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LED light costs dropping ??? - !!!

W

wordwiz

I was searching for a specific variety of a plant and stumbled on this site. A 120 watt panel that is suppose to be equal to a 400 watt HPS for just a bit over $200. Of course, that's their claim which is worth nothing. But I spoke with a rep last night and she is going to try to get more technical data, specifically the light intensity at the 2.5' from the middle distance. But a year ago, a similar panel would have been double the cost.

Keeping my fingers crossed they are as powerful as claimed.

Mike
 
Al,

Darn it, the original post had a live link in it. http://www.thegreenleaf.biz/120_watt_LED_s.html

The lady said she was getting 2800 lux at three feet. If my conversion factors are correct, that's about equal to 23K lux from an HPS bulb, in terms of PAR energy. Temper that with the way LED lights work - they are very directional and do not spread out like other lights do.

Jessica is suppose to let me know the Lux reading 2.5 feet from the center of the panel. IF, a big IF, they are decent (>2000 Lux) I am going to try one.

Mike
 
Not bad prices on the LEDs. Also, pretty good prices on everything else too. A whois shows they've only been online for 6 months.

I wonder if their 'free shipping' policy applies to us in the frozen North? I'm going to give 'em a call tomorrow.
 
Yeah, with a .biz address they haven't been around a long, long time! I've been talking to a person named Jessica. She seems very helpful.

Mike
 
It is a mom and pop shop - Jessica and Wayne. They made me an offer I could not refuse and I didn't - ordered a 120-watt panel today. Got the R/B/O one and hopefully will have it set up with tomatoes, peppers and basil under it next week. Not that I expect it, but if it can cover 5 linear feet, three of those will cost about the same as four 400-watt HPS systems but will save me a little over $300 per 120-day grow season.

Mike
 
So what would it cost to build a 120 watt LED panel using 80 percent 630 nm, 10 percent 610 nm and 10 percent 460 nm bulbs? $75?

Mike
 
Say the unit will have 96 red (630 nm), and 12 each of blue (460) and orange (610) plus the circuit board, driver, etc. I would buy enough to make 10 units.

Mike
 
meh.
Low powered 5mm LEDs are no good for anything but starting seeds, and even at that they're not much better than fluoro tubes until the plant gets a few true leafs. Rolling your own by poking a bajillion low powered 5mm LEDs into a radio shack breadboard is fine if you're looking for a science project or something to do with a lot of idle time, but you're not saving any money over just using a throwaway shoplight or a socketed CFL and you will not get the lumens needed for full growth from 5mm LEDs.
That being said, the lights at the link are not built using low-powered 5mm leds. Most of the 'UFO' type lights that are currently on the market are hecho en china using cheap communist chinese counterfeit power supplies and cheap communist chinese counterfeit Luxeon 1 watt LEDs.
What's curious is that this particular business infers that they build their own. They also state 'We will repair any LED Grow Lights. (replace bulbs, increase LUX output, or just make your current light better).' That's pretty interesting, since with the exception of the VERY high end (and VERY expensive) custom liquid cooled models on the market today, almost every other business is nothing more than a reseller of cheap communist chinese shit, and they don't want anything to do with you after the sale.

I may have to give them a shout and see if they want to hack some traffic lights for a little blue balance, heheheee.
 
Hinky,

I disagree - tremendously. I bought a 54-watt panel from a couple in Missouri who made it themselves. They buy the case, bulbs and transformer then assemble the panels. It was quite powerful - good enough to grow a nice-size Bhut pepper that had lots of blooms on it. Unfortunately, it was my first foray into hydro and I managed to mess it up pretty bad, losing all the blossoms and quite a few leaves. Then some plants I was trying to overwinter apparently had aphids on them and they feasted on the plants.

Will it compete with a 400 watt HPS? I don't know - yet. But I will be testing it in about two months (I need 14 tomato seedlings large enough to transplant into 7-gallon pots.

Mike
 
Mike-
I didn't mean that as a swipe at you or on the linked business above, sorry if it came across as such. My comment about hecho en china UFO-type lights and, for that matter, the 14 and 50/54 watt panels, was directed at those products sold on Amazon and Ebay and the vast majority of local and internet storefronts- almost every one of them that I've come in contact with are just resold communist chinese crap with really poor MTBF. That's why I was impressed that this particular business appears to be making their own.
What I was trying to say was do exactly what you appear to do- homework on the product and the seller before the sale.
 
Hinky,

I DID misunderstand! Sorry about that. I wasn't aware that it was a Mom & Pop shop until this weekend. I noticed that Jessica's e-mail address was dwayne@ whatever but when I called to ask her a question the guy on the other end answered as Dwayne. So I just asked and he was blunt - did not try to hide anything. Like I said, I had a very good experience dealing with Gary and Barbie Rucker on lights and hydro equipment (after a couple of sales she even told me I ought to make the stuff myself as shipping was the most expensive part!) and wasn't scared about doing business with these guys. She also didn't try to BS me about the power - 2800 lux at 3 ft., not that lux really counts for much. But I could compare it to my 54 watt which registers about 2,000 at 15."

I just wish they would build it quicker, as she said it will be Wednesday before it ships.

Mike
 
That has been my experience with most LED panels as well, and China can get bent for all I care. I try my absolute best not to support them.
I am interested to see how these ones perform. If they do well enough I may pick up 3-4 panels and bring my peppers indoors.

Hey Hinky, your avatar... M92 is a fun little bastard isn't it. I love mine.
 
J,

I have six tomato plants, all cuttings, that will go under it, along with some basil seedlings and maybe a 7-pod, cotton, Walking Kale, cilantro and a couple of other seedlings.

Like you, I am am hoping they work great - I may get an extra 120 sq. ft. of space to grow plants indoors this fall and coming winter. Seriously, I can see me growing 1200 tomato plants a year (400 at a time, three times a year).

Mike
 
Mike- why not keep growing the same plants? I've not yet done it, but I know that toms are perennials so you should be able to keep growing, no?

J- yep, it's a fun toy. Mario at POHF in Mesa AZ built mine.
 
Hinky,

I plan to do it with some plants, or as long as they keep producing. But some of the plants will be in the garden and others in the GH so when real cold temps get here, they will be gone!

Mike
 
Got and installed the light today - late afternoon. I have six tomato plants (three in the blooming stage, three cuttings) some basil, broccoli, and tomato seedings that I transplanted this evening under it. Great coverage over 3.5 feet, not so great if I try to go 4.5'.

Pics tomorrow since my camera does not do well under R/B/O light.

Mike
 
OK, a couple of pics. The first one is tomatoes I have been growing under either a 150 watt HPS or a 105-watt CFL then a 54-watt LED. It's interesting to see the blooms apparently do not absorb any red, blue or orange light and still appear as yellow flowers!

311bigtoms.jpg


I had some basil seedlings left over so I figured I might as well try three of these:

311basil.jpg


It will be educational to see how the plants do. Gotta add a 7-pod tonight. Four plants, started December 26, that are outgrowing their 3" cells.

Mike
 
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