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LED light for my box - help

Jonnysact

Member
Happy Canada Day all.

Quick question... I am not very handy so I'd like, if possible, to purchase something that fits what I need (if it exists).

I currently have a 4 26W CFL inside a box that is 22" tall, 18" long and 8" wide.

I could only get temperatures near 79/80 when i blasted my AC on all day long ( the room became below comfortable temperature levels ). and I've got every type of fan going in and out of this thing. Plain and simple, the lights produce too much heat. (***added info : My box sits inside a closet that is cracked open to allow some of the AC in)

I'd like to purchase an LED lighting system that fits the following size:

(NO MORE THAN)
16" long
7" wide
5" thick

Ideally this should produce the same lumens of output or more than my 4 26w CFL lights (each one producing 1700 lumens) = 6800 lumens and keep temperatures lower.

Thoughts, suggestions?

Much love and thank you!

Here is an image of my setup

0Shh0y9.jpg
 
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Dion

Active member
this cab would be perfect for a diy single cob but you mention u wanna buy one so i guess a kessil will be the only choice other than a ufo style
 

blynx

WALSTIB
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
It sounds like and from what I can see in your picture, you need more ventilation. If you had your air conditioning cranked and the box was still very hot, you have ventilation issues.

Moving hot air around the inside of the box isn't going to cool it. You need to bring more cool air in from outside the cab and move it through the cab.

Is that the in and out of your ventilation on the right side of your cab? If it is, I would either make holes in the floor of the cab (and close the intake on the side wall) or move the intake to the opposite lower side of the cab that the out going vent is on (and close the one on the same side as the outgoing).

IMO, incoming air should come from the bottom of the cab (cool air settles) and the outgoing air should leave toward the top of the cab (warm air rises).

Nice cab! Looking forward to seeing this round.
 
S

sourpuss

Yep more air circulation. U should be able to move enough air to keep that box close to the same as room temp... box is tiny no offense. More air movement. Keep your room comfortable temp. And you should be fine. Id suggest directing the ac In to the box but its too small imo for that..
 

Jonnysact

Member
Hey guys, thank you for your suggestions. Although the box design isn't perfect, I will not be able to make any adjustments or change the air circulation. The box must remain in a small closet that is cracked open during the day to let the AC in.

If we could stick to the question at hand I would be most appreciative. I'm really looking for advice solely on the led lights.

Thank your again.
 
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Jonnysact

Member
this cab would be perfect for a diy single cob but you mention u wanna buy one so i guess a kessil will be the only choice other than a ufo style

Thank you for the suggestion. A quick look online is showing a single unit running around 350$+ CAD. This is great option but definitely way out of my budget.

Other options? Looking at keeping things under $150.
 

grouchy

Active member
I would agree that one cob led would rock in there. If you can wire up pc fans you can build an led. My cab is similar in size and has two cree cobs with dimmable drivers and it solved my heat issues. When trying to beat the heat you need to pay attention to efficiency (the percentage of light vs heat). Cree cobs can run at over 40% efficiency.

The shopping list is pretty simple.
Cree cxb-3070 3000k or Bridgelux vero 29
Led driver (dimmable would be my recommendation)
Alpine 11 heatsink/fan
Ideal cree cob holder
Thermal grease

No one has a single chip fixture on the market yet but it's not hard to build one.
 

Jonnysact

Member
Hmm, might be the best solution then. I had help wiring up those fans, but the most difficult part was wiring the lighting. Grouchy, do you know of any good videos that give a simple step by step?
 

Dready_jake

Member
Dion is the dude to listen to! If you don't want to follow his recommendations or build your ownown(my recommendation) there is the light I'm currently using.
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-7-Band-135w-UFO-LED
It's under $150 runs 90 watts of true draw, and I've used it in mini fridge without issue. You know the college mini fridge with the little freezer compartment. J tore all that stuff out and grew in that my first time so its should work in your space. Idk if they ship wherever you are though. They don't ship to Canada if I remember correctly
 

Dion

Active member
Brilliant! Doesn't say how many lumens it produces but what do you guys think if I were to grab 2 of those (breaks my budget a bit) and stick them in the corners of the box and aim them downwards and diagonally? Is it overkill? I can fit two plants in the box at a time.

ah can do

1 is prob enough ill scroll back and check ur specs but more light is good

BTW everything the other guys said about ventilation is spot on

you will have to ve a pc fan pulling air out of the box so the air is exchanged not just for temps but for co2 replacement
 

Jonnysact

Member
I have a fan pulling air in, a fan pulling air out, and a fan moving air around inside. 3 fans all functioning well. The problem is that very little of the AC makes its way into the closet.... So the room has to be an icicle for the temp in the closet to get cold enough with the CFL.

I've ordered two of the lights, with shipping, taxes, i broke an arm and a leg, I am WAY over budget. This better be the solution lol.
 

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