Supplementing my 400w Vero29

SchweeDubz

SchweeDubz

Well-Known Member
So I've been doing a few grows in my 3.3'x3.3' tent and concluded I need more light in there if I want bigger denser nugs. My current flowering is supplemented with a Mars II 900. It seem to have made an improvement but the problem is about 25% of the LEDs on the Mars are burnt out. I'll have to replace it with something else here shortly. What type of lighting do you think would be best in your opinion?
 
GBAUTO

GBAUTO

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If you're open to fabbing/retrofitting some newer technology diodes to use the fixture and drivers, then that should be the most economical use of what you have. At this point it would require you to do a little disassembly to get a closer look at the drivers/specs so that you can see how much voltage is available at the rated drive current of each driver . That Vero rig should have enough balls for that space but if I wanted to max it out I'd look at fabbing up some strip lights to hang vertically around the perimeter of the tent.
 
SchweeDubz

SchweeDubz

Well-Known Member
GBAUTO said:
If you're open to fabbing/retrofitting some newer technology diodes to use the fixture and drivers, then that should be the most economical use of what you have. At this point it would require you to do a little disassembly to get a closer look at the drivers/specs so that you can see how much voltage is available at the rated drive current of each driver . That Vero rig should have enough balls for that space but if I wanted to max it out I'd look at fabbing up some strip lights to hang vertically around the perimeter of the tent.
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I considered this route. I saw a video from GrowMau5 where he repurposes a Mars 700 I think into a custom setup. My concerns are 1. couldn't the other parts besides the LEDs be cheap as well? and 2. I'm a tech savvy guy generally but I don't know if I have the understanding without serious help as to how to go about it. 3. The cost is cheap but I don't have the necessary tools (soldering iron etc) and I'm not sure if it woudl still be as cheap after purchasing all of that stuff
 
SchweeDubz

SchweeDubz

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thetr33man said:
I like the idea of adding some strip led lights to dark areas, might give you the most bang / buck
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How much do you think this would cost? I essentially want to make sure I'm absolutely maximizing the space. Aka, to the point where any extra light would just be a waste. The 400w alone doesn't do necessarily a bad job, but the nugs arent thicker than fingers, and kind of airy. I want to say I've seen similar setups that pump as much as 800w of LED light into the same area.
 
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Johnny Lawrence

Johnny Lawrence

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SchweeDubz said:
How much do you think this would cost? I essentially want to make sure I'm absolutely maximizing the space. Aka, to the point where any extra light would just be a waste. The 400w alone doesn't do necessarily a bad job, but the nugs arent thicker than fingers, and kind of airy. I want to say I've seen similar setups that pump as much as 800w of LED light into the same area.
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You have a total of 11 square feet. When using LEDs, you want 30 to 50 watts per square foot, so with just your Vero rig alone, you're at 36 watts per sq ft. You're fine. If anything, run some low watt strips in the four corners like others suggested. Go to the LED subforum if you have any questions or just for some ideas. There are a bunch of documented builds in the LED forum.
 
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3GT

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Youve got plenty up top but to really maximise the space I would run Brigelux EB gen2 strips on all 4 walls, say 100w each side?
 
3

3GT

Well-Known Member
SchweeDubz said:
How much do you think this would cost? I essentially want to make sure I'm absolutely maximizing the space. Aka, to the point where any extra light would just be a waste. The 400w alone doesn't do necessarily a bad job, but the nugs arent thicker than fingers, and kind of airy. I want to say I've seen similar setups that pump as much as 800w of LED light into the same area.
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Would cost about $300-350 for 25 x EB gen2 strips + 2 x 250w drivers + 1" aluminium angle for the frame.
 
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3GT

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If the canopy is 3' deep and the top 1.5' is covered by the cobs and the bottom 1.5' is covered by strips the w/sqft isn't that wild? Edit: 3'x3'x3' potential canopy 1.5'x3' / 100w = 22.22w/sqft
 
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thenotsoesoteric

thenotsoesoteric

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Damn, I was thinking about getting a 400w vero29 v7 4 cob kit for my 3 x 3 tent and now I'm hearing 400w isn't enough for dense chunky buds? So I should just stay with my 400w hps? From what I've read cob should be able to use less energy in the same space as a hid so I figured a 400w cob would be more than enough.
 
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3GT

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thenotsoesoteric said:
Damn, I was thinking about getting a 400w vero29 v7 4 cob kit for my 3 x 3 tent and now I'm hearing 400w isn't enough for dense chunky buds? So I should just stay with my 400w hps? From what I've read cob should be able to use less energy in the same space as a hid so I figured a 400w cob would be more than enough.
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400w of cobs will still be 30%+ more output than your 400w hps, plus more uniform coverage. His problems with density might be genetics, environment etc..

IMO bridgelux EB gen2 strips are the best option at the moment over cobs.. Strips = cheapest, most efficient and most uniform light distribution
 
thenotsoesoteric

thenotsoesoteric

Well-Known Member
3GT said:
400w of cobs will still be 30%+ more output than your 400w hps, plus more uniform coverage. His problems with density might be genetics, environment etc..

IMO bridgelux EB gen2 strips are the best option at the moment over cobs.. Strips = cheapest, most efficient and most uniform light distribution
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That's what I've read but then I hear things like the OP's complaint, which still happens with hid.

I still plan on getting the 400w vero setup and using it during the summer. I've rad a lot on led grows but I want to experience it firsthand.

Cheers
 
SchweeDubz

SchweeDubz

Well-Known Member
3GT said:
400w of cobs will still be 30%+ more output than your 400w hps, plus more uniform coverage. His problems with density might be genetics, environment etc..

IMO bridgelux EB gen2 strips are the best option at the moment over cobs.. Strips = cheapest, most efficient and most uniform light distribution
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You could definitely be right. I think my environment is pretty good and my plants are all healthy, but this is my first grow right now using a different strain. Up till know I've only been doing Amnesia Haze. Running Alien Dog and Gorilla Glue now.

Either way, I am pretty confident that additional lighting is going to help the grow. I've seen other grows using 1000w of LED in the same size space and just killing it.
 
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3GT

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SchweeDubz said:
You could definitely be right. I think my environment is pretty good and my plants are all healthy, but this is my first grow right now using a different strain. Up till know I've only been doing Amnesia Haze. Running Alien Dog and Gorilla Glue now.

Either way, I am pretty confident that additional lighting is going to help the grow. I've seen other grows using 1000w of LED in the same size space and just killing it.
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Awesome sounds like you're off to a good start with those strains :)

You definitely would benefit from having strips surrounding them ;), maybe just 2-4 in that space and at best have strips on all sides of each plant. Can veg longer and still have no larf down low.
 
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3GT

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Fuck talk about overkill, you could run as you say 1000w+ in that space and kill it.. People are thinking of w/sqft but what happens when the canopy is 3' deep, a lot more light can be used then. Strip lighting changes the game really
 
SchweeDubz

SchweeDubz

Well-Known Member
Any particular product you'd recommend? I am not particularly knowledgeable about LED strips. Right now honestly I'm leaning towards repurposing the Mars 900. It sounds like it would cost somewhere around $250 and essentially give me 350w more of LED full spectrum power.
 
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