Off the shelf retail store screw-in LED and CFL bulb comparisons

[PCBuds]

... helped a little but nothing to compare with my two SILs...

Do you mean two SIL bulbs outperformed all of those LED's?

Wow !!

I'm not going to bother with the IR cob's then.
Even if they help, they're not worth effort and cost.

 

[ScrogMonster]

Exodus is definitely one of Bob's best, although personally I'm partial to the early years when Peter, Bunny and Bob were The Wailing Wailers.





Personally I think a mixed lighting system is likely best. I'd like to switch from my 600w hps to a 325w cmh plus 200w of led. The cost of upgrading equipment is a factor tho, and 600w of hps is always solid. 90k lumens

Ofcoarse let’s not forget that the canopy won’t see a lot of those lumens if you’re growing horizontally with a reflector.

Total lumens is a measure of the total quantity of light given out by a light source. Omni-directional light sources require up to 78% of the light output to be redirected. A majority of these reflections from the light source are directed back into the fixture. When looking at the light output that does reach the application area after being reflected, consider that energy is lost and compounded with every reflection. Most light traces require multiple reflections before hitting the application surface. Ultimately, less than 14% of the source lumens trace directly to the work surface.

LED Direct Light Delivered Lumens

LED Delivered Lumens

Delivered lumens is used primarily with directed light sources. With these light sources, 80% of total lumen output is delivered directly to the work surface. The remaining 20% are reflected only once to the target. Overall, more than 94% of mono directional lumens are delivered. None of the lumens are reflected back into the fixture.

 

[repuk]

Do you mean two SIL bulbs outperformed all of those LED's?

Wow !!

I'm not going to bother with the IR cob's then.
Even if they help, they're not worth effort and cost.

No, I meant my two SILs "rigs":

a 190W one and 240W One

Check my sig for the HPS vs SILs thread, I also compared in the same grow the HML and a DIY COB rig.

I spoke with blynx and I'm drifting off-topic with my LED strips, so here's a link to my thread:

That's the point of this thread to show how unexpensive and easily available SILs allow to build superb lightning rigs that perform equally (or better) than other "classic" lightning sources; specially in micro, SILs FTW!

I'm so happy with them that even not going micro now (I moved and will be devoting a full room for growing and my mad scientist experiments) I plan to keep using them and even adding more SILs lamps.

 

[indagroove]

Ofcoarse let’s not forget that the canopy won’t see a lot of those lumens if you’re growing horizontally with a reflector.

Total lumens is a measure of the total quantity of light given out by a light source. Omni-directional light sources require up to 78% of the light output to be redirected. A majority of these reflections from the light source are directed back into the fixture. When looking at the light output that does reach the application area after being reflected, consider that energy is lost and compounded with every reflection. Most light traces require multiple reflections before hitting the application surface. Ultimately, less than 14% of the source lumens trace directly to the work surface.

LED Direct Light Delivered Lumens

LED Delivered Lumens

Delivered lumens is used primarily with directed light sources. With these light sources, 80% of total lumen output is delivered directly to the work surface. The remaining 20% are reflected only once to the target. Overall, more than 94% of mono directional lumens are delivered. None of the lumens are reflected back into the fixture.

That's great science, but in reality I do have a light meter to measure actual light delivered, so I don't need to rely on theoretical pontifications.

 

[PCBuds]

I finished my first pop can prototype.







I left all the circuitry intact including that resistor/fuse.







It's got a much lower profile than the bulb in a socket and I think I can shave another 1/2" off the depth.
The socket alone costs $2. That's more than the bulb cost.






It's been running for a 1/2 hour now and isn't any hotter than the original bulb.

I might be able to shave the fins down too.

 

[Gantz]

I remember Blynx posting a recessed led light grow (4 x 22.5)... Not sure if he used them to grow or how well they performed. They looked like this

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]View Image[/FONT]

 

[PCBuds]

I remember Blynx posting a recessed led light grow (4 x 22.5)... Not sure if he used them to grow or how well they performed. They looked like this

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]View Image[/FONT]

That's a bit like what I did.

It looks like he cut down the base and rewired the circuit board.

My bulbs are only 10 Watts though, so I'm not dealing with as much heat.

I'm going to put cut down globes on mine and use them as side lighting.

The weird part for me was using 18 AWG wire but that's all they use inside the bulb (or less) so it should be fine.

 

[piramidon]

I remember Blynx posting a recessed led light grow (4 x 22.5)... Not sure if he used them to grow or how well they performed. They looked like this

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]View Image[/FONT]

You mean this one?
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=7212903&postcount=84

 

[PCBuds]

Okay, now I get it.

I thought blynx recessed regular bulbs.

 

[Hookahhead]

I have said a few times I’m grateful for this thread and all who have contributed to it. I probably could not be growing right now if it wasn’t for blynx opening my eyes to the wonders of Screw in LEDs (SILs). For anyone new just reading (or not) this thread I want to encourage you to give them a try. Don’t be dissuaded by others who tell you they’re not effective grow lights, myself and others have shown otherwise multiple times in this thread.

Here are some benefits that have been discussed in this thread:

• These lights are cheap, many users have found deals for as little as $1 a bulb.
  
  
• These lights are easily available, you can find them in a hardware store, grocery store, big box store, anywhere you would buy normal household lightbulbs. My electric company in the US had an energy saving program where they would send you a few free bulbs and other energy efficient trinkets if you requested it.
  
  
• The bulbs screw into a standard household (E27) socket. This makes it easy to swap/upgrade or mix/match bulbs as you see fit.
  
  
• These bulbs produce less heat than HID or CFL bulbs, thus requiring less cooling.
  
  
• These bulbs are light weight. Also since they’re directional light sources they do not require a heavy reflector.
  
  
• Multiple bulbs disperse the light more evenly than a single higher wattage bulb. This, along with cooler temperatures allows you to run the lights closer to the canopy.
  
  
• SIL are a simple yet effective way to add under canopy lighting to your grow.
  

Despite all the advantages, we understand SILs aren’t for everyone. When you get to 300w or more there are probably better options out there. For the small tent, closet, or cabinet grower though... SILs are a game changer.

On Oct 31, I posted (#3401) a picture of my 156w cabinet.

Here it is today, 6 days later...

If you’ve never grown cannabis before, SIL are a great, cheap way to get you started. Go out right now, buy a 4 pack of bulbs and pop some seeds already!

 

[PCBuds]

^^^ What he said.

And if you need a boost of infrared you can always add one of these. Lol

 

[PCBuds]

That's great science, but in reality I do have a light meter to measure actual light delivered, so I don't need to rely on theoretical pontifications.

 

[PCBuds]

If I introduce IR to my grow cab, I'm using an LED not an HID.

I don't want all the extra radiant heat.

 

[PCBuds]

I spent the majority of my adult career as a certified industrial electronics technician. I taught basic electronics course at our local trade school for 6 years back in the 80’s and later at the USPS technical training center in Norman, Oklahoma for a while.

I’ve been retired for better than 16 years now. Last year, curious to see how much I’d forgotten, I took a peek at an online electronics course. Confusing, no, just simply insane how theory has morphed from my heyday!! Seems much simpler to visualize the flow of electrons rather than the movement of holes!?!?

I cordially invite you to my thread to keep an eye on my math, science, and physics and point out my mistakes.


https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=360946

When you get to 50 posts, I can PM you a recipe for a CO2 generator.

 

[Boocoodinkydow]

Thanx PCBuds. I actually do drop in to sneak a peek pretty often. Love your innovativeness.

I’ve been watching your calculations and hypotheses and your electronics aptitude is shining through. It’s been a long while since I have been directly involved. I’m old (look in the first half of the last century to find my DOB) and I’ve forgotten far more than I now know but if I can assist I’ll gladly jump in. Thanx for the invite. Enjoy watching your experimentations!

BCDD

 

[Hookahhead]

A friend of mine bought some really cheap low wattage SIL to replace some lights in his house... they weren’t bright enough for the application so he gifted them to me.

The left is 9w 6500k and right is 7w 2700k. I don’t know the brand or advertised lumen because I don’t have the box. Notice the build on these bulbs is super cheap. The boards are not mounted in place, they just hang there from the wires. There is no heat sink in the body of bulb, it’s all plastic. The 9w board is pretty big compared to others I’ve seen.

The bottom metal sockets were easy to remove with a pair of channel locks. The 7w board is PCB, the 9w is at least mounted on thin metal.

The circuitry is pretty similar and simple. Notice the 7w has the same resistor as PCBuds, but the 9w doesn’t.

I noticed the 9w has some really sloppy looking bridges on both the positive and negative terminals going to the board. At first I thought this might be intentional. Luckily, I have 2 of each of these bulbs, so I compared them to each other. I have circled 2 spots on the board on the left, the one on the right is much cleaner. Remember kids, not all SILs are created equal...

 

[Hookahhead]

So I’m sitting there looking into the hole at all these components. I’m pretty sure PCBuds snuck up and pushed me in!

So I got out a desk lamp, and screwed in a bulb. Using a multi meter I tested where the positive and negative wires enter the LED board. 107.4w DC?

So what I really wanted to know is if one diver can power 2 LED boards.

I grabbed the fire extinguisher and flipped the switch!

It worked! I know the LEDs look dim in the photo, but they look full brightness (and certainly not half powered) in real life. I tested it again with the multimeter, 102.7 w DC?

I fully admit my knowledge of circuits is limited. If f.e or the others can look it over and let me know if there seems to be anything inherently flawed by running two boards from this one driver. I can take closer pictures of components or test other things if need be, I just need some guidance.

 

[PCBuds]

That's 107.4 volts DC and 102.7 volts DC.

Hooking up two boards, dropped the voltage down because of the extra drain so they might be a bit dimmer (but probably not noticeable.)

You might overpower/overheat your driver and possibly burn it out but I say just run it and see what happens.

You could extend those wires and remove the driver and its heat from the grow area and help keep the driver cool.

My bulbs have the driver built into the PCB so I can't separate the driver.

Keep in mind that there are over 100 volts on those wires so they will give you a noticeable shock.

 

[PCBuds]

The bottom metal sockets were easy to remove with a pair of channel locks. The 7w board is PCB, the 9w is at least mounted on thin metal.

View Image

Well, that's good news for me.
I guess I was overly concerned about heat dissipation and yours are just kind of air-cooled.


So this is my next prototype and I'm really liking it. It's super light and quite safe.
It's plugged in and going now and I'll keep an eye on it.







I don't have any lights on the door to my grow cab because I don't want all that hardware hanging off a moving door.
These things are perfect to stick to the back side of the door.

 

[PCBuds]

I like the design of your bulbs.

They're nice and simple with "big" components and big LED boards.

They're kinda heavy-duty and your LED boards have a good spread on the individual light segments to help spread the light and heat.