LED's ???

[Guest]

I guess Nasa is working on growing plants with the best effeciency possible...I guess it is working out pretty well, can anyone share their experience with these. Thanks

Quote- ('This is pretty neat- were using red LEDS to grow lettuce, and have found it to be 60% more efficient than fluorescent light when growing vegetables hydroponically. The red LED technology produces 7000 heads of lettuce per day all year round in a 10-floor building on just 1000 square meters of space. The lettuce matures more than three times as fast under the LEDs than outdoors.")




From what I have been reading only 25% of light is absorbed by the plant from your average 1000watter. the other 75% of unused light just generates heat.
Now, plants absorb light (via Chlorophyll-A) most at around 430nm (+/- 20nm) blue and 662nm (+/-20nm) red wavelengths.

 

[DeadlyFoez]

These are some links on UK420.com that davidzap created. He has grown with LED's. This first link is David's First Grow and was successful. This link is David's Second Grow and has all the info you could ever want in over 100 pages of talk of theory and details to the potential of growing with LED's. And this is David's Current Grow which he just started the other day.

I have participated in all of davids threads. Everything that you could ever want to read is in that second link.

This is a link I started here pertaining to making LED panels. http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=29235

 

[Guest]

wow...way cool man! Thanks for the links > they are impressive and inspirational. I am way more ciked now that i seen actual mj grown with these. It looks like you been doing plenty of research on this and i would luv to join in. A DIY led panel would be the shyt.

 

[mudslide]

Deadly,
Been researching this for about, um, 2 days. Thanks for all the links, they rock.

At the risk of newbing out here I'd like to run my remedial understandings by you, and hopefully get some feed back:

The luxeon stars light emmision wavelengths are dependant on the input current?

To achieve target wavelengths the designer must achieve target input current levels?

Also, to achieve target wavelengths the designer must regulate diode temprature?

If the current and temp are properly regulated does a "red" luxeon III produce light from 600nm to 700nm(how about to 730mn)? Or will the diodes only emmit much narrower frequencies i.e. 620nm to 650nm?

In order to regulate current, will a resistor have to be daisy chained between every diode?

Could one use the xinthuim 17w output to run the applicable number of III's, in a daisy chain, without using resistors? And will the xinthuim produce the current prescribed to produce the target wavelength from the diode by just "pluging it in"?

Is a MCPCB essential? If not, what are the alternatives? If so, where can you get them cheap?


Am I getting it so far or...

I've been able to price the diodes themselves but, what do you estimate the price of all components for the assebly you are working on?

I'd love to see a laymens explanation of LED application. I'd also love to see your parts list and a step by step for the assembly you are working on. That would kick ass.

Much thanks for the info you've already set before us.

 

[ItsGrowTime]

The simple problem is just that high output LEDs are EXPENSIVE right now. Like any technology they will get more affordable. Im betting that LEDs are the future of growing and whoever can capitalize on it will retire a rich mofo lol.

 

[mudslide]

Can I get a driver that I can wire into a socket that will produce the needed current for a series of high output LED's i.e. Luxeon III's. Dumb it down for me people.

http://www.ledcentral.com/Products/25_LE-6050-R04_Xitanium_12-24-IntelliVolt.pdf

One driver for 30 L3's would be nice, wouldn't it?

 

[DeadlyFoez]

As far as the luxeon LED's, I only prefer the royal blues. The red's aren't close enough to any peak wavelengths.

My goal wavelengths are 660nm,642nm,455nm,430nm. I also will include a few 730nm for the sleep effect. All other important wavelengths will still be produced from those primary wavelengths listed above.

This has been a long term project of mine that will include either a picaxe or a basic stamp microcontroller for controllable pulse width modulation and current regulating and overdriving of leds.

I guestimate that the cost of this 400watt will cost about $1200-$1500 including pcb boards.

The wavelengths don't change a huge amount with the different amounts of current for someone to get scientific enough to add that into the equation. Heat will effect the the wavelength produced if you dont control the heat and you let the led's get to the point that they are damaging themselves, otherwise if you take propper precautions then you would be fine.

You folks have asked a lot of questions for my stoned and tired mind for tonight. I will add more info tomorrow after thanksgiving. But pretty much every piece of info of everything you guys have asked is mentioned somewhere buried in those links to the threads. It's like finding a needle in a haystack and not doing it the mythbuster way.