So would I, but most of the medium base light bulb-style LEDs suck in terms of efficiency. It’s probably because the driver in the base of the bulb is so bad. Just like “driverless” COBs. A good driver is essentially a switching regulator followed by a constant current stage. The constant current components are very small and cheap (like about 3 cubic centimeters and under a dollar), but an efficient switching regulator takes up a lot more room and costs a lot more. It needs a controller, some MOSFETS, some big capacitors, and an inductor. Plus several little resistors and capacitors to tweak it up from 80% efficient to 95%.
There is a reason why Mean Well drivers don’t cost a dollar.
@dbrn32 what 1 would do better 2 xl260 kit or hlg 600 seeing they both will be bout the same cost or are they the same light just hlg being bigger would I get more light out of the 2 260 vs 600
Running at 100% you’ll get more light out of the 600. But you’ll be quite a bit less efficient at 2.8 amps+ per board on the 600 than 2.1 amps per board on the 260 kits, and more heat too.
I would probably buy whichever way it was cheaper. If that worked out to be the hlg-600 kit I would plan to never run it above about 80-85% for flowering.
Yea they both around the same price bout 750 is there a DIY light that’s just as good that can be done for less these are way I’m thinking bout getting so far tho
I did about that cost to illuminate my space using strips. Flat out the 3 panels deliver 720 watts from the plug but that’s far from their peak efficiency. In fairness though I had my own aluminum heatsink material.
Last I seen you could get 2 version 1 288 boards and heatsinks for $120. If you got two of those and two hlg-240h-c2100a drivers that would put you at about $360 for major components. You’d need some power cords, wagos, waterproof connectors, and wire. Then to build a frame for them as well. But I figure you could get a light using them up and running for $500 or less.
Bridgelux eb strips would probably put you about $1 per watt too. Diy is always going to be a little cheaper. Just a matter of wanting to do the labor and track down all the parts vs pay a little extra.
The big savings with DIY is if you can scrounge suitable aluminum. If you have to buy a bunch of big pin heat sinks, then you won’t save that much. Either way, if you get enough aluminum in the heat sink, your air circulation fan will probably keep it cool enough. If you build it and it runs too hot, you might be able to reposition your fan and get it cooler.
I like the clothes dryer temperature control switches. Less than $5 and they cut off the power if the fan fails. Then they keep cycling back on and off so your plants don’t start flowering. Perfect for safe guarding your DIY lights and dirt cheap.
Compared to what? The photon efficacy on these lights is so much higher than most of commercially available fixtures that the cost doesn’t even really matter. On a umol per dollar comparison, the cost of pin sinks is a drop in the hat.
I’d have to get everything together to give an exact number, but I think with shipping I had to pay on a couple of the parts and hardware I needed, somewhere around $240. They’re 3500k eb strips, a very balanced light spectrum for seed to harvest growing.
I was talking about building costs, of course. Running costs are MUCH better with high efficiency COBs or strips, but that may take a few years to recoup. I would still do it, even if I had to buy and couldn’t scrounge but some people claim to have limited resources right now.
I got ya. I just think that most don’t realize how apples to oranges these lights are in comparison to a colored led panel. With limited options in comparable commercially made fixtures, diy is still saving about 25-30% cost.
The recouping of costs can be looked at different ways. We just had a member harvest 5 and half ounces in a 2x2 with $100 100 watt build. Assuming cost of tent, fans, filter, and all the other equipment to build a room that size, you could probably build that room three times from a single harvest. Even if someone already had a room built, an increase in production would have to be considered. And could in most cases pay for themselves in a single grow. Just about everyone here I’ve dealt with had experienced results close to that.
You grow yourself 3oz, that’s 85g. Should you go round the Dutch coffee shops, that comes in at a minimum of €850. You get a big bag delivered, you’re looking at half a grand.
The maths are clear on that, even including electricity.
I have purchased everything for all of my grows via Amazon except my DIY lights, which I built for just over $800. All told, since May 1 of last year when I started, I have spent $5595.46 on Amazon for just grow stuff… add in the DIY lights and we’re at around $6500. This includes the 3x3 flood tray and 36 one gallon fabric pots I just purchased as well.
In that year, I have harvested:
4.76oz of ILGM Crystal
8 ounces and change of ILGM Gold Leaf
7 ounces and change of ILGM Super Silver Haze
8.96 ounces of ILGM Blueberry Auto
And I have an ILGM BCK hanging that I think will come in around 8 ounces as well.
That’d make 34 ounces and change in a year.
If we assume an ounce is worth $150 here in MA, that’d make my yield worth around $5,200. So I’m still out a grand and that doesn’t include the $80/mo that my lights,fans, etc. cost me. Add in another grand per year to run the lights and fans, and my costs for the first year of growing were around $7,500. That’s with a LOT of wasted purchases. I will run the report for just the stuff I bought since I started the second grow, and see how that pans out too.
In any case, my next harvest should see me break even all told.
