Stealthy LED Project - help wanted

[Jopedijoo]

I've been lurking around for some months trying to figure out how to get back to growing. Apart from a few guerilla grows I haven't been able to grow for a couple of years for social reasons. After I started reading about LEDs on this and some other forums I got my spirits up again and now I hope to have everything figured out to put up a mute, odorless stealh cab.

I have a closet with two compartments, each is about 50x60cm (3,2 square feet) and height is around 150cm (5 feet). Plan is to grow SOG or SROG depending on the strain using LEDs and ventilation would be taken care of by doing what Bulenath has done here: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=45196 It's supposed to be quiet and air circulation should be good enough as there won't some much heat from the LEDs.

I'm trying to build a lamp inspired by Weezard's and Dreaded Hermie's work with Ledengin 15Ws. I'm learning but my technical skills are not that good so I just want something easy to put together that works. I believe Weezard and DH have done just that with great results! I'm basicly doing something very similar to DH's lamp. I already have two heavy duty heat sinks (10¨x10.125¨) and Ledengin 15Ws: 6 x 660nm, 2 x 460nm and 2 x warm whites. I stubbornly wouldn't like to be using the whites cause it just seems random shooting to me.. But I'm sure the plants won't mind it and it will help to complement the spectrum even how exactly that happens will remain a mystery. But I should have a working lamp with that setup and that's what matters.

And now for problem shooting... I'm looking to borrow a bench supply from somewhere to test my LEDs to know how much power they want exactly. As was pointed out I could buy a bench supply and use that to power the LEDs but I'd like to keep it nice and simple and use some Meanwell drivers instead of a big blob of a bench supply. I was thinking of using a PLN-100 for the 6 reds and a PLN-60 for the blues and whites. Does that seem possible? I don't mind underdriving the LEDs for now before I find a bench supply but I don't seem to be able find out what would be a safe volt/amp figure... I was also thinking if 150 nominal watts is going to be too much for just 3,2 square feet..? I know it's plenty but is it too much? Now I just have to find some thermal adhesive so I can get to work.. All help is welcome and if you've got some ideas or suggestions to prevent disasters from happening feel free... Thanks!

 

[Weezard]

I always feel free.

I always feel free.

No charge for feelin' free.

Looks like you have your ducks in a row here.

And, though I found no advantage to adding warm white, your milage may vary.
I used supplementary CFLs for one grow with no clear benefits..
And I've seen grows fail under only warmwhite leds.
Still this is the frontier, yah?
You might be on to something.

If you use Meanwells, you will be able to adjust them up and down to "warp" your spectral mix.
And you can skip the variable bench supply.
Just start the Meanwell with the voltage up and the current turned down.
Then slowly adjust the current to about 1.25A.
Max for these leds is 1.5 amps.
Keep an eye on the voltage as you adjust the current up.
My Ledengin blue leds read 15V. at the supply when they are only drawing 1 amp each.
That is the Abs. Max!
But my feed wire drops another couple tenths of a volt onna way to the emitters.
So it's all good.

(A small tip. When you are dealing with high current it's best to use fat wire.
At least 20 gauge. 16 is better.
I used lighter gauge wire in mine because I needed to drop another 0.2V. to keep my drivers balanced)

The red emitters run through a dimmer and are set to their max operating voltage/current when full on.
Then I adjust down for stretch control and bloom nudging.
Are you planning to document your construction?
You've almost got to be better at it than I was.

Lurking.
Weezard

 

[Jopedijoo]

No charge for feelin' free.

Looks like you have your ducks in a row here.

And, though I found no advantage to adding warm white, your milage may vary.
I used supplementary CFLs for one grow with no clear benefits..
And I've seen grows fail under only warmwhite leds.
Still this is the frontier, yah?
You might be on to something.

Well, I think I more likely just confused and the ducks are running free... I'm not really sure why to use white, it's good for you they say! I read about that supplementary CFL grow you had, kinda forgot about it.. That grow with just warm white also rings a bell. I wonder why they died.. Maybe just not enough light and too much unused wavelenghts, who knows..? Then again, the warm whites peak around 440nm and 600nm which could be good and supplements all the other wavelenghts that the reds and blues miss. Well, that's Knna's way of thinking if I understand correctly.. Then there was Billyjojimbob who did some nice things with supplementary amber. Oh and Ledengin is claiming that they have a complete set for horticultural purposes consisting 460 blue, 635 and 660 reds and 740 far red. So no white or yellow/amber. You were also playing with 740, still doing it, how's it working?

If you use Meanwells, you will be able to adjust them up and down to "warp" your spectral mix.
And you can skip the variable bench supply.
Just start the Meanwell with the voltage up and the current turned down.
Then slowly adjust the current to about 1.25A.
Max for these leds is 1.5 amps.
Keep an eye on the voltage as you adjust the current up.
My Ledengin blue leds read 15V. at the supply when they are only drawing 1 amp each.
That is the Abs. Max!
But my feed wire drops another couple tenths of a volt onna way to the emitters.
So it's all good.

So it should be safe to give reds 1.25amps and blues/whites 1amp max and the voltage will take care of itself, ay?

(A small tip. When you are dealing with high current it's best to use fat wire.
At least 20 gauge. 16 is better.
I used lighter gauge wire in mine because I needed to drop another 0.2V. to keep my drivers balanced)

Thanks for the tip!

The red emitters run through a dimmer and are set to their max operating voltage/current when full on.
Then I adjust down for stretch control and bloom nudging.
Are you planning to document your construction?
You've almost got to be better at it than I was.

Dimmer ya say..? Haven't though about that at all... But it's a good idea! Don't know exactly how that is to be done, but the info is there somewhere I know, have to get on to it... Contruction document ay? Yes, why not. I'm hoping to have time around Christmas to make this all happen, I'm quite slow with my moves, need loads time

Lurking.
Weezard

Thanks again for helping, may be with you!

 

[Oldmac]

Hello Jopedijoo,

Great work starting your own thread to get LED info, it takes out any problem with vendors interjecting bogus info. I would like to add just about 2cents worth of advice to you;

1cent) Be carefull what adhesive you use to mount the diodes, sticky metal tape works good and can be "reworked" if you need to change location or change a diode. Or with some diodes, mechanical fastening and the use of thermal grease. Don't make the mistake I did with my first large DIY light...I used thermal epoxy, when I needed to make a major change, well I was stuck!

2cent) Weezards' got one of the best ideas since sliced bread, make your diodes adjustable to "warp" (???) your spectrum. The ability to adjust your intensity of R:B ratio is simply a wonderfull solution to get the right red/blue ratio for whatever stage of growth you are dealing with. Weezards' "dial-a-stretch" (trademark pending).

3cents) Even tho Weez didn't see any improvement with adding white, I really like that idea of a few white diodes. I believe.......oh wait, I went over my 2cent allotment....sorry.

Oldmac

 

[Weezard]

An' I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight. "DUDE!"

An' I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight. "DUDE!"

Thanks again for helping, may be with you!

You are welcome!

Ol' skips my crib since I left a bomber an' a bic on da end table fo' him.
Kinda scared him off.

Says Mahalo!, but it took him 'til half past da 27th to finish his route that year.
Heck, it took him a hour just to find his list, then he lost his map...

Now, we get togedder every year onna 26th so he can , um, unwind.:friends:

You were also playing with 740, still doing it, how's it working?

Did not make much difference
Which means squat, with my sloppy, demi-derriered, application.

On the other hand, my results were stellar.
Almost too good.

So, I'm now NOT using 740 or CFLs to see if my end product suffers.
If does?
No worries,
I got choke stash fo' a change.


So it should be safe to give reds 1.25amps and blues/whites 1amp max and the voltage will take care of itself, ay?

Sure, IF you monitor the voltage as you turn up the current, and stop at less than Vmax.!
Whatever the current actually is at that point, is all you can safely apply.
So, if you get to 14.85V. on an emitter with a Vmax of 15.0V, stop!
If your current is only , say, 950ma. at that point, then your maximum wattage is limited to app. 14.2 Watts.

Is clear?

Don't know exactly how that is to be done, but the info is there somewhere I know, have to get on to it... Contruction document ay? Yes, why not. I'm hoping to have time around Christmas to make this all happen, I'm quite slow with my moves, need loads time .

Very simple, really.
A 6 amp. dimmer module just goes in series with your load and ties a third lead to ground for reference.
Got a few on da bay for $8 a while back. they claim to handle 600 W. loads.
But, I removed mine from their cases to shed excess heat at only 50W.!

Slow and thoughtful is the least expensive way to do this.
Haste lets all the magic smoke out of the leds.

I do think you'll be pleased with the final product.

But you'll have to give up more gap than you would with UFOs or CFLs.
I just bleached the top of my LemonSkunk from 5" away.
She had an overnight growth spurt that got stalled, and light bleached by morning. Argh!
It's always somethin'.

Aloha.
Weeze

 

[guest1ab]

How do the LED drivers actually work? I've heard of them but I don't understand how to actually use them!
Could I use one of those Maxwell drivers to power a whole LED array? How would you calculate how much current or what size driver?

THANKS!

ps. The setup I'm working on uses almost entirely warm whites. If you can somehow tune what spectrum that emit? That's be killer!

 

[Jopedijoo]

Hello Jopedijoo,

Hello there Ol' Mac

Great work starting your own thread to get LED info, it takes out any problem with vendors interjecting bogus info. I would like to add just about 2cents worth of advice to you;

1cent) Be carefull what adhesive you use to mount the diodes, sticky metal tape works good and can be "reworked" if you need to change location or change a diode. Or with some diodes, mechanical fastening and the use of thermal grease. Don't make the mistake I did with my first large DIY light...I used thermal epoxy, when I needed to make a major change, well I was stuck!

Oh, that advice might have just saved me bag full of cents! I was actually planning on using epoxy for better heat conducting.. That would've been perfect if I wasn't planning on frying my leds.. But as that can't be guarenteed I guess some thermal paste shall do. I found some that is removable and is as follows:

Thermal conductivity 4.0W/mK
Operating temperature -45°C - 200°C
Operating Range 0.061cm²C/W @40PSI

I guess that should do it, right..? I suppose the Ledengin 15Ws don't need mechanical fastening... Paste for me and some for the mail man...

2cent) Weezards' got one of the best ideas since sliced bread, make your diodes adjustable to "warp" (???) your spectrum. The ability to adjust your intensity of R:B ratio is simply a wonderfull solution to get the right red/blue ratio for whatever stage of growth you are dealing with. Weezards' "dial-a-stretch" (trademark pending).

That sure sounds great! If I remember correctly Weez was dimming only the blues and keeping the reds full on all the time.. I don't think there's any reason to dim the whites though..

3cents) Even tho Weez didn't see any improvement with adding white, I really like that idea of a few white diodes. I believe.......oh wait, I went over my 2cent allotment....sorry.

Oh don't stop there! I just saved a bag full of cents, have some and keep going Well, I'll be adding the whites anyways so we'll see how that goes, I'm sure it will harm no one.

Oldmac

for the input Mac!

 

[Jopedijoo]

You are welcome!

Ol' skips my crib since I left a bomber an' a bic on da end table fo' him.
Kinda scared him off.

Says Mahalo!, but it took him 'til half past da 27th to finish his route that year.
Heck, it took him a hour just to find his list, then he lost his map...

Now, we get togedder every year onna 26th so he can , um, unwind.:friends:

Oh you naughty It must've been the same Christmas he never made it to my place! Oh man.. you're hilarious

You were also playing with 740, still doing it, how's it working?

Did not make much difference
Which means squat, with my sloppy, demi-derriered, application.

On the other hand, my results were stellar.
Almost too good.

So, I'm now NOT using 740 or CFLs to see if my end product suffers.
If does?
No worries,
I got choke stash fo' a change.

Please let us know how that turns out! Will just have to until that..

So it should be safe to give reds 1.25amps and blues/whites 1amp max and the voltage will take care of itself, ay?

Sure, IF you monitor the voltage as you turn up the current, and stop at less than Vmax.!
Whatever the current actually is at that point, is all you can safely apply.
So, if you get to 14.85V. on an emitter with a Vmax of 15.0V, stop!
If your current is only , say, 950ma. at that point, then your maximum wattage is limited to app. 14.2 Watts.

Is clear?

Aye Aye Sir, clear it is. In theory at least. Thanks for whiping my windshield!

Don't know exactly how that is to be done, but the info is there somewhere I know, have to get on to it... Contruction document ay? Yes, why not. I'm hoping to have time around Christmas to make this all happen, I'm quite slow with my moves, need loads time .

Very simple, really.
A 6 amp. dimmer module just goes in series with your load and ties a third lead to ground for reference.
Got a few on da bay for $8 a while back. they claim to handle 600 W. loads.
But, I removed mine from their cases to shed excess heat at only 50W.!

All right. I found a bunch of 12v, 8amp dimmers outputting 96W on the bay, are those usable? I still have to make sure if I got it right: two wires go from the driver into the dimmer and out to the LEDs that are connected parallel, eh?

Slow and thoughtful is the least expensive way to do this.
Haste lets all the magic smoke out of the leds.

I do think you'll be pleased with the final product.

It's still a long way to go but lets hope the magic smoke won't be coming from the leds...

But you'll have to give up more gap than you would with UFOs or CFLs.
I just bleached the top of my LemonSkunk from 5" away.
She had an overnight growth spurt that got stalled, and light bleached by morning. Argh!
It's always somethin'.

Aloha.
Weeze

Thanks again Weez! Later

 

[Jopedijoo]

Meanwell, Maxwell, Shagswell..?

Meanwell, Maxwell, Shagswell..?

How do the LED drivers actually work? I've heard of them but I don't understand how to actually use them!
Could I use one of those Maxwell drivers to power a whole LED array? How would you calculate how much current or what size driver?

THANKS!

I'm no electrician so approach with caution, but basicly a LED driver is an adjustable constant currect power supply and driver all in one. You just connect it to the LEDs (individuals or arrays) and that's about it Different LED's have specific voltage and amp values and by adjusting the current with the driver you match those values as good as possible avoiding not to overdo max values. You count watts by multiplying voltage x amps. If you have an array of LEDs you multiply that W-figure with the number of LEDs. But you can or at least should drive only similar LEDs from the same driver as different LEDs want a different voltage/amp configuration.

This brings me to the question about headroom. Is there need for that? Could I drive lets say four blue/white 15Ws drawing almost 60Ws from a Mean Well PLN-60-15? Or should I instead use a PLN-100-15? (Or maybe two PLN-30s to seperate blues and whites...) Same for the reds, is PLN-100-15 (or even PLN-100-12) good enough for 6 reds or would a PLN-150-15 be better?


ps. The setup I'm working on uses almost entirely warm whites. If you can somehow tune what spectrum that emit? That's be killer!

Someone tried growing with just warms whites and ended up killing the plants quite fast. Weezard might be able to link you to that grow, I have a hole in my head and no remember :

I don't think you can tune the whites. They have a fixed spectrum so you can "alter" that only by choosing different whites, warm white, neutral white, cool white... I'm not sure if you could pull a grow by using just reds added to the whites, but you'd be better off by using blues and reds.. and yea well, maybe the whites

 

[SupraSPL]

Hi Jopedijoo. Looks like an exciting project you are working on. I am building an experimental LED setup for vegging using Cree Q5 cool whites. My plan for mounting is to use Arctic Silver Ceramique behind the the emitter but then to use a dab of GE silicone on the outside edges as a fastener. If it seems like it might work, I might try using some kapton tape as the fastener. I found a decent deal on a good amount of Ceramique for 8.99 free shipping.

http://www.svc.com/c22ghidethco.html

I'll definitlely be following your project here it sounds exactly like what I want to try next!

 

[Weezard]

We gots da reds, da blues an' da pinks. 16 colors an' a kitchen sink.

We gots da reds, da blues an' da pinks. 16 colors an' a kitchen sink.

Thanks again Weez! Later

"That sure sounds great! If I remember correctly Weez was dimming only the blues and keeping the reds full on all the time.. I don't think there's any reason to dim the whites though.."

Actually, the contrary.

Blues, full up.
5 reds on each dimmer
Gives me all the control I need.

That was before my 15V supply module fried.
Now I'm using the bench supply to drive the 30W. of blue. So, while technically, they are now dimmable, I use lamp height to just saturate with blue, then adjust the reds downward for the desired effect.

I find 20-30% down makes a dandy veg ratio.

Also, now that I grow outdoor, I don't need to limit the stretch anymore so I crank the reds full on for a week of 12/12 before I put the girls outside.
They more than double in height!
More-so than if I just summarily kick them out of the vegging room into 12/12 sunlight.
Less of a shock to them as well when they see sunlight for the first time.

"This brings me to the question about headroom. Is there need for that? Could I drive lets say four blue/white 15Ws drawing almost 60Ws from a Mean Well PLN-60-15? Or should I instead use a PLN-100-15? (Or maybe two PLN-30s to seperate blues and whites...) Same for the reds, is PLN-100-15 (or even PLN-100-12) good enough for 6 reds or would a PLN-150-15 be better? "

With headroom, more is better.
20% is advised.
Just like house wiring.
"Never load any circuit to 100% of it capacity".
While, technically, at reasonable temperatures they CAN handle it for a while, the accumulation of heat will bite you in the end.

And LEDs are not linear.
So pushing them to 100% is foolhardy.
No want us at you, yah?.

's about 12 cents worth right there.
No spend him all on shave-ice n spam.


"I just bleached the top of my LemonSkunk from 5" away."

Thought you might like to see dat;


I be mo' careful now.
Ciao
Weeze

 

[Weezard]

Hello Jopedijoo,

Great work starting your own thread to get LED info, it takes out any problem with vendors interjecting bogus info.

Sans commentaire! Mon frere.


I would like to add just about 2cents worth of advice to you;

Heavy pennies, comin' up.

1cent) Be carefull what adhesive you use to mount the diodes, sticky metal tape works good and can be "reworked" if you need to change location or change a diode. Or with some diodes, mechanical fastening and the use of thermal grease. Don't make the mistake I did with my first large DIY light...I used thermal epoxy, when I needed to make a major change, well I was stuck!

Good advice!
But I gotta add a note.

The 3W and 5W "stars" won't come off with a chisel when ya use epoxy.
And they have big feet.

On the other hand, the Ledengin 15W, emitters have a different form from other diodes.

They almost require thermal epoxy, and a bit of pressure for a decent heat transfer.
And it would be quite difficult to mount them mechanically as you can see..

Their tiny footprint makes the epoxy acceptable because you can just leave a fried emitter in place and glue a replacement right next to it, several times.
Might look bubba-ed up, but da plants don't mind.

2cent) Weezards' got one of the best ideas since sliced bread, make your diodes adjustable to "warp" (???) your spectrum. The ability to adjust your intensity of R:B ratio is simply a wonderfull solution to get the right red/blue ratio for whatever stage of growth you are dealing with. Weezards' "dial-a-stretch" (trademark pending).

Aw gawrsch!
T'weren't nuttin un-obvious.:
But it is handy when playing footsie with momma nature.

3cents) Even tho Weez didn't see any improvement with adding white, I really like that idea of a few white diodes. I believe.......oh wait, I went over my 2cent allotment....sorry.

Oldmac

Can't hurt.
And the pictures will look mo' betta too.
I'm thinking of adding a CFL on a switch for tending to the girls.
More for me, than the girls.
They seemed oblivious to it.

But Spend any time in the veggary and ya come out with a case of the "greens"
Everything looks pastel green for a while after your eyes are exposed to intense red and blue.

That, got old. And it makes me worry a bit.
Burned some spots on my retina with the 5Watt emitters when I first started.
Took weeks to fade!

Howzit, OM?
Good to see you here.
Looks like Jope's in good hands.

I lit the batsignal for Giblet.
When the nuts n bolts start flyin', he's good.
Knows all about the Meanwells, and speaks english.

You and I can jus' sit inna corner,:friends:
Da heck wit' I wanna smoke 2bits?
Trade ya for some Hawaiian, jungle kine, thunderfuck?

Aloha,
Weeze

 

[gramsci.antonio]

sorry guys, my question may sounds stupid to you. But is Led growing viable?

I thought they didn't have enough power...

 

[Jopedijoo]

"That sure sounds great! If I remember correctly Weez was dimming only the blues and keeping the reds full on all the time.. I don't think there's any reason to dim the whites though.."

Actually, the contrary.

Yep, my bad It's a real treasure that Calling for Weez thread around the corner! Wouldn't be here now without it But as it is, it's kinda long for my attention span.. I've gone through it a couple of times but them pieces just won't stick to my head. Maybe some epoxy would do the job...

I'm really hoping that I could continue where you left off and make this grow log chimp proof.. If I'm somehow able to put this lamp together with the help from you guys I'm sure anyone could! And if so I might as well make a detailed document about it. Could ask all the silly questions here and maybe start another thread for simple step by step assembly.


With headroom, more is better.
20% is advised.
Just like house wiring.
"Never load any circuit to 100% of it capacity".
While, technically, at reasonable temperatures they CAN handle it for a while, the accumulation of heat will bite you in the end.

And LEDs are not linear.
So pushing them to 100% is foolhardy.
No want us at you, yah?.

Oh I'm sure you'll have a few laughts as silly me tries to pull them stunts as this gets going So.. I guess it would be wise to have two dimmers and two 60-12s for the 6 reds and a 100-15 for the 4 blue/whites.

's about 12 cents worth right there.
No spend him all on shave-ice n spam.

Shave-ice n' spam ain't really my cup of tea, but I do like my hot chocolate greenish Would you like some of that for 12 cents..? Eggnog no got, sorry.

"I just bleached the top of my LemonSkunk from 5" away."

Thought you might like to see dat;
View attachment 35878

Some years back I had a plant growing in a bubbler under 400hps and fried the top all white for having the lamp too close I suppose. I didn't want to lift it because otherwise it was coming along good and had plenty of air moving around the plant. It had maybe two and a half weeks to go as the very top went wierd and started to re-veg and grew this little two inch long albino tree ontop of the bigger tree I might have a picture of it somewhere stacked, might show you if I happen to find it.. It's a paper photo though so might take some time to get it into 101110100101...


I be mo' careful now.
Ciao
Weeze

Mo' carefull, mo' betta... Ciao bella! :kitty:

 

[Jopedijoo]

Weezard and Old Mac...

Weezard and Old Mac...

Hey guys, stop with that epoxy ! You're making my head spin.. Epoxy, no epoxy, epoxy, no epoxy... Is it fair to say that if you're using thermal grease/paste you would have to mount the LEDs mechanically whitch is not possible with Ledengin 15ws? I'd rather be able to get them off with acetone or whatever if they go Puff but I don't mind letting them magic dragons rip there if epoxy is a needed ingredient in the

 

[Jopedijoo]

sorry guys, my question may sounds stupid to you. But is Led growing viable?

I sure hope so

I thought they didn't have enough power...

I thought so too but I've been shown otherwise and now I want see for myself.. Hang on there! Or maybe you could yourself to LED Lab 2009 here: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=108442 It's somewhat thorough on the subject

 

[Jopedijoo]

Hi Jopedijoo. Looks like an exciting project you are working on. I am building an experimental LED setup for vegging using Cree Q5 cool whites. My plan for mounting is to use Arctic Silver Ceramique behind the the emitter but then to use a dab of GE silicone on the outside edges as a fastener. If it seems like it might work, I might try using some kapton tape as the fastener. I found a decent deal on a good amount of Ceramique for 8.99 free shipping.

http://www.svc.com/c22ghidethco.html

I'll definitlely be following your project here it sounds exactly like what I want to try next!

Hi SupraSPL! Thank you! And good luck with your project ! That ASC and the silicone might be good for the Crees and was looking at something similar, but the 15Ws might seem to need a drop o' epoxy, eh...

 

[Oldmac]

Hey guys, stop with that epoxy ! You're making my head spin.. Epoxy, no epoxy, epoxy, no epoxy... Is it fair to say that if you're using thermal grease/paste you would have to mount the LEDs mechanically whitch is not possible with Ledengin 15ws? I'd rather be able to get them off with acetone or whatever if they go Puff but I don't mind letting them magic dragons rip there if epoxy is a needed ingredient in the

I'd go with Weezard on this one, he's used the 15w LedEngin's and I have not. I'm just gun shy of thermal epoxy after the first LED light I built, I got screwed on some white LEDs that did not have the wavelength I wanted or needed. I could not remove them without destroying them, which was not so bad since they were cheap, shitty, 1w chinese diodes, but the damn work involved like to have killed me.

BTW SupraSPL had a great idea (I thought) of using a thermal paste and a little silicone on the outer edges to give a mechanical grip. Weez could say if that is workable for the LedEgin's, tho it sounded like it might not.

Speaking of whites, I really like the idea of adding some since the best off the shelf LED light I know of uses some whites. It certianly can't hurt and might help something.

Good answer about the drivers, you must have done some homework, and that's a good thing.

 

[giblets]

I have a closet with two compartments, each is about 50x60cm (3,2 square feet) and height is around 150cm (5 feet).

Hello, Jopedijoo.

That's a unique name. A google search will round up all your conversations. So I will call you JJ. This is DH, from the other board.

I'd like to help here, but I don't understand the project. There are two spaces, I got that. But are you building a light for just the flower section, or a multipurpose light for veg and flower (by adjusting red:blue ratio)? Or two separate lights?

You have a lot of blue there. To build a flowering lamp, a single 15W. blue will easily keep up with 6 x 660nm reds. (I'll use 7 or 8 reds for each blue on a flowering lamp.)

For example, a Procyon is (sort of) 2:5 blue to red. That's too blue for flowering (I have one), and if you mount up all your emitters on a single light the result will probably be similar. If you study how white LEDs are made, you might consider them a modified blue (and not for the better as far as plant growth is concerned, IMO).

For good news, the whites want the same voltage as the blues, so you could run the 2 blues and 2 whites all off one PLN60-15; just not very hard. I've put 18 watts into a blue before (20 watts killed it) so if you're really going to run them hard, 3 blues (or whites) is the max for a 60 watt driver.

About the Mean Wells: that PLN 100 series doesn't start putting out 100 watts until you get into the 20V and higher output configuration. A PLN100-12 is rated at only 60 watts , and the PLN100-15 at 75 watts. (For running 4 blues or whites more vigorously, that's a nice driver, but it's $90 USD, plus shipping.) At $55, the PLN60-12 will drive 4 15W. reds very nicely, and that's the building block I use with the Mean Wells.

Vegging cannabis plants is easy, IMO. You can do under a variety of light sources and LED is probably least cost-effective. To me, LED growing is all about those 660nm reds, so that's where I concentrate my resources. I want dense, hard colas with lots of trichs. Blues don't do that. On a 12/12 schedule, blues just let the plant know which direction is 'up', and what 'time' it is. The 660 reds provide your nice buds.

The CLG-150 will cost you as much as a Mastech bench supply, so I'd really recommend the Mastech instead. I have a 3010 and love it. The full-time digital readout of Volts and Amps is very reassuring, especially if you are powering $200 worth of emitters with it. Adjustments are super fast and convenient. And, you can use it in a pinch to power virtually anything up to 30V, including fans for cooling, etc. (just not along with LEDs at the same time.) Besides, I run the PLN series drivers with the case open and put a fan on the heatsinks, so they're not any neater than the bench supply by the time I get done with them. (I'll make esthetic sacrifices to handle heat, YMMV).

(IMO) For a flowering lamp you need so little blue that it almost doesn't matter what you use- a CFL - a small T5... unless you're also trying to control the "stretch" immediately following your 12/12 flip. Then, I'd hit them hard with blues (and whites?), and back off the reds for a week or two. That has worked well with some strains if I caught them small enough.

Old mac has much experience with white leds, and his T1 Smartlamps are very effective. So, if he thinks white leds help, they probably do. If you mount your whites judiciously you might later be able to conduct some experiments with, and without them.

Good luck with your project,

DH / giblets

 

[giblets]

(A small tip. When you are dealing with high current it's best to use fat wire.
At least 20 gauge. 16 is better.

I have a better tip. (Big tipper )

Last time I ran 14 guage to my emitters. But, the 15W LEDengins are quite delicate at the soldering pads for such huge wire. It retains too much heat energy and will act like a too-big soldering gun, and can melt the solder pads and the copper traces loose on the flex-PCB. (That repair can be tricky.)

So, I finally got smart and ran a short "leader" wire of a smaller gauge (3-4" of 20 ga. or so) between the led and the 14 ga. supply wires. Much easier to work with in terms of twisting and turning, too.

The red emitters run through a dimmer and are set to their max operating voltage/current when full on.

JJ, you're not gonna need these dimmers if you use Meanwells or Mastechs. 'Zard used these as regulators for a homemade driver, and to bring down the voltage, if I remember right. (W., please correct me if you've got a different plan, here.) Meanwells have PWM dimming built-in (very nice), and the leds hook up directly to them. Very slick and easy.