Questions / Non standard config.

[Zilphus]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post here!
I'm starting my first grow, and am currently finalizing some details.

I'm looking into getting 12x LT-H282D, for a 2x2 tent. These would be mounted on U profile aluminium strips, with the makeshift fins pointing down, so as to use them as reflectors.
My first question appears here: would this orientation prove to be valuable due to potential reflection, or would it be prejudicial?

The 12 units would be placed spaced from each other, possibly also staggered, so as to disperse light more evenly in the 2x2 space.
I've been drawing out some ideas I had, but would love to hear if any of these would have any merit over just using a simple linear configuration.




As for the driver, the HLG-150H-24A should be the correct fit. I am trying to understand if the B version would be a better choice, but the idea of not having to do any additional soldering nor getting the potentiometer sort of feels like an easier/cleaner path.

Lastly, I'm quite lost when it comes to getting an extraction fan. This is already out of the scope of this thread, and i'll maybe post it on a more fitting area.

The gist of it is that I need to make this as absolutely dead quiet as possible. Given that I'm in the EU, all the cool silent stuff I've been finding is US/CA market only - importation costs are ridiculous. I'm thinking about building some sort of insulated wooden box to place the fan in, to further kill the sound. Given the small volume of the tent, roughly 20 cubic feet, I'm assuming I wont need anything too powerful to pull the air out, even through a carbon filter. Any help here would also be greatly appreciated.

[unkle_psycho]

Maybe someone could post some measurement charts, so you could get an idea on how light spreads. Setups like your linear still have more intensity in the middle, compared to the sides. I think people try to fix that by spacing the strips furthest in the middle, and progressively closer as you move to the edges. Anyway it would seem to me that all the other layouts besides the linear would exaggerate the already strong light in the middle.

I used to grow in my kitchen cupboard in a busy apartment. This was 15y ago, so I used HID. I really had to max the ventilation, and temperatures were still very high. The way I kept the noise down was by getting a huge oversize UFO, which I connected to a light dimmer. Running at 50% it was very powerful, and hardly made noise.

You want the temperature of the top leaves around 30c, or at least 25c. With leds temperatures might not be such a problem for you, unless you are somewhere hot.

[Zilphus]

After drawing out the ones I posted, and a few others that I imagined, all gave the impression of being far more middle intense, just as you say. My knowledge of light spread and intensity is very limited, so I was curious on how to solve the lack of light that always seems to affect the corners in squared spaces.

I have indeed seen builds where instead of a central LED strip, the driver is placed there instead.


I'll be keeping this as the primary solution to dilute a bit of the central intensity, and increase peripheral.


Could you elaborate on what an UFO is? (by the reference and shape, I'm guessing one of those inline fans that looks like a flying saucer?)

Temperature here is moderate. It's a 10a hardiness area. Summers can get pretty hot, and winters are never too cold. As this will be an indoor operation, temps will always be relatively under control.

Getting something over-sized and running it undervolted seems to be a good consensus on how to keep things quiet.
The issue here would be that I'd like to keep things as compact as possible, all within the tent area. No more than a 6" option would be the ideal. I'll need to continue researching options in this area.

[sdfoster22]

Using the u channels as reflectors is working against the light spread. The good thing about these strips is the spread of light.

[DaveJonesFan]

As sdfoster22 has said, it may be a bad idea to use the U channel as reflection with these. Maybe push them even more exaggerated like for a more edge favoring design. the smaller the tent the more you want to really push to the edge, in my opinion. Keep the driver on top if anything also, so it's not interfering with the light spread.

[Zilphus]

The UltraPimp layout looks like it has a strong hand.

I'll be using the U channel only as heat dissipating fins, as has been recommended. This should actually make building the fixture and setting the Led strips easier.
Thermal tape is already on the way, U channel has already arrived, and everything else should appear during the following week.

Edit: I've been conversing with a few fan manufacturers, and am currently considering a Noctua fan. They have a few industry oriented models, and have recommended me some options that they believe would work well considering the application.

[LEDG]

Rarely do I actually laugh out loud but the Ultrapimp caption got me. I'm in favour of the pimp layout.