27k and 4k 98 cri boards $8.42

Im just making it easier by matching you a driver to your strips voltage. So any 36v driver will work with those strips. (a driver is just a power supply just like the one in a pc .....its also pretty much the same thing as an amp for your car.
different brand drivers have better or worse efficiency and warrantys.

CC or constant current drivers are like the one dtch recommended. They put out the same power to all strips. The voltage output varies so you can use say a 24v strip and a 36v strip in the same light.

CV or constant voltage drivers are like the one i recommended and puts out the same voltage across all strips. The current/power output varies so you can adjust current to your needs.

just a couple quick tips

getogrow said:

Thats what i did because i felt i had to..... im stubborn. I could of easily followed directions and done it and it would of worked fine but i chose to go the long route because i wanted to understand.

Click to expand...

I think I might kinda maybe have a basic understanding, it's just a lot of numbers to crunch and remember. It's very interesting though. It just loses me with all the damn number crunching.

getogrow said:

I think you could almost max out a regular 3x3 setup with 320 watts IF your using a tent or something with 3 walls to bounce light off of. Thats 35 watts a sq/ft. Some call that "low" but its plenty for most peoples setup. I got giant colas from 25 watts a sq/ft with the light 30" away from most plants.

If your running 400 watts now in a 3x3 then you would be the only one to really know if your strain can handle 45 watts a sq/ft. with your environment and feeding schedule.

Click to expand...

I am using a tent. My one strain can handle the 44.4 watts/ft2, the foxtailing was my fault. I underestimated the stretch and ran out of room. I flower it in dwc, so they can handle some light.

@getogrow @dtcharneski , I just want to thank you guys for taking the time to help me. I'm now researching diy leds. I'm gonna go ahead and order the strips now, but wait until I have a lil more knowledge before I do much more. Thanks again guys!

Hollatchaboy said:

@getogrow @dtcharneski , I just want to thank you guys for taking the time to help me. I'm now researching diy leds. I'm gonna go ahead and order the strips now, but wait until I have a lil more knowledge before I do much more. Thanks again guys!

Click to expand...

Its what were here for sir! best of luck


soil

Hollatchaboy said:

@getogrow @dtcharneski , I just want to thank you guys for taking the time to help me. I'm now researching diy leds. I'm gonna go ahead and order the strips now, but wait until I have a lil more knowledge before I do much more. Thanks again guys!

Click to expand...

Yeah I'm grateful too. Great thread lots of dynamite info.

getogrow said:

Just ask us , we will make you one.
There are many different ways to wire um together..... tell us what your shooting for and we can help. How many strips and how many watts ? We can set you up to run no heatsinks or heatsinks....its all on you. (your goal is to use as many strips as possible with the lowest amount of power going to each one.
500 watts on 10 strips would need a heatsink but 500 watts on 20 strips would need nothing but a frame. (thats just a minor example)

Click to expand...

So you make and sell LED light strips? I'm looking to double my flowering area from 5ft squared to 5 by 10. Currently running 1000 watts of these

Plus two 600 HPS lights.
I burned out a driver and have 7 white diodes out on one board now so I don't think I'm going back. https://www.rollitup.org/t/burnt-led-diodes.1042218/
I watched a video from this guy about 10 months ago and the strips he makes look nice; but I know very little about making my own. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH6-f9vjl9FestxzUMnPA3g
You interested in making me a set of LEDs or maybe walking me through the parts necessary and how to build it.

MustGro said:

So you make and sell LED light strips? I'm looking to double my flowering area from 5ft squared to 5 by 10. Currently running 1000 watts of these

250 Watt FB288 LM301H 3000k + 660nm + UV +IR LED Fusion Board Light DIY Kit

Complete Kit 250 Watt FB288 X2 LM301H 3000k + 660nm + UV +IR LED Light

www.growlights.ca

Plus two 600 HPS lights.
I burned out a driver and have 7 white diodes out on one board now so I don't think I'm going back. https://www.rollitup.org/t/burnt-led-diodes.1042218/
I watched a video from this guy about 10 months ago and the strips he makes look nice; but I know very little about making my own. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH6-f9vjl9FestxzUMnPA3g
You interested in making me a set of LEDs or maybe walking me through the parts necessary and how to build it.

Click to expand...

Sure. I cant really make them for you but i can help you with the build. I suppose i could build you some but its not my thing. im no salesman. I love building lights , its kinda my new hobby but again, im no salesman and i dont know much about the different spectrums. i only know what ive seen with my own eyes through the years.
That being said, you can pick out what you WANT and we can help you match to a driver and wiring and other things.

I run a 5x10 myself, im using 1200 watts of prebuilt led bars and 150 hps in the middle for the extra IR. Im an hps guy just now switching myself. I run both. I also have a 5x10 with 2k of hps and 200 watts of led.

MustGro said:

Currently running 1000 watts of these

250 Watt FB288 LM301H 3000k + 660nm + UV +IR LED Fusion Board Light DIY Kit

Complete Kit 250 Watt FB288 X2 LM301H 3000k + 660nm + UV +IR LED Light

www.growlights.ca

Plus two 600 HPS lights.
I burned out a driver and have 7 white diodes out on one board now so I don't think I'm going back. https://www.rollitup.org/t/burnt-led-diodes.1042218/

Click to expand...

I know a lot of folks running them QB boards without issues. The problem with those boards is that we have no idea who is putting the diodes on the boards.....with the strips , we KNOW samsung or bridgelux or cree made the whole light strip. I have no experience with the QB boards because of that reason ....i didnt know who to trust to build them so i waited and built my own. (after buying a couple bar lights from mejui) ,i have already had to fix the mejui light once but all the ones i built myself have had no issues at all.

If i was rich , i would still build my own.

getogrow said:

I know a lot of folks running them QB boards without issues. The problem with those boards is that we have no idea who is putting the diodes on the boards.....with the strips , we KNOW samsung or bridgelux or cree made the whole light strip. I have no experience with the QB boards because of that reason ....i didnt know who to trust to build them so i waited and built my own. (after buying a couple bar lights from mejui) ,i have already had to fix the mejui light once but all the ones i built myself have had no issues at all.

If i was rich , i would still build my own.

Click to expand...

I would too, id at least attempt it. Lol... but i would get all the best of everything.

That's awesome of you @getogrow ; I really appreciate the offer of help. Old school HPS guy myself and I only made the move to Q boards about a year ago. Really would love a great LED setup and I'd really like to learn how to build it.
You mention above that you got hit hard with duties on the strips (from Australia, I think). I'm in Canada and think I'd get hit with duties too. Assuming the free trade deal with the US is still in effect wouldn't I be better off buying from the good old USA? You have any links to Cree, Samsung, or Bridgelux in US?
So I'd need the LED strips, drivers (meanwell the best?), a framework (metal I assume but would ABS be ok?). That greengenes fellow uses tape to assemble if I remember correctly BUT my Q boards are screwed together. What else do I have to gather before I can start to build?

Hollatchaboy said:

@getogrow @dtcharneski , I just want to thank you guys for taking the time to help me. I'm now researching diy leds. I'm gonna go ahead and order the strips now, but wait until I have a lil more knowledge before I do much more. Thanks again guys!

Click to expand...

No problem, I'm confident if you continue with your research you'll have it figured out before the strips even get there, once you realize how easy it actually is that's when all the fun begins lol smh your options become almost limitless

@MustGro check out this thread, some great info and different builds. It's really not hard, mostly logic thinking and common sense.

MustGro said:

That's awesome of you @getogrow ; I really appreciate the offer of help. Old school HPS guy myself and I only made the move to Q boards about a year ago. Really would love a great LED setup and I'd really like to learn how to build it.
You mention above that you got hit hard with duties on the strips (from Australia, I think). I'm in Canada and think I'd get hit with duties too. Assuming the free trade deal with the US is still in effect wouldn't I be better off buying from the good old USA? You have any links to Cree, Samsung, or Bridgelux in US?
So I'd need the LED strips, drivers (meanwell the best?), a framework (metal I assume but would ABS be ok?). That greengenes fellow uses tape to assemble if I remember correctly BUT my Q boards are screwed together. What else do I have to gather before I can start to build?

Click to expand...

After using both meanwell and some cheaper alternatives , i see no issues with the cheaper ones. (check for warranty info to be sure) I use deltas that costed a few bucks each , i have a couple meanwells and a couple inventronics. All three are great! The cheap plastic ones that come in the blurple lights are JUNK. they are not efficient and they run hot as hell but they do work for spares.

If you are buying 36v strips , i would go ahead and buy a 36v driver to match it. That way you dont have to wire in series, you can just wire everything red to red and black to black.
Dimmers are one thing i know nothing about.... you can buy the meanwell with an A at the end of the model number or B or A/B , all three connect to dimmers differently. I use the A style that has a dimmer built in. (current adjustment) If you get another style , you can run a dimmer off the driver and control it from across the room.

MustGro said:

That's awesome of you @getogrow ; I really appreciate the offer of help. Old school HPS guy myself and I only made the move to Q boards about a year ago. Really would love a great LED setup and I'd really like to learn how to build it.

Click to expand...

My prebuilt lights came from china to usa. No tariff that i am aware of. (may have been in the total price)

arrow.com is where i get my strips from , they charge me a big tariff going from USA to USA. close to 100% tariff.
The strips on arrow are expensive as hell unless you find the on sale ones....i always look for samsung because thats the only diodes im familiar with. I get LM561c , LM301A from arrow for cheap.

Thats not the best deal at all but its what i could find quick. 3500k 32 diodes per 2 foot strip. (i paid less then 2 bucks each for better strips then that)


Hows your led grow going ? any big differences that you see ?

getogrow said:

My prebuilt lights came from china to usa. No tariff that i am aware of. (may have been in the total price)

arrow.com is where i get my strips from , they charge me a big tariff going from USA to USA. close to 100% tariff.
The strips on arrow are expensive as hell unless you find the on sale ones....i always look for samsung because thats the only diodes im familiar with. I get LM561c , LM301A from arrow for cheap.

https://www.arrow.com/en/products/si-b8u15156cww/samsung-electronics

Thats not the best deal at all but its what i could find quick. 3500k 32 diodes per 2 foot strip. (i paid less then 2 bucks each for better strips then that)


Hows your led grow going ? any big differences that you see ?

Click to expand...

I ran my last grow with the Q boards (1000 watts) and a SF2000 cranked up to 240 watts but most of my plants didn't produce too well; except for the sour diesel which rocked. It was a 5ft by 5ft area. I thought it might have been light intensity so I put two 600 HPS in there and sold the SF2000. I changed my growing style for this grow though. I usually do single top plants and went SCROG this time so it's a little different. The plants seem happier; sour diesels are great and durban poison is super healthy but could use more bulk. The GDPs are lagging the others though. It's likely because of me; I'm new to SCROG and over-defoliated too much. Tried the schwazzing thing and I'm getting some leaf drop starting in week 6 of flower; I usually have no leaf drop so thinking I'll stop chopping fans in the future.
Thanks for asking and all the help.