A Decision Needs To Be Made..

[MidwestToker]

@MIMedGrower , Led plants coming along nicely. Day 21 of flower.

 

[Smoking Gun]

My 240 B driver pulls 268 watts from the wall, figuring driver efficiency loss, I still end up with 253 watts to power the LED's.

That’s great to know, I am using a 240 myself.

@MIMedGrower , Led plants coming along nicely. Day 21 of flower.
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Those girls look great. What lighting units are those.

 

[crimsonecho]

Ok, I have been working on building my own light using quantum boards and the process has taught me a lot. Mean Well (I focus on those as they do seem to be the most popular driver brand available) makes a few types of drivers. There are A type drivers and B type drivers, both are dimmable. However the A type drivers are the ones with the potentiometers built in for dimming Andy require a screwdriver to adjust. Apparently they can also be run so they put out a current beyond their designation and can over drive the lighting unit they are powering. The B type drivers are wired for an external potentiometer to adjust the current, but the potentiometer is not included with the driver. The B type drivers also will only provide the wattage they have been designated to provide.

HLG typically provides A type drivers with their lights. This is why the HLG550 is called such though it is typically rated to run at only 480 watt; it can be driven to the maximum potential of the quantum boards (550 Watts) which technically exceeds the wattage rating of the driver. If you were to build the same unit yourself with a B type driver of the same size it would max out at 480 Watts.

This info does answer one question you guys posed earlier and have since answered; where does the dimmer go in the sequence. And as you guys already stated it goes between the light and the driver as we are looking to control the current from the driver not the wall.

As I was deciding weather to buy a QB kit or purchase the parts separately I had to do a lot of research to make sure was purchasing the correct parts and materials. YouTube has certainly been a handy source of information. But it’s really cool what actually goes into LED technology to make it work. And while I have yet to complete the build of my unit I am already thinking about how to improve upon my design and all the possibilities LED lighting offers.

Now thats a handy little piece of information there. I havent used the hlg series mainly because they were a little harder to come by but its nice to know they can be overdriven.

Leds are very good man, love ‘em. You should post some pics too when its done :)

 

[SmithsJunk]

Ok, I have been working on building my own light using quantum boards and the process has taught me a lot. Mean Well (I focus on those as they do seem to be the most popular driver brand available) makes a few types of drivers. There are A type drivers and B type drivers, both are dimmable. However the A type drivers are the ones with the potentiometers built in for dimming Andy require a screwdriver to adjust. Apparently they can also be run so they put out a current beyond their designation and can over drive the lighting unit they are powering. The B type drivers are wired for an external potentiometer to adjust the current, but the potentiometer is not included with the driver. The B type drivers also will only provide the wattage they have been designated to provide.

HLG typically provides A type drivers with their lights. This is why the HLG550 is called such though it is typically rated to run at only 480 watt; it can be driven to the maximum potential of the quantum boards (550 Watts) which technically exceeds the wattage rating of the driver. If you were to build the same unit yourself with a B type driver of the same size it would max out at 480 Watts.

This info does answer one question you guys posed earlier and have since answered; where does the dimmer go in the sequence. And as you guys already stated it goes between the light and the driver as we are looking to control the current from the driver not the wall.

As I was deciding weather to buy a QB kit or purchase the parts separately I had to do a lot of research to make sure was purchasing the correct parts and materials. YouTube has certainly been a handy source of information. But it’s really cool what actually goes into LED technology to make it work. And while I have yet to complete the build of my unit I am already thinking about how to improve upon my design and all the possibilities LED lighting offers.

That's a great explanation. Thanks man.

 

[Smoking Gun]

Now thats a handy little piece of information there. I havent used the hlg series mainly because they were a little harder to come by but its nice to know they can be overdriven.

Leds are very good man, love ‘em. You should post some pics too when its done :)

Don’t worry. I intend to document the process of building this light and it will be shared here.

 

[crimsonecho]

Don’t worry. I intend to document the process of building this light and it will be shared here.

Love seeing the little tweaks and stuff people make. You humans can be so creative when it comes to growing cannabis :D

 

[MidwestToker]

That’s great to know, I am using a 240 myself.



Those girls look great. What lighting units are those.

Home built Samsung F-strips, The right one is 9 3k strips ran by a 240H24B. The left is a mix of 3k and 3.5k on another 240 driver.
The goal is a minimum of 2.2 Lbs. from 530 watts of light.

 

[Smoking Gun]

Ok, so I picked up a few potentiometers today to use as a dimmer for the driver. One is a single turn/audio pot the other is a linear taper. I am not sure if there is an advantage to using one over the other. Any help is appreciated.

 

[MIMedGrower]

@MIMedGrower , Led plants coming along nicely. Day 21 of flower.
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Really looks fantastic! I assume cobs spaced out properly will achieve similar results?

 

[MidwestToker]

Ok, so I picked up a few potentiometers today to use as a dimmer for the driver. One is a single turn/audio pot the other is a linear taper. I am not sure if there is an advantage to using one over the other. Any help is appreciated.

Either will work as long as they Ohm out at 100k ohms.

 

[MidwestToker]

Really looks fantastic! I assume cobs spaced out properly will achieve similar results?

Can't say for Cob's. Never used them, I'm sure they will work but I'm not a fan of the cooling it takes to cool a 3" round cob.

 

[Smoking Gun]

Either will work as long as they Ohm out at 100k ohms.

Thank you. That is what is assumed, but you know what they say about assuming anything.

 

[SmithsJunk]

I've got an idea for your light that might be really useful or really pointless. I don't know how familiar you are with Arduimo or pi3 units but I found an article where a guy made a DIY par sensor for an Arduino board. This would probably be ridiculously expensive even for a DIY because each COB would require it's own dimmable driver but what if each light in your array had it's own par meter and auto adjusted it's light output hourly/daily according to its own zone readings. Wouldn't that be friggin sick? I mean, I don't even know if multiple sensors could be accommodated by a single board or if it would even make a noticeable difference in your grow but c'mon, it'd still be cool. I'm figuring you're not going to bother with this just from a cost standpoint but since you're brainstorming I couldn't think of a better thread to throw it out there on. Plus you're the one who opened the door to this knowledge for me so I wanted to share with you first.

The link to a forum post for the Arduimo PAR sensor. I haven't read it yet but I'm guessing he's not the only one so this is just an example. I would prefer using a Pi board anyway but this is the first one I found.

 

[crimsonecho]

I've got an idea for your light that might be really useful or really pointless. I don't know how familiar you are with Arduimo or pi3 units but I found an article where a guy made a DIY par sensor for an Arduino board. This would probably be ridiculously expensive even for a DIY because each COB would require it's own dimmable driver but what if each light in your array had it's own par meter and auto adjusted it's light output hourly/daily according to its own zone readings. Wouldn't that be friggin sick? I mean, I don't even know if multiple sensors could be accommodated by a single board or if it would even make a noticeable difference in your grow but c'mon, it'd still be cool. I'm figuring you're not going to bother with this just from a cost standpoint but since you're brainstorming I couldn't think of a better thread to throw it out there on. Plus you're the one who opened the door to this knowledge for me so I wanted to share with you first.

The link to a forum post for the Arduimo PAR sensor. I haven't read it yet but I'm guessing he's not the only one so this is just an example. I would prefer using a Pi board anyway but this is the first one I found.

Nice diy there. The setup you’re describing would make my grow more efficient but very costly. Making one par meter and taking readings along the canopy and adjusting the wattage to achieve perfectly uniform ppfd values thru your grow area is a better way to go imo.

Yeah you would need seperate drivers. Like 1 driver per 2 cobs should work too as far as its adjustability.

For example this is my lux reading along the canopy. To get even output i can just adjust the wattage and get a good even lux value.

Lumens and lux are not for plants but in this case, since all the cobs are the same and their ppf output is same with each other at any given wattage (closely similar lets say), the end result of adjusting the lights thru lumens or lux would give very similar and equal distribution characteristics to the fixture.

Those par meters and all, they’re just expensive equipment. You and i we don’t need it imo.

Again your build would definitely be a money saver on the electricity front but the investment would be high and the quantum meters would be better if they’re wireless (if thats even possible) in order to not crowd the place. If these obstacled were to be overcame than you may design a fixture with a dial or a program to control ppfd and dli values in your grow area. Which would be incredibly cool. :D

 

[crimsonecho]

Nice diy there. The setup you’re describing would make my grow more efficient but ver costly. Making one par meter and taking readings along the canopy and adjsuting the wattage to achieve perfectly uniform ppfd values thru your grow area is a better way to go imo.

Yeah you would need seperate drivers. Like 1 driver per 2 cobs should work too as far as its adjustability.

For example this is my lux reading along the canopy. To get even output i can just adjust the wattage and get a good even lux value.

Lumens are lux are not for plants but in this case, since all the cobs are the same and their ppf output is same with each other at any given wattage (closely similar lets say), the end result of adjusting the lights thru lumens or lux would give very similar and equal distribution characteristics to the fixture.

Those par meters and all, they’re just expensive equipment. You and i we don’t need it imo.

Again your build would definitely be a money saver on the electricity front but the investment would be high and the quantum meters would be better if they’re wireless (if thats even possible) in order to not crowd the place. If these obstacled were to be overcame than you may design a fixture with a dial or a program to control ppfd and dli values in your grow area. Which would be incredibly cool. :D

Forgot the pics :D

 

[SmithsJunk]

Nice diy there. The setup you’re describing would make my grow more efficient but ver costly. Making one par meter and taking readings along the canopy and adjsuting the wattage to achieve perfectly uniform ppfd values thru your grow area is a better way to go imo.

Yeah you would need seperate drivers. Like 1 driver per 2 cobs should work too as far as its adjustability.

For example this is my lux reading along the canopy. To get even output i can just adjust the wattage and get a good even lux value.

Lumens are lux are not for plants but in this case, since all the cobs are the same and their ppf output is same with each other at any given wattage (closely similar lets say), the end result of adjusting the lights thru lumens or lux would give very similar and equal distribution characteristics to the fixture.

Those par meters and all, they’re just expensive equipment. You and i we don’t need it imo.

Again your build would definitely be a money saver on the electricity front but the investment would be high and the quantum meters would be better if they’re wireless (if thats even possible) in order to not crowd the place. If these obstacled were to be overcame than you may design a fixture with a dial or a program to control ppfd and dli values in your grow area. Which would be incredibly cool. :D

I could see it as being part of a more comprehensive automated setup. If the par meters were cheap enough, then make them into graduated scales that could not only measure light but as each one became obscured would also be able to measure canopy growth. I know, I know, probably too complicated too be worth it. But it would be fun to build and operate.

 

[crimsonecho]

I could see it as being part of a more comprehensive automated setup. If the par meters were cheap enough, then make them into graduated scales that could not only measure light but as each one became obscured would also be able to measure canopy growth. I know, I know, probably too complicated too be worth it. But it would be fun to build and operate.

Definitely. That way you could do fully automated rooms and check the progress a thousand miles away :)
Fun but very expensive.

 

[MIMedGrower]

Forgot the pics :D


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Off topic a second but what are those seedlings next to the cannabis?

 

[crimsonecho]

Off topic a second but what are those seedlings next to the cannabis?

Ah those are sage and cress.

 

[crimsonecho]

Just wanted to add to this thread, i’m so glad i worked with 3 aluminium slabs that can be controlled individually. The advantage of diy is this. You can also make it one permanent fixed frame but this application gives me the ability to nearly equate the light intensity on a canopy this imbalanced.