cheapest way to build a 2 board fixture with parts? I will either build a pair of these or some citi cobs

I want 2 boards placed length wise in a fixture to cover about 4 (or longer) x 2 feetish (supplementation of existing flower room).

meijui has really good deals on boards with expensive shipping. That 2 board kit in 288V2 samsung was 125.00 plus shipping.

I think if cost is your ultimate factor then Alibaba's your gal. I think it's a bit cheaper to buy the drivers from ARROW or somewhere else because they are heavy and China is a long ways. I bought 4 boards + heatsinks for ~$200 shipping included. About ~$50 per QB setup and then the cost of the driver.

If you run <70w per QB you can get away without needing heatsinks. Anything more and you'll need some sort of heat mgmt. A Chinese QB + heatsink can run at about ~110w max without adding active cooling fans. The chinese heatsinks are less mass than the HLG counterparts.

Though after all that, I think $125 for:
2 boards +
2 heatsinks +
hanging hardware and +
(dimmer knob?) +
1 driver
=
Pretty good (depending on shipping cost).

I think it would cost me ~$200+ to DIY 2 QBs to run 140w each. If you intend on running more than 110w per chinese single QB heatsink, you'll need to buy CPU cooling fans and a small driver to power them. If the 2 QBs are on 1 big chinese heatsink you will be able to run more total wattage but I'm not sure how much. I try to keep the forward face, or the hottest part under 110°f.