Looks like an expensive junction box. I'd sell the led and just hang the panels without ruining the light.
Amps times volts equal watts. The drivers amperage is listed. Multiply by 36 for 1212's or 50 for 1812's and that would equal the watts roughly. Add a few watts for the noisy fans and drivers. Hope this helps
@BigSm0 .. First of all thanks for this thread. It definitely deserves to be stickied. I just joined this forum for this thread alone. I wish it were stickied so we could see a vid of you hacking a Mars 300.
I currently have 2 mars 300's. The basic white panel ~135 watts. I went for the 2 light deal on ebay. I havent used them yet, but will probably do one run with them before I hack them both.
I've been reading through these threads and have an extremely basic understanding of what's going on. I'm definitely going to do more research before i actually pull the trigger... But i'd like to have the parts so that when the time comes, I can make the switch to COB.
I have a couple questions if you don't mind me asking ...
I currently have 2 mars 300 in a 2'x3' area. 6' tall roughly.
1) If i plan on keeping the stock heatsink and stock fan, what COBS would you recommend for each mars 300?
2) based on whatever COBS you recommend, just a rough guess, what % do you think yields could potentially increase with the hack vs stock mars 300?
Again I appreciate everything man. Awesome thread and very informative.
I currently have 2 mars 300's. The basic white panel ~135 watts. I went for the 2 light deal on ebay. I havent used them yet, but will probably do one run with them before I hack them both.
I've been reading through these threads and have an extremely basic understanding of what's going on. I'm definitely going to do more research before i actually pull the trigger... But i'd like to have the parts so that when the time comes, I can make the switch to COB.
I have a couple questions if you don't mind me asking ...
I currently have 2 mars 300 in a 2'x3' area. 6' tall roughly.
1) If i plan on keeping the stock heatsink and stock fan, what COBS would you recommend for each mars 300?
2) based on whatever COBS you recommend, just a rough guess, what % do you think yields could potentially increase with the hack vs stock mars 300?
Again I appreciate everything man. Awesome thread and very informative.
That's what this place is all about. Helping others.
I started this thread before I became a vendor so my reply may be a bit softer than it once would have been. Epistar leds are said/known to be 20% efficient, meaning 20% light per watt. If your light is 135 watts you would first subtract the fans and drivers power which may drop you down to 125 watts. For the light or par you would multiply that remaining wattage by .2 which is around 25. Very basic math and a good starting point to understand what you have a little better. Cobs vary depending on model, brand and power. 50% is a very fair average for cobs especially at lower amperages like the new upgraded panel supplies. If you were to add in 2- 36v citizens per driver with 2 drivers total you would be around 72 watts x .5 - 36 par watts. Super inexpensive upgrade for 50% more light while drawing 1/2 the wattage at the wall. The other option would be to add in 2 - 50v citizens, one on each driver which would be around 55w total and 27.5 par watts. Same light output at 40% the wall wattage. 4-1212's would be around 60-70 dollars
2-1812's would be around 40 dollars with holders.
trailanimal
son of soil
BigSm0, do you have a vendors thread? Can't seem to find your products for sale
Not a heck of a lot of products yet but I am going to start adding items to the list. The autocob is the primary focus but cob parts are in need and that's what I'll add.
https://www.autoflower.org/forums/cobshop-net.425/
Rans some volt and amp reading from my mars 300w 180watt draw in its retail config.
The drivers tested 4 of 55v to 100v at .55 0 to .600ma cc
The voltage under load is 68v at .590ma. for driver 1 the others had different volts 63v to 67v. I didnt test the amps on the other drivers. The open voltage is 118v.
I hope this info helps anyone with mars drivers.
The drivers tested 4 of 55v to 100v at .55 0 to .600ma cc
The voltage under load is 68v at .590ma. for driver 1 the others had different volts 63v to 67v. I didnt test the amps on the other drivers. The open voltage is 118v.
I hope this info helps anyone with mars drivers.
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Im still trying to get the correct distances with my 2 converted Mars 300. Idk why but I had them at like 18" which is definitely to close because my lil auto has stacked nodes like no other and my new seedling kinda stopped as well. I raised them up between 30"-32" to see if she will start to stretch out some more. I am running 6 Cxa2530s in each case 2 5000k and 4 3000k. What height do you guys run your cobs at when in early veg with autos?
You had them at 18 inches because that what we are used to with our LED panels (I have two). With the white light cobs I am keeping them at 24 - 26 inches and my young girls seem to love it. I run AutoCobs that I can adjust for each plant. You my cob friend are running a beast (sounds cool though). Start to lower the lights an inch or so and watch the plants respond. Find that point where the leaves stand out and bask in the "Light of Cob". If they are curling or drooping back it off. Soon you'll find that sweet spot. Don't forget to keep your RH regulated also so your plants can "breath" properly.
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