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12-11-2010, 08:28 PM #15
Senior Member
suggestions on my LED lights set up
Hey Tuna let me try to give you some more insight on LEDs and lighting.
When an LED (just the diode) is said to be 635nm for example, that is it's peak wavelenght. If you look at it's spectrum graph you'll see that it is a bell curve, with the peak of the curve @ 635 but it has light output above and below that. In the case of a Cree 635, the bell curve is not symetrical. It has slightly more output above 635 then below.
Also talking abt diodes, while we call diode's 1w, 2w, 3w, 5w, 10w or even the 15w ones, you can not run them to that spec. For example a 10w diode will probably run abt 7-8 watts when properly set up. In the case of a DIY hybred light I built, it uses 240 red Cree's that are "2w" each. But I have the current limited to 650ma each so each "2w" diode is only using 1.75 watts, or all 240 of them equals 420watts, not including power consumed by power supplies or drivers.
While it might be nice to have an all LED grow setup, that becomes costly and there are cheaper ways to go.
For clonning or seedlings, all you need is a floroescent tube or even CFL to get the job done. A single 4' T5 HO fixture can be had for abt $35 including a 6500k tube which will work great. If you want to be "trick" abt it you could substitue a Actinic white tube that is really very blue dominate.
For vegging, a LED light comes into it's own, you can do that with a 2 band light. Red and blue is all it takes. A blue diode @ abt 440nm would provide all the blue you need to hit both A&B chloryphill peaks. For red 660nm can't be beat but if a few 635nm where thrown in then better still.
For flowering, a LED light that you used above will work, just need more total watts. Plus if you want to add 730nm far red a much cheaper way to get that is to use a incandescent halogen bulb. A 100w Halogen is like $5, plus they make them in different wattages and they all screw into a regular edison socket.
Speaking of wattages you need, it is hard to know sitting where I am. A lot depends on how big an area your grow is, and also how you grow. I am a firm believer in SOG size plants, finished hgt less then 18" tho most of mine run 14-16". At this size plant light "penertration" is a non-issue. It's just a matter of cramming in alot of plants into the area you have.
Hope I shed some light on the issue.
OM
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