Lighting Help with led build.

[TheWeekendGrower]

Ok so I've been doing some research and this is what I have came up with.
Im going to have 2 led lights 1 for flower and one for veg or might just make one big light that holds all.


I plan to use citizen CLU048-1212 80CRI led's with 120mm heat sinks
Either 4 meanwell HLG-185H-48A or 4 HLG-320H-36B
with correct holder and reflector
Arctic thermal pad and mx4 compound and some wago 221 terminal blocks. I am also going to run 8 6500k cfls bulbs mainly for first week of veg. And during flower ill be using 8 uvb 200 bulbs.


Led's I plan to run
2700k-4
3000k-4
4000k-2
5000k-4
6500k-4
26 watt uvb-8
23 watt 6500k cfls-8

Ill draw up my plans and post a pic.

Any and all help is much appreciated

Everything look like it will work together?

My grow room is 3.5ft by 3.5ft by 8ft. Light fixture will be 36" by 36" with 9 total Led's



@BigSm0. @Slater.
@arty zan. @Son of Hobbes

 

[TheWeekendGrower]

Plans

 

[TheWeekendGrower]

It would be 9 Led's running 50 Watts each for a total of 450 Watts that should be a good grower and has whole light spectrum

 

[BigSm0]

Not that I expect you to change your plan but I will say this is way to much light. I run 450 watts over a 4x4 with 30" height above my scrog and regularly run into light stress problems. Another thing I'd like to add is mixing spectrums is not the best idea either. 3500k Cobs have one of the most complete spectrums on their own. Adding and mixing will have more disadvantages then advantages. There won't be an even spread above the plants. Some will receive much more blue while others more red. Which also affects plants differently at certain Stages of the grow. Some may veg slower but flower better. Plant heights may be quite a bit different too. Taller plants in veg will suffer during flower. While shorter plants in veg will be to far away from the flower specific cobs. The cfl's work ok on a budget but they are adding such a small percentage of useable light and drawing much more energy then it's worth. If it was a specific cfl grow that's one thing.

If you wanted to make a badass cob light I would do 2 rows of 3 3500k cobs and make a 2 cob center row with 4000k that would evenly spread out more blue across the whole tent as the cobs cover roughly 2x2. Blue in veg tends to increase resin production too. The 3500k is plenty good enough to aid in veg and flower some extremely large dense buds.

This is just 4 cobs in a 4x4 grow.
https://www.autoflower.org/threads/autocob-grow-with-big-sm0-and-mephisto.57154/

 

[TheWeekendGrower]

Yea Im unsure as to what Im going to do I may up the space to a 4x4x8 room but the main reason I want that much light is if I go to big I can always dim her down to get right light but the place Im buying my Led's is telling me to run 1 600 driver which would put each led at about 75 Watts unless I run 12 which would be at 50 Watts each I've got more research to do to see what I want to do but I so know Im building atleast 1 led this year. As for blending colors that was just a thought. I have to look at the graphs for the cobs and see what's the best route it seems like the 3500k will work but I don't want to drop 450$ on 1 light and me not like it.

It seems that 1 50 watt cob will cover a 12"x12" space fairly well so that's y I was saying 9 total Led's even if I run 9 3500k flower and 9 6500k veg. So when I get plants that can take more light its there. Atleast thats my thoughts on the matter.

By the looks of everything Im either going to run 5 or 6 Led's would be a little more cost effective and more usable light for the plants problem is I always think when it comes to light the more the better but I have to realize that its inside and more/bigger is not always better but hey thats why I come to this fine place to pick brighter ppls minds lol

 

[Puddentane]

I am learning this first hand. Keep the lighting system as simple and independent as possible. The ability to change the height of lights and not have to fight with the different systems in a tent would be very nice. I got a decent light system from cobbling allot of different lights together, but the maintenance is tedious to put it mildly.

If I was building out from scratch I would opt for 90 cri 3500K's at whatever spacing you deem to be suitable to your space. The idea of independent lights is big in my eyes due to the ability to make adjustments to placement based on the variations in your canopy. That might come into even greater play towards the end of the grow. I think that next time I would remote all the power and drivers out of the tent as well. I would rather have the cable run than the clutter and loss of space in a small tent.

 

[TheWeekendGrower]

I am learning this first hand. Keep the lighting system as simple and independent as possible. The ability to change the height of lights and not have to fight with the different systems in a tent would be very nice. I got a decent light system from cobbling allot of different lights together, but the maintenance is tedious to put it mildly.

If I was building out from scratch I would opt for 90 cri 3500K's at whatever spacing you deem to be suitable to your space. The idea of independent lights is big in my eyes due to the ability to make adjustments to placement based on the variations in your canopy. That might come into even greater play towards the end of the grow. I think that next time I would remote all the power and drivers out of the tent as well. I would rather have the cable run than the clutter and loss of space in a small tent.

I like that idea as well mount the drivers to the outside wall and run 6 individual lights. And adjust as needed

 

[Dudeski]

I built a small separate frame for the driver. You have to make sure that you dont have too much wire between the driver and cobs. There is a loss of amperage, im not an electrician.
I limited mine to 5ft from driver to cob.
I have not been able to find any defined limits for this distance. Just wanted to put that thought out.

 

[TheWeekendGrower]

I built a small separate frame for the driver. You have to make sure that you dont have too much wire between the driver and cobs. There is a loss of amperage, im not an electrician.
I limited mine to 5ft from driver to cob.
I have not been able to find any defined limits for this distance. Just wanted to put that thought out.

Yea that makes sense now I just need to find a driver that will run 6 leds. After looking at the graphs I've decided to run 3500k 90cri lights and would like to run them at 50 Watts for flower and for veg Im still not sure to run 6500 or 4000 cause Im under the understanding that the most important time for an auto is veg.

 

[Dudeski]

Im using 3500k, they have worked well!