Air cooled reflector testing with Digital footcandle meter

[clowntown]

I use the ss2s with 1000s. I would use them over the coolsun xl any day.

What in particular do you like about the SS2's over CS XL's?

Recently got myself a pair of SS2's, and am very happy with them ... although running right next to Daystar AC's, I'm not sure which way to vote ... even after harvest numbers come in, since I did things a bit differently under each light.

 

[darthvapor]

clowntown you still need to borrow a light meter and digital camera?Let me know, and also I got the materials we need to do that other thing we talked about, alls I need are your skills

 

[keeporegongreen]

So, was a simple Cool Tube ever tested ? Crucial !

 

[pico]

keeporegongreen. Get to work and let us know your findings.

 

[indoor organic]

awesome thread pico, these numbers helped me out a ton. thanks to everyone who tested and posted up info for us

 

[NorCalFor20]

wow that was a long read, I saw a few ppl ask about then sun grow, does anyone have any opinions of the efectiveness of this reflector? No need to do a big test I just want to know if anyone prefers it to the super sun 2

 

[Don Cotyle]

Excellent thread Pico!!! Thanks for taking the time to do all the testing, it sure does help when picking out a cooled hood to go with my new 1k system!!! Props on there way to you!!! Don

 

[40AmpstoFreedom]

So glad I purchased a Supersun 2 for my first grow :smile:

Thanks a lot for this great bit of information and all the work you put into it!

 

[Karma Withakay]

Anyone with a meter have one of those Super Spreaders?

 

[Greyskull]

Mahalo Pico.
I used the testing info wen I decided I wanted to upgrade my reflectord.

 

[samba]

Did this thread die out?
I would have loved to see a cooltube test, as here were I live you can only get them

Great little thing to help keeping the heat down in you room.
Wouldn't be hard at all to DIY it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTMuMu04i6Y

 

[terminalc]

C'mon someone do a cooltube with gavita bulb

 

[LSDarkstar]

Right On Guys !!!!

Pico , Darth and Everyone else .... the graphics folks too . This is a fantastic thread , ha ha ha ...... I was chompin on the bit for the cool tube info. I have to laugh .....having read this whole thread , I didn't the info I have been looking for. What I got outta this thread is beyond words. Yeah the comparisons boil down to numbers , but what can't be measured is the love for this plant and the care that IT gives.

I have no numbers to add , just a very big THANK YOU (not screamed, but emitted) and a great big measuring cup of gratitude.

Peace and Light(s)

P.S. - I know which hood to go for now . GREAT INFO

 

[yamaha_1fan]

This thread has helped many growers. I know I have pointed many people here.

I also know a few growers have made decisions based on this thread.

I know when I get some money, I am going to get some of those SuperSuns

Did Pico mention what kind of light meter he was using for this test?

Why this post is not a sticky or in the DIY linkarama is beyond me. I know the DIY links are for building but this is such a useful thread.

 

[inefectualize]

just wanted to thank all participants in this post, easily one of the must informative posts on the mag. Picked up two super sun 2's on friday and they are being outfitted with some nifty water screens...Thanks for all the help!

inefect

 

[jordas]

I also wanted to thank Pico, Darth and everyone else who helped post useful info in this thread..... It has certainly influenced my recent reflector purchase of an ss2.........

Thanks for the great information!

 

[Guest]

Big Thanx to Pico & Darthvapor

Big Thanx to Pico & Darthvapor

Be nice if someone could take a SS2 and do a Ballast/Lumen comparison

Ive always thought it would be damn interesting to do a ballast comparison with a chosen ac reflector & bulb that will burn digi's & core & coil ballast.

Would like to see compared, for Lumen output:

600w core & coil

600w digital (lumatek or galaxy etc..)

1000w core & coil

1000w digital


I guess it would manly be to see how much more a 600w digital ballast will produce over a 600 core & coil + see how close a 600w digital truly comes to a 1000w core & coil. The 1000 watt Digital would be for fun & to see how it probably dominates a 1000w Core & Coil

 

[imadoofus]

i read this entire thread to see the results on pl reflectors! ive never used anything but pl complete light systems. 400w hps for veg and 1000w hps for flowering, and i can attest to the amount of light they pound the canopy with; pure fuckin' insanity. i have to keep my 400 3-5ft up, or else the plants cant handle it. and when i say ''cant handle it'', not that it fries them from being too hot, rather they leaves completely fold downward, as if retreating from the source. i easily cover 4x4 area 400 and 7x7 with the 1000w.

and yes, the leaf folding its relative to every strain ive grown. ak47, chronic, and white russian, all from serious, and some good bag seed here and there. when i first bought the systems i started with ak47, and going with the general consensus from overgrow, i hung the light from the stated 1-2ft distance. after a few days of wondering why the leaves were turning such a glossy yellow, accidently and oh-so-luckily i stumbled on the culprit. i moved the light up higher to work on the plants and being a complete stoner <its awesome> i forgot to lower them, and went surfing for a few days. came back it and it was... like jesus himself had walked through my garden shackling whores and washing dirty feet. every ailing ak was robust and exploding with growth. and that told me something, even if this thread didnt.

props to pico, experimenting is the most enjoyable aspect of growing. if i had the money and the resources, id be the first person to o.d. on weed.

 

[pico]

Ballast testing is on my list. Been traveling for a couple months, but will be home soon. I have a digi and some magnetics ready and waiting at my test site.

thanks everyone

 

[sarek]

I will paste in what a guest posted at message #248 above then add something more to it.

=======

Just seems to me that this fits in perfectly with why parabolic scrogs are so successful.
The trick would be to get the most harvest by manipulating the canopy, as is done with the basic flat scrog. But to gain extra exposure to a larger percentage of bud space, with the least amount of shading by other plants possible, the canopy should follow the exact shape of the parabolic arc that the light creates.

If this is indeed the case, and contouring the scrog to fit the light pattern is the optimum, the perfect scrog should give the same numbers at every tested spot on the patch.
It just seems to me that having any area of the scrog getting a higher concentration of light can only result in larger buds shading others.

THink of it this way...we make the least amount of shadow when the sun is at it's highest point (high noon), when we are perpendicular to it. The more out of perpendicular we are to the sun's parabolic arc, the more shade we create.
If the earth didn't move, and were shaped in an exact inverse of the suns parabolic arc (a bowl scrog), we would all be making no shadow, and casting none on our fellow mates, because we would all be seeing the high noon effects no matter where we were, or what time of day it was.

So, if our buds are always perpendicular to the light arc, they will all get equal amounts of light, and should produce nearly exact buds. The moment any of the buds go out of perpendicular with the light arc, they will not only receive less light, but they will also stand a chance of being shaded by other buds.
I just can't think that the buds getting the very rich light in the middle of a flat scrog, are going to make up for the losses that their shade, (and the poor layout of the canopy and light distribution) create.


============

I would suggest a cool tube with the internal reflector removed and the batwing on top. This way about 220 degrees of light comes out without reflection, the rest hits the batwing and is effectively reflected. However, much of the light is going sideways. The answer here is to grow a V scrog. Put trellis up along the sides forming a stadium shape. A radiant which is a great hood shines alot of light DOWN onto a 4x4 canopy w a 1000w. Even with those its good to keep the center trimmed lower. The light can sit at 4 to 5 feet above table.

With a cool tube i would suggest the bulf sits also 4 to 5 feet above but ya snake a sativa up the sides and an short indica in the center. On the sides ya put the trellis two levels thick so the table dimesions are 4 x 5 or maybe even 4x 6width. This means the outside of the trellis is 2.5 to 3 feet away from light bulb which is quality light and 3 feet is about how deep a canopy can produce killer budz.

So to summarize, I think that some hood have a foot print that sends alot of light sideways. This can be used to your advantage if ya trellis massively. It seems like a bit more work but I think it is a way to get 1g/w holy grail.