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 wes
Registered: 02/20/09
Posts: 52
Last seen: 11 years, 1 month
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 switching to LED lights 
#684409 - 09/06/13 02:23 PM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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Do to a recent move I have to change my grow methods. I'm looking to use led because of its low heat output. I have a few questions for anyone with experience/ knowledge on the subject. First in this thread http://www.growery.org/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/286404. And a few others I have read are comparing 300watts LED to 1000watts HID , is there any truth to this idea. My grow is going to take place in a small 3 square foot tent and I have been looking at this light http://www.htgsupply.com/Category-LED-Grow-Lights does this seem like a decent investment and be able to perform. Thank you
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 Hawksresurrection
Registered: 12/04/08
Posts: 13,464
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: wes]
#684413 - 09/06/13 03:54 PM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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Well I don't know a whole lot about LED's. But from what I've read and seen, 98% of the lights out there are shit. You will want to go with a brand called Diamond, and there is one other brand I've heard good things about, can't remember the name.
Phycotron will probably chime in soon. He know quite a bit about em.
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Dude she isn't as young as she use to be.
-niteowl
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phychotron
Medicated
Registered: 02/17/11
Posts: 1,995
Loc: Earth (mostly) 
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Alright, I heard the calling. The thing with LED's is that its easy to buy crap. The market seems to be getting better, but they're are still a lot of low end stuff out there. I use the brand Advanced LED, their Diamond Series light  has been good to me so far. I've tried the Blackstar LED's (which I'd say are about the same as the one's you posted, in terms of quality and workmanship) which are suppose to be the best cheap, but I've got a few I'm trying to get rid of, as soon as I can get some more DS's. They do produce bud, but its stretched out more, smaller nugs and slower to mature (by a week or two.) There is another brand that has recently been doing pretty decent, GrowBlu, is a little cheaper, but I've yet to try them. They seem like a safe bet on a few of their lights though.
A lot of it has to do with budget, how much your willing to spend, the size area, etc. Each brand has a different intensity and footprint, so some lights can grow super big buds, but only in a small focused area, others might grow medium buds over a much larger area with less penetration. Which also makes grow style a factor when selecting a light, SOG, tall plants, etc.
By 3 square foot, do you mean a 3'x3' (9 square feet) or a 1'x3'? Its a huge difference in light selection. And you will need adequate air flow, as they will still heat a sealed area. The heat difference is in how HID radiates IR everywhere the light touches, and it is absorbed by the surface and plants, whereas LED exhaust the heat upward into the air. You do still have some heat coming from the light itself, but considerably less. If you don't suck the hot air out you will get heat problems.
Unfortunately there is no universal buying guide, you need to fit your LED's to your specific area.
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Any help given is for educational purposes only. Its your responsibility not to break any applicable laws
 Bamboo Bongs I make | Perfect Dry and Cure | Grapegod under LED
“Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” ~ Albert Einstein
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wes
Registered: 02/20/09
Posts: 52
Last seen: 11 years, 1 month
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: phychotron]
#684421 - 09/06/13 07:14 PM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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It is 3 square feet 1.5x2 and roughly 40"" high maybe A even 4' . I checked out the Ds100 and I like the product and the reviews . Does that model seem capable of giving sufficient light to 3 square feet. And would this light be Able to grow say 2 or three plants in that area... also another question they claim to be nearly heat free. How hot do the lights get.. can u touch them?
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phychotron
Medicated
Registered: 02/17/11
Posts: 1,995
Loc: Earth (mostly)
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: wes]
#684447 - 09/07/13 10:08 AM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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The DS100 covers a core of 2'x2.5, its got a good footprint for that sized area. I've never used just a single 100w fixture so it's hard to say exactly how one will do production wise, but it looks like you'll be fine, maybe supplement the sides with some T5 or CFL's if its not enough.
For a 40" tall section I would go SOG or scrog to get the most out of it and not worry about any height requirements. The DS400 needs to be 18-24" away from the plants to avoid bleaching the tips, but the DS100's have yet to have that problem at closer range(6-12"). With Blackstar fixtures the plants can touch the light and usually be fine.
You can hold onto the lights all day without any burning. Remember the heat from LED's is less because the heat goes into the air, which is already being moved out, Whereas HID emits IR light that heats every surface it hits and then has to be cooled off by the flowing air. You do get some heat from the light itself, but its considerably less--you still need airflow through your tent.
One fixture *almost* does not produce any heat. Your small area is going to counter that.
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Any help given is for educational purposes only. Its your responsibility not to break any applicable laws
Bamboo Bongs I make | Perfect Dry and Cure | Grapegod under LED
“Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” ~ Albert Einstein
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wes
Registered: 02/20/09
Posts: 52
Last seen: 11 years, 1 month
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: phychotron]
#684549 - 09/08/13 12:29 PM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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OK thank you for your help I do Appreciate It. I have one more question. ventilation am I going to have to run inline fan circulating air through this small space or would a six inch clip style fan w/ the door cracked work?
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phychotron
Medicated
Registered: 02/17/11
Posts: 1,995
Loc: Earth (mostly)
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: wes]
#684554 - 09/08/13 01:44 PM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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Your going to need air exchange at night when the light is off to avoid any humidity problems, but otherwise the door open and a small fan should work fine, but you'd have to test it to make sure its adequate.
An oscillating fan is usually recommend for the plants as well, if you get a small tower fan, they take up about the size of a 2-liter bottle; even with a space that small there's almost always a little room between the plants, but you'd be able to keep it on the outside in the day if you go that route. I recommend this style fan to every grower, as it does not take extra space to oscillate, and the tall column of air covers more vertical space.
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Any help given is for educational purposes only. Its your responsibility not to break any applicable laws
Bamboo Bongs I make | Perfect Dry and Cure | Grapegod under LED
“Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” ~ Albert Einstein
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wes
Registered: 02/20/09
Posts: 52
Last seen: 11 years, 1 month
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: phychotron]
#687342 - 10/03/13 02:00 AM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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Update. Got my lights.. I do honestly feel that my Xbox produced more heat than a D's 200
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phychotron
Medicated
Registered: 02/17/11
Posts: 1,995
Loc: Earth (mostly)
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: wes]
#687346 - 10/03/13 02:15 AM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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Awesome, can't wait to see it in action.
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Any help given is for educational purposes only. Its your responsibility not to break any applicable laws
Bamboo Bongs I make | Perfect Dry and Cure | Grapegod under LED
“Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” ~ Albert Einstein
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geokills
······· º¿° ·······
Registered: 05/08/01
Posts: 1,287
Loc: city of angels
Last seen: 1 year, 3 months
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 Re: switching to LED lights [Re: wes]
#687583 - 10/04/13 08:21 AM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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Diamond Series lights are solid. Definitely be mindful of your humidity levels as phyco noted, because without the heat, transpiration/evaporation will be low and can definitely cause problems if you don't have adequate air exchange/movement.
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Do Your Part!
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phychotron
Medicated
Registered: 02/17/11
Posts: 1,995
Loc: Earth (mostly)
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: geokills]
#687605 - 10/04/13 01:54 PM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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They have Diamond LED imitators on amazon. There was a dispute with their first manufacturer about the quality so they switched, and the original manufacturer was all pissed. I have some of the first fixtures and half had power supply issues, they soldered the wire, but just barely enough to reach the component, instead of using the quick clips like they should. I'm sure there were other issues that I'm not aware of. I've never done anything definitive to test them, but I could swear they're not as good as the newer manufacturer.
They look the same, and are even made by the people who used to make them, but they're not the same light. Thats the problem with all these LED's, the cases are all identical, but the components are not. And not being quality controlled by an American company who's importing them.
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Any help given is for educational purposes only. Its your responsibility not to break any applicable laws
Bamboo Bongs I make | Perfect Dry and Cure | Grapegod under LED
“Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” ~ Albert Einstein
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GBurger717
Let me be me! I luv me some me!
Registered: 11/10/12
Posts: 505
Loc: USA, East of Mississippi
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: phychotron]
#687741 - 10/05/13 04:27 PM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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Go with california light works.... I have and use the SS400 and love it!
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"If only one party supports a bill, it's probably not a very good bill. If both parties support it, you can be sure that however good it seems on the surface, under the covers it's worse than you could possibly imagine" - Me myself and I 08-02-12
When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty - Jefferson
The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first. - Jefferson
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desu
Naturally
Registered: 02/08/12
Posts: 49
Last seen: 6 years, 7 months
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: GBurger717]
#687754 - 10/05/13 07:52 PM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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So I'm tired of wasting my time with flourescent lighting. I've tried both T5 and CFL's. THe yield is always low because the buds are too fluffy and not dense. This also makes it dry out extremely fast and taste like law clippings or hay..
So I upgraded to a 400w HPS. Things were going great until the cable company came over and told me they had narrowed a disturbance in frequency to this house. I immediately knew what it was and went and turned it off. Haven't turned it back on since, not taking that chance. It was a digital ballast too.
So now I seem to be left with LED's for my last choice to get bud that's worth the time and effort. The only thing about LEDs obviously is the expensive price for the low amount of wattage and getting the right color spectrum.
I've seen some good results from the Diamond series but the 200w is a little out of my budget. How much wattage would the 100w series be comparable to with an HPS? If I supplemented side lighting with CFL.
Do you think that this would be sufficient for flowering? I still plan to use CFL's for the vegetative stage and just keep them as close to the plant as possible and then flip over to the LED for the extra juice during flower.
And is the free shipping choice on their website legit?
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Edited by desu (10/05/13 07:54 PM)
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phychotron
Medicated
Registered: 02/17/11
Posts: 1,995
Loc: Earth (mostly)
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: desu]
#687781 - 10/06/13 02:27 AM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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100w is for a small grow area, look at the core coverage area for it to see if it will suite your size, but also notice that the watts/sq-ft are the lowest for the 100. You will get better bud than with just cfl's, but adding those to the side will help at that low of wattage. You can always get another later should it not be enough for your area. It really depends on a few things, size of the grow area, plant size/style, etc. Right now there is no universal buyers guide for LED's.
whats so questionable about free shipping? I've never paid for it, Fedex Express'd. Not sure what they're doing now.
Id like to see what Cali Light Works can do in person, but so far I've only heard good things from the people who own them. Thats with the flowering models, not the 100 and 200w veg lights.
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Any help given is for educational purposes only. Its your responsibility not to break any applicable laws
Bamboo Bongs I make | Perfect Dry and Cure | Grapegod under LED
“Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” ~ Albert Einstein
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P-O
Registered: 10/08/11
Posts: 17,891
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: phychotron]
#687795 - 10/06/13 12:06 PM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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i hear blackdogs are monsters 5w's
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desu
Naturally
Registered: 02/08/12
Posts: 49
Last seen: 6 years, 7 months
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: phychotron]
#687798 - 10/06/13 01:37 PM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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These are from a 200w Diamond series. What do you think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm893KU1TlE
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phychotron
Medicated
Registered: 02/17/11
Posts: 1,995
Loc: Earth (mostly)
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: desu]
#687806 - 10/06/13 02:57 PM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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Those look good, especially for autoflowers. That guy has his light very high up, I usually put mine about 18-24" above the tops.
I've heard good things about Blackdog but I'm not a fan of that super compact single fixture design they use. One of the benefits of LED is that you have the lights spread out and get an even canopy. Small grows don't really count though.
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Any help given is for educational purposes only. Its your responsibility not to break any applicable laws
Bamboo Bongs I make | Perfect Dry and Cure | Grapegod under LED
“Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” ~ Albert Einstein
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desu
Naturally
Registered: 02/08/12
Posts: 49
Last seen: 6 years, 7 months
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: desu]
#687811 - 10/06/13 03:50 PM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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Just tired of poor yields from flourescents. It will LOOK like a decent yield but they just don't weigh anything. Not dense. I've tried keeping them as close as possible but there is only so much you can do with it.
I switched to a digital HPS ballast but it caused interference with my cable company and they showed up at my door attempting to find the disturbance. I turned off the ballast and he thought it had to do with a splitter but I knew it was the ballast. The problem occurred as soon as I set it up.
So I'm really only left with LED's which are pricy and not as effective as HID. I don't get much help on Grasscity but you guys seem to be a lot more responsive and helpful on here and I appreciate that. What do you think about the Gro Pro LED's that you can switch between veg spectrum, bloom spectrum and full spectrum?
http://www.hydroponicshut.com/pro-grow-led-grow-lights.html
Was looking at the Gro Pro 260x or the Diamond 200w. Around the same prices. I can't really afford too much more else right now.
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GBurger717
Let me be me! I luv me some me!
Registered: 11/10/12
Posts: 505
Loc: USA, East of Mississippi
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: desu]
#687836 - 10/06/13 08:42 PM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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I looked into the black dogs to. The are nice but the canopy was the problem if i had to buy another one tommrow it be by California LW
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"If only one party supports a bill, it's probably not a very good bill. If both parties support it, you can be sure that however good it seems on the surface, under the covers it's worse than you could possibly imagine" - Me myself and I 08-02-12
When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty - Jefferson
The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first. - Jefferson
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desu
Naturally
Registered: 02/08/12
Posts: 49
Last seen: 6 years, 7 months
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Re: switching to LED lights [Re: GBurger717]
#687858 - 10/06/13 09:52 PM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
GBurger717 said:
I looked into the black dogs to. The are nice but the canopy was the problem if i had to buy another one tommrow it be by California LW
Couldn't find anything by them. Do they have a site?
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