Hi everyone. I'm looking at switching over to a quantum board but i'm hoping someone might be able to give me their guidance on what would work given my small grow space. I currently have a dual spec 150w hps in my cabinet which is 45cm(18in)x45cm(18in)x80cm(31in) but i struggle with temps in the summer which can reach upto 30C. So i've been doing as much research as possible and i'm thinking something like this would work if it was dimmed right down? Source LED Quantum boards 288 Samsung 561C S6 top bin diodes full kit with heatsink and meanwell driver on m.alibaba.com But is that price right for a kit or is this not a reputable supplier because I thought they would be closer to this price Source 288 Samsung LM561C Top Bin Quantum Board LED Grow light on m.alibaba.com
I'm not sure if buying one or 2 is going to be worthwhile on Alibaba. You need quantity to get them at a reasonable price. I was asking various suppliers for a dozen boards (which is still very small order), and the price I was getting was around the $40-50 mark by the time you factor in shipping and fees. For ~2.5 cu ft, you'd need around 75 watts. If you want easy plug n play, just go with something like this.. for $100 including the driver.
Thouy should check out this thread. All you would need to know about Alibaba boards. alternative to HLG's quantom boards... the supplier! Check out my first grow log: First ever grow: How do the girls look?
Get the real deal from HLG. For your small space all you need is the HLG100 kit - that will be plenty of light for that space. For $149, you get everything you need plus you know its the real deal - with the Alibaba sellers, you have no way of knowing what diode they are using. One guy from RUI tested his board and found out the light levels were much lower than they should have been because they swapped diodes on him - they used cheaper low bin 561B instead of 561C.
You could go with an HLG 100 but honestly the HLG65 is in the coverage area for flowering for your 18"x18" space. The rated flowering area for an HLG65 is 1x2ft which is 2 square feet. Your foot print is 2.25 square feet. Horticulture Lighting Group 65 Watt Quantum Board LED Lamp I also have a dimmer that is plug and play with that kit for cheap. www.amazon.com/TronicsPros-12V-24V-Controller-Connector-Monochrome/dp/B016TLH9D4/ref=sr_1_3?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1530323873&sr=1-3&keywords=dc+led+light+dimmer#customerReviews
I feel like you'd need a dimmer for the HLG100 in veg in that small of space, but you would be better served with one in flower. I'm sure if you looked you could find a dimmer in the voltage/current range for the HLG100 as well.
HLG has an exclusive contract with samsung. They always get first pick on the top bin diodes. Samsung built a factory for making all of HLG boards directly now since the qb288v2 with the new 301b diode. The HLG100 and the HLG65 are older boards not built by samsung. The first board that has came out of their new factory is the qb288v2.
Just so you know I own 6 qb120 boards myself and run 4 to veg my 4x4 in 4k so I know what these lights can do.
Just chillin like gilligan. I hurt my back so I've been a lazy grower lately but they're still turning out nice.
Nice to see you on here again. I reference your strip built light all the time. Have you seen my qb120 thread in indoor growing? It's got 50,000 views since last sep?
I just started a new run with some new Samsung F series strips. So far they are growing like … well... Weeds:
There is a way to go a different route. I dug up this parts list today for a 100 watt samsung LM561c powered led light for about 100 bucks. This one has a heatsink. HLG QB120 boards in 3k in stock for $29. Post number 2,191. Growmau5 teamed up with Chilled and I think inspired by HLG after he built his HLG powered fixtures. They built a direct cob replacement that's round. This has been talked about on this thread a while back I think but I never really addressed them. ChilLED Logic 100W PCB $58 each. They sell heatsinks for them. Up to 100 watts each. 140mm Pin Heatsink $19 "For budget limited growers we suggest the following configurations: 2' x 4' space: 3 pucks in series on one HLG-320H-C2100B driver 4' x 4' space: 6 pucks in series on two HLG-320H-C2100B drivers or in parallel on one HLG-600H-48B 5' x 5' space: 9 pucks in series on three HLG-320H-C2100B drivers For performance/efficiency minded growers we suggest the following configurations: 2' x 4' space: 4 pucks in series on one HLG-480H-C1750B driver 4' x 4' space: 9 pucks in series on three HLG-320H-C2100B drivers or in parallel on one HLG-600H-48B 5' x 5' space: 12 pucks in series on three HLG-320H-C2100B drivers" All I would say is I don't know why they recommend B series drivers unless you want the extra work of wiring a remote dimmer and resistor in another circuit. If you get the identical A series driver at the end of the model number it will have a built in dimmer under a rubber screw on the driver ready to go. I may have just found the perfect budget driver for a single one of those round 100 watt boards. https://www.arrow.com/en/products/lrs-100-48/mean-well-enterprises $15 the LRS-100-48v. They have a wall mount flange. So $58 for a board, $19 for a heatsink, That's 80 after shipping. Another $15 for the driver and change means $100 for a 100 watt fixture. Not bad. That last link is for a $15 driver that will power a single one of those 100 watt round boards.
When I first set the light up in there the plant that was in there under my old Roleadro couldn't handle it and went into shock for two weeks. I had to dim it down to about 50 watts.
That 100 watt fixture will stomp the pants off of a 150 watt hps in output and run less then half the heat.
I had to redo all of my feeding and temp routines after I switched to all HLG lighting but I've got it dialed in now. They like a high temp room for rapid growth. 80-82 is my target temp.
Yeah, I got a little heater in there to keep mine at about 80. The new seedlings sure seem to like it so far.