Usefull components from old redundant led lights ?

[foomar]

This was what we had to work with 15 years ago , useless disco lights that could barely grow a lettuce yet claimed to relace a 600w HID.
Feels like stripping something made much earlier like the 70s , so many components and hand assembly.

After a decade rusting away in the garage it sparked up fine but sounding like a leaf blower.

The actual wireing looks safe with a properly earthed steel caseing and good connectors.

The suplied mains cable had a fake earth prong on a three wire cable makeing it a potential deathtrap which kind of spoiled it.
Weighing twenty five pounds its a hefty chunk compared to modern.
Six computer fans were loud from new.
Steel case is crazy thick guage for what it does but adds weight and percieved value.

Not sure if the three led drivers are of any use in future builds or even the 12 volt transformers.

Not sure if the three led drivers are of any use in future builds or even the 12 volt transformers.

Thought it might be simple to swap out individual leds but dont see how on this setup.
Are they crimped in or soldered or both.

184 screws held the pcb to the heatsink , 3mm thick and finned weighing 1500g should be of use for something.
430mm by 270mm by 10mm.
25 by 13 rows of threaded holes.

Took an hour to take apart , this type of waste is hard to recycle.

 

[Creeperpark]

This was what we had to work with 15 years ago , useless disco lights that could barely grow a lettuce yet claimed to relace a 600w HID.
Feels like stripping something made much earlier like the 70s , so many components and hand assembly.

View attachment 19117575

After a decade rusting away in the garage it sparked up fine but sounding like a leaf blower.



View attachment 19117576
View attachment 19117578


View attachment 19117580

The actual wireing looks safe with a properly earthed steel caseing and good connectors.

The suplied mains cable had a fake earth prong on a three wire cable makeing it a potential deathtrap which kind of spoiled it.
Weighing twenty five pounds its a hefty chunk compared to modern.
Six computer fans were loud from new.
Steel case is crazy thick guage for what it does but adds weight and percieved value.

View attachment 19117581
Not sure if the three led drivers are of any use in future builds or even the 12 volt transformers.

View attachment 19117583

Not sure if the three led drivers are of any use in future builds or even the 12 volt transformers.

Thought it might be simple to swap out individual leds but dont see how on this setup.
Are they crimped in or soldered or both.
View attachment 19117584

View attachment 19117585

184 screws held the pcb to the heatsink , 3mm thick and finned weighing 1500g should be of use for something.
430mm by 270mm by 10mm.
25 by 13 rows of threaded holes.
View attachment 19117586
Took an hour to take apart , this type of waste is hard to recycle.

Be careful and safe friend.

 

[Ca++]

That's a lot of screws. The LED board soldering is neat, but they didn't fix the capacitors, while they were right beside them with the fixing gunk. The soldering in the driver looks ready to fail at a few points too. Some different standards of work are apparent.

The heatsink might have a future. One ready for a QB is about 20$ delivered, but a DIY builder might cover it in smaller cobs. Probably best to put it back together now you have pics. Get it on eBay. There are no fee's anymore.

 

[exploziv]

Nah, just sell it like that, it's a lego set now. Otherwise you are never getting the money back on the time it took to dissasemble.

 

[exploziv]

Ah.. and you are lucky, the ones I had and paid good money for years ago didn't even had a heatsink. Just a thick steel plate..

 

[aCBD]

Interesting insights, you make me wanna open my old one too.
It's like you say, why bother with something that uses electricity but is just good for lettuce and bleaching tops.

 

[exploziv]

Actually, I found my blurple ones better than small hids or cfl's for small grows, but only if you supplemented the white. Once I started adding floros around the leds i doubled their yeld.

 

[Rocket Soul]

Actually, I found my blurple ones better than small hids or cfl's for small grows, but only if you supplemented the white. Once I started adding floros around the leds i doubled their yeld.

Flouros supply a little heat thru IR aswell which allways helps with led yields.

On the board itself: Hydro grow led penetrator was supposedly one of the better bad leds. But the company is dodgy AF, calls the cops on disgruntled customers and does not keep returns promises. They were advertising both here and on RIU and where banned from both sites. Its was a serious popcorn drama, you may still be able to find some traces by googling "hydro grow led scam". Beware and be safe, there are better ways to light your crops.

 

[Gato420]

I woulda bought that just based on the name! ja ja

Penetrator

 

[foomar]

Brought this in 2009-2010 when the forum was full of hype for these but with little evidence.
Did a decent comparison and was threatened with doxing along with others with complaints.

Intend to use the heatsink for a dedicated veg light for a 2 by 2 , a recent quantum type board heatsink weighs a third of this one and takes 100w without a fan so this one should handle more.

 

[Rocket Soul]

Brought this in 2009-2010 when the forum was full of hype for these but with little evidence.
Did a decent comparison and was threatened with doxing along with others with complaints.

Intend to use the heatsink for a dedicated veg light for a 2 by 2 , a recent quantum type board heatsink weighs a third of this one and takes 100w without a fan so this one should handle more.

Oh, that sure sounds like sCameron...

Sounds like a good use for that gear. Consider if you want an even more powerfull board aswell if its heavy and solid.

 

[foomar]

It was a triumph of forum marketing , spam everywhere and pretend to be a woman , scamming cockwomble.

Would it be worth reuseing the drivers for anything nowadays or have efficiencies improved in 15 years ?

 

[mudballs]

Those 6 fans look like they could drive a hepa filter HVAC type setup for your tent or even a room. Cfm dont really matter for cycling air like that.

 

[exploziv]

Just 6 x 2 watt cheap and not really efficient fans, in 80 or 90 mm fan format.

 

[Ca++]

Looking at them, I'm not surprised they are now noisy. They appear to be cheap sleeve bearing fans, so are mounted the wrong way around. Not actually using the bearing, to bear anything.

 

[Rocket Soul]

It was a triumph of forum marketing , spam everywhere and pretend to be a woman , scamming cockwomble.

Would it be worth reuseing the drivers for anything nowadays or have efficiencies improved in 15 years ?

Maybe if you have something low watt running for juat a short time like midday uv or end of day far red but i wouldnt rate them for anything serious.

 

[Rocket Soul]

It was a triumph of forum marketing , spam everywhere and pretend to be a woman , scamming cockwomble.

Would it be worth reuseing the drivers for anything nowadays or have efficiencies improved in 15 years ?

The story i heard was sexchange (which is nor here nor there), but keeping the name. Im not sure, it was just a mess wrapped in a clusterfuck. The general bad ambience on riu got very bad and eventually a really good led guy/guru/friend got banned for going feet to feet with mods protecting their advertiser who was making up BS. HGL beefing with their own tester who had their mags screenshotted, showing bias in the side by side- but im not even sure if it was doctored or not.

When eventually the owner of riu sussed out that there was doxxing/snitching etc he/she was out very quickly. Then cycle started here on icmag, with similar results: tester being upset about product quality, threats and eventually HGL was driven out of here by public demand. Worst online mess ive ever seen