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No1up
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Smithsjunk, after toasters recommendation I began reading up on the QB boards. So far as I can tell they are the most current leap in quality, efficiency, up front cost, and long term cost. From what I can tell thet are week in edge lighting but can be fixed with extra boards. Also penetration can be added with optics. Full kits with optics can be had at a reasonable price. I'm thinking of getting the 320 board with optics or a cmh 315 for your grow set up I'd look at the cmh 630. The grows I've seen, and yields G to watts ratio are outstanding. Plants seem to really really like the cmh bulbs. I'm at a cross road with either one. Even after all my reading and searching I have not found a post with someone showing QB boards growing over a gram a watt. Where the cmh seems to do that and maybe even more. Idk, could be worth looking in to.
Why start over? Why not add to? A broader light spectrum hurt... Or am I wrong in this assumption? I very well could be, but I believe I read a few post with people mixing it up and having great results.
Ah! Well you have a sweet set up as it is. I' l to see it completed... Something tells me it will never REALLY be completed lol. Constant upgrading.
What kind of heat does the 3K produce. I'm running 3x 100w CXB3590 with good diffusers and active cooling. My 48x24x60 tent has hit 90-92F in 80F weather but I've been able to get it down to around 5F over external temps. At this point I don't know if I'll need any other lighting. Call me sceptical but I still struggle with the idea that 300w can grow more than a plant or two, if even that. However it does seem like plenty of light when it almost blinds me to check on them and they peg my cheapie light meter.
Do you think I'd benefit from the addition of a single, cycle specific board in addition to my 3590s or should I just pick up another 200w set of 3590s? This is my first indoor grow so I feel a bit like I'm shooting in the dark.
I currently have 12 seedlings in the tent. 4-6 Will be going outside to leave me with 6-8 in the tent before any culling. Can I get away with 8 under my current lights or should I reduce to 6, or even 3? 4 are fems, so the standard odds are that I'll get 4 males to cull. I've taken measures to decrease those odds but I've beat the sh*t out of them pretty good trying to dial it all in. All my effort may be in vain but I don't easily give up. A board with more blue should help get more fems right?
Here's my current setup. I know my seedlings look a little worse for wear but they were just transplanted and should be recovered within a few days.
View attachment 797385 View attachment 797386
I'm intrigued by these boards and have never seen them before this thread. They look like an inexpensive way to boost the proper spectrum during each cycle but I don't know that I need to. I'm trying to be preemptive here. Buying two boards is the same price as another 200w 3590 fixture, but a lot of heat could be an issue since they have no cooling mechanisms. With the 3590s I'll get the full 200w during all cycles vs 96w from a single board but I'll lack the ability to adjust from red to blue and vice-versa.
I've seen what you can grow, Toaster, so I do value your opinion, and will take it into heavy consideration. I'm also checking out your grow room link right after this. I will be getting getting a filter and ducted fan system asap so cooling may not be as much of an issue in the near future. I've had a lot of expenses lately that have put a severe crimp in my budget and I've had to piecemeal my whole system.
Hey man!
48x24x60 that's inches right? So 4'x2'. 300W should be enough to covee rhe whole footprint of the tent. Now the question is are those lights actually running at 300W? What are those? Any link to specs?
I've got a 1x1m tent thats 40"x40" so slightly larger footprint than yours and run 315W in there. Those watts are with cooling fans included so I basically have about 300W of light in there. I'm running 9 plants at the moment
View attachment 797459
So as you can see 300W can grow more then just 2 plants.
Your "problem" is the design of your lights. I've got 6 cobs in there producing pretty nice coverage where you have only 3. Then there are those lenses that narrow down the light beam even more. Cobs normally have 120° angle but those lenses make it more like 90° so you get even less coverage so you need to run your lights higher than desired. At this point you're gonna run out of overhead unless you keep your plants short and evenly spaced out. Might be a pain in the ass for the first time.
You say you're hitting temps in the 90's with those lights. So adding another 200W would put you where? In the 100's? I'm guessimg your tent is somwhere in your place not in the basement or am I wrong? It's gonna be a struggle in the summer when temps rise. Are you exhausting out of the room where your tent is? Are you bringing fres colder air in? Are you running ac in your place or at least in the room where the tent is?
Hey man!
48x24x60 that's inches right? So 4'x2'. 300W should be enough to covee rhe whole footprint of the tent. Now the question is are those lights actually running at 300W? What are those? Any link to specs?
I've got a 1x1m tent thats 40"x40" so slightly larger footprint than yours and run 315W in there. Those watts are with cooling fans included so I basically have about 300W of light in there. I'm running 9 plants at the moment
View attachment 797459
So as you can see 300W can grow more then just 2 plants.
Your "problem" is the design of your lights. I've got 6 cobs in there producing pretty nice coverage where you have only 3. Then there are those lenses that narrow down the light beam even more. Cobs normally have 120° angle but those lenses make it more like 90° so you get even less coverage so you need to run your lights higher than desired. At this point you're gonna run out of overhead unless you keep your plants short and evenly spaced out. Might be a pain in the ass for the first time.
You say you're hitting temps in the 90's with those lights. So adding another 200W would put you where? In the 100's? I'm guessimg your tent is somwhere in your place not in the basement or am I wrong? It's gonna be a struggle in the summer when temps rise. Are you exhausting out of the room where your tent is? Are you bringing fres colder air in? Are you running ac in your place or at least in the room where the tent is?
To the best of my understanding these lights are designed by the same people who designed the CXB3590. The diffusers work well at what I'd estimate at around a 160deg angle. They are actually diffusing, not focusing.
I'm glad you asked me the specs because I found I'm running them too close. Need to take them right up to the top and purchase a taller grow tent. I guess I also don't need all three in there either. So I can use the single for seedlings and clones as planned.
I thought the single was a lot dimmer than the double. The double is 185-200w dimmable while the single is actually only 65w and it's set. But now that I know, I'll do something about that. Been looking for a reason to crack one open. Here's the specs...
View attachment 797466 View attachment 797467
This is for the double.
View attachment 797468
Thank you. Like I said, I'm still learning and it looks like I've been cooking them.
Those lenses are aspherical, they can't diffuse light, they can only collimate it, and like i suspected, they are 90°
View attachment 797469
And I don't think those lights have anything to do with Cree but using their cobs. Cree finds using cobs for grow lights obnoxious. However they did put together a reference model, but that was built with 4000K XP-G3 series white chips and XP-E series photo red chips. So I doubt Cree has anything to do with the design of those lights.
https://www.google.at/url?sa=t&sour...FjAAegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw2oto4ebeQJpxpluE7kXoyR
Just backed them waaay up. That should do it till I move into my new trailer. The 5th wheel I bought it smaller but has more room. I didn't have space for a taller tent in this one. If I find I don't have enough room in the new 5th wheel, I'll put them on an enclosed porch. As far as cool air, I'll either draw from under the trailer or build a burried geothermal cooler. I don't run air conditioners they're a waste if energy and I'd rather they and I acclimate. I'll make sure they have proper cooling but the weather here has been erratic and I wasn't ready yet.
View attachment 797470
I was looking at where light was hitting on the side of the tent, not the specs. They're the ones who said they designed it, not me. (Just checked, their bad English is what made it sound like they designed it. ROFL.) I have to admit, lately I've been having problems with my vision and my mind seems to be filling in the blanks where I can't see. It's been a real pain in the a$$. Scared me a little too because it happened so fast.
Get this and forget about that chinese trash
https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Boar...ting+Group&dpPl=1&dpID=41VOYCn4AQL&ref=plSrch
Alright, didn't realise you were in a trailer. That makes things even more difficult in summer. That geothermal cooler idea should work a treat and you could put a solar system together for the power to keep it all on the green side. As long as your exhausting warm air from the top of the tent outside of the trailer and bring some cooler fresh air in you shouldn't run into many troubles. Also keep in mind that with high temps your plants are gonna want more humid air, more feedings but keep your feedings lighter.
Sounds like another Chinese merchandising hoax.
Damn man, hope that's just temporarily.
Sounds like another Chinese merchandising hoax.
Damn man, hope that's just temporarily.
Not sure what if any difference a cob led would be but the 450w comes with its own timer.. Any suggestions?
Dude, I am so glad we talked. Since I've lifted the lights my plants are doing so much better. I seriously underestimated the intensity of these rigs. Buying and setting up a new tent is nothing, maybe as much as $100. No biggie. I can finally relax. There were so many problems I've had to address lately, I've been worn very thin.
Those boards this thread is about. What's the distance on them? Can I utilise the 60" grow tent, or is it too short? I'd really like to try them. What's the coverage of the board you linked to? Will I have the best results from switching them for cycles or just keep the 3K in place?
Also, if I pull those lenses should I still maintain a roughly one meter gap, or lower the 3590s. The 200w is also dimmable.
They really are well built units even if the lenses were a bad idea.
Thanks again Toaster.
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