I am going to build some diy lights with 4000k 155 lm/watt light strips. How many watts should I have for heavy flowering in the 4x4? Furthermore, can anyone suggest a good layout for the lights, using either the xlg/hlg 240/320 watt version drivers? My light strips are about 20 or 22 inches long. Thanks. Edited to say: I would like to lay out my lights so they will cover the canopy for flowering in the 4x4 tent, but also two of them should be able to work in a closet that is 77x25 1/2.
What exact light strips are you looking at? What is the forward voltage and resistance? Two 240's at full power would do it, or could go two 320's and keep them turned down. Depending on the type of light strip you want to aim to have anywhere from 30-50w per square foot if you plan on using the whole tent.
Multiply your grow space and divide that by lights watts you want at least 30 watts a sqft 4x4=16 720÷16=45 watts a sqft. I wouldnt want anything under 600watts for a 4x4 for 37 watts a sqft you can get away with 500 tho for 31 watts a sqft. I prefer bar style led for better canopy coverage wall to wall
This is what I was thinking. Especially given the lower lumen efficiency of these strips. On a different note, would it make sense to make two wide, long 240 watt arrays (4 strips each) maybe 3 feet by 22 inches, then make one separate array with two strips wide and two strips long, for 8 inches by 44 inches, and cram this latter one into the space the two shorter light arrays don't cover? Ideally I would like to use the 240 watt version of xlg driver, because it fits the wattage of the strips perfectly and it's only ~75 bucks Canadian plus tax, with free shipping. Sent from my SM-A205G using Grasscity Forum mobile app
I just wanted to confirm this idea. I heard someone else say they like the way homemade strip lights cover the canopy so much better. I will see what I can get away with with the dimensions I am dealing with. Sent from my SM-A205G using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Strip lights or bar lights? They aren't the same strip lights are low end LEDs not made for growing cannabis. Bar lights is what I have and prefer for canopy coverage wall to wall Good luck bud hopefully it'll work out the way you want it to
Not "strip lights", sorry, like not the 60 watt ones you can buy at canadian tire for 60 bucks CDN, rather led modules in the form of "light strips" ie., numerous diodes attached to a strip, and you take however many strips you need and attach the positives/negatives in a certain way and run them off the appropriate driver.
The first pic is my garden with the light I'm currently running, and the second pic is one of the Samsung light strips I was going to use. These particular strips are 4000k, 60 watts a piece and get a base lumen efficacy of 155 lm/watt.
Lighting Terms to Ignore | EYE Hortilux Lighting Terms To Ignore Lumens, Kelvin Temperature, CRI All these terms are standard lighting measurements that tell us how the light looks to the HUMAN EYE. These terms do not represent the quality of a light spectrum nor do they take into account the McCree Curve.