When are the commercial cob panels coming

OneHitDone

Well-Known Member
For me the question is, how much more is a person willing to pay for a passively cooled lamp with superior efficiency? 20% more? Or is a fanned lamp running close to industry standards a better deal at 20% less?
I would pay more. The main reason I did't go led when I bought my inda-gro was because of the fans. It just seems like that would be the weak link to me but I could be greatly mistaken.
And especially if a fan (Cheap? $ part) failure would mean serious damage to other components if not noticed immediately.
I don't know about the rest of you but the last thing I want to have to worry about is checking to see if every fan on every panel is in fact working on a regular basis
 

AquariusPanta

Well-Known Member
Until COBS are pushing ~75% or more in efficiency, or prices in COB+driver combos drastically fall, we're sort of stuck using fans; no one likes hauling huge slabs of aluminum around just to eliminate the possibility of a very uncommon occurrence.



I, for one, am not worried in the least that my fans will fail, as I've never had a fan ever fail on me before (includes like every kind of fan one could think of, including box fans).

Pro Tip: Buy quality parts.
 

alesh

Well-Known Member
Until COBS are pushing ~75% or more in efficiency, or prices in COB+driver combos drastically fall, we're sort of stuck using fans; no one likes hauling huge slabs of aluminum around just to eliminate the possibility of a very uncommon occurrence.



I, for one, am not worried in the least that my fans will fail, as I've never had a fan ever fail on me before (includes like every kind of fan one could think of, including box fans).

Pro Tip: Buy quality parts.
Exactly what I think. Thermal cutoffs are pretty cheap, too.
 

Greengenes707

Well-Known Member
Quality fans are rated for 100,000-300,000hrs...2X-6X as long as chips. And aren't expensive at all, <10$. I too am yet to have one truly fail. A few in my AT's have needed a good cleaning...but then have spun like new dreidels ever since.

But the fan power supply on the other hand...is the weak link in almost every actively cooled design there is.

I have been thinking of failsafes for cooling. A relay for supply failure would probably be the best solution over a bunch of thermal switches when using multiple cpu coolers powered by one supply. The supply is going to go out way before the fans....6 thermal switches tripping at once cause the supply failed...or one relay doing it at the source of the problem.
 

stardustsailor

Well-Known Member
Quality fans are rated for 100,000-300,000hrs...2X-6X as long as chips. And aren't expensive at all, <10$. I too am yet to have one truly fail. A few in my AT's have needed a good cleaning...but then have spun like new dreidels ever since.

But the fan power supply on the other hand...is the weak link in almost every actively cooled design there is.

I have been thinking of failsafes for cooling. A relay for supply failure would probably be the best solution over a bunch of thermal switches when using multiple cpu coolers powered by one supply. The supply is going to go out way before the fans....6 thermal switches tripping at once cause the supply failed...or one relay doing it at the source of the problem.
:P...
As the "Soft-On-Set" delay-relay modules ,are actually powered by the 12 VDC fan power supply ...
If the fan PSU fails ,then 3 out of 4 Veros will switch off .
Only one will be still operating ,but really dimmed down ,to an almost "idle" state ...
Fixture won't go completely dark ,so plant(s) can still receive a minimum amount of light ,
while still all the four COBs are being protected -even the one at " idle " state ,
having the whole heatsink to-passively - keep it cool .

At less than $20 there is the Phanteks PH-F140 XP ...
2 W , 140mm , 19 db @ 1200rpm ,PWM control

One of the greatest fans ever ...

" The Phanteks PH-F140HP/TS is the clear winner in every respect. It edged out the new Noctuas every step of the way, delivering the best overall results of any fan we've tested thus far. To top it off, it had cleanest, smoothest sound of all the new fans in this roundup. If we had to start from scratch, this might be our new reference model. "

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1345-page7.html

" Phanteks PH-F140(XP, SP, SP_LED) Fans Conclusion:

I don't know what I was expecting exactly. I had never run such a large cooler in my system but I really believed that my water cooler was a little bit better. Phanteks threw that notion out the window. The fans performed way beyond what I thought possible with such a simple air cooler. Not to take anything away from the cooler itself, but the Phanteks fans did essentially outperform the stock fan in every aspect (though only if the rpm, power, and noise are brought into account). Phanteks started off with a pretty great reputation, and they seem to be very determined to keep it. They have successfully taken to redesigning their own fans and tweaking them into better performance. As I have previously stated, the products Phanteks puts out are always top of the line and at this rate they always will be.

Though the XP did not completely dethrone the faster Noctua, it was very nearly its equal and at lower settings across the board. I genuinely believe that, if the PWM was adjusted, it could match toe-to-toe with the faster fan. This is due to the performance of the SP and the SP_LED. They were undeniably the best cooling fans among there peers and competition. They were quieter and slower but still produced temperatures that were better than both of the PWM base fans. Which makes sense given that the PWM fans are basically responding to temperatures where the SP's are preemptively running at max at all times. Now with that reality brought to light, lets talk about the fact that the NF-A15's low noise running speed and sound production is the same as the Phanteks PH-F140XP's max speed and noise production. Now I am sure that this doesnt sound like a good thing but it is. Because it more accurately depicts the comparison of their designs. The fact that the tests resulted in better temperature for the Phanteks when both fans were running at the same speed shows that its Maelstrom Vortex Booster design not only sounds awesome, it is awesome.

At first glance I was skeptical about some of the quirks these fans have (like the 4-3pin converter and the mostly irremovable LED cable) but then I saw their price. $17.99 seems high, but is in fact amazingly low for the performance and size, comparing to and trumping fans that can be around 50% more expensive (I really did find a good number for $27). Given the price point for these fans they are absolutely amazing. Add in the 5-year warranty and you can't go wrong. Phanteks is going to continue to succeed if they keep their products great and their prices competitive. Air cooling is not a dead art and is still gaining ground, and if Phanteks has its way, will continue to do so for years to come.



Pros:

  • Flexible RPM (XP only)
  • Nearly silent
  • Low power consumption
  • Really Powerful
  • On and Off for the LED (SP_LED only)
  • Competitive Price



Cons:

  • None "

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/phenteks_f140/4.htm

Cheers.
:peace:
 

Rahz

Well-Known Member
Quality fans are rated for 100,000-300,000hrs...2X-6X as long as chips. And aren't expensive at all, <10$. I too am yet to have one truly fail. A few in my AT's have needed a good cleaning...but then have spun like new dreidels ever since.

But the fan power supply on the other hand...is the weak link in almost every actively cooled design there is.

I have been thinking of failsafes for cooling. A relay for supply failure would probably be the best solution over a bunch of thermal switches when using multiple cpu coolers powered by one supply. The supply is going to go out way before the fans....6 thermal switches tripping at once cause the supply failed...or one relay doing it at the source of the problem.
Any reason you avoid AC fans? No driver required.
 

Greengenes707

Well-Known Member
Any reason you avoid AC fans? No driver required.
I honestly haven't looked into them much. When I was they were all power suckers(10-20w for 120mm), expensive, and loud(ball bearings). Everything I didn't want. So stopped looking. I easily could have missed the hidden gems.

Do you have the 411 on AC fans?
 

Rahz

Well-Known Member
I've been playing around with them. I had picked out P13596-ND at digikey. 44 decibels, 15w, $20, 106 CFM. They're reasonably quiet with decent static pressure. Overkill for a 300 watt enclosure, could probably cool a 600 if vented properly. They get a little cheaper at the 49 decibel range but start to have that jet engine sound going on. There are quieter AC fans but the static pressure starts to suffer.

Obviously not something to use per heatsink, but starts to make sense in enclosures.
 
Last edited:
Top