Lighting Cobkits Light Engines!

[pop22]

I was looking for a way to add light to my tents, without buying a full blown growlight or kit. Cobkits to the rescue!

( www.cobkits.com )

Cobkits has a nice selection of diy parts for building growlights. He specializes in Citizen cobs. Citizen is becoming quite popular with diy builders as they produce great bang for the buck! Example: the CLU048-1818 chip matches thew performance of the Cree CXB 3590, and about 50 watts, can be more efficient, yet priced much lower than the CXB. And there is nothing cheap about the citi cobs! These are fine, Japanese craftmanship. I am currently running a DIY kit from Northern Growlights that uses 4 Citizen CLU-048-1825 chips running at 75 watts each, for 51% efficiency!

I've also wanted to experiment witrh active cooling. I'm discounting all the fud about failing fans, etc. In 20 years of working on/with pcs by the hundreds, the percentage of fan failures was really very low. I may add a thermal switch to these, undecided as yet.

These light engines are built with Iceled active heatsinks. They come pre-built with your chioce of chip from the Citizen lineup. These are using the 1818 chips and include a Ledil reflector. Cobkits hand wires and assembles them. He solders the wiring direct to the chip and mounts them directly to the heatsink. the reflector actually screws to the heatsink.

This little heatsink is good up to 200 watts! I plan to run these at around 75 watts each. For now, I'll using these to boost light levels in the ducksfoot tent by supplementing the crappy Apollo light thats in there.

I've not decided what driver to use. Thought you should know too, cobkits is a good source for drivers also!
I got a Meanwell APV 12-12 power supply for the fans, a 12V, 1.0 amp.

 

[Dr Fluff]

I was looking for a way to add light to my tents, without buying a full blown growlight or kit. Cobkits to the rescue!

( www.cobkits.com )

Cobkits has a nice selection of diy parts for building growlights. He specializes in Citizen cobs. Citizen is becoming quite popular with diy builders as they produce great bang for the buck! Example: the CLU048-1818 chip matches thew performance of the Cree CXB 3590, and about 50 watts, can be more efficient, yet priced much lower than the CXB. And there is nothing cheap about the citi cobs! These are fine, Japanese craftmanship. I am currently running a DIY kit from Northern Growlights that uses 4 Citizen CLU-048-1825 chips running at 75 watts each, for 51% efficiency!

I've also wanted to experiment witrh active cooling. I'm discounting all the fud about failing fans, etc. In 20 years of working on/with pcs by the hundreds, the percentage of fan failures was really very low. I may add a thermal switch to these, undecided as yet.

These light engines are built with Iceled active heatsinks. They come pre-built with your chioce of chip from the Citizen lineup. These are using the 1818 chips and include a Ledil reflector. Cobkits hand wires and assembles them. He solders the wiring direct to the chip and mounts them directly to the heatsink. the reflector actually screws to the heatsink.

This little heatsink is good up to 200 watts! I plan to run these at around 75 watts each. For now, I'll using these to boost light levels in the ducksfoot tent by supplementing the crappy Apollo light thats in there.

I've not decided what driver to use. Thought you should know too, cobkits is a good source for drivers also!
I got a Meanwell APV 12-12 power supply for the fans, a 12V, 1.0 amp.

View attachment 665199 View attachment 665200

Good stuff pop!:smoking:
I look forward to more updates!

 

[pop22]

Thanks arty!

I've got a couple spare Meanwell HLG-H185-c1050 drivers, may use one and run them at 50 watts.

here's some info on these chips. This data from Citizen is conservative. Testing has show their chips tro average 3% better efficiency than stated. 50% efficient at 50 watts! I'm considering building a frame and mounting 12-16 of them for a vertical grow.

 

[Dr Fluff]

Thanks arty!

I've got a couple spare Meanwell HLG-H185-c1050 drivers, may use one and run them at 50 watts.

here's some info on these chips. This data from Citizen is conservative. Testing has show their chips tro average 3% better efficiency than stated. 50% efficient at 50 watts! I'm considering building a frame and mounting 12-16 of them for a vertical grow.

View attachment 665201

Great stuff pop I love it when people add all the relevant details!
I'm liking the sound of it, you've been mentioning doing a vertical build/grow for a while now!

 

[pop22]

I've wanted to for a long time, yes. But I wanted LOTS of light first. If I'm going to run vert, I want 1 pound plus crops!

Great stuff pop I love it when people add all the relevant details!
I'm liking the sound of it, you've been mentioning doing a vertical build/grow for a while now!

 

[BigSm0]

You will be very happy with them. Singles are a great way to get that extra bump you need. The down side is the need for 2 additional drivers to make it work. Even that's not a big deal but the way to stretch the power to the driver to the fixture gets me. I bought a few engines and the performance is great, cooling is great the umbilical cord kinda sucks.

 

[Puddentane]

This diy cob thing is the perfect solution for my hands on type of projects. I cannot see going any other direction for my own needs. The really nice thing about the solo engines that are showing up out there pre built is that they offer the grower that uses regular store bought lighting the chance to pinpoint of supercharge their systems. It's a win win regardless of how you grow. I have been using some of the cheap bottom end Chinese cobs due to cost and my broke ass for the winter. It was a quantum leap up from what I had running.

Now having said that. I don't want to say a single disparaging comment about the grow lights out there. They will get it done. I grew some small but potent bud last winter with a Mars 300 and a couple of led and cfl's. Thanks Mars. You got me stoned. And I didn't have to know a damned thing about lighting to do it.

I think of it as a journey. It is it's own reward. And the change in production volume and potency are nice to note. Looking for that point where the cost to weight ratio stalls and that is where I will stay. Of course, I might be willing to go a bit further to grow some of the monsters I see lurking around in these forums. You guys got skills.

 

[pop22]

Unlike some forums........ we won't bash anything that's been shown to work. I still have a couple Mars Hydro lights in use, one for almost 3 years. They have served me well. BUT, they are way behind the curve in performance and efficiency. I set a limit on power usage in my growroom of 2600 watts total, including airconditioning. I just replaced 685 watts of Chinese lights with 300 watts of Citizen cobs. WHAT a difference! The other lights grew greaty plants, SUCKED at bud production. Buds on big, healthy plants grew to no more than grape size due to not enought light. NOW I'm growing BUDs again!

This diy cob thing is the perfect solution for my hands on type of projects. I cannot see going any other direction for my own needs. The really nice thing about the solo engines that are showing up out there pre built is that they offer the grower that uses regular store bought lighting the chance to pinpoint of supercharge their systems. It's a win win regardless of how you grow. I have been using some of the cheap bottom end Chinese cobs due to cost and my broke ass for the winter. It was a quantum leap up from what I had running.

Now having said that. I don't want to say a single disparaging comment about the grow lights out there. They will get it done. I grew some small but potent bud last winter with a Mars 300 and a couple of led and cfl's. Thanks Mars. You got me stoned. And I didn't have to know a damned thing about lighting to do it.

I think of it as a journey. It is it's own reward. And the change in production volume and potency are nice to note. Looking for that point where the cost to weight ratio stalls and that is where I will stay. Of course, I might be willing to go a bit further to grow some of the monsters I see lurking around in these forums. You guys got skills.

 

[Puddentane]

Unlike some forums........ we won't bash anything that's been shown to work. I still have a couple Mars Hydro lights in use, one for almost 3 years. They have served me well. BUT, they are way behind the curve in performance and efficiency. I set a limit on power usage in my growroom of 2600 watts total, including airconditioning. I just replaced 685 watts of Chinese lights with 300 watts of Citizen cobs. WHAT a difference! The other lights grew greaty plants, SUCKED at bud production. Buds on big, healthy plants grew to no more than grape size due to not enought light. NOW I'm growing BUDs again!


View attachment 665213

You make me drool at the prospect of what is to come. Next year I think I will be using what I have to veg and early production in a cabinet and then move them to the main tent for the flowering phase. If I can get this cabinet sorted out I intend to start that on the next run to a limited extent. And yes, the sizes are probably going to be down but I gotta make do with what I have at hand for the moment. the plants certainly don't seem to be missing out as yet. I would love to see some of the older production you ran with the Chinese light systems if you have a link to them. reading is the best way to see what I am up against and get up to speed in a hurry. Time will hopefully come when I can run a cabinet for seedlings, my current 2x4 tent for veg, and a 4 x8 for flower. that would just please the hell out of me. Teach me pop, so that I may learn. SmO has made a great deal of difference in that arena. This site is about learning and sharing. Leaving the bickering and pecker measuring to the others. Gonna do an up date on the grow later this afternoon so you might chime in and keep me pointed in the right direction. My needs and problems are not unique, but my resources for dealing with them are.

This is a great place to learn and veg...

 

[pop22]

$60+ shipping will get you one just like mine! add a driver for as little as $32. pop that in next to what you have, you'll get a boost! Total ppfd is what's important in the beggining. Replace the chinese lights a little at a time with good cobs. Even one of these added to an existing garden will turn your buds from Nice to..... Wow!

You make me drool at the prospect of what is to come. Next year I think I will be using what I have to veg and early production in a cabinet and then move them to the main tent for the flowering phase. If I can get this cabinet sorted out I intend to start that on the next run to a limited extent. And yes, the sizes are probably going to be down but I gotta make do with what I have at hand for the moment. the plants certainly don't seem to be missing out as yet. I would love to see some of the older production you ran with the Chinese light systems if you have a link to them. reading is the best way to see what I am up against and get up to speed in a hurry. Time will hopefully come when I can run a cabinet for seedlings, my current 2x4 tent for veg, and a 4 x8 for flower. that would just please the hell out of me. Teach me pop, so that I may learn. SmO has made a great deal of difference in that arena. This site is about learning and sharing. Leaving the bickering and pecker measuring to the others. Gonna do an up date on the grow later this afternoon so you might chime in and keep me pointed in the right direction. My needs and problems are not unique, but my resources for dealing with them are.

This is a great place to learn and veg...