Anyone Tried The New Ceramic Lights?

[fishwhistle]

UC,I have been following a long thread at another site and they claim boulders ballast is the same as grobals.Not knocking BLI in any way shape or form but if the bulb is the same and the ballast is the same(Lecs are different,i think they run a phillips ballast)the only real difference seems to be reflectors between all these lights.

 

[CannaTech]

Not sure of the molecular structure of the light but it does not appear to be CMH and is referred to as only ceramic discharge lamps. essentially they are saying there is a new semiconductor used to get to even higher arc temps than traditional Ceramic bulbs. I would be interested in these CDL's molecular makeup to see how they fully differ from that of CMH bulbs. Also, Thanks for the science MGRox.

Also, What is the price point for the bulb and ballast? and are there larger sizes?

 

[UCMETOO]

Not sure of the molecular structure of the light but it does not appear to be CMH and is referred to as only ceramic discharge lamps. essentially they are saying there is a new semiconductor used to get to even higher arc temps than traditional Ceramic bulbs. I would be interested in these CDL's molecular makeup to see how they fully differ from that of CMH bulbs. Also, Thanks for the science MGRox.
http://www.boulderlamp.com/specs/BLI Grow Light 4 page brochure 6_14_12.pdf
Also, What is the price point for the bulb and ballast? and are there larger sizes?

These are expensive like in the 6 bill a set up range,.....however the efficiency of the elec. use and the longevity of bulb at peak production off set the initial costs not to mention the 100% increase in harvest

UC,I have been following a long thread at another site and they claim boulders ballast is the same as grobals.Not knocking BLI in any way shape or form but if the bulb is the same and the ballast is the same(Lecs are different,i think they run a phillips ballast)the only real difference seems to be reflectors between all these lights.

Well, that is very interesting i often start out a skeptic but accept the truth once its borne out. any chance you could give me a link to that conversation,.... i would love some more information on the other (Grotek ?) ballast and just who is building them,....if its equal and cheaper thats a WIN WIN. Hey @fishwhistle i'm actually looking to go vertical without reflectors for the flowering room ( these are universal position bulbs and have a safety glass housing so they are great for vert too) looking to go with a checker board pattern and 6' trees in the UC.......

 

[UCMETOO]

hit the link on @CannaTech 's post and LOOK AT THAT SPECTRUM!!!! i really want to know what you guys think when your looking at that, they work very well 2 feet away from the plants just imagine what they can do closer without the heat issues traditional verts create.

 

[Billyboat]

We actually use a different brand. Grobal are the competing lamp. Pm if you want more info on that. One can easily pull .9-1 lb off each of these fixtures. Adding more does/will increase yield in the same space.
@Billyboat i have to disagree with amount of penetration. We have them 2 feet or more and the ants still grow faster than t5s and nearly as good as the vented 1000w horti blue at the same distance. No weak growth either. This is the next gen in lighting tech folks.
We switched the entire grow as we were limited in power now we are good.

Peace

After my plants get past 2-3 feet in veg they started getting a little too stretchy for my liking with the 315's. The 1000w MH really seem to keep them stacked for me.

Right now I'm debating on my big veg room, 16 1000w DE MH's or 50 315's...I have to make this decision within the next month.

 

[UCMETOO]

After my plants get past 2-3 feet in veg they started getting a little too stretchy for my liking with the 315's. The 1000w MH really seem to keep them stacked for me.

Right now I'm debating on my big veg room, 16 1000w DE MH's or 50 315's...I have to make this decision within the next month.

I think you should talk to @homebrew420 that man is using them in exactly that way, the pics of the production grow ( i think its on the RECREATIONAL side) are amazing. they made the swap and went with like 30 or more of them.

Well since i'm wanting to go vert i figured i could stack two of them vertically once the plants were over 3 feet tall,.....
That still keeps me around 600 watts per 'light spot' with the expectations of production equaling g a 1200+ watt source.

 

[fishwhistle]

UC,I PMed you the link to the thread,its a pretty long one but theres a ton of info in there about the ballasts,bulbs etc.Their is also some stuff about running them bare bulb vert to i think.

 

[DrFever]

I have looked into these lights the price is crazy for only 315 watt or 860 i believe ??? and most growers are not hitting big numbers?????
So a person has to ask them self is it really worth it then,,
I think IMO they fall under the category of Supplemental lighting like plasma etc with that said , By the time a person gets all what they need you might as well of spent A few hundred dollars more and got your self a plasma, which i think is closest to the sun any light on the market can be when looking at CRI ratings
Then warranty comes into factor i mean you can buy a complete kit but most mix n match well if something happened along the line i would think warranty would be void so then there goes all the money you spent

 

[UCMETOO]

I have looked into these lights the price is crazy for only 315 watt or 860 i believe ??? and most growers are not hitting big numbers?????
So a person has to ask them self is it really worth it then,,
I think IMO they fall under the category of Supplemental lighting like plasma etc with that said , By the time a person gets all what they need you might as well of spent A few hundred dollars more and got your self a plasma, which i think is closest to the sun any light on the market can be when looking at CRI ratings
Then warranty comes into factor i mean you can buy a complete kit but most mix n match well if something happened along the line i would think warranty would be void so then there goes all the money you spent

looking at the price will put you off a FERRARI pretty quickly until you look at what your getting( and i don't mean the hype) too!
look at the spectrum, research what real people are actually getting,out of them, look at the operating costs over the 3year life of the bulbs, and the quality produced.

hey most growers are not hitting big numbers? Running which setup? please keep it APPLES TO APPLES. BLI is not building CMH lights it is a different technology completely. you want more? How about lowering or eliminating your need for air conditioning? how about not needing a 9 foot or higher ceiling? How about getting what you pay for several times over during the life span of the bulb?
If that is not enough ammo to make you actually look at this as an alternative to the poor spectrum offered by most lights, that produce way more heat, that you have to manage or invest other dollars into managing,....and getting to replace your $100 plus bulbs twice a year to keep them optimal- over the three years your replacement bulb costs will give you a free light!

i guess i'll ask it this way, would you piece together a FERRARI, from available aftermarket parts and expect it to produce like the real thing?,.....if so 'ENZO wants to talk to you about buying a bridge he has.

 

[UCMETOO]

Hey Dr. Fever i love your handle, and hope your not offended i certainly do not mean any harm just joking around a little,......While being deadly serious about what these lights can do.

On Saturday i will be doing a walk thru in a very large grow that has been converted to the BLI built systems,.......PLEASE help me to ask any and all questions of someone that actually uses them and crushes it. If you want to know anything please ask me here so i can ask the growers and the gentlemen at BLI face to face. I learn much more looking out for the interests of others than i could ever learn looking out only for my own.............So Ask me and i'll ask BOTH sources, and report back.

 

[UCMETOO]

After my plants get past 2-3 feet in veg they started getting a little too stretchy for my liking with the 315's. The 1000w MH really seem to keep them stacked for me.

Right now I'm debating on my big veg room, 16 1000w DE MH's or 50 315's...I have to make this decision within the next month.

@homebrew420 says he is getting 9/10ths of a pound per 315 fixture,........Period. So lets say the 1000's give you back 2 pounds each, that is 32 pounds, right? Now take 50 BLI 315's at 9/10ths that is 45 pounds. How many cycles getting an extra 13 pounds would you need to cover the costs of going with the BLI CDL's not to mention ( yes i am mentioning it, i know) what your not paying for the bulbs over the three years and the savings not managing that heat issue you know the 1000w MH's produce.

BTW, Billy you kill it, and i KNOW that. It is one of the reasons i know you could make the switch without a hitch. I would not say that to a rookie, or a newbie the learning curve still must be achieved before which lights you run are your biggest worry.......

CDL not CMH is the light type offered by BLI,.......and the difference is AMAZING!

 

[stutter]

I have been using the d-pap 315's.
pulling a lb per light. Pretty hard to beat them on efficiency scrapped all my old ballasts and now only run the little lights that do.

In veg with no training at all at 4 weeks from seed

About 6 weeks into flower on an average yielding strain. Scrogged this one pulled a lb plus

1m x 1m space with a single 315w

 

[stutter]

Also you can see I have the light quite high. The footprint on these is awesome.

 

[UCMETOO]

Also you can see I have the light quite high. The footprint on these is awesome.

Thanks for the input,....your grow looks great!

i bet the e-paps are fun to work with at the 315 wattage. So many friends got in trouble with the hight needed for the 1000's they all started looking for lower watt units just to make their spaces work.

But as i said above,....try to keep it APPLES TO APPLES. CMH is not CDL.

 

[stutter]

Thanks for the input,....your grow looks great!

i bet the e-paps are fun to work with at the 315 wattage. So many friends got in trouble with the hight needed for the 1000's they all started looking for lower watt units just to make their spaces work.

But as i said above,....try to keep it APPLES TO APPLES. CMH is not CDL.

IM not sure what you mean but the 315w dpap is the same as the bli 315w they are both lec. Aka cmh. Its the same tech just rebranded and reworked

 

[UCMETOO]

IM not sure what you mean but the 315w dpap is the same as the bli 315w they are both lec. Aka cmh. Its the same tech just rebranded and reworked

This is where it gets weird,....those two technologies are not the same. Ceramic Discharge and Ceramic Metal Halide are different, as is the e-pap (hence the need for the additional height between the light and plants) thinking they are the same tech. because the bulb is the same is where it gets confusing.

 

[UCMETOO]

@stutter please hit me with the ballast specks and i will build a comparison of the systems (by the numbers later today). The low frequency BLI ballasts (patented technology only built by BLI) seem to be the biggest difference between the CDL' s(BLI built) and the CMH's(Growtek built) they run the same phillips made 315 bulb but in a different way at a different frequency creating a different response from the bulb. Having not looked at the E-paps for a minute i don't have those specs at the tip of my fingers to compare the differences between those and the CDL /CMH ballasts.

Sorry i'm a little foggy very long night and up early with the kids on spring break,........can't wait to do a side by side by side comparison.

 

[Greeneye04]

I just picked up 4 double dpaps. I'm excited to see what these can do versus my standard 1000w epap. I'm going to start using them in veg. Also going to take 2 and use them for flower right away as a test.

 

[stutter]

trust me its the same tech, i was growing for years with the old CMH lamps and when the new 315w LEC's came out i was one of the first in my country to run them. i knew the guy that was bringing them in and since he knew i had experience with the old ones i was given some to test out and see what i thought.

you would be correct in saying the e-pap is a different beast but thats not what we are talking about here, we are talking d-pap which is the 315w CDL exactly the same as the BLI 315w CDL, same lamp, sure BLI make there own ballast and stick it in an aircooled hood but its the exact same lamp and the exact technology.

Honestly if BLI are telling you anything different they are taking you for a ride and it raises questions about there ethics.

also just as a side note the d-papillion reflectors are awesome, i can see a lot more grow lights coming out with this configuration on there reflectors soon the light spread is amazing

 

[stutter]

the specs might vary as the d-pap is 240v but here are the basic specs

Specifications:
Input voltage : 220 ‐ 240 Volt (line—neutral)
Input current : 1,5 Ampere at 230 Volt
Power consumption : 340 Watt
Input frequency : 50/60 Hz