The Mad Science (research and basic knowledge)

drewhahaha

Active Member
hello to all how read this,

im about to embark on a journey that i feel will be qiute enjoyful, and i invite everyone along for the ride!

i would like to start off by saying that i am Not formally ejucated in this field, and my typing sucks.

so lets find out what 2000 l.e.ds, 12volt and a lot of time will get us.

i had to do a lot of research on l.e.ds and and the foundementals of plant growth. ( it sucked in fifth grade, and it suck this time too!)

first we should talk about the plant and it basic lighting needs(which can all be found on the internet). the happy plant, like all plants need light to grow, and the light is broken up into wave lengths or N.M (n.m. ive dubbed them need more, i have no idea what n.m. stands for) in this spectrum of light wave there are two that stand out, 430n.m. (deep blue) and 660n.m.(red to deep red) these two wave are responsible for photosysthesis. Image:Par action spectrum.gif - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (shitty graph)

now comes the research on the l.e.d. (this was more fun but equally boring as the plant research). L.E.D stands for light emitting diode, they work off of low current,12 to 24 volts and more if you need it. the light souce is extremely small (low heat), and so many bulbs are needed to make up an array.
there are many types of l.e.ds ranging in different volts (1.1vdc to 120vac and up), lumens (light intensity) color and spectrums (n.m or wavelength), and size (ect. 3mm, 5mm, 10mm, also multibulb and +1w and greater bulbps). the most common are the 3mm and 5mm sigle bulb.

VOLTS the 5mm (which i used) range from 1.5 to 4.0dvdc the reds use about 1.8 and the blues about 3.4vdc.

LUMENS 5mm range from 20 to 14000mcd ( mcd dont ask i dont know what it means) i have been working with red that are in the 4000 to 5000 range, and the blues are in 6000 8000. these are on the upper scale of the brightness of the cheaper l.e.ds. they are brite enough to hurt you eyes when looking at them( dont stare at the light it hurts!!)

WAVELENGHT (n.m.) this is the frequencey the l.e.d emits. they range in all visible light spectrum, and some wavelength that we cant see (ingrared and ultra voilet) i used for my first 4 arrays a red of 645n.m. and a blue of 440n.m. (not knowing at the time that you can buy the exact n.m. that is needed, i bought the close i could get. next purchase will be right)
(first pic, first l.e.d array built. 12 l.e.ds of assorted bulbs nolonger with us, sacrficed to the great good. needed the circuit board)
SIZE 5mm worked the best. 3mm are to small and hard to work with. the 10mm cost more and proved no better lighting then the 5mm. the multibulb and +1watt bulbs are too expensive. there a lot more to the l.e.ds
then just this, but this is a good start to get you in to trouble.

after i have gained all this knowledge about this, seemingly useless, information, i put it to good use and came up with "rosie".

rosie is a generic plant which the name i cant spell ( ill post the name later), bought from the local hydro store. i asked for a moderate plant and she gave me rosie.( second pic "rosie" in normal lighting)i brought her home and put her under the lights, and you will see why she is named rosie(third and fourth pics, rosie under the l.e.ds)

well, this is where i stop for the nite. ill be getting into detail about rosie, the array build and cost is the next post.
have a wonderful day
drew
 

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T.H.Cammo

Well-Known Member
hello to all how read this,

" i have no idea what n.m. stands for"
N.m. stands for "nano-meters", a nano-meter is very small - one billionth of a meter (that's billionth with a "B"). The number of nano-meters gives you the exact wavelength of light the LED is producing, therefore what "color" it is.

" in this spectrum of light wave there are two that stand out, 430n.m. (deep blue) and 660n.m.(red to deep red) these two wave are responsible for photosysthesis."
Actually, there are four wavelengths that share the primary responsibility for photosynthesis. Chlorophyl A and Chlorophyl B both have dual spikes = four wavelengthes, two red and two blue.

"LUMENS 5mm range from 20 to 14000mcd ( mcd dont ask i dont know what it means)"
Mcd stands for "millicandela", a millicandela is the measurement used for small amounts of light. A millicandela (mcd) is about one thousandth of a "candle power"
drew
I wish you the best of luck with your LED setup!
 

moon47usaco

Well-Known Member
Ill be intrested to see your array and cost info... I have been thinking about building (maybee buying) an array or two for side lighting...

Perfect because of its low profile to promote bushy growth... =]

Im on board... Waiting for you to spill the info...

And where you bought your materials would be most helpful too...

I always thought nm ment nano meters but probly not in this application...

I thought i read somewhere what mcd means but i forget... So much information... Damn the internets damn them to #377...
 

alphabibbiddy boo boo

Well-Known Member
hey man, whered you buy your leds? i'm trying to find a distributor of specific wavelength leds, so i can buy bulk agricultural lights and set up my own grid/array/panel type unit. Do you have a good source? All the places I've seen are pricey, though if worse comes to worse, I guess I can settle....
 

drewhahaha

Active Member
to all that doubt what leds can do, please smoke up. yes it has been a while since i have posted last. thank you all that share the creativity that i do in free thinking. as for those that questions please keep questioning.
i have completed several arrays that have produced a very well rounded garden. this garden give me what i need and plenty more.

i plan to share my experiments with you all.

for those that bash the idea, please step back and think about this for a second, If it doesnt work then why does nasa, uc berkeley, and stanford have exestinve research programs directly related to this technology.

be patient, as always new technology takes a while to perfect.
and the way things are going we all better find a better way of doing things.

have fun and enjoy people
 

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
Oh I dunno Drew,

You come on here preaching the glories of LED grows and state that you will regale us with the progress of the grow and the fantastic success you are going to have...

Then you show up 11 months later stating that the grow was great...

What happened to all the pics and status reports in between?

Some people may have a good reason to be sceptical...
 
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