Wanting a new light

[bluter]

Placed a order ( pre order, according to the website ) for a fc 4800 with the lm301h Evo diodes which supposedly has an efficacy of up to 3.10 μmol/J, whereas the LM301B has an efficacy of up to 2.92 μmol/J.. same wattage little more light output, I’ll take it.

there really isn't any difference between the two aside from binning. binning isn't exact either, it's a range, none of the diodes hit the precise umol regardless of letter.

there is a slight difference though to be fair, as that is what binning is. when i built rigs, i could order the same emitters by a number of different bins depending on what i wanted to pay, or what i intended the rig for.

the h in the lm301h simply stands for horticulture and has been added more as marketing than anything. citizen did the same thing with cob a number of years back.

independent testing of the different b and h level emitters produces no discernible difference. the emitters are all produced at the same time, they only become b or h when tested and binned at the end of the production line.

edit : shenzen lite science - the mfgr - twists itself in knots trying to explain the difference only to admit at the end they are the same emitter. samsung farms the production out.

 

[Keffka]

simple way to do it is look at the lights for a 5 x 5 stuff and it into a 4x4 if the dimensions fit. under led you want wall to wall light.

The only thing you want to watch for here is clearance on the light. I have an 8 bar style that is 50”x50” however it’s advertised as 48x48. The light itself is 48, however the rails add 2 inches width on the end due to the self contained drivers. If I try to fit it in a 4x4 the tent rests against the light and heats up the rails quickly. This can degrade the light much faster than normal. To be fair, my light manufacturer explicitly states the light shouldn’t be used in a tent. Funnily enough though, the manufacturer endorses certain distributors grow packages that include the light and a 5x5 tent.

OP already ordered his light but this is something others should be on the lookout for.

 

[Skunksta]

As for real time results I own a FC and a FCE and nothing in it.
Efficacy and hours the leds last is the only diff my friend i found.
Nice buy you wont be un happy

 

[KBUENOS]

I haven’t.. been eying the mars hydro smart FC E6500 and the Vipar ks5000

Currently using tsw 3000. I’ve thought about getting another one but I want to goto a bar style for even coverage of light

Hello 89, I'm from 88 myself same grade. are those the ones that you are liking? I know that it says haven't, I won't bother if that's what you meant but if you do like those ones I want to look them up, I am big on recommendations, thanks for sharing, personally I use an Adjusta-Wings HID and I love it, I got the opportunity to do so e caretaking a few years back and that's what my friend was into, l that man grew some of the greatest smoke I ever had. That's also when I became a hydro man, soil is so nice but hydro is clean

 

[KBUENOS]

That’s sorta false advertising…

I seen the Samsung version then the bridgelux one… never heard of bridgelux.
I’ll probably go with a mars light just because of the smart fan hub and I can hook the light into that, but I mostly just want the capability of setting my timer up through that app and some of the automated dimming settings you can choose from depending on the stage of the plant.
I’ll have to check that app out! Never checked this. How does this work?

Whoa, that sounds supreme, thank you for bringing this up, I have another reason to consider LED now

 

[BigBudsBunny]

I'm happy with the mars hydro fc 4800 evo in my 3x3. run full at about 80+% 12" from canopy - plants (flowering) are loving it. Looking at the fc 6500 evo for the 4x4, and also have a fc 3000 evo for the veg area. Love them all - just switched a couple months ago from hps and mh. From my research and life longevity of the light I was informed to purchase larger wattage light and dim it down so it doesn't run at 100% which supposedly will increase it's life span.
but what do i know!

 

[bluter]

From my research and life longevity of the light I was informed to purchase larger wattage light and dim it down so it doesn't run at 100% which supposedly will increase it's life span.
but what do i know!

exactly the right idea. oversize your light and learn to use the dimmer effectively in tandem with distance from canopy height.

both drivers and emitters will up to double their lifespan with little loss in efficacy when run at 5- 10% under the dimmer limit. if the light is sized correct there will be no noticeable difference in potency or yield.