Are my QB288 V2 boards from 2018 comparable to the new HLG stuff?

[SandyLorax]

Hey afn fam - In 2018 I purchased 4 of the HLG quantum boards QB288 V2 and a meanwell HLG-600H-54B driver. I built a frame and have had many good runs in my 5x5.

I have not been paying attention to the light game. I recently bought my friends a 3x3 grow setup for a wedding present and I purchased cheaper amazon light with knock-off quantum boards with the red chips on them too. Their plants looked better than mine and I gave them the same super soil I use and gave them the seeds!

That got me thinking, are my older lights still top tier, could I be getting larger yields? Should I upgrade my boards or add any red spectrum?

The last time I checked when the next version of the HLG boards came out the differences were marginal. Is that still the case?

Thanks for any input!

 

[MesaBoogie]

I havn't been paying much attention to lights lately but I'm pretty sure they are still using the same LM301B/H diodes. You maybe have to check if your friend has a greener thumb. Just tell your friend he has more Co2 in his room to reduce bragging.

 

[Dr.Bubbles]

I'm sure the newest best thing is always shiny and better....usually. I'm sure that's the case with the quantum entangled photon blasters. BUT, modern LEDs have been on point for the last 7 years. Anything quality from the "modern" age is gonna be stellar.

I got some Citizen Gen 6 1825 COBs @ 3500°K and the pair are fucking brutal. My buddy grew a Dutch Passion Auto Euforia in a DWC rig with serious biological activity in the bucket. Under the 1825 pair. It smelled like an open sewer. That plant wasn't my favorite by a lot....but my god did she get fuckin huge. That one yielded close to a kilo, in the 900 range. I sold it all. It's like growing money on trees. And that was with a fucking COB that is like a grandpa night light. Not really, it's more like a white dwarf, but still....grandpa is creepin

 

[>Potato]

https://cre.science/en/lm301h-vs-lm301b/

"After Samsung recognized that its LEDs for plant lighting are very competitive, the PPF / PPE values for the "normal" flagship, the LM301B, will first be released in 2018. The stated 2.92 µmol/J are impressive! "

Personally Id grow under the lights I bought until I needed to buy new ones (because they broke were unfeasible economically) or add more lights because the plants needed more light/were suffering

 

[elcoloan]

Hey afn fam - In 2018 I purchased 4 of the HLG quantum boards QB288 V2 and a meanwell HLG-600H-54B driver. I built a frame and have had many good runs in my 5x5.

I have not been paying attention to the light game. I recently bought my friends a 3x3 grow setup for a wedding present and I purchased cheaper amazon light with knock-off quantum boards with the red chips on them too. Their plants looked better than mine and I gave them the same super soil I use and gave them the seeds!

That got me thinking, are my older lights still top tier, could I be getting larger yields? Should I upgrade my boards or add any red spectrum?

The last time I checked when the next version of the HLG boards came out the differences were marginal. Is that still the case?

Thanks for any input!

how many diodes does your friends light have? if it has more compared to yours that could explain his better results. or he just got better phenos and/or a greener thumb.

and yes, HLG now has the Diablo boards which are the same size as de qb288s but have 666 diodes , so these many diodes vs the 288 diodes of the qb288 mark a big difference.

 

[SandyLorax]

Thanks for the replies, everybody. I am not looking to replace a working light, just wondering if I am missing much.

Is the red spectrum that is now included with the newer quantum boards (HLG and off-brands) worth adding to my setup? My QB boards are all 3500k, no 660nm or 730nm red.

The light I bought for my friend is the MAXSISUN PB2000 I bought on amazon. From the listing: Full Spectrum Ideal for all Growth Phases: MAXISUN light spectrum is tailored by 3500K warm white, 5000K neutral white, a few 660nm deep red, and 730nm to optimize plant growth in

 

[>Potato]

It could be beginner's luck...

 

[>Potato]

the next step in LED light technology is the lm301h EVO chip

 

[>Potato]

You could ask @pop22 if HLG is implementing the EVO chips I think he works for them if i am not mistaken