Lighting DIY mars conversion. Questions and answers here.

[AutoButch]

Times have changed. I won't get into specifics but yes one coverted 300 could out perform the 600. I would do 4 citizen 1212's which would have a very similar output. If you were to do both 300's it may be best to go a different route. Maybe 2 citizen 1812's or 1818's in each of the 3 lights. Much higher efficiency and very simple.

After purchasing 4 citizen 1212's,
What else do i need for the conversion? I have 3 weeks before i need light! Regards

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[TreyDogg]

I did the two 1818 and was very happy. And very easy. I bought the cobs the holders the Arctic pad thing and heatsinks. Very easy and clean works well.

 

[AutoButch]

Hi guys heres my inside if my maryshydro? Just wondering what is the next move now if i buy 4 x citizen 1212s? regards

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[HotBunz]

Hi guys heres my inside if my maryshydro? Just wondering what is the next move now if i buy 4 x citizen 1212s? regards

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Hindsight being what it is I wish I had not hacked up my MarsHydro 300. And I have the good 180w version which was a bit better than the current 135w units. The factory Mars drivers are very weak at only .68A, best case scenario. With 4 36v Citizen chips at best you would pull 97w and jammed into the footprint of the Mars case it would just be a waste of spread and COBs. To make your "MarsHydro 300" conversion worth it you will need a Meanwell driver that can push some real amps, better heatsink(s) etc. Do yourself a favor and leave the Mars as is and jut build your COB fixture from the ground up with pin or extruded heatsinks and Meanwell driver(s).

 

[BigSm0]

I partially after with hotbunz but not everyone has the cash to buy new parts. 4-1212's, holders, wire and paste for 75 bucks is well worth the upgrade. More light per watt with higher efficient cobs vs leds. I also look at the conversion as a good stepping stone into cob tech. This was my first cob light as well.

50 full spectrum par watts, 400btu of heat
32 par watts, 640btu if heat

 

[cenzo6969]

Hey all, what an awesome community. I opened up my old Mars 2 1200w that I used to use.
It has the following fans and drives inside -
Fan.
4x 12v. 0.25a
Drivers.
5 x 55-85v 700-750mA
4 x 55-100v. 700-750mA
So my thoughts would be to run 8 72v cxb3590. My issue is forward voltage and that I'm on a 240v in my country.
So I'm thinking of paring 2 cobs per100v driver, leaving
The remaining 4 cobs will be paired up with a fan. So 1 cob and fan per driver.
I will configure like so if possible -
X X X
X X
X X X
Please some advise if this will work with said drivers on a 240v or should I consider something else?
Cheers.

 

[BigSm0]

Most drivers self adjust to your countries voltage. This does not affect the wattage or shouldn’t affect the light at all.

My opinion is you are willing to sink some money in that light and if it was me I would go just a bit further. There is a very little savings in using the mars drivers and frame. For 1-3 cobs it’s great and a good way to get started in diy. Any more it’s wasteful. If your set on the Cree cobs id just buy real drivers and make a frame to hold it all. You are also using the most expensive cobs sold too. Check around the forum and see what people are doing with citizen cobs. I’d go with 8 citizen 1212’s before I ran Cree again, either that or 4 citizen 1812,1818 and save yourself some money. What you save put towards a second light. Better coverage with more light too.

 

[Free Flow]

There are 4 of these bad boys inside a 1st gen mars 600w in case anyone was wondering like I was lol

 

[BigSm0]

There are 4 of these bad boys inside a 1st gen mars 600w in case anyone was wondering like I was lol

View attachment 828880

I have converted a few of these myself. Was a nice surprise.

 

[cenzo6969]

Most drivers self adjust to your countries voltage. This does not affect the wattage or shouldn’t affect the light at all.

My opinion is you are willing to sink some money in that light and if it was me I would go just a bit further. There is a very little savings in using the mars drivers and frame. For 1-3 cobs it’s great and a good way to get started in diy. Any more it’s wasteful. If your set on the Cree cobs id just buy real drivers and make a frame to hold it all. You are also using the most expensive cobs sold too. Check around the forum and see what people are doing with citizen cobs. I’d go with 8 citizen 1212’s before I ran Cree again, either that or 4 citizen 1812,1818 and save yourself some money. What you save put towards a second light. Better coverage with more light too.

Hey BigSm0, thanks for the response. I have built an 11 cob cxb3590 and it's working very nicely. Hence my love for the cxb.
My plan would be to run it over one plant using DWC bucket. So I'm aiming for 200w+ for flower and some veg.
I may just go the complete build out. Out of curiosity how can I learn more about the lights you suggested. How to read the bins ext.