Lighting LEDs direct from china
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astronomy420a
omBUDsman
wow, has anyone noticed how buying led panel's is like buying an automobile.? you can go from a kia to a lamborgini ! same with panel's.
i cant afford a lamborgini, i cant even afford a lexus. so i drive a toyota. and with my socioeconomic background, being what it is, my panel's are toyota's. three inexpenvie blackstar flowering model's, two 240w, one 135w, these being on the lower end of the cost scale, have documented resul't that are satisfactory. i also purchased a blackstar chrome led panel, it is a big upgrade from the standard blackstar's, but there is also an increase in cost. if i could afford the lamborgini of led panel's i would love it! unfortunatly i will have to replace panel's as they burn out!:no: so if i have a burnout, i would like to upgrade to the chrome series, but if the money aint there...... a blackstar flowering will have to do! back to the car analogy, buying from china is like buying a car without a test drive. buying from a reputable dealer, that has documented proof that his product (no matter where it was built) work's and you can see it right here on good ol! AFN. so at least you can talk to someone that has test driven...the led panel in question. and see that person's documented proof!
or listen to a complete stranger, in another country, that tell's you exactly what you want to hear.:group:
ok i will get off of my fekkin soapbox now! so what's in your wallet!?
i cant afford a lamborgini, i cant even afford a lexus. so i drive a toyota. and with my socioeconomic background, being what it is, my panel's are toyota's. three inexpenvie blackstar flowering model's, two 240w, one 135w, these being on the lower end of the cost scale, have documented resul't that are satisfactory. i also purchased a blackstar chrome led panel, it is a big upgrade from the standard blackstar's, but there is also an increase in cost. if i could afford the lamborgini of led panel's i would love it! unfortunatly i will have to replace panel's as they burn out!:no: so if i have a burnout, i would like to upgrade to the chrome series, but if the money aint there...... a blackstar flowering will have to do! back to the car analogy, buying from china is like buying a car without a test drive. buying from a reputable dealer, that has documented proof that his product (no matter where it was built) work's and you can see it right here on good ol! AFN. so at least you can talk to someone that has test driven...the led panel in question. and see that person's documented proof!
or listen to a complete stranger, in another country, that tell's you exactly what you want to hear.:group: ok i will get off of my fekkin soapbox now! so what's in your wallet!?
LOL!!!
I feel the same way!
I decided to bite the bullet and try out the Chinese LED panels.
Seeing that the results are great on a few other forums makes me feel a bit safer.
To me it is strange that with all the LED hype going on about the exact same products, just the prices vary.
Even some of the Area-51 panels are drop shipped from China...
So it is hard to know who to trust!
If i had the cash to by a Ferrari i would buy the Ferrari!
But i do not...:cry:
So the Toyota panels it has to be!
Since i have the 240 BlackStars already anything that is an upgrade costs a lot more.
The bigger the room the bigger the price!
And from my perspective, considering i am not growing for profit just personal use i can live with cheaper LED panels.
If they take a bit longer or the buds are slightly less fat, it is not a monumental catastrophe!
Just means i get to grow more often!!
I don't mind being the guinea pig!!
For some interesting reading i found a guy "medmaker" on icmag testing a whole pile of LED's
I feel the same way!
I decided to bite the bullet and try out the Chinese LED panels.
Seeing that the results are great on a few other forums makes me feel a bit safer.
To me it is strange that with all the LED hype going on about the exact same products, just the prices vary.
Even some of the Area-51 panels are drop shipped from China...
So it is hard to know who to trust!
If i had the cash to by a Ferrari i would buy the Ferrari!
But i do not...:cry:
So the Toyota panels it has to be!
Since i have the 240 BlackStars already anything that is an upgrade costs a lot more.
The bigger the room the bigger the price!
And from my perspective, considering i am not growing for profit just personal use i can live with cheaper LED panels.
If they take a bit longer or the buds are slightly less fat, it is not a monumental catastrophe!
Just means i get to grow more often!!
I don't mind being the guinea pig!!
For some interesting reading i found a guy "medmaker" on icmag testing a whole pile of LED's
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I run four 240 watt Black Star LEDS, i want to do a light upgrade bad, it takes three 240 watt blackstars to properly cover a 4 x 4 area for flowering. I really want to go with the Two blackstar Chrome 720's in my 4 x 8 tent. Of course that is a large cost. Which i don't have at the moment, hopefully i will be able to atleast purchase 1 of these units in about a month or less (Sigh) A grower is always spending money :smoke:
I feel your pain!!!
I am feeling the burn of spending $800 on two lights but i am looking to the future for the cost savings of running them over my 2 400W HID's.
When i started to grow with the BlackStars i noticed a tiny increase in electricity usage.
Then i plugged in the 400W HID's and not only did the electricity usage shoot up but the heat in the room was crazy!!
It went from 20 degrees C to 34 degrees C in a matter of hours!!!
Wheel in the portable AC and the temps go down but the electricity usage shot up even more!!
It is running about $40 a month extra!
So the way i look at it if i get rid of the HID's and the AC the electricity bill comes down significantly.
The LED's will not use that much power and will not require the AC unit.
Sell those off and get some extra cash to pay off the LED's!
The problem with growing MMJ is that there are too many toys out there that get our attention!!
Too many "must have's " out there!
I think when my new lights arrive i am NOT going to look on grow sites anymore... LOL!!!
I am feeling the burn of spending $800 on two lights but i am looking to the future for the cost savings of running them over my 2 400W HID's.
When i started to grow with the BlackStars i noticed a tiny increase in electricity usage.
Then i plugged in the 400W HID's and not only did the electricity usage shoot up but the heat in the room was crazy!!
It went from 20 degrees C to 34 degrees C in a matter of hours!!!
Wheel in the portable AC and the temps go down but the electricity usage shot up even more!!
It is running about $40 a month extra!
So the way i look at it if i get rid of the HID's and the AC the electricity bill comes down significantly.
The LED's will not use that much power and will not require the AC unit.
Sell those off and get some extra cash to pay off the LED's!
The problem with growing MMJ is that there are too many toys out there that get our attention!!
Too many "must have's " out there!
I think when my new lights arrive i am NOT going to look on grow sites anymore... LOL!!!
Lazy your are right the only way to save money is to stay off the Internet.
Lykaboss the bs 240 actual draw is around 135w if I remember right. So three of them in a 4x4 area is about 25 watts per sq ft. What did you think of the flowering power of 25 watts to the foot: a bare min to get the job done, satisfactory, or way under power?
I started a thread on actual draw led watts per sq ft. We are all pretty sure how much hid light we need but the led thing is a bit new and with new lenses all the time.
So I started this thread so we could post style of light, actual watts and sq ft. And what we thought of the results. So we all can get a idea what is needed without over doing is dollar wise.
http://www.autoflower.org/showthread.php?t=17193
Any Input would be great
Lykaboss the bs 240 actual draw is around 135w if I remember right. So three of them in a 4x4 area is about 25 watts per sq ft. What did you think of the flowering power of 25 watts to the foot: a bare min to get the job done, satisfactory, or way under power?
I started a thread on actual draw led watts per sq ft. We are all pretty sure how much hid light we need but the led thing is a bit new and with new lenses all the time.
So I started this thread so we could post style of light, actual watts and sq ft. And what we thought of the results. So we all can get a idea what is needed without over doing is dollar wise.
http://www.autoflower.org/showthread.php?t=17193
Any Input would be great
The second Xen-Lux 135w came yesterday. It has the IR diode out. So now we shall see if it is repairable. We will also see what happens customer service/satisfaction. I took a look as promised. The unit has two drivers they put out 131v DC by my meter and it is an el-cheapo meter; the diodes pull 3.0V so 135V? All the diodes are driven by both amps not 50/50. The fan relay and driver is a 3 fan capable driver hooked up in this model to 1- 12V fan. The heat sink is a simple aluminum plate-the face has the PCB with diodes and one other item (resistor?) one per diode. These little components look like they would be beyond the average home craftsman to solder. The diodes are tack soldered and could be home repaired ( re-soldered) after one has the right tools and technique.
My impression is that the drivers, fans, and diode plates are universal and are what's in all the Chinese UFO's. The heat sink is unfinned but adaquite as long as the fan works. The sink and diode plate is most likely interchangeable with other models and that gives one the optics of that exchange. So looks like one can pick the optics and swap. I will be looking into that-- any of you who know were to obtain replacement parts the optics/heat sink plate--let's hear it. Instead of buying a bloom lamp I could possibly just have different heat sinks with the various diodes and swap out from veg to bloom
My impression is that the drivers, fans, and diode plates are universal and are what's in all the Chinese UFO's. The heat sink is unfinned but adaquite as long as the fan works. The sink and diode plate is most likely interchangeable with other models and that gives one the optics of that exchange. So looks like one can pick the optics and swap. I will be looking into that-- any of you who know were to obtain replacement parts the optics/heat sink plate--let's hear it. Instead of buying a bloom lamp I could possibly just have different heat sinks with the various diodes and swap out from veg to bloom
No I have an other of these and the IR has a red that is most likely added so you can see it is working as does the UV which is a faint blue. Also all the other diodes pull 3.0V and the bad one has only a 1.6V reading.
My new panels were shipped on Friday!!!
Going to finish this grow of 11 plants and take some time off during the summer
as the honey do list gets longer and longer!!
The next grow will be 100% using the new LED panels from China!
Once they arrive I will do an unboxing review and show pics of the internals.
Going to finish this grow of 11 plants and take some time off during the summer
as the honey do list gets longer and longer!!
The next grow will be 100% using the new LED panels from China!
Once they arrive I will do an unboxing review and show pics of the internals.
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