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125 watt LED grow
- Thread starter Gopher
- Start date
pumpkin2006
Member
If you could give the heads up for what hydro shops will be selling them, that would be great. Also, why are they going to be by request only? I'd feel much more comfortable with them being publicly advertised and then I could be any joe shmoe that had seen the ad... not some guy on ICMag or AN medical, cause it would be obvious.
alphacat
Member
So...
Went to the big Indoor Gardening Expo in San Francisco yesterday: there were two vendors there with LED products.
Had an interesting conversation with the tech developer for one of them, SolarOasis, and he was very friendly, un-salesmanlike, and down to earth. According to him light penetration - at least with his model - was not the issue that it's been played up to be, citing something like 3' above canopy for minimum distance. His array is also - apparently - highly waterproof, another plus. And with a 10 year lifespan... it almost made the $1800 seem worth it to me. These guys were also hired by NASA to develop the technology for the Biosphere project for whatever that's worth.
The other vendor who had an LED unit for sale was Théròme Innovations - can't find any website for them - who had a more conventional looking rectangular box with a flanged skirt around the bottom. When I touched the thing it was barely warm, but the overall design seemed less versatile than SolarOasis' multiple bar configuration; all of the LEDs were mounted onto one rectangular panel about 8"x1'.
Like I said before, this technology seems like it's just around the corner for use in indoor growing. Still pricy, still a lot of questions... but it's likely just a matter of time.
Can't wait for the big reveal on Gopher's brand here!
Went to the big Indoor Gardening Expo in San Francisco yesterday: there were two vendors there with LED products.
Had an interesting conversation with the tech developer for one of them, SolarOasis, and he was very friendly, un-salesmanlike, and down to earth. According to him light penetration - at least with his model - was not the issue that it's been played up to be, citing something like 3' above canopy for minimum distance. His array is also - apparently - highly waterproof, another plus. And with a 10 year lifespan... it almost made the $1800 seem worth it to me. These guys were also hired by NASA to develop the technology for the Biosphere project for whatever that's worth.
The other vendor who had an LED unit for sale was Théròme Innovations - can't find any website for them - who had a more conventional looking rectangular box with a flanged skirt around the bottom. When I touched the thing it was barely warm, but the overall design seemed less versatile than SolarOasis' multiple bar configuration; all of the LEDs were mounted onto one rectangular panel about 8"x1'.
Like I said before, this technology seems like it's just around the corner for use in indoor growing. Still pricy, still a lot of questions... but it's likely just a matter of time.
Can't wait for the big reveal on Gopher's brand here!
Re: SolarOasis - here's what Texas Hydropinics says about them:
"We have plenty of these in stock but do not suggest wasting your money on junk...if you feel you gotta have one of these any offers will be considered by sending email to help link [email protected] "
the link: http://www.texashydroponics.com/shop/Solar-Oasis-LED-Ruby-Grow-Light-p-2415.html
When the people selling them call them "junk", I'd say they aren't ready for the market.
caveat emptor
btw, I really appreciate TxHydro's honesty about their opinion. They obviously have some $ tied up in these things and they could have BSed people about how great they work so they could get their money out of them. Says a lot about TxHydro's character.
"We have plenty of these in stock but do not suggest wasting your money on junk...if you feel you gotta have one of these any offers will be considered by sending email to help link [email protected] "
the link: http://www.texashydroponics.com/shop/Solar-Oasis-LED-Ruby-Grow-Light-p-2415.html
When the people selling them call them "junk", I'd say they aren't ready for the market.
caveat emptor
btw, I really appreciate TxHydro's honesty about their opinion. They obviously have some $ tied up in these things and they could have BSed people about how great they work so they could get their money out of them. Says a lot about TxHydro's character.
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TrustNoOne
Member
I will save you the time of doing the math and tell you I got .68 grams per watt with the 1K HPS and 1.3 grams per watt with the LED.
hey gopher, all due respect and all but are these numbers correct or reversed by mistake?
was it the same number of the same plants or were there differences?
hey gopher, all due respect and all but are these numbers correct or reversed by mistake?
was it the same number of the same plants or were there differences?
very interesting grow...nice lookin buds, Ill def be 
for a while here!!!
- Z
for a while here!!!- Z
I know someone in the optics field - and there's good news on the LED front. There is a strong economic incentive to develop LED lights for projection TVs to replace the short lived high intensity halogen style lights commonly used. The hold up is the blue led - until very recently it was near impossible to get output comparable to red leds from the blue units. The intensity of the leds are increasing quickly too - I wouldn't be at all surprised by a practical reliable "true 600 watt equivalent" led growlight assembly by this time next year.
Props Gopher - this is a bleeding edge topic.
Props Gopher - this is a bleeding edge topic.
pumpkin2006
Member
knna, I agree with you, but you have to understand, from a security point of view, it would be better if the company advertised that they sold LED setups upon request. I'm not saying that they have to have them pre-made, just advertise what is available, then I look like Joe-Smoe.
hydrorascal
Member
knna is correct as usual. I would add to it that any properly designed unit will be viable regardless of improvements in leds.
A friend sent me several SO heads, not the bars. I plugged one in and immediately called him to tell him to get an RMA. SO refused to allow him to return them. Nice outfit !!
Pics on their site of vibrant plants with their led bar 3 feet plus over them is absurd. 38 x 3 leds at 36" + away ???? And 400w HPS are usually about 2/3rds that away from a plant.....hmmmmm
That being said.... leds do work. gophers thread is only one of a growing number of threads that prove so. Got a couple running over at TCC showing how well leds do.
A friend sent me several SO heads, not the bars. I plugged one in and immediately called him to tell him to get an RMA. SO refused to allow him to return them. Nice outfit !!
Pics on their site of vibrant plants with their led bar 3 feet plus over them is absurd. 38 x 3 leds at 36" + away ???? And 400w HPS are usually about 2/3rds that away from a plant.....hmmmmm
That being said.... leds do work. gophers thread is only one of a growing number of threads that prove so. Got a couple running over at TCC showing how well leds do.
alphacat
Member
Seems like the un-salesmanlike dude I spoke with was, in reality, a very good salesman then. I usually have pretty good shill-dar* too... buh!
Mr. GreenJeans: with the blue LED performance - does the relative output discrepancy between blues and reds mean that when they do release comparable blues they'll burn out faster?
* shill-dar = radar for shills
Mr. GreenJeans: with the blue LED performance - does the relative output discrepancy between blues and reds mean that when they do release comparable blues they'll burn out faster?
* shill-dar = radar for shills
pumpkin2006
Member
Don't know if you know about wholesalers.... Muahaha Alibaba LED grow lights
Hiya alphacat 
From what I understand, the blues last as long as the reds.
From what I understand, the blues last as long as the reds.
hydrorascal
Member
Always good to see new technology.
Beautiful plants 
TrustNoOne
Member
impressive grow sportster
Hypothetically, I would need 200w of LED to equal a 400w HPS and the LED costs 3 times as much? It seems to me that you need more watts due to the poor penetration of the LEDs. There is a 70w led vs 70w hps thread on this site. The HPS is taking names at this point. I know you have not mentioned a price, but based on what I have seen it is too early for LED. Why doesn't anybody use high power leds like www dot roithner-laser.com/LED_HP_multi_chip.html? Most of the things I have seen use cheap Chinese LEDs that are the wrong wavelength that burn out in a few months.
What wavelengths are you using? Any UVB leds?
Thanks for sharing!
What wavelengths are you using? Any UVB leds?
Thanks for sharing!
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You have to figure in more than just the initial cost. If you are using HID lighting, you will need to replace the bulb once or twice a year. The LEDs will last for years. Then you have to figure in the cost of much more electricity. The LED/HID grow I am doing right now pits a 82w LED against a 400w HID. After 14 days, the LED is clearly ahead in both height and bushiness. So I am getting better growth with less than a quarter of the energy expenditure. Then you may also have to deal with heat issues brought about by the HID. Up front costs may indeed make it a bit iffy right now. But there is a tipping point where the total lighting costs (including electricity) for a year or two years leans in the direction of LEDs. I think we may already be there.
For those who would prefer to not deal with law inforcement, LEDs should be of particular interest. High power consumption is often a clue to the authorities that there may be a grow op inside. If you can cut your consumption by a quarter or even half, you will present a lower profile. Also, there have been reports of LEO using infrared sensing devices in helicopters and even in patrol cars to find unusually hot places that suggest an indoor grow. Lower heat may not be just good for the plants. It may give the grower better security.
For those who would prefer to not deal with law inforcement, LEDs should be of particular interest. High power consumption is often a clue to the authorities that there may be a grow op inside. If you can cut your consumption by a quarter or even half, you will present a lower profile. Also, there have been reports of LEO using infrared sensing devices in helicopters and even in patrol cars to find unusually hot places that suggest an indoor grow. Lower heat may not be just good for the plants. It may give the grower better security.
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3dDream said:
Linky please?
Boerman said:
I think you need a warrant to scan a house and the electric company records aren't just given away. It's the people that tap into the power lines that the power companies notice. People get caught due to smells and loose lips. A small grow, be it 250w hps or 125w led, is just a blip on the radar.
When somebody makes an LED light that has 660nm and 450nm that doesn't look like a robot barfed in my cabinet I'll buy it. Right now they either have way to many wires and solder or they are a weak edison bulb or they look like a lite-brite.
here is the 70 versus: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=59699&page=1&pp=15&highlight=250w
Good Luck!
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