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- #181
Which Grow Light For The Price? Best Price For The Best Light
- Thread starter Fietchen
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qbs will have the either the exact same penetration or be worse than a comparable strip rig. they use the same emitters. the emitters determine your penetration, not the design architecture.
qbs concentrate the emitters in a smaller space, so wider penetration suffers, it might be slightly better in a very small area, but it would be worse over all in the entire grow space.
even spread and penetration is what led to the strip rigs being developed.
hanging qbs higher only reduces penetration.
if your timer drops the voltage feed to zero you should not get light coming through. the timer itself has to be letting power through.
does your light dim to zero without the timer ?
a lot will depend on what else you have for emitters. you won't have just the 3000 and 3500k emitters.
if the light does not dim to zero without a timer then the pot it's using starts at about 10%. it's super common. the rig may not go to zero without cutting power, which is usually the job of an external timer. if the fixture runs an internal timer then it will have to be dealt with by the mfgr.
Fenderbender
Well-Known Member
Would a manic depressive " bi-polar timer" help? that cuts out the two poles of the light instead of just the phase?
- Thread starter
- #184
- Thread starter
- #185
Fenderbender
Well-Known Member
Yeah power is not completely cut with the dimmer, that's why I'm thinking using a timer which completely cuts the circuit from the mains.
that's how it's been solved every other time. most potentiometer based dimmers start at 5 - 10 % dimming. they don't go to zero by design. most of the rigs i sold don't go dark unless on a timer, only the high power drivers pulling over 240w dim to zero on their own without a timer.
if the timer allows power through the rig will glow.
Fenderbender
Well-Known Member
So yeah it's by design, sending it back won't solve anything. Just get the right timer.
My light is done differently but there's no exact zero either.. there the light cuts out at 20% or starts up at 20%.
My light is done differently but there's no exact zero either.. there the light cuts out at 20% or starts up at 20%.
Porky82
Well-Known Member
I'm anti people like you who because they have owned only Chinese lights think that they are equal or as even 1 other suggested better built than the more reputable brands!!If by me saying i know the light offenedd you being a electrician sorry.
But we dont get on and anything i say he jumps on.
He kowns nothing about any of the lights he talks about as hes never owned one.
Hes anti chinese lights why i dont know coming from aus is my guess anyway.
Hope i never offend cant see why myself as i called you friend and put a
But this guy is just one of those i know better people.
Which is just plain wrong!!
Not only that they expect people to do their own electrical work on faulty products!
Just because a light company sponsors a forum and gives away free lights doesn't make them some kind of infallible entity!
Figured as muchWithout Timer same Shit!
needs a timer that cuts to zero power. that's quite common with just a pot based dimmer.
Just needs to plug it into a power point and switch the PowerPoint off that will prove its not the timer ,like I mentioned
Fenderbender
Well-Known Member
So what's @Fietchen going to do? As there isn't really a problem with the light.
You just need a timer that cuts out the circuitry completely.
I mean for the price the lights seem hard to beat.. all the xs1500pro journals turn out great, for a 100 bucks light.. that's a pretty good deal as in the 50 to 150 range there's thousands of "grow lights" offered all over the web that will have people screaming.. although I guess Fietchen was screaming too.. "Was ist denn hier los verdampftnochmal, wieso bleibt das blöde ding brennen!!!"
And the bar light looks pretty cool too! But yeah if you send it back and gets your money back maybe don't look for the best price but spend a bit more.
You just need a timer that cuts out the circuitry completely.
I mean for the price the lights seem hard to beat.. all the xs1500pro journals turn out great, for a 100 bucks light.. that's a pretty good deal as in the 50 to 150 range there's thousands of "grow lights" offered all over the web that will have people screaming.. although I guess Fietchen was screaming too.. "Was ist denn hier los verdampftnochmal, wieso bleibt das blöde ding brennen!!!"
And the bar light looks pretty cool too! But yeah if you send it back and gets your money back maybe don't look for the best price but spend a bit more.
Fenderbender
Well-Known Member
Que? Oh you're thinking replacement drivers? But he bought it discounted somewhere, not sure how that's gonna pan out or even if it's going to solve the problem as it's likely to get the same behaviour if they just send another one of the series... and got the feeling he already packed up the light again and is ready to send it back?
Its not the fault of the timer as far as I can tell
Fenderbender
Well-Known Member
Wait does the light just keeps on like that for a while after switching off? like a slow release capacitor? but then it would go out eventually after a couple minutes.. an not really a problem.. if it just keeps on using another timer is the easy fix.. they started marketing those that cut poles and phases towards led lights for a reason I'm thinking.
Its like that but just stays on doesn't drain to off.
The problem seems to be having seen this with another brand is it seems to be energising the leds via the neutral still being connected when the timer or power point is turned off which means you need a contactor to switch active and neutral controlled via a timer .
But if you use a zone controller to turn your lights on via the data cable then the lights are probably going to glow in the off position because you won't be using a contactor.
So its no ideal
Thats why I mentioned earlier in thread to plug the light into the power point without timer and turn power point off and see if it still glows .
Which I believe it will .
That will eliminate the timer as the problem.
how's it getting power then ? my timers cut all power, so no glow. if i plug direct into the wall the light will sit at about 5%. it only is an issue with lower power drivers, sub 200w. all the higher power drivers will go to zero on a dimmer.
it only effects potentiometer based dimming. if you use arduino etc, it will dim to zero every time. most drivers aren't set up for it though.
i built and sold local branded lights for about five yrs, and have worked with led in show production as long as it's been available. i grew under cob based led show lighting before they were available commercially as grow lighting.
edit : next time i fire up my smaller veg rig i'll take pic of it dimmed to zero and still showing about a 5% glow. it cuts off complete at any dimming level when the timer takes it out. i built and sold the same rigs.