DIY leds Discussion Thread for all your how tos and doubts and anything related

[Rocket Soul]

Hello everyone!

Made this thread for anyone who wants to just generally chat about DIY leds, where to start getting knowledge about it, how to design and build help, where to source parts and anything random

Lets start out with a poll: is DIY Led worth all the effort, and if so (or not) why? Also post if you want more poll options.

 

[Creeperpark]

Hello everyone!

Made this thread for anyone who wants to just generally chat about DIY leds, where to start getting knowledge about it, how to design and build help, where to source parts and anything random

Lets start out with a poll: is DIY Led worth all the effort, and if so (or not) why? Also post if you want more poll options.

Thanks, Rocket, that is a very interesting subject. I'm going to ride with you and maybe I can learn something.

 

[Rocket Soul]

Thanks, Rocket, that is a very interesting subject. I'm going to ride with you and maybe I can learn something.

Thank you, make your voice heard in the poll if you like, and this thread is really for everybody, im not the only 'Teach'

 

[Rocket Soul]

@exploziv / @DARKSIDER or any mod:
- with regards to buying parts for diy projects, theres a bunch of use full sites for distributors and search tools for parts.
Id like to see if you could look at them and see what would be approved as external links so i or others dont post stuff you then have to come and clean up. Im thinking of :
- digikey
- arrow electronics (they have fantastic deals from time to time which may be hard to find unless somebody links them, once they were selling half a quantum board worth of diodes on pcb ready to fit to your grow for 2$!)
- mouser
- TME electronics sales
- octopart component search engine
- Ebay
And brands:
- Samsung, Bridgelux, Cree, Lumileds and maybe a few more
Could you please check up on them and say if there is anything you feel we should avoid posting here. Ill avoid them for now and not post anything to aliexpress or alibaba

 

[DARKSIDER]

@exploziv / @DARKSIDER or any mod:
- with regards to buying parts for diy projects, theres a bunch of use full sites for distributors and search tools for parts.
Id like to see if you could look at them and see what would be approved as external links so i or others dont post stuff you then have to come and clean up. Im thinking of :
- digikey
- arrow electronics (they have fantastic deals from time to time which may be hard to find unless somebody links them, once they were selling half a quantum board worth of diodes on pcb ready to fit to your grow for 2$!)
- mouser
- TME electronics sales
- octopart component search engine
- Ebay
And brands:
- Samsung, Bridgelux, Cree, Lumileds and maybe a few more
Could you please check up on them and say if there is anything you feel we should avoid posting here. Ill avoid them for now and not post anything to aliexpress or alibaba

Hello Rocket Soul a quick check on the tou will be able to answer your question, i see where your coming from, but anything to do with links and advertising just wouldnt be fair to the paying sponsors and vendors of the site heres one to look at below, if its paid advertising your wanting you will have to speak to exploziv, Hope that helps my friend..

The posting of links to other commercial websites, forums, chat rooms or communities, or commercial products are not permitted.

 

[Rocket Soul]

Hello Rocket Soul a quick check on the tou will be able to answer your question, i see where your coming from, but anything to do with links and advertising just wouldnt be fair to the paying sponsors and vendors of the site heres one to look at below, if its paid advertising your wanting you will have to speak to exploziv, Hope that helps my friend..

The posting of links to other commercial websites, forums, chat rooms or communities, or commercial products are not permitted.

Ok, fair dues, i checked the tos and it wasnt totally clear, there was basicly something about anything mods dont like but this made it clear. Not after paid advertising i have nothing for sale just wanna help people get on their way to try stuff out for themselves in a responsible and informed way.

Almost all of the sites mentioned sells something so of course no linking, people would have to find stuff themselves. Theres some DIY available at www.growlightsaustralia.com but they are a sponsor on the forum so i assume this is ok. They are really good guys with some fantastic gear


The led brands are comercial sites but you cant really buy directly as an end user.
Linking to datasheets to these brands and similar, would that fall inside or outside TOS? Its like the same brands used by the sponsors here, samsung especially.

Octopart: its a search engine and i guess no links are needed tbh its just to search a model nr and get price quotes for different distributors. But by now i dont see the point in linking just mentioning how use full it is.

Thx for keeping inside the line, if i eventually get something for online sale, mods will be the first to know and i shall either refrain from running my mouth about it here or get sponsorship

 

[DARKSIDER]

Ok, fair dues, i checked the tos and it wasnt totally clear, there was basicly something about anything mods dont like but this made it clear. Not after paid advertising i have nothing for sale just wanna help people get on their way to try stuff out for themselves in a responsible and informed way.

Almost all of the sites mentioned sells something so of course no linking, people would have to find stuff themselves. Theres some DIY available at www.growlightsaustralia.com but they are a sponsor on the forum so i assume this is ok. They are really good guys with some fantastic gear


The led brands are comercial sites but you cant really buy directly as an end user.
Linking to datasheets to these brands and similar, would that fall inside or outside TOS? Its like the same brands used by the sponsors here, samsung especially.

Octopart: its a search engine and i guess no links are needed tbh its just to search a model nr and get price quotes for different distributors. But by now i dont see the point in linking just mentioning how use full it is.

Thx for keeping inside the line, if i eventually get something for online sale, mods will be the first to know and i shall either refrain from running my mouth about it here or get sponsorship

Good Morning Rocket Soul after our latest discussion behind closed doors so to speak and with what was agreed on i look forward to seeing more ..

 

[Rocket Soul]

Good Morning Rocket Soul after our latest discussion behind closed doors so to speak and with what was agreed on i look forward to seeing more ..

To sum up the convo: here on icmag we treat our sponsor with respect and dont post links to competing businesses that dont pay sponsorships: our sponsors keep the site running. But posting links that may have interest and use for our members that doesnt hurt any sponsors (and obviously isnt dangerous or in any other ways breaching the TOS) is ok as long as we play nice: as far as i understand posting links to datasheets and other links to some distributors of electronic parts are fine but at mods discretion. We will have to play nice and see where we end up so to speak and no bad "internet feelings" if mods have to step in from time to time.

Im going to start out and test the waters by linking to the samsung led product simulation tool - its not a datasheet per se but a little tool where you can input your model, spectrum and bins and it will spit out info expected lums per watt and other details.

LED Component Calculator | SAMSUNG LED | Samsung LED Global Website

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI and LED solutions.

led.samsung.com

The things i tend to look for using this tool is voltage (which changes with current), lum per watt and if you know how many diodes your build has then you can also get totals. Very handy

The second helpfull link is for arrow electronics search function. Arrow many times have sales, sometimes very extreme discounts, on both drivers and consumer strips. Since the search function needs a prompt ive done a search on meanwell:

https://www.arrow.com/en/manufacturers/mean-well-enterprises?q=Meanwell

Theres an easy way to scan for these sales: go to the search function:

Search for your favored brands:
I did a little search for meanwell , then refine to power supplies and then led drivers and then filtered for some wattages: found a meanwell hlg240-48ABV for 44 $, cheapish but not the outrageously cheap prices ive seen. What you can do with filters here is to just scope out the most common wattages and then go ascending price or even ascending stock (last items always tend to go for cheap) and work from there.
I also found some nice samsung strips: same thing here, tried samsung, led module and ascending prices to see what turned up: i got 13$ so for 44+6x13 , around 120$ ive sourced my main components for a basic 4x2 light with the equivalent of 3 quantumboards of diodes.
Not dropping any links on specific products here yet since i want to just test out the waters first.
Doing searches like this regularly is a good thing for anyone looking for deals. If you find something and youre a bro you tell your fellow diyers or even post links to the search. I didnt here in this case; peeps need to learn how to, and i dont wanna go to far on my first link post.

What could you do with this meanwell and 6 strips: you could do a nice 4x2 light if you had some alu dissipation, alu u-channel of 2-3 mm / 1/8" should take care of that but always best to do some tests before buying your full kit. Where does a guy get these heatsink from? Id suggest looking not online but yellow pages: theres always some scrap yard or just where local builders get their alu from. Heatsinks are expensive to ship so the low tech local approach is usually the best.

I hope these links are fine, as per convo keep me and everybody straight

 

[•Moby•]

To sum up the convo: here on icmag we treat our sponsor with respect and dont post links to competing businesses that dont pay sponsorships: our sponsors keep the site running. But posting links that may have interest and use for our members that doesnt hurt any sponsors (and obviously isnt dangerous or in any other ways breaching the TOS) is ok as long as we play nice: as far as i understand posting links to datasheets and other links to some distributors of electronic parts are fine but at mods discretion. We will have to play nice and see where we end up so to speak and no bad "internet feelings" if mods have to step in from time to time.

Im going to start out and test the waters by linking to the samsung led product simulation tool - its not a datasheet per se but a little tool where you can input your model, spectrum and bins and it will spit out info expected lums per watt and other details.

LED Component Calculator | SAMSUNG LED | Samsung LED Global Website

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI and LED solutions.

led.samsung.com

The things i tend to look for using this tool is voltage (which changes with current), lum per watt and if you know how many diodes your build has then you can also get totals. Very handy

The second helpfull link is for arrow electronics search function. Arrow many times have sales, sometimes very extreme discounts, on both drivers and consumer strips. Since the search function needs a prompt ive done a search on meanwell:

https://www.arrow.com/en/manufacturers/mean-well-enterprises?q=Meanwell

Theres an easy way to scan for these sales: go to the search function:

Search for your favored brands:
I did a little search for meanwell , then refine to power supplies and then led drivers and then filtered for some wattages: found a meanwell hlg240-48ABV for 44 $, cheapish but not the outrageously cheap prices ive seen. What you can do with filters here is to just scope out the most common wattages and then go ascending price or even ascending stock (last items always tend to go for cheap) and work from there.
I also found some nice samsung strips: same thing here, tried samsung, led module and ascending prices to see what turned up: i got 13$ so for 44+6x13 , around 120$ ive sourced my main components for a basic 4x2 light with the equivalent of 3 quantumboards of diodes.
Not dropping any links on specific products here yet since i want to just test out the waters first.
Doing searches like this regularly is a good thing for anyone looking for deals. If you find something and youre a bro you tell your fellow diyers or even post links to the search. I didnt here in this case; peeps need to learn how to, and i dont wanna go to far on my first link post.

What could you do with this meanwell and 6 strips: you could do a nice 4x2 light if you had some alu dissipation, alu u-channel of 2-3 mm / 1/8" should take care of that but always best to do some tests before buying your full kit. Where does a guy get these heatsink from? Id suggest looking not online but yellow pages: theres always some scrap yard or just where local builders get their alu from. Heatsinks are expensive to ship so the low tech local approach is usually the best.

I hope these links are fine, as per convo keep me and everybody straight

Hola.

I voted for "No, its too expensive nowadays, can find cheaper than diy growlights".

This is judging based on what I could find so far as German customer, doesn't mean I'm correct.

The Samsung calculation tool doesn't include the whole lm301H series, including the currently best lm301H EVO chips or am I missing anything?

Does make the tool irrelevant to me personally if it doesn't.

I'm still interested in the topic and will follow along but feel like china does a good job producing good products that eliminate most benefits of diy, they are getting better and better at it and consider current information regarding light spectrums and additional channels for supplemental UV and IR.

It unfortunately is a similar game as with smartphones where they throw out a hundred models and slowly add new features to some that then become the new standard for all devices over time.
I feel like it's now at a point where the quality is very hard to match by diy projects, especially for tech noobs.

Again, I could be wrong, the web is a big place and I 100% have not seen all sources for parts, especially international websites.


Still following and interested, there will always be a case where diy for whatever reason allows you to do something that fits your needs exactly

 

[Rocket Soul]

Hola.

I voted for "No, its too expensive nowadays, can find cheaper than diy growlights".

This is judging based on what I could find so far as German customer, doesn't mean I'm correct.

The Samsung calculation tool doesn't include the whole lm301H series, including the currently best lm301H EVO chips or am I missing anything?

Does make the tool irrelevant to me personally if it doesn't.

I'm still interested in the topic and will follow along but feel like china does a good job producing good products that eliminate most benefits of diy, they are getting better and better at it and consider current information regarding light spectrums and additional channels for supplemental UV and IR.

It unfortunately is a similar game as with smartphones where they throw out a hundred models and slowly add new features to some that then become the new standard for all devices over time.
I feel like it's now at a point where the quality is very hard to match by diy projects, especially for tech noobs.

Again, I could be wrong, the web is a big place and I 100% have not seen all sources for parts, especially international websites.


Still following and interested, there will always be a case where diy for whatever reason allows you to do something that fits your needs exactly

Hello God Morgon and guten morgen!
I checked the tool and youre right, there isnt an alternative of the 301H EVOs. But that is a hortichip really, so lum/w is not really what youre after i guess. Its good to remember that the B and H versions really are the same chip (with one slight exception for the EVO H):
The difference is just in how the chip gets tested. B versions gets flux binned by lums while the H version gets tested and bined by ppf/w but they all come from the same type of fabrication. Theres some features (like silicone cover for sulfurresistance) that gets marketed differently; the H its featured very prominently as some big wow factor while the B its just a footnote but all other characteristics are the same in these chips. So standard 301b in top flux bin is identical to 301h, which is really just a top bin 301b where they tested pof instead of lum. For the EVO -h theres another little difference thats important to growers: the photon pump is 437nm rather than 450; this is though as preferable for horticulture cause it betters excites both chlor a and b. Theres also some small differences in the phosphor; evo-h contains less phosphor for the same cct, so when you compare efficiency between evo-h and evo-b its quite natural that theres a slight difference in ppf/w as the evo-h contains relatively more blue than the evo-b; the less phosphor on a chip the better the efficiency. So id say you can safely use the evo-b as a substitute.

Im glad you mentioned ir /uv as this was getting some action in the build thread and this issue always seems to generate lots of debate; something better suited for this thread so that the builds in the other thread dont get burried in flame wars.

My own experience of uv was that it was really beneficial (subjectively better and more developed smell in an unmistakable way; every blind test it was clear where there wasnt any uva/violet in thebspectrum) but the effect depended on what was your base spectrum: we tried it with standard 4000k + 660 and the effects were much more subtle (yet somewhat more complex) that with less green heavy spectrums (like the ones you find in ALL lights nowadays). But with a red heavy spectrum where 660 wasnt the only dominant wavelength we found much more bright and in your face terp profiles. Id defo recommend it especially since UV is much more accessible nowadays: good enough china uv is about 1$ per chip/watt. Id rec going for 2:1 ratio of 400ish /365 nm or really just making sure violet>uva>uvb in out put. Violet only also seems to give great results with best of 2 worlds; nicer terps but also within par range: anyone doing bluesupp on their rig should probably consider just adding 400 rather than 450nm. Theres very real plant health benefits aswell; webe not really found yield loss from adding this as the benefits seems to outweigh whatever possible yield loss due to blue response in plants.
IR/far red: didnt see much effect of it in our rather basic test but its likely no conclusive; it was the same tray that had less uv effects and just seems to grow a bit strange; many times the top buds look slightly smaller than the next bud down.

As for german diy: yes, the little ive seen has been quite expensive, but theres also possibilities to start with standard outlets like arrow/digikey/mouser and get somewhat better prices. Also there is a few alibaba outlets considered reliable enough like kingbrite and meijiu that still offers diy pcbs for low prices if your order is big enough to compensate for world wide shipping.

Im really glad to hear the german side of things i know a lot of stuff goes on over at your side of the forum but im a bit lazy to to translation post per post. If anyone (creeper park and darksider, who seems to have posts in all different languages) have a brower based alternative for translation (so that you can just click and get translation in page rather than open a separate browers translator window) id love to drop by and visit in Deutchymag section

For cheap lights from china: this is so true but are they as reliable as other lights? I especially see people having problems with drivers and quick connectors and then the warranty service is not really great until you put the company on blast online. I really like the approach of buying cheap pcbs (ive had as cheap as 474 diodes of white and reds for 10$) in china and then use a power supply from a local outlet which i can get replaced by easy shipping or just in shop.

 

[Rocket Soul]

My own answer to the poll is all of the above but mainly: being able to get exactly the light you need for your space, all spectrum and chip options available, being able to repair onsite using spare parts - but mainly the satisfaction it gives me at first time lighting up and beating previous results; its a drug more addictive than all the crack in the world...

 

[•Moby•]

Hello God Morgon and guten morgen!
I checked the tool and youre right, there isnt an alternative of the 301H EVOs. But that is a hortichip really, so lum/w is not really what youre after i guess. Its good to remember that the B and H versions really are the same chip (with one slight exception for the EVO H):
The difference is just in how the chip gets tested. B versions gets flux binned by lums while the H version gets tested and bined by ppf/w but they all come from the same type of fabrication. Theres some features (like silicone cover for sulfurresistance) that gets marketed differently; the H its featured very prominently as some big wow factor while the B its just a footnote but all other characteristics are the same in these chips. So standard 301b in top flux bin is identical to 301h, which is really just a top bin 301b where they tested pof instead of lum. For the EVO -h theres another little difference thats important to growers: the photon pump is 437nm rather than 450; this is though as preferable for horticulture cause it betters excites both chlor a and b. Theres also some small differences in the phosphor; evo-h contains less phosphor for the same cct, so when you compare efficiency between evo-h and evo-b its quite natural that theres a slight difference in ppf/w as the evo-h contains relatively more blue than the evo-b; the less phosphor on a chip the better the efficiency. So id say you can safely use the evo-b as a substitute.

Im glad you mentioned ir /uv as this was getting some action in the build thread and this issue always seems to generate lots of debate; something better suited for this thread so that the builds in the other thread dont get burried in flame wars.

My own experience of uv was that it was really beneficial (subjectively better and more developed smell in an unmistakable way; every blind test it was clear where there wasnt any uva/violet in thebspectrum) but the effect depended on what was your base spectrum: we tried it with standard 4000k + 660 and the effects were much more subtle (yet somewhat more complex) that with less green heavy spectrums (like the ones you find in ALL lights nowadays). But with a red heavy spectrum where 660 wasnt the only dominant wavelength we found much more bright and in your face terp profiles. Id defo recommend it especially since UV is much more accessible nowadays: good enough china uv is about 1$ per chip/watt. Id rec going for 2:1 ratio of 400ish /365 nm or really just making sure violet>uva>uvb in out put. Violet only also seems to give great results with best of 2 worlds; nicer terps but also within par range: anyone doing bluesupp on their rig should probably consider just adding 400 rather than 450nm. Theres very real plant health benefits aswell; webe not really found yield loss from adding this as the benefits seems to outweigh whatever possible yield loss due to blue response in plants.
IR/far red: didnt see much effect of it in our rather basic test but its likely no conclusive; it was the same tray that had less uv effects and just seems to grow a bit strange; many times the top buds look slightly smaller than the next bud down.

As for german diy: yes, the little ive seen has been quite expensive, but theres also possibilities to start with standard outlets like arrow/digikey/mouser and get somewhat better prices. Also there is a few alibaba outlets considered reliable enough like kingbrite and meijiu that still offers diy pcbs for low prices if your order is big enough to compensate for world wide shipping.

Im really glad to hear the german side of things i know a lot of stuff goes on over at your side of the forum but im a bit lazy to to translation post per post. If anyone (creeper park and darksider, who seems to have posts in all different languages) have a brower based alternative for translation (so that you can just click and get translation in page rather than open a separate browers translator window) id love to drop by and visit in Deutchymag section

For cheap lights from china: this is so true but are they as reliable as other lights? I especially see people having problems with drivers and quick connectors and then the warranty service is not really great until you put the company on blast online. I really like the approach of buying cheap pcbs (ive had as cheap as 474 diodes of white and reds for 10$) in china and then use a power supply from a local outlet which i can get replaced by easy shipping or just in shop.

Kingbrite specifically is who I meant with china products that make it hard/impossible to compete.

Did watch this a while ago about the differences of the chips



On a discord server I left, a guy started ranting about Samsung and told me they just rebrand their chips to make more money and..... bla bla bla..

Going by the video the lm301H chips are more efficient and are better suited for moist environments, given there is no other protection added to the lamp like a whole coating or a cover, those should be better than the lm301b chips.
The video doesn't include the Evo chips tho, which are even better.

I only look for lm301H EVO chips, anything else is not worth the money IMO.
Keep in mind, I'm a grow noob but am looking for lights since a couple years and try to understand things.

The Evo chips produce less heat and put out more power than other chips, which allows to produce even small lamps with a solid PPFD that are able to deliver good results.

Take this with a grain of salt since I don't look into how exactly each chip is produced and what each of them contains, I judge based on the numbers purely.

Additionally the LEDs are still getting better and new ones will come out.
To invest into anything lower than the current Evo chips isn't worth it to me, even now the Evos are better but imagine the next generation chips, to buy older chips now will just put you far behind once the new generation comes out.

With the new generation, the lm301H Evo is still going to be top notch.
----------------

Regarding UV and IR.
I'm confused.
I do like Bruce Bugbee alot but must say that some things he says are confusing and contradictory to what other people say.
He obviously has the money and the space as well as the equipment and knowledge to test all of these things, hence I tend to trust what he says.

In a conversation with MIGRO he mentioned that UV in his tests had no noticeable effect on yield and potency.
There surely tho will be differences between different genetics and even between phenotypes.

If UV has influence on terpenes is a different discussion.

With the mint white chips they now start adding more green light to the lights and all I read and hear about green light is what Bruce Bugbee said about it.
Green light is photosynthetically available and does penetrate further down into the canopy.

I just ask myself, is it really needed with proper training?
With a net hanging and the leafs spread out properly, there really shouldn't be the need for better light penetration, especially since lollipopping is proven to yield always more than non trained plants under the same conditions, so there shouldn't be much need for better penetration.

Does the green light only penetrate deeper or does the green light when mixed with other light colors take the other light further down into the canopy as well?
Might be a dumb question...


Regarding the translation.
Depending on the browser you might be able to install the Google translate plugin which makes your life easier.
Can just mark the words and right click to translate.
I'm doing everything on the phone, the Google translate app is a great tool and offers the same option on the phone

 

[Rocket Soul]

I havent watched the video yet but i can tell you this bit of extra protection of the H version is just them buying into marketing. B version has the same coating, samsung just dont make a big deal out of it since the B is not marked directly to growers.
Re EVO being the only diode worth using: this would depend on price points really, dont you agree?
In looking into using the lm281b+ pro which has very good output and would make it possible to use 2 or even 3 diodes of them instead of one EVO-H. There are more considerations to what is best other than just best looking spec. As for throwing heat: check thermal coefficient on diodes, this is a measure of how much difference between the solder pads and the front of the diode in relationship to watts of operation:
Lets make an example (ive not looked up numbers, just examples):
We have a top diode, lets say evo, that is 3x as expensive as a lower tier diode, which is about 10% less efficient and 3x thermal coefficient. The top diode is ran at 3x the power as 3 lower tier diodes: same price. The 3 lower tier diodes should throw the same heat back onto cannopy as the one high tier ran harder. There is also some efficiency benefits in the lower tier diodes; about 10% for 3 time lower current.
Which solution is the best? Theyre both giving same performance is principle. But in the end you could if you like turn up the power on the 3 lower end diodes and get 3 max power but still maintain a performance similar to the top end diode if ran soft. Its hard to say which is best unless you really dig into to the numbers but im definitely in the camp that leveraging diode count can really be of benefits. Also EVO diodes are not available in all spectrums. I know bugbee is a "intensity/efficiency first" kinda a guy and seems to maintain that spectrum has absolute minimal influence; ive seen different in practice tbh.
This is the point that most people miss about bugbees science and just science in general: its not possible to prove a negative and this is what bugbees science seems to leave people thinking: that he has shown that his conclusions of what has no effect is generalized in growing. All you can say about his tests is that from the conditions hes tested no effect was found. And his conditions is almost always in the range of 450-660 nm: about 2/3ds of the par range and not even half of the full biorreactive range. His sicence can be generalized as basicly concerning very basic growlights and supplementing uv with flourotubes while not covering the range of 450 to 365nm with litterally anything: this paper is especially problematic in my opinion, if he had some sense or input from growers testing this the test would look quite different i believe. It was several years ago that i started hearing pro grow diyers saying you need more uva and violet than uvb if you want to get good results. Uvb , which he tried using some very strange adjusted metrics, both stimulates thc aswell as it breaks it down. I would not take his work as something definite, all though i can happily admitt that as far as self percieved potency ive not noticed much from uva supp.

"Does the green light only penetrate deeper or does the green light when mixed with other light colors take the other light further down into the canopy as well?
Might be a dumb question..."
Green and far red penetrates down cannopy and into the chloroplast but its not able to carry other light "on its back".

Ive seen some very interesting pics of this where people put their spectrometer in top, mid and lower part of cannopy aswell as blocking the sensor with several leaves in layers but they are on a different forum; cant link, but maybe i can summon @Prawn Connery to repost his pics here aswell? Or maybe in the led bud quality thread which seems to be the general convo thread. Also anyone not familiar with @Grow Lights Australia DIY gear (the only DIY gear sponsoring this site) i can only say good stuff about their lights which prawn developed. No affiliation to me but being good buds with them, sharing most ideas about spectrum and having tried their strips with good results.
Moby: if you want properly covered and protected diodes these boards and strips can literally be hosed down fully while lit.

 

[PlastikeRubba]

I havent watched the video yet but i can tell you this bit of extra protection of the H version is just them buying into marketing. B version has the same coating, samsung just dont make a big deal out of it since the B is not marked

All the Evo does is act as a more designated white, so you can use designated reds instead of a bunch of crappy yellows. So, the next gen led will be designated blues and reds, full circle to blurple. The potheads will demand it, nostalgic for the glow. That's the only visible pattern in Cannabis consumption, a pattern driven by nostalgia for a time when you still weren't happy with the product your consumed, but had way less time and effort and marketing put into worrying about it.

I mean, you have been driven to distrust brands like Samsung, claiming the horticulture series are not sulfur resistant. Samsung has never done anything dishonest in their life especially regarding light emission!

 

[Rocket Soul]

All the Evo does is act as a more designated white, so you can use designated reds instead of a bunch of crappy yellows. So, the next gen led will be designated blues and reds, full circle to blurple. The potheads will demand it, nostalgic for the glow. That's the only visible pattern in Cannabis consumption, a pattern driven by nostalgia for a time when you still weren't happy with the product your consumed, but had way less time and effort and marketing put into worrying about it.

Im not sure which tree youre barking up right now or even if youre barking welcome to the thread anyways
The evo -h does more than what you say; it moves the blue peak down to 437nm which is imo opinion preferable; check the chlorophyll action spectrum for why. What youre talking about sounds more like the new cree range which name escapes me right now: no matter what spectrum you choose you get the same red content in the whites making red supplement much easier to calculate. Though im not sure why this thinking, the RGB for horticulture, is so prevalent with horti light makers: there is ample evidence that plants dont really react purely on what the total blue and red content is, rather it seems like the plant really care of what blues and reds are added more than the total output.

As for samsung: i dont know anyone who call them a liar here but they are shrewd marketers: the things commented of is more about them omitting info (lm301b is the same diode as lm301h, the h is simply a top bin diode with binning made by photon count instead of lums) which makes some of their pricier products look better to uniformed buyers. But trying to sell your product at premium is not really a bad thing in my opinion: its easier for clients to buy the h and know youre getting their topline product.
The thing about evo-H being more efficient than regular H; this is true but the evo range cct does not compare perfectly across to the 450nm ccts. 437nm is simply less vissible than 450nm, so to get the same color to the human eye less phosphor is needed. Less phosphor means better efficiency, but we would technically be comparing a 3500k evo to a (more or less) 4000k 301bs phosphor. Im not sure the small increase in efficiency comes from better diodes or just this change in the phosphor to be honest. Not pointing this out is omitting some info that they should be aware of, but not lying. Still not seen the vid in question though, it may be this that youre taking issue with. As for samsung never doing anything dishonest: i have it from someone who tests out diodes regularly that they always test slightly below spec when he tries them in his meter. Never outside of the bin range (+-7 is what they indicate in datasheet) so technically true but a tendency to be a little lower. If you want great service/supply in this department look to nichia; they seem to be able to sell you their diodes in quarter bins; you can actually order top of the top half of the top bin with them but i never dealt directly with any of the companies or testing equipment so i can only go by what people I trust say. For other similar info like this: bridgelux tend to have a spectrum a little more red than what one would expect; slightly better photon count per lum in their chips generally than the competition. YMMV

 

[Orange's Greenhouse]

I considered DIYing my grow LED but decided on getting a commercial unit instead. For all tastes there's a model for sale (be it cheap, simple and efficient white + red or complex spectrums like GLA). They cost about the same (cheap mass produced vs expensive low volume components) as DIY but have a housing that makes them more durable.

So it was either paying a vendor or spending 40 hours designing, ordering and assembling for about 80 % of the commercial fixture.

 

[chilliwilli]

Whenever i think about diy an led, which i have never done, i find this tool very helpfull.
Its from users from a german speaking grow forum to compare different samsung leds.

https://growerch.github.io/led-calculator/

 

[Rocket Soul]

Whenever i think about diy an led, which i have never done, i find this tool very helpfull.
Its from users from a german speaking grow forum to compare different samsung leds.

https://growerch.github.io/led-calculator/

Nice! Theres some references to gear from one of the nicest diy led shop in euro region; not sure if i could link that though but i suggest anyone to have a look. They have very nice lum vrs par reading which is helpfull when trying to extrapolate. Though there would be some info missing from that spreadsheet: lum/w depends on both flux and voltage bin so all of that is not entirely generalizable.

LED Component Calculator | SAMSUNG LED | Samsung LED Global Website

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI and LED solutions.

led.samsung.com

Have you ever had a go with this? Its full of very good info and goes down in depth with all sorts of alternatives, i know cree has something similar on their web

 

[Rocket Soul]

I considered DIYing my grow LED but decided on getting a commercial unit instead. For all tastes there's a model for sale (be it cheap, simple and efficient white + red or complex spectrums like GLA). They cost about the same (cheap mass produced vs expensive low volume components) as DIY but have a housing that makes them more durable.

So it was either paying a vendor or spending 40 hours designing, ordering and assembling for about 80 % of the commercial fixture.

I know, its a much harder thing to do cost effective nowadays. Though 40 hours seems high to me but i guess i dont count all the time and work absorbing stuff, its been a good few years now. My latest light built, which included 50 odd diodes +14 strips soldered up (and actually learning how to solder aswell) took me about a day and a half, with some minimal help, just a pair of extra hands holding some times. But ive also streamlined some of the process somewhat so the whole drilling, mounting wiring becomes faster. My first ever build with Fotop boards was about a day, me being completely green and my buddy even more so, yet we managed 5m2 of good lighting in a day.
Though if you can get a reprise of the deals available sometimes of arrow you can dropp that 80 % much much lower. The 6 strips + driver i mentioned above: ive seen al components on sale at some time or another and if id do the same thing with those lower prices it could have been done for about 30$ + alu profile and cabling.
But in the end; if you can build yourself a light with just slightly better evenness of lights spread or similar, just upping your yield by say 3% : how many grows is it going to take to make that time back ? Say youd average 10g more per harvest and eun 5 harvest per year? Youd have to add your own crop value to the equation but its never a bad thing spending time on thinking how you can improve your grow

There is also and extremely important factor of what complete self sufficiency feels like after youve done the process...

By the way, which light did you go for?

 

[Orange's Greenhouse]

I know, its a much harder thing to do cost effective nowadays. Though 40 hours seems high to me but i guess i dont count all the time and work absorbing stuff, its been a good few years now. My latest light built, which included 50 odd diodes +14 strips soldered up (and actually learning how to solder aswell) took me about a day and a half, with some minimal help, just a pair of extra hands holding some times. But ive also streamlined some of the process somewhat so the whole drilling, mounting wiring becomes faster. My first ever build with Fotop boards was about a day, me being completely green and my buddy even more so, yet we managed 5m2 of good lighting in a day.
Though if you can get a reprise of the deals available sometimes of arrow you can dropp that 80 % much much lower. The 6 strips + driver i mentioned above: ive seen al components on sale at some time or another and if id do the same thing with those lower prices it could have been done for about 30$ + alu profile and cabling.
But in the end; if you can build yourself a light with just slightly better evenness of lights spread or similar, just upping your yield by say 3% : how many grows is it going to take to make that time back ? Say youd average 10g more per harvest and eun 5 harvest per year? Youd have to add your own crop value to the equation but its never a bad thing spending time on thinking how you can improve your grow

There is also and extremely important factor of what complete self sufficiency feels like after youve done the process...

By the way, which light did you go for?

Yea, it gets easier with practice but a single unit just has no economy of scale. To that day and a half add research/calculations to know what you want and then half a day of troubleshooting after it's done.

I got myself a GLA. Couldn't have done it better myself since good UV diodes are difficult to source.

Do you know where to source good 400 nm (ish) UV diodes (bare, not mounted)? I contemplate to DIY something for my fish tank.


At my scale I'm not sure if 3 % are really worth pursuing. Stop using seeds and "pheno hunt" myself a productive strain would be a better payoff. Or many other things I didn't optimize yet.