Photone PPFD Reading is WACK!!

[jamesmessenger1]

Hey y’all.

I bought the Photone app after a stellar recommendation, and now it says the PPFD at the manufacturer requested height and intensity is 1480ppfd at 75%!!

This seems a little outrageous to me considering the plants look healthier than ever and loving it….wish I wouldn’t of downloaded this stupid thing lol.

Any experience out there similar?

@Captspaulding i know you’ve said not to stress ppfd in the past and I need reassurance hahahahaha

 

[Sunin]

I have installed 3 aps just for fun
one went crazy at 1000
other was 1280
third one at over 1500

this is how useful they are

 

[ArtfulCodger]

Are you using a diffuser? You'll get crazy readings without one. Also, make sure to set the color temp properly. Just some possibilities.

 

[Kegdas216]

I was having the same issue with the apps. as mentioned above you need to use a diffuser. I think it also depends on the quality of your phones front facing camera. I recently just spent the money and bought this thing. it's basically dead on when compared to my buddies much more expensive Apogee par meter.

edit - go figure. the thing goes on sale for 30 dollars cheaper compared to when i bought it like 2 weeks ago xD

Amazon.com: PHOTOBIO LGBQM2 Advanced Quantum Sensor PAR Meter (Micromoles), Measure Light Intensity : Industrial & Scientific

Amazon.com: PHOTOBIO LGBQM2 Advanced Quantum Sensor PAR Meter (Micromoles), Measure Light Intensity : Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

 

[Blastfact]

Gave up on the cellphone apps. Could never get them to hold calibration more than 3 uses be it iPhone or Android. iPhone had to have a diffuser and was better than the Android but overall it was a cluster. Said screw it and bought a Apogee MQ-610 ePar and all is great now. Use this page to check the Apogee here and there. https://www.clearskycalculator.com/

Wish I had this meter in the old days.....

 

[jamesmessenger1]

Yeah. I have an iPhone 11 and use a diffuser, but at 24” and 75% it shouldn’t be HUMMING at like 1500 ppfd lol. Maybe I’m totally wrong and I’m wayyyyy over saturating my plants, but they look better with the light turned up vs if I back it wayyy off to like 25% so that it reads like 600-700 lol.

 

[ArtfulCodger]

Yeah. I have an iPhone 11 and use a diffuser, but at 24” and 75% it shouldn’t be HUMMING at like 1500 ppfd lol. Maybe I’m totally wrong and I’m wayyyyy over saturating my plants, but they look better with the light turned up vs if I back it wayyy off to like 25% so that it reads like 600-700 lol.

What light?

 

[Smokey0418]

Hey y’all.

I bought the Photone app after a stellar recommendation, and now it says the PPFD at the manufacturer requested height and intensity is 1480ppfd at 75%!!

This seems a little outrageous to me considering the plants look healthier than ever and loving it….wish I wouldn’t of downloaded this stupid thing lol.

Any experience out there similar?

@Captspaulding i know you’ve said not to stress ppfd in the past and I need reassurance hahahahaha

Straight forward app.
Paid for the full spectrum upgrade.
And it worked great.

You calibrate off the manufactures ppfd chart and bada boom bada bing.
You have a ppfd meter.

Now the only thing I did not like is,
What if my light doesn’t put out that value.

So I bought an actually ppfd meter.

I have now in a few instance used my gauge , calibrating the Photone app according.

Try calibrating

 

[Blastfact]

Fact is no cellphone truly reads ppfd, par. They read lux / brightness / candle / foot or whatever and convert to par with no real computational integrity or legitimacy. Then to salt the wound you start testing china lights with a basic kill-a-watt or other instruments and a good par meter you find out they're lying through their teeth and there par maps, efficiency and such are a complete joke. But people buy the lights like junkies buy china/mexican fentanyl.

 

[budsofgeorgia]

where did you guys pay for the app the photone i have was a free download

 

[jamesmessenger1]

I have a Mars Hydro SP3000 Greenhouse Edition, and it says that at 24” @75-100% for flower, you should be at like 1350 at the most, but I’m showing like 1200 even at 50%, and if I was to set it at proper DLI according to the app, I’d be on like 25%!! The Photone app is free, but you have to buy the different lighting settings like LED or Sunlight. I’ve HEARD that the sunlight setting is the most accurate, but it’s basically the same as the LED lol.