I have built some crazy leds

[BudgetGrower]

I have made some mad crazy DIY lights, wonder how things will turn out, I have to replace a few bulbs and add a few more in a couple of weeks but these are crazy and I love them.

 

[BigBlonde]

That's quite a project! What type of LEDs are those? Can you control the power?

 

[Captspaulding]

I have made some mad crazy DIY lights, wonder how things will turn out, I have to replace a few bulbs and add a few more in a couple of weeks but these are crazy and I love them.

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yesssssssssir! That’s, aww shit man, ima cry. It’s beautiful. How’s the heat?

 

[Harpua88]

Wait, is each light really a ring of lights??

 

[Mikedin]

I have made some mad crazy DIY lights, wonder how things will turn out, I have to replace a few bulbs and add a few more in a couple of weeks but these are crazy and I love them.

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Well don’t leave us hangin give us the rundown!

 

[Trash_2002]

I have made some mad crazy DIY lights, wonder how things will turn out, I have to replace a few bulbs and add a few more in a couple of weeks but these are crazy and I love them.

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Mad budget grower at its best!!!! Good stuff.
Those plants vegged exclusively on those lights? They look great!
I see you went for 2700k nice move, could blend in 10-20% 6500k or 5000k too ;-) hehehe

 

[Captspaulding]

Mad budget grower at its best!!!! Good stuff.
Those plants vegged exclusively on those lights? They look great!

Right? I feel like I’m missing something….

 

[Captspaulding]

Right? I feel like I’m missing something….

It’s like the home made equivalent of the giant amp in the beginning of back to the future, but for light geeks

 

[BudgetGrower]

Mad budget grower at its best!!!! Good stuff.
Those plants vegged exclusively on those lights? They look great!
I see you went for 2700k nice move, could blend in 10-20% 6500k or 5000k too ;-) hehehe

Thanks,
There a mix of 2700k, 3000k and 5000k bulbs, what ever I could find lol
The light spread is pretty good, between 40,000 lux and 50,000@18"
With all the bulbs in, it pulls about 40w ft2, the sides drop down a 1ft so it's full of side lights, the plants where grown in my 70cm x 70cm veg room under 8 x 13w bulbs(100w)

I have built 2 screens to go each end to reflect more light and I have a test rig to test my bulbs, will be replacing some of the old bulbs.

The humidty is sitting around 50% and temps 23c, lights on 24/7

 

[DJK12]

That's so fucken cool!

 

[BudgetGrower]

That's quite a project! What type of LEDs are those? Can you control the power?

I will go back to flu, about 2 years ago, Migro put this video up,

The bulbs look an effective way of growing, very cheap to buy and run, just had to removed the plastic cap, at the time is was the best option, most led's on the market where very expensive, so I brought a lux meter and started to build my own diy lights, the results where really good, in early 2022 I did a side my side HPS vs my leds and it blow the HPS away, used over 30% less power

So I started taking the bulbs apart and sticking them to aluminium, this reduced the temps(server fan in the centre) and increased the light output.
About 10 years ago I used 2 x 600w HPS and I hang a 250 mh in the centre, the even spread of light gave me thicker longer buds,
so what happens if I build a ark of bulbs with light going all directions( like my old hps/mh set up), I have a light meter and a lux meter so i can keep a close on on the light spread and its good, so I want to see what results I can get.
The room size is 1.6 x 1.2m and it uses 720w, low heat output, fan really helps

 

[BudgetGrower]

Wait, is each light really a ring of lights??

Most of the bulbs are lepro 13w led, not the most effect led but if the environments good, its not a problem IMO

 

[BudgetGrower]

yesssssssssir! That’s, aww shit man, ima cry. It’s beautiful. How’s the heat?

Thanks fellow, the environment is spot on 23c, 50%

 

[BudgetGrower]

I unscrewed all the bulbs and tested each bulb, replaced all the bulbs that fell short and filled the led panel with bulbs and tested the system, even light spread, 1.8m x 1.2, 650-700 umol at canopy level, a little higher than I was expecting, the plants have been top a few times, thinned out and pulled down, the more tops/shoots I have, the less stretch I will get, I hope the plants stretch about 1ft, time will tell.

5 days after potting up I need to flower them off or I could run out of space.

​

 

[DJK12]

I absolutely love the idea of the lights being at that half dome angle, I feel it penetrates the canopy and hits spots that when the light is flat won't necessarily hit as much. I've actually done the same with the new light I had won randomly from AC Infinity and it is absolutely boosting everything. These things grow at least 2-3 inches a night, and are currently on day 7 of flowering.

 

[BudgetGrower]

I absolutely love the idea of the lights being at that half dome angle, I feel it penetrates the canopy and hits spots that when the light is flat won't necessarily hit as much. I've actually done the same with the new light I had won randomly from AC Infinity and it is absolutely boosting everything. These things grow at least 2-3 inches a night, and are currently on day 7 of flowering.

Thanks, that was the idea behind the half dome led, I love your setup and the other day I was looking at the led bars, because I want buy one in about 3 weeks time for my other flower room(1m x 2.2m) and set it up just like you have done, I would like to grow 5 plants in a line, would like the center a good 12"- 18" higher than the sides.
So I can have long vertical growth.

Could have 4 x 4ft x 2ft panels
2 in a line(7ft long) 45% and the other side( 2 in a line 7ft)135% with 12" space in the center(row of fans, 2 or 3 12" floor fans)

The plant canopy may only be 70cm wide but the buds could grow 2-3ft high.

 

[DJK12]

I would absolutely love to see your future stuff so maybe I can try some new things on mine I wouldn't have thought of. I was already thinking of a way that I can make a spare room of our house into a set up similar to yours, the efficiency with the reduced wattage that those bulbs provide would be perfect to produce while keeping the energy bill down low. Something about the DIY ways amaze me, the sleek and cool looking future stuff is awesome but I always find myself adding my own personal touches here and there to make it feel like my own.
This light in particular that I am using is meant for a 5×5 enclosure (or 4×4 for flower), I currently have it set up in a 2×4 and I gotta say, these plants are absolutely thriving.

 

[BigBlonde]

I wonder if smart bulbs could be used. If so, the light could be controlled programmatically. Then, perhaps, the discussion could turn to dawn, dusk and season emulation.

 

[Harpua88]

I unscrewed all the bulbs and tested each bulb, replaced all the bulbs that fell short..

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What do you mean by bulbs that fell short? I assume you have a way of testing them?

Have you thought of building a true dome of lights that literally surrounds the plants........maybe the top 3 feet......a dome that can be dropped down on top of them, and of course can be raised as they grow. Light from every direction.

I see you've thought about it.......how could you not? It would look like Close Encounters of the Third Kind.... ;)

How long would it take you/how much effort? Let's say it was 5ft x 8ft and hung down 3ft all around.....

 

[Captspaulding]

What do you mean by bulbs that fell short? I assume you have a way of testing them?

Have you thought of building a true dome of lights that literally surrounds the plants........maybe the top 3 feet......a dome that can be dropped down on top of them, and of course can be raised as they grow. Light from every direction.

I see you've thought about it.......how could you not? It would look like Close Encounters of the Third Kind.... ;)

How long would it take you/how much effort? Let's say it was 5ft x 8ft and hung down 3ft all around.....

I still turn my piles of mashed taters into the devils peak….