I need to build a good ~300w LED lighting panel with different colored LEDs i dont know a whole lot about electronics but really need to plan on building a few of these if anyone can help me on where to get just the LEDs and how to go about making this that would be great
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ArcticMyst Security by Avery
LED Lighting Panel
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Meatball
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What will be the application be? Do you need to be able to change colors? Manually? To music? DMX? What are you thinking? What do you really want to do with them?
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May I suggest a High Pressure Sodium lamp? It is a FAR more simple project, FAR cheaper, requires little/no active cooling, and is probably more efficient.
We were going to use the HPS light and a MH light, its much cheaper initially and works alright. I was just checking with the gurus on here to see if the LED was a viable solution because i would almost never have to replace the LEDs with the 50k hour lifespan. We also wanted to use LED because they produce almost no heat and can place the device right on top of the plants for more growth vs 3 ft away because of heat, also a 1000w hps (350w led equivalent) raises the electric bill around $30 a month and since we would be using around 5 of those thats a lot of money saved every month.
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The 50K hours lifespan is only for the 5mm LEDs, only if the driver is ripple-free and surge-proof, and ONLY if they're in a cool environment. Each red LED needs 2V @ 20mA = 40mW. For an input power of 300W, you'd need to wire up ~7500 of them. How much is your labor worth to you?
I've seen this thrown around before, but I'm going to need more quantitative data. I know a plant's response is almost the opposite of ours, but since the SPECTRUM of HPS and the LEDs you propose are similar, I would think the luminous efficacy values would also be similar. HPS is 130lm/W, and you're claiming for a similar spectrum that LEDs would be 400lm/W, and that's just ridiculous.
I'll ask another source I have.
I've seen this thrown around before, but I'm going to need more quantitative data. I know a plant's response is almost the opposite of ours, but since the SPECTRUM of HPS and the LEDs you propose are similar, I would think the luminous efficacy values would also be similar. HPS is 130lm/W, and you're claiming for a similar spectrum that LEDs would be 400lm/W, and that's just ridiculous.
I'll ask another source I have.
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If you have around 2k go for a plasma. 
LED Grow Light - Chameleon Grow Systems - Scientifically Controlled Grow Systems
LED Grow Light - Chameleon Grow Systems - Scientifically Controlled Grow Systems
Yeah thats whats stated on most LED growing light sites, it would be a temperature regulated room so im hoping they would last a long time if not still save money per month, as far as wiring i dont know much about it but if i did learn i would take the time to make the whole board. would it really be 7500 LEDs? it seemed like they used less than 500 on the ones that are sold.
I have never seen the plasma lights before ill have to check when i get home
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the website you are looking at is just trying to sell you. I would listen to cyp. I rarely see him wrong.
michael.
michael.
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Here's vid on the bulb.
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Well, assuming they are the conventional 5mm LEDs, 500 * 20mA * 2V = 20 watts for red, or 500 * 3.6 * 20mA = 36W if they're blue. If they're the "high power" kind, they will NOT last for 50,000 hours.
A 1KW HPS lamp is $30 and lasts for 20,000 hours (NOT a BS rating). and the ballast is $70 or so depending on where you look, and lasts decades if not forever. If we were to assume the LED claims were right, and you'd only need 350W, at what point would you break even considering power costs?
A 1KW HPS lamp is $30 and lasts for 20,000 hours (NOT a BS rating). and the ballast is $70 or so depending on where you look, and lasts decades if not forever. If we were to assume the LED claims were right, and you'd only need 350W, at what point would you break even considering power costs?
00Giorge
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I used to work at a green house that grew cannabis and some other plants for resarch purposes, the used MH for growing and HPS for flowering. Your light needs depend on what you are growing and weather you want the lights for flowering or for folage dictates the spectrum you need. If you don't get the spectrum right your plants will be sickly looking.
(Edit) It was in Idaho also and 1 1000W MH in Idaho will only cost about $15 dollars a month and during the cold months also helps heat the room, the same for an HPS. I was a farmer in Idaho until I was 30 and worked for some research and seed companies. My wife at the time also worked for and still works for the USDA as a microbiologist for agricultural research.
(Edit) It was in Idaho also and 1 1000W MH in Idaho will only cost about $15 dollars a month and during the cold months also helps heat the room, the same for an HPS. I was a farmer in Idaho until I was 30 and worked for some research and seed companies. My wife at the time also worked for and still works for the USDA as a microbiologist for agricultural research.
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one key note... if you are indeed talking about growing cannibis, the dark cycle is just as important. you get the strongest buds when you can create total darkness for the correct period of time. So you might just want to go the more traditional mh or hps to same money up front.
michael.
michael.
00Giorge
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Chip you are right but this also goes for whatever you are growing, 16 to 18 hours of light for growing and for flowering you decrease the light time to 8 hours. This applies to whatever type of plant you are growing. They also injected CO2 into the growing rooms after everyone was out of the room along with fans for plant stimulation.
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also, i didn't state clearly, closer to total darkness the better.
