Lighting Did the deed. New Par meter on its way.

[Olderfart]

Anyone used one of these?

Reviews seemed reasonable, so I bit. As far as I know it is close to the cheapest actual par meter out there. I got mine on Ebay, but the same vendor is also on Amazon in both USA and Canada.

 

[Filthy_Casual]

No idea, something I'd one day like to have on hand.

 

[Olderfart]

No idea, something I'd one day like to have on hand.

I will report back when I get it. I intend to use it to put together a par map for my screw in LED setup. It will be interesting to see if it confirms my earlier calculations.

Unfortunately, this outfit also makes a more or less identical looking unit that measures in Lux not PAR, so the potential mischief that could result by a seller using the Lux sensor rather than the par one is something that I wonder about. I may try to figure out a way to check this, but without another par meter, it may be difficult. Others online have checked against higher end meters with success, but that does not eliminate the risk. The ~$120US difference in price is no doubt an incentive...

OTOH getting out of bed is a risk...

 

[Filthy_Casual]

With sensors, I always doubt them and want another one to check my original...but then I won’t trust that either...

See what you get, proceed accordingly and then if it works like you think it should, we’ll the meter is probably accurate?

 

[Olderfart]

What I am thinking of doing now is to compare lux readings from my camera and the PAR meter under different light types. If the PAR meter is reading different wavelengths, it should not always be the same relative to the camera with different light types. If the relationship is constant for all light types, I will suspect mischief. This would be easier if I could get my mitts on an Apogee for an afternoon.

At any rate, I will post my results. Given the current performance of the mail service and customs, it may be a while.

 

[Olderfart]

Tracking says that the meter is waiting in the Post Office as of today. 9 days including customs delays. That is pretty good shipping performance these days.

Test results at some point...

 

[MesaBoogie]

Hey @Olderfart, any update with your meter ?

 

[Olderfart]

Hey @Olderfart, any update with your meter ?

Not yet, but soon. Been a bit tied up since it arrived, but I want to do a par map of my diy lights with it. I will report back here when I get on with it. Thanks for checking in.

 

[Death The Cultivator]

Subbed

 

[Olderfart]

Subbed

Just a teaser, laid out a grid and tried the lights and meter. Initial results ~850 mmol/m2 @ 24" in dead center of 2x4, goes down to >700 @ 6" from the corners. I'll do a more detailed map later, but at this rate, with 20/4 lights, I can get ~60 DLI with all bulbs on @ 24", or I can back off on DLI by increasing distance or unscrewing bulbs. 60 DLI is likely more than my skills can handle - it is near the top of the tolerance range with anything less than perfect management of other factors. I will likely shoot for 45-50 DLI during my next grow.

Happy lighting peeps. More later.