Building new light

[RosettaStoned]

So here I go, got all my parts. This light will have 32 2' samsung lm561c light strips. They will be ran parallel and series to get the proper amps per strip. If all the specs are followed and achieved it should run just under 400 watts.

all of this will become 2 2'x4' frames with 16 strips each.
.525 A a strip, luminous flux of 64,000 x .014= 896 PPF / 394 watts = 2.27 umols/s. I think that is correct DrPhoton would know.

[DrPhoton]

I would like to see the concept, i assume its going to be a oblong rectangle ? I also assume that its going to be 400 watts total so 200 watts per 2x4 fixture ?

Working out the accurate light output is a little more complex than what we have previously discussed. First theres the effeciency of the drivers, which are around 90% each. So you can take off 180umol, making it 714umols and 1.78umols per watt.

But then to make matters worse, the photon efficiency is highly dependant on several variables, such as diode temperature and drive amperage. These completely change the aspect of how efficient a fixture will be. Here is a diagram for your diode model.




Not to mention the optical and radiative losses.

The luminosity per watt values that are usually provided by diode manufactureres are theoreticle values which are only achievable under unrealistic ideal conditions. So one must use the datasheet provided by manufacturers in order to calculate a realistic value.

I know you were probably just after approximate figures, however its not even an approximation. The variables make too much of a difference that it makes simple calculations unrealistic.

[RosettaStoned]

Thank you swiftly putting me in my place. 😂

[RosettaStoned]

I do believe these are the same diodes chilled is using. If that matters

[DrPhoton]

Not really ^.^

They use dual cooling systems for a reason, it improves the diode efficiency alot. So comparisons cannot be made.

[RosettaStoned]

Well Dan, I must say.....you really know how to shit on someone's parade 😉

[Jibblerjoe]

This will be great. Can I ask where the materials were sourced from?

[RosettaStoned]

Digikey rapidled Amazon home depot heatsinkusa

[buffalobuds]

Want to see pics when completed

[RosettaStoned]

Got this far today

one 2x4 with heatsinks and strips attached with thermal adhesive tape. Next drill out marks and tap for machine screws to hold them in place. Attach the aluminum angle to the edges for a place to hang it from and also make the sheet rigid. Build a small frame for the driver to sit. Wire it up.
Apparently I should have smoked before starting. I put one strip on backwards, or three....depends on how you look at it. Either way, now I HAVE to make the second the same. Its just the way I am. I justified not moving them because 3/4"is not going to make a difference in light output. It still drives me nuts but the mess of cleaning and scraping up the thermal tape makes me crazy too.

[DrPhoton]

Brilliant, do these strips have optics ?

[RosettaStoned]

DrPhoton
I added the pdf of the spec sheet I used as well

[RosettaStoned]

One done.....that's a lot of drilling and tapping.....whew

[RosettaStoned]

MrStoker
No, it's a morsen 1000 watt. It was broken so i replaced the panel with cobs and mono LEDs. I'm sure the galaxys will work fine. I don't like them because it seems minimalist.

I do have 3 unaltered 300 watt red/blue galaxy hydros just sitting here 😉

[MrStoker]

Oh yeah, read your posts about fixing up broken fixtures with your own LEDs. Great posts btw. On those units, did you re-use the original drivers?

[RosettaStoned]

Yes I did.

[RosettaStoned]

Finished

a few days under the new lights and I see I have a learning curve to dial them in.

[DrPhoton]

Yea, they typically make the dome shape opticals for individual diodes or large ones for cobs. Not sure if they make optics for strips, but i know some manufacturers such as fluence do use strips and still have optics. But they may be proprietary.

[Chefbjy]

This is really awesome 😀.

[RosettaStoned]

Thanks Chefbjy

[DrPhoton]

Mixing colors is fine, in fact its actually more efficient to use multiple spectrum diodes such as 450nm blue and warm white together rather than just a full spectrum cool white diode. The reasoning for this is a little complex, i talk about it here in this thread. Ultraviolet has been shown to help with THC production in cannabis. However you want to be careful when using UV as it has also been shown to negatively effect photosynthesis in plants and reduce yield as a result. Common practice has it that it is best used in the last weeks of flowering, usually 2-3 weeks.

Far red has not been shown to have any positive effect in plants. If used during vegetation it will negatively impair growth by stimulating photoreceptors that create elongation, leaf expansion and more. What it can do is help reduce the dark cycle in flowering to allow more light to be used during the light cycle. This is done by using far red (700-750nm) at the beginning of the dark cycle which shifts the plant into sleep quicker, so to speak. This has been shown to reduce the required dark cycle by around 2 hours. Effectively allowing the light cycle to operate at 14 hours rather than 12 hours but still induce flowering.

Infrared has no effect on plants at all, its effectively just heat. Light manufacturers sometimes use infrared to mean far red lighting. Or they really are infrared and are just advertisement gimmicks. Infrared operates over 800nm, far red is around 700-800nm.+ More Options

[RosettaStoned]

This is what I found for the strips DrPhoton
pll2026a-linea-lenses-product-brief_rev2.pdf

[MrStoker]

Did you use the lenses? After reading some of Dangerdan's articles, I've become convinced it'll be necessary to collimate the light source to more efficiently use the energy produced. Didn't know if there were optics available for LED strips so you answered one of my upcoming questions. Thanks.

[RosettaStoned]

I did not. I just keep mine close to not lose as much light as possible