Lumatek ATS300 Pro or similar owners.Help Needed...

[Raistlin1968]

Hello to all...
So I just bought this lamp and I cannot for the life of me find the info I need on their web page.They have a personalized light plan which I filled the form for but to date have had no reply.
Hoping someone here will be more willing to help...(fingers crossed).

I need to know things like how high above my plants should I place it for each stage of growth and as it has increments of light intensity from 0-100%, in 25% increments then also knowing the intensity
for each stage of growth would be of extreme value. I intend growing autos at first and then move onto photoperiods once I have some experience.

So here's hoping someone can help out and thanks in advance to any advice anyone can give..

[golfnrl]

Hi Raistlin1968 I found this on the Lumatek web site.

"For optimal performance; position fixture 15 – 40cm above plant canopy." I found it under the resources tab, then Manual and Spec sheet. Google says that is about 5 to 15" above the canopy.

That's really close to the plant. It appears to me that Lumatek is suggesting you control the light intensity with the dimmer without adjusting the height from canopy. Crazy I know, cuz MJ will grow right into the light if you don't raise it as the plant grows.

"The LED fixture can be connected to a manual dimming controller (included) or an external digital lighting controller (sold separately) via the SIG IN port on the driver allowing light intensity (PPF level) to be adjusted between 20% - 100% light output. The LED fixture’s light intensity can be adjusted without changing spectrum or losing efficiency. This means that PPF can be adjusted to the correct level for propagation, cloning, vegetative and flowering growth cycles without having to raise or lower fixture and maintaining an 1 x 1m light"

For LED, generally speaking , hang your light about 24" above the canopy for Veg and about 15-18" for flower. Adjust accordingly for your plants. If the light is too close or too intense you'll get burnt tips and sunburned stems. If the light is too far away your plants will stretch to reach it.

For general reference I'd suggest

For seedlings, lowest setting 24" above the plant
For Veg 1/4 to 1/2 power 24" above the plant
For flower 1/2 to full power 18" above the plant

You can also use a Photo Bio Phantom to measure the light intensity at different heights above the canopy to give you precise information.

[Raistlin1968]

Thank you so much @golfnrl...will be germinating my seeds in about a week and will follow your advice...thanks again..

[Smallgrow]

I run the Photontek 465wpro , same company but the North American branding.
It’s a bit bigger bar style light and I can’t tell what LEDs yours uses although I think it’s likely similar if not the same.
i also found it hard to find answers and I’m pretty sure I emailed them too without luck. What I have learned is their suggested hanging hight is for maximum par not maximum plant health.
They are powerful lights and I struggle to avoid light burn/stress. I would second what golfnrl said , and I think those hanging heights are a good starting point. Auorflowers can be more sensitive , remember they tend to be run with longer light periods like 18/6 20/4 , this must be considered. If you don’t know about DLI do some reading on that.
A par meter is a very useful piece of gear especially for beginners , there are also 1or 2 good apps that are a cheaper way to go. I use the Photone app which paired with an iPhone is very accurate , if you have android check their list of supported phones or you should probably follow their calibration procedure.

[Raistlin1968]

Thanks Smallgrow...I actually have the Photone app on my android which is really why I bought a new lamp..(old one was too cheap and DLI was sooo low). I started using about 10 days ago on my actual autoflowers that have about a week to go and I noticed light burn on one them after a couple of days.Will be trying out @golfnrl
advice with my nest grow.Thanks for the advice.

[Bluey]

Go to review sites such as MIGRO & DR.COCO
Likely you will find test results for that light there and download a light meter app for your smartphone and calibrate it using the test figures you can find...then use that to get a good idea of how much your canopy is getting and fine tune the light fir happy plants from there.