Build Your Own LED Grow Light

Are you looking for elite genetics or mainstream strains, and where in the world are the seeds going?
I'm about 45 minutes north of Portland, USA. I have since found so.e seed banks in Portland and have also reached out to a old buddy of mine who'd made it to the commercial level. He has his own genetics called Orange Snow Cone hes gonna hook me up with as well. I'm not ready for elite genetics at the moment, it's my first grow. I am looking for variety though, so strong recommendations are welcome
 
Well, don't be afraid of the name elite, it dosn't mean they're hard to grow, just that they're killer and the seeds cost more :)

The best mainstream seedbanks are based in europe, and the best elite strain seed banks are based in the US, you might as well take advantage of this ;)

I recommend looking at these seed banks: Annunaki, Neptune, Sour Patch, The Dank Team, Seedsgeek.
 
That's what I'm thinking. He keeps saying "I've used leds", I have a buddy using Blackdog leds" "and I still grow better meds. I don't think he realizes led tech has come a long way in the last year or so
My grow room with COB LED's
 
Hey PurpleGunRack, what's the easiest way to adjust the output on the qb288's with Meanwell driver? I watched the HLG video, but I'm still unclear. I'm pretty sure they're set up as high as they go right now as they are too bright to look at
 
Hey PurpleGunRack, what's the easiest way to adjust the output on the qb288's with Meanwell driver? I watched the HLG video, but I'm still unclear. I'm pretty sure they're set up as high as they go right now as they are too bright to look at
Do you have watt tester, meaning you plug it in, then plug yer light into it??

Then u can tell how much you dim the driver/light
 
Hey PurpleGunRack, what's the easiest way to adjust the output on the qb288's with Meanwell driver? I watched the HLG video, but I'm still unclear. I'm pretty sure they're set up as high as they go right now as they are too bright to look at

It depends on which Meanwell driver you have. Some have a pot you access through the case, others need some external components. A variable resistor is good enough. You can tell which type you have by the last character of the Model No. For example an HLG-185H-C1400A has the built-in pot, while the HLG-185H-C1400B has an extra set of wires for external intensity control. To control a single driver connect one side to the center of a linear 100KΩ potentiometer and then to the one of the driver's dimming wires. Connect the other side of the potentiometer to the other dimming wire from the driver. Turning the potentiometer will vary your light's intensity.

If you want to control several drivers with one potentiometer, connect each same colored dimming wire from the drivers together. The value of your potentiometer will be (100KΩ / number of drivers.) It should also be a linear potentiometer.

There are other ways of controlling the B type drivers, such as a 10V peak to peak PWM signal, or a 0 - 10VDC voltage.

I'll be using a 50KΩ potentiometer to control two HLG-240H-C1750B drivers until I get a controller built.
 
dont get a bourns Salt, they are garbage, atleast the one i got was, 50K. I ended up doing 2--100K, which ultimately was the better idea anyways, seeing i have 2 Ktemps to deal wit, and 20 dimmer knobs, lol.
 
It depends on which Meanwell driver you have. Some have a pot you access through the case, others need some external components. A variable resistor is good enough. You can tell which type you have by the last character of the Model No. For example an HLG-185H-C1400A has the built-in pot, while the HLG-185H-C1400B has an extra set of wires for external intensity control. To control a single driver connect one side to the center of a linear 100KΩ potentiometer and then to the one of the driver's dimming wires. Connect the other side of the potentiometer to the other dimming wire from the driver. Turning the potentiometer will vary your light's intensity.

If you want to control several drivers with one potentiometer, connect each same colored dimming wire from the drivers together. The value of your potentiometer will be (100KΩ / number of drivers.) It should also be a linear potentiometer.

There are other ways of controlling the B type drivers, such as a 10V peak to peak PWM signal, or a 0 - 10VDC voltage.

I'll be using a 50KΩ potentiometer to control two HLG-240H-C1750B drivers until I get a controller built.
I prefer the B drivers

Like the dial to adjust the watts, have them on all 4 of my HLG drivers
 
Sorry, I should been more clear. I'm at work right now and don't recall which driver it is, but it has the Io and Vo adjustments. The HLG vid says something about turning one all the way up and use the other to adjust the output or intensity. I still need to buy a kill a watt meter.
 
Sorry, I should been more clear. I'm at work right now and don't recall which driver it is, but it has the Io and Vo adjustments. The HLG vid says something about turning one all the way up and use the other to adjust the output or intensity. I still need to buy a kill a watt meter.

Then it's the A type driver :)

Get a watt meter and test the maximum and minimum wattages of each lamp and set them to your preferred value.

Generally speaking mid-power diodes are best when running at 50-75% of max, but you have to take the driver into consideration - so if the driver powers the boards to 80% of their rated max just turn it to near max.




For young plants I dim to around 85w per QB288 and put the lamps closer and move the plants close together so I only have to use 2 boards, saves a lot of power early on.

When they have 2-4 nodes I turn it up to around 100w per board.

After a few weeks I turn to my intended max setting of around 135w per board.
 
As I get closer to pulling the trigger I this grow, one major concern still looms for me regarding these qb288's. Summer is coming up, so maybe not so much an issue there, but in the fall and winter months here, the temps range between 20 and 40 degrees. Am I gonna have to think of a heat source for my 4x4 tent since the leds don't put much heat off? Or should I consider bringing the setup indoors. Right now it's in the garage.
 
You'll probably need some heat, and humidity. Use insulated subfloor panels under the tent, and rigid insulation between the garage wall and the tent. If the temperature in the tent drops too much, you may need to add insulation to the sides and top of the tent.

Why do I think you'll need to increase the humidity? The water capacity of air doubles with every 18°F rise in temperature. Since RH is the percentage of moisture in the air compared to the maximum possible, RH is halved with every 18°F rise in temperature. For example, if you take outside air at 20°F and and RH of 60%, heating it to 38°F will drop the RH to 30%. Increasing the temp to 56°F drops the RH to 15%, and an increase to 74°F drops the RH to only 7.5%. If this is not addressed, it will play havoc with your nutrient solutions, as evaporation and transpiration rates will increase dramatically. You'll need to feed/water more often, and will experience nutrient burn at best.
 
SOG, after going through your journal, I may be swayed into coco for my 1st grow.
Hey Red Chin you won't be disappointed for me it was the easiest grow I've done and the most productive. I am have a bit of OCD when it come to watering my plants so it was natural for me to go hydro as you can't overwater in coco , a problem I had in soil, and using the canna nutrients was very easy all I checked during the entire grow was ph. I followed the canna grow guide for hard water and had no issues with nutrient burn. My only problems were room temperature and humidity. Even with those problems I managed to harvest 50 oz's for bud. My next grow will be in a new room with better controls and a modified cob light. I will be switching out the 4000K cobs for the 1700K cobs for flower. As far as potency goes the Girl Scout Cookies are strong enough to get me to the stratosphere. I would love to follow your journal when you start one so pm me when you start and I'll help you all I can.
 
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