Absolute newbie builder needs some buying advice

[hogemeister]

Hello everyone!

Just recently built an area for flowering and it's kinda triangle shaped with a corner cut off - so 4 x 5 x 3 kinda.

So I've recently switched to LED's and I would like to build my own light system for my new flowering space.

Cost wise I've decided to go with bridgelux vero 29.

And I plan to purchase my equipment from https://www.digikey.co.uk who seem to stock plenty of stuff.

How many cobs do you think I'll need? 5 perhaps?
I'm gonna try and make the unit kind of "T" shaped to cover my nearly triangle shape space.

There are so many to choose from on digikey that it's confusing me slightly, also I've no idea what driver I should need as well.

Looks like I'll also need individual heat sinks which I'll also purchase from digikey.

As I'll be using my new leds for flowering only, I've no idea which bridgelux vero 29's I should buy.

Can someone point me in a direction of which bridgelux vero 29's I should buy, and also which driver I will need as well.

Thanks in Advance!

[majorana]

Very generally speaking, with LEDs you'd like to be aiming at 35W/square foot, so for the space that would be roughly 600W. How many LEDS does that translate too would be your call. With Vero 29 (please note there are 3 types, B/C/D if I'm not mistaken) on average you'd be looking at 50W/COB with those, so you'd probably come up with 12 COBs. This would depend on how hard (i.e., at what amperage) you drive the COBs. With the same 12 COBs you can end up using 400 and 800W depending on the amperage, which will influence their efficiency (how much light they produce per energy unit.) You'll find a better explanation, and a whole lot more, reading up in the site. If you're going the DIY-route you better know what you're getting into

[Jolly Green Giant]

welcome to the fun of DIY!!!! with odd ball sized spaces it's going to be almost impossible to have a even coverage across it.. unless you make the same odd ball size heat sink and put strips/diodes on it...

the main difference between vero29 B/C/ and D's is the voltage range... B's are your 54v chip... the D's are your 36v chip.. those are the more commonly used chips.. the C's are odd ball 70-72v chips.. they are not used as much because it's more of a pain to figure out proper drivers to fit multiple chips....

here's my idea for your space... I would put 9 vero 29D's on the three 3 foot rail frames(3 per rail) that way you can set them up how ever you want.. whether you get better coverage from a square pattern, the "T" your thinking, or some sort of triangle pattern... you can change it to your needs...I would mix the color temps of the cobs with both 2700k and 3000k.(since flower only don't need higher K than 3000k) whether it's 6 3000k's and 3 2700k's or 5 and 4..( 2/1 per rail if you plan on spreading them out or checkerboard pattern throughout all 9 if you go square pattern)

I would power each rail with a mean well hlg240h-36 or a hlg240h-c2100 ( 36 is a CV driver the 2100 CC version) for more individual control.. also if for any reason a driver dies you still got the other two... instead of everything being out using a big single driver and being S.O.L. if it died..

heat sink wise.. anything that can handle 80-100 watts easy would be best.. those veros ran at 2100 are close to 75watts each..

I couldn't find links for the drivers or heat sinks thru digikey so those are linked thru mouser for the drivers and RapidLED for the heat sinks (I know how to find them faster thru those sites... they might be on digikey)

3000k chips
https://www.digikey.co.uk/product-detai ... ND/5180229

2700k chips
https://www.digikey.co.uk/product-detai ... ND/5180216

drivers
https://www.mouser.com/Search/m_Product ... PSzA%3d%3d
or
https://www.mouser.com/Search/m_Product ... 6X4w%3d%3d

heat sinks
https://www.rapidled.com/140mm-pin-heatsink/

that's just a idea from someone who learned about newer LED tech thru cobs but has not use one yet!! I like my quantum boards to much

[hogemeister]

Thank you so much for the replies!

I'm learning!

[oozing]

I agree with Jolly Green Giant. 3xstrips of 3-5 cobs each. Go for 1 cob per foot @ 50w. You'll be rocking 700-800 ppfd over that space. I did the same for a 4x4 with CXB3590. Each strip powered in series with a HLG-185-1400B. 800w total. Very satisfied with the results.
Started moving on to Quantom Boards since then thou.
Good luck

[hogemeister]

Thank you!

My daytime job has been carpentry and woodwork for all my life and I kinda understand basic electrics, as I've had to do some electrics from time to time.
But recently for my grows I've changed to LED's and i keep tabs on the great growing groups on Facebook, so I've been noticing posts by people to "just make your own led grow light" and this intrigued me, so I'd like to have a go.

Thanks for your replies people, I think i have the confidence now to get this going.

[hogemeister]

Hello everyone again.

I've had a small change of plan for my growing areas as I've not actually began building any lights yet.
So the lights in my new flower room are all dealt with now, and I've decided to use my previously purchased leds.
Now I have an empty tent with no light and a smaller space also with no light.
My tent size is 150cm square, and my smaller space is 90cm square.
The tent will be my veg room, and I plan on fitting 5 plants max in there, and space them in the same shape as a "5" on a dice, so one in each corner and one bang in the middle.
For my smaller 90cm square space I'd like to grow some spinach and rocket in longish pots, or maybe try NFT.

As you guys and gals have vast amounts of knowledge with leds, can you tell me how many cobs I should use in each space and the appropriate drivers too?
Cost wise I'm gonna stick with bridgelux vero 29's for the cobs too.

Thanks people - if you tell me what I'll need then I can build it!

[Jolly Green Giant]

the rough equation I use is 50w per sqft ( 30cm x 30cm) for heavy flowering... 25-30w for veg/seedlings.

in your 5x5 (150cm x 150cm) you could get away with one cob per plant with the "5" pattern you mentioned. or 9 on a 4 x 4 frame so there's one over each plant and one in between each plant.. or you could throw a crap load like 16 of them and run really soft and efficient.. it all depends on your budget.. but that's also the beauty of DIY... you can add to it... say you make the 5 cob setup with one over each plant... you can always add the other 4 and 1 more driver to get to the 9cobs after you run it once or twice..

the driver size would depend on how many and how hard you ran the cobs.. and what voltage the cob was.... on avg people use a hlg185-2100 on 3-4 36v cobs giving 70ish to 50ish watts to each cob...

again plan out 25-30watts per sqft for vegging or microgreens... 50w for big flowering plants.. there's always strips and quantum boards also

[hogemeister]

Thank you Jolly Green Giant.

You're a star - so i think I'm gonna go for the 9 cob option to keep one kinda inbetween each other.
That's great.