A Detailed Look into the Fluence Bioengineering Spydr 2P

[Northern_Loki]

A Detailed Look into the Fluence Bioengineering Spyder 2P

Let’s take a look at Fluence Bioengineering’s Spyder 2P LED Fixture. The following is divided into the following sections:

1. Introduction
2. Shipping and Delivery
3. Specifications (OEM specification claims)
4. Construction
5. Our Measurements
6. Discussion (comparing the supplied specification and marketing to our measurements)

Introduction

Overgrow was donated a new Fluence fixture from a generous OG patron. The only requests from the patron were:

1. That OG evaluates the fixture performance metrics,
2. OG can do with it as they please and
3. OG will inform the community as to what a bunch of handsome devil’s they are. There was a photo of themselves included with the fixture:
   
   What a handsome fellow.

In this thread you’ll find our completed evaluation but we were left with the question, what now?

Well, @Jay was the lucky recipient of this fixture as LJ said let’s give it away! Over here:

Overgrow Holiday Give-away: Fluence Bioengineering Spydr 2P [CLOSED]

What’s this??? [image] Yes, Overgrow was donated a Fluence Bioengineering Spydr 2P for a look-see. We looked. And now, what’s a better way to utilize this than to give it to a lucky Overgrow’er. We only have one, wish we had more, so this is just a random give-away. Entry Rules: Minimum Overgrow “Member” status (trust level 2) to participate Limited to one registered entry per member One bonus ticket if user is Supporter at the time of the draw (stacks) One bonus ticket if user is Regular …

So, Jay, please read on to view the performance metrics of your unit!

Shipping and Delivery

Fluence has traditionally utilized just-in-time (JIT) and lean manufacturing which, in their words, means build-to-order. This allows the OEM to reduce costs by reducing the amount of product sitting in the supply-line. The premise is that they have a tuned and efficient manufacturing process allowing them to quickly build and ship to a customer on demand. Hot off the presses as they say.

There are a variety of reasons to take this approach some which include taxation, carry, and inventory costs. It also ensures that they do not end-up over-producing units while reducing the need to predict market demand at any one time. Not to mention being able to use the most modern and cool-kid business buzz-words.

This works great in theory, but reality is a different story. Currently, in order to obtain a Fluence fixture, you’d have to wait upwards of 8 weeks before your unit is shipped.

If you are planning to purchase from Fluence, you are committed to something of a wait depending on the market demand. These are not in the “cheapo” fixture category and at this price level, one would assume you’ve done some planning and research such that the lead-time is really not an issue.

For this overview and test, the donor this unit new from a third party vendor that had done the leg work to obtain the unit ahead of time. As such, I was able to receive the fixture in a much more timely manner.

I have had some issues in the past with how Fluence has packaged their products with some of the componentry loosely packed and bouncing around within the shipping box. I’ve written to the CEO discussing how this is a poor practice and can lead to both cosmetic and premature failure of the unit from shock. See:

Fluence has hired the Amazon shipping team

Just kidding… But, bought a couple RAY44s: [image] [image] … having a heavy brick of a power supply unsecured and flopping around in the box next to the LED bar can’t be good. No protective tape on the LED lens or body so, yeah, nicks and scratches from being jostled around. Not a big deal for it’s intended purpose (they still work) but for the price of the Fluence gear, you’d think they would have better packing. Anyone else notice this when ordering from Fluence? Update: Fluence has co…

This fixture has improved packaging with the heavy power supply and some of the miscellaneous componentry individual boxed and tightly packed into place. However, the AC power cord and the DC interface to the LED fixture were loosely thrown into the box and allowed to bounce around. A small amount of kapton tape would have easily fixed this issue.

Shipping is something of an art. In fact, there are engineers that spend their time just thinking about such things. While I see something of an improvement from past experience, Fluence does need to stay vigilant on the QA during packaging. The Blue and Brown team will find any packaging weakness possibly leading to a dissatisfied customer (that was waiting a really long time to receive the fixture).

In any case, the fixture did arrive in a big box for a big fixture. Despite some loose wiring harnesses, there was only minor cosmetic marking and no noticeable physical damage:

Specifications

The following are the manufacturer’s specification for the Fluence Bioengineering Spydr 2P as taken from the included specification guide:

Specification Guide (click to expand)

SPYDR-2p-spec-sheet-181119-1.pdf (424.5 KB)
FL-SpecSheet_SPYDR2p47_WEB_2019-09.pdf (1001.6 KB)

Dimensions and Weight (click to expand)

Length: 47.0 inches (1194 mm)
Width: 42.8 inches (1087 mm)
Height: 4.0 inches (102 mm) with power supply mounted on fixture.
Height: 1.26 inches (32 mm) without power supply mounted on fixture.
Weight: 16.7 lbs (7.6 Kg) fixture only
Weight: 7.5 lbs (3.4 Kg) power supply only

AC Power Consumption (click to expand)

Operating Voltage: 100-277 VAC
Typical Current Draw:
5.43A @ 120 VAC,
2.69A @ 240 VAC,
2.28A @ 277 VAC

Operating Environment (click to expand)

Temperature: 95F (35C) Maximum
Orientation : LED emission facing down

Spectrum (click to expand)

PhysioSpec Indoor™

Lifetime (click to expand)

LED expected output : L90: > 54,000hrs
Warranty : 5 year

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Construction

Mechanical

This fixture has a large mechanical footprint with a lighting area designed to fit within a 4ft x 4ft area.

Traditionally, I’m more use to the smaller, more modular fixtures and simply ran out of space to capture a full profile with the camera. It’s big. So, it’s taken me some adjustment to handle this thing without bashing myself in the head or knocking over my coffee. But it’s also clean, compact, and very much suitable for top-lighting style application with a profile that’s compatible with “standardized” citizen grow-ops.

The fixture arrived folded into a clam shell arrangement thanks to 180 degree articulating hinges.

Hinge:

You simply fold open the the two half to access the full array of LEDs:

Due to the hinge, I could see some adventurous souls utilizing this for side-lighting project and wrapping their plants with a couple of these, as well. A very intense side lighting, that is.

There are a total of six LED “slats” equally spaced and fixed into place to the frame. Unlike previous generation Spydr fixtures, the distance between the individual slats is not adjustable. This is somewhat sensible in that the control of the lighting spread and PPFD becomes a known quantity based on the optical engineering of the unit. What you do get out of fixtures that consume a large area with spread out LED elements is an even and consistent PPFD over the intended area.

Each slat is composed of an aluminum reflector shroud that also serves as a heatsink. This unit is passively cooled meaning there are no fans included to contribute to noise. Passively cooled fixtures will also add heat into space during operation. As with all passively cooled equipment, it is suggested that some amount of airflow exist to help move heat away from the fixture and to protect the LED componentry from excessive temperatures and to also consider heat rise when designing for an enclosed area.

An LED PCB strip array consisting of 342 yellow/blue white LEDs along with 12 evenly spaced far red LEDs is mounted to each slat for a total of 354 LEDs. Across all six slats, this amounts to a total of 2124 individual discrete LEDs for this fixture.

Weather / Ingress protection / IP Rating

The Fluence Spydr 2P is IP66 rated. What this denotes is that the assembly has been tested for protection against and to safely operate in a specific environment. The two digit number “66” indicates the level of protection and follows the following format:

• 
  (1)

(6) No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact.

(6) Water projected in powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.

This is a nice feature potentially making this model useful in environments with hired personnel and greenhouse like conditions. The home hobbyist and DIY’er may scoff at this feature as being useless to them while others that have an eye towards safety will find this feature comforting against the occasional misdirected water spray.

Liquid Tight Fittings

Throughout the design, Fluence has chosen to employ liquid tight electrical fitting and gaskets in areas sensitive to moisture.

Power Supply

This is an unusual power supply. It’s something a nesting Russian doll with an external case that wraps an internally cased power supply. Nice looking. Well constructed. But an odd design. And big.

Note the scuffing on the plastic case from tooling of the connector. In a well tuned manufacturing process this should not occur and would be considered a reject. “Niggles” since there is no functional affect but it is a QA item that projects the level of detail taken across the manufacturing process. And, at this price point…

Dimming

The power supply has a dimmer input that accepts 0-10VDC or an PWM input. It utilizes an LLT quick connect fitting and Fluence includes a pigtail connector so that you can wire it up to dimmer controller. I have, unsuccessfully, tried to source the same connectors to DIY cables without having to purchase them from Fluence. I have not yet determined the correct mating connector. LLT M19 are slightly too large.

Fluence does have an external dimmer controller that can be purchased but it is rather basic in functionality.

LED PWB Construction

Conformal Coating

Conformal coating:

The conformal coat appears to be a siloxane type of coating. The application of the coating on the LED array by Fluence is the best I’ve seen to date when compared to other manufacturer’s that use a similar material.

Color Palette

Fluence utilizes three different phosphors, white/blue, white/yellow, and far-red. There are no UV specific LEDs on this fixture:

Ok, let’s power her on and turn a look-see:

Measurements

AC Power Consumption (no dimming)

Measurement Instrument : Fluke 43B Power Quality Analyzer (click for details)

Instrument : Fluke 43B
Type : Multi-meter
Measurement Range: Voltage 5.000V to 500.0V, Current 50.00A to 500.0kA
Accuracy: Voltage ±(1 % + 10 counts), Current ±(1 % + 10 counts)
Calibration Source : Manufacturer

Measurement Instrument : Pico TA189 Current Probe (click for details)

Instrument : Pico TA189
Type : Current Probe
Measurement Range: 0-30A
Accuracy: ± 1% of reading ± 2mA
Calibration Source : Built-In

Average current draw (120.0VAC) ~5.53A (click to expand)

Power Consumption (120.0VAC) 663W with a Power Factor (PF) of 1.0 (click to expand)

Harmonic Content (THDr) 6.7% (click to expand)

DC Power Consumption (no dimming)

Measurement Instrument : Fluke 43B Power Quality Analyzer (click for details)

Instrument : Fluke 43B
Type : Multi-meter
Measurement Range: Voltage 5.000V to 500.0V, Current 50.00A to 500.0kA
Accuracy: Voltage ±(1 % + 10 counts), Current ±(1 % + 10 counts)
Calibration Source : Manufacturer

Measurement Instrument : Pico TA189 Current Probe (click for details)

Instrument : Pico TA189
Type : Current Probe
Measurement Range: 0-30A
Accuracy: ± 1% of reading ± 2mA
Calibration Source : Built-In

DC Voltage and Current Draw

As measured at the output of the Fluence power supply:

Power Consumption (click to expand)

As measured at the output of the Fluence power supply:

Calculated Supply Conversion Efficiency: 92.6%

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Temperature (no dimming)

Measurement Instrument : Fluke 80T-150UA Universal Temperature Probe (click for details)

Instrument : Fluke 80T-150UA
Type : Temperature Probe
Measurement Range: -58 to +302 °F
Accuracy: ±1.8°F from +32 to +212°F
Calibration Source : Manufacturer

Measurement Instrument : Fluke 576 Infrared Thermometer (click for details)

Instrument : Fluke 576
Type : Temperature Probe
Measurement Range: -25 to +1600°F
Accuracy: ±1.5°F from +23 to +1600°F
Calibration Source : Manufacturer

Measurement Instrument : Flir A35 Thermal Camera (click for details)

Instrument : Flir A35
Type : Thermal Camera
Measurement Range: -25°C to 135°C (-13 to 275°F) / –40°C to 550°C (-40 to 1022°F)
Accuracy: ±5°C (±9°F) or ±5% of reading
Calibration Source : Self / Manufacturer

Operating Temperature

Beginning Surface Probe Measurement: 74.66°F (23.7°C)
Power supply case at 1.5 hours: Surface Probe 126.68°F (52.6°C)
Heat sink fin at 1.5 hours: Surface Probe 113.18°F (45.1°C)
Power supply case at 1.5 hours: Infrared Probe 136.2°F (57.89°C)
Heat sink fin at 1.5 hours: Infrared Probe 127.2°F (52.89°C)

Hotspots: Some regions of LEDs show mild hotspot differential of ~4F (click to expand)

Hotspots, false color images, @1.5 hours non-dimmed on PWB. Minor temperature variation across PWB of about 4F with maximum LED temperature recorded at approximately 130F.

Thermal Image of Operating Assembly (click to expand)

Fixture thermal image (from bottom), false color image, @1.5 hours non-dimmed

Fixture thermal image (from top), false color image, @1.5 hours non-dimmed

Power supply thermal image (from top), false color image, @1.5 hours non-dimmed

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Lighting Metrics

Spectral Power Distribution (SPD)

Measurement Instrument : Stellarnet CXR-SR-100 (click for details)

Instrument : Stellarnet CXR-SR-100
Type : Spectrometer
Bandwidth : 220 to 1100 nm
Resolution : 4 nm
Optical Fiber : F600 VIS/IR
Sensing Head : Cosine Corrected Adapter CR1
Calibration Source : Stellarnet SL1-CAL (300-100nm) Tungsten-Halogen Lamp

18 inches from fixture, open air, center spot, 30 minutes to stabilize (click to expand)

Center Point, Open Air Measurement:

Spectrometer and Quantum Sensor Cosine Heads:

Spectrometer Electronics:

Spectral Distribution :

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Blue(400 - 500nm): 16.24%
Green(500 - 600nm): 38.14%
Red(600 - 700nm): 45.62%
Total :100%

UVB(287-320nm): 0.01%
UVA(320-400nm): 0.12%
Violet_Blue(400-475nm): 11.91%
Cyan_Green(475-550nm): 18.58%
Green_Yellow_Red(550-700nm): 65.56%
FarRed_NearIR(700-850nm): 3.82%
Total :100%

Spectrum Plots (click to expand)

Captured Spectrum

PAR / YPF overlay

Radiant Energy and Ratios

The following metrics details the measured radiant energy 18 inches from the fixture, open air (no nearby reflective walls), center spot (at the center of the fixture), after allowing 30 minutes for the fixture to stabilize:

Integral radiant (400-700nm): 186.4 W/m²
Integral radiant (350-840nm): 192.3 W/m²
Lumens (m^2) : 54821
Spectrometer PFD (400-700nm): 889.56 umol / m² / s
Spectrometer PFD (350-840nm): 925.5 umol / m² / s
Quantum Sensor PFD (400-700nm): 850.4 umol / m² / s
YPF (360-760nm) : 791.86 umol / m² / s
YPF/PFD: 0.89
PSS: 0.86
DLI index [12 hours] : 38.4
Note: The traditional PAR range is defined as being 400nm-700nm.

These types of units are intended for close-in use and, as such, is specified for a recommended minimum height above canopy at 6 inches. I find this to be absurdly close but:

Spectrometer PFD (400-700nm): 1252.92 umol / m² / s @ 6 inches.
Quantum Sensor PFD (400-700nm): 1219.9 umol / m² / s @ 6 inches.

Output Stability

Output power as measured with the Apogee Quantum Sensor over an ~90 minute period from power-up shows a small amount of variation of ~3% as the unit heats up. Measured 18 inches from fixture, open air, center-point.

Variation (click to expand)

Output Stability Plot: Delta 871 to 845 umol / m² / s

Color Quality

The following graphs details how the human eye will perceive colors that are illuminated by the fixture. This has little to do with the quality of light as perceived by the plant but rather how easy it is for humans to discern colors or how accurate the colors in a photograph under illumination will appear.

Chromaticity 3613K (click to expand)

CCT: 3613K
Chromaticity Coordinates: (x=0.2375, y=0.4971)
Dominant Wavelength: 604.5nm
Purity: 28.1%

Color Rendering Index 93.47 (click to expand)

NIST CRI: 93.47

Color Quality Scale 89 (click to expand)

NIST CQS: 89

A CRI rating of 93 is high. This indicates items illuminated with this fixture will result in accurate colors. A good guide discussing CRI and why it is useful can be found here:

How to choose the right CRI for your lighting: A practical guide to Color...

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PAR Map

The following graphs illustrates the PAR as measured over the suggested 4ft x 4ft area with reflective walls. These graphs are useful to determine the amount of intensity variation that may be expected over the suggested grow area at specific hanging heights.

Measurement Instrument : Apogee Instruments SQ-250 (click for details)

Instrument : Apogee Instruments SQ-250
Type : Quantum Sensor
Bandwidth : 389 to 692 nm ±5 nm
Resolution : 0.1 µmol*s / m^2
Sensing Head : 2PI Cosine Corrected
Calibration Uncertainty : ±5%
Calibration Source : Manufacturer Calibration
Source Correction Table :

PAR Map @6 Inches (click to expand)

PAR Map @12 Inches (click to expand)

From the PAR map we calculate an averaged PPFD over the 4x4 area at 6 inches height of 958 umol / m² and 912 umol / m² at a height of 12 inches. For an area of 16 ft², we have a conversion factor of 1.48645 to m² which produces an estimate PPF of 1424 umol / m² for the six inch distance and 1356 umol / m² for the twelve inch distance.

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Manufacturer’s Warranty

Specification notes a limited 5 year warranty for the Spyder 2 series.

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[Northern_Loki]

Continuation and Discussion on the Fluence Spydr 2p fixture

Discussion

How does the supplied specification measure up to the results we are seeing?

Number of LEDs

Specified : not specified
Measured : 2124
Comments: Mixture of blue / yellow / far-red phosphors.

Power Consumption @ 120VAC

Specified : 645 Watts ±10%
Measured : 663 Watts
Comments : Slightly higher than average specified but within tolerance.

Power Factor

Specified : >90%
Measured : 100%
Comments : Perfect.

Temperature

Specified : not specified
Measured : Power Supply@136.2°F (57.89°C), Heat Sink Fins@127.2°F (52.89°C), Ambient@74.66°F (23.7°C)
Comments : Temperatures are safe to the touch (ASTM C1055 <140^o) with low fire risk potential.

Spectrum

Specified :

Measured :

Comments : General spectrum shape shows red and blue peaks while greens appear subdued relative to the specified graph. Fluence has been using the same graphs to describe their spectra for a number of years and, from what I can tell, they have not updated them despite a number of LED revisions.

You can find some comparative spectra for other fixtures and lamps that we’ve measured in the past, here:
Lighting Spectral Data

Radiant Energy

Specified : 1600 umols/m²/s ±10%
Measured : 1253 umols/m²/s open air (400-700nm) at 6 inches centerspot.
Measured : 1424 umols/m²/s open air (400-700nm) at 6 inches averaged.
Comments: The averaged measurement over a 4ft x 4ft area falls slightly outside of the lower-end of the tolerance amounting to a 11% deficiency relative to the specified value.

The are differing definitions of flux where it is either defined as total flux or flux density, as such it is not always clear what is being referred to when stating PPF. This PPF specification was likely determined using an integrating sphere to capture the total flux without reference to area. An integrating sphere is an excellent and expensive tool for determining the total number of photons produced by a fixture. Such a test tool is used to capture ALL of the light emitted from a light source even if the photons were somehow emitted tangentially from the fixture. It is the optimal output measurement of a fixture. It is also good for measuring the overall spectrum since it, in essence, mixes the varied energy photons (colors) prior to measurement (otherwise there may be mild variations in spectra depending on the measurement sensor location). From an integration sphere you can determine the overall efficiency and spectrum but not necessarily the real world performance (amount of light in a specific direction) since the optical characteristics are not measured. For that, you’d either perform real world tests or by model simulation. Fluence does not specify measurement conditions or provide values under actual real-world conditions but has provided a fixture comparison document:

Fluence-Product-Matrix-181130.pdf (208.1 KB)

PPE

Specified : 2.5 umol/J @645 Watts
Measured : 2.14 umol/J @663 Watts
Comments : This measurement does not meet the specification. Accurate PPE values are made using an integration sphere which I’d assume is the case here. These are optimal measurements. You can expect estimating such values in the field, such as using PPFD, to be measured at something less. We’d calculate a PPE of 2.14 when using the averaged PPFD measurement for one m² with the measured 663 Watts power consumption at the wall. This does not match the specification or the “actual” numbers but is still a good number. Since I don’t have the equipment to accurately capture the entire flux, I’m giving this a warning checkmark since the deviation could be a concern but I can’t properly assess the accuracy.

PAR Mapping

Specified : average PPFD of 990 umols/m²/s per marketing materials
Measured : 6 Inch Height

Measured : 12 Inch Height

Comments : The PPFD at 6 inches of height across a 4ft by 4ft area averages to 958 umols/m²s. At 12 inches of height for the same 16 sq. ft area, the PPFD averages to 912 umols/m²s. While the walls consist of a reflective material, there are losses involved explaining the disparity between the two heights. The measured PPFD of 958 umols/m²/s over a 4 by 4 area is less than a 3% variance from the specified value.
Fluence specifies an average PPFD over an 4ft x 4ft area at six inch distance of 990 umols/m²/s. In this case, the 64 point average over the 4ft x 4ft area produces 958 umols/m²/s. This measurement shows <3% variance from the specified value.

Chromaticity

Specified : not specified
Measured : 3613K
Comments : This unit has a very high CRI for a horticultural fixture.

Things we didn’t specifically measure but could use your help with filling in some of the details:

Ingress Protection (click to expand)

We didn’t measure against the IP66 rating. There are three primary engineered features that address the IP-66 ingress protection

1. Conformal Coating
2. Watertight electrical interconnects
3. IP-66 rated power supply

I’m not really familiar with silicone resin / siloxane conformal coatings but I’ve noted a couple of potential advantages and disadvantages:

1. Advantage : Moisture / humidity and dust protection.
2. Advantage : Some protection from accidental contact with live (DC>19V) voltages.
3. Advantage : Mild impact protection.
4. Advantage: Relatively easy to clean.
5. Advantage : Diffuses / spreads the light energy to some extent.
6. Disadvantage : May absorb a small amount of the light energy. Unclear if it absorbs UV.
7. Disadvantage: Difficult to DIY rework / repair.
8. Possible disadvantage: Depending on the chemistry of the coating, there could be long term yellowing / hazing of the clear coating. It is also unclear if, overtime, heat will allow foreign material to bond to the coating.
9. Disadvantage: While being easy to clean, it is at the same time also more difficult to clean. The surface is “grippy” and tends to hold onto particles. For this particular unit, despite having wiped it several times, dirt particles tend hang around. The particles are not bonded in place, it’s just a grippy surface.

For UV, this paper tends to indicate that most silicone resin conformal coatings are resistant to UV aging,
https://smtnet.com/library/files/upload/conformal-coating.pdf

Length and Weight (click to expand)

Specified Length : xx inches (xx mm)
Specified Width :
Specified Height :
Measured Length : xx inches (xx mm)
Measured Width :
Measured Height (w/power supply) :
Weight :
Comments :

Warranty (click to expand)

Five year limited warranty applicable to commercial sales through the Fluence internet website, or through authorized distributors or retailers:
Limited Warranty - Fluence

Summary

The efficacy numbers as calculated using the centerspot method for this unit are excellent at 2.14@663W but well below the specification of 2.5. If we consider PPE relative to the DC power (ignoring conversion loss), we see an efficacy of 2.32 at the six inch distance centerspot measurement. It is thus assumed that the specification PPF was obtained through the use of an integrating sphere which produces true values but necessarily useful values.

The measurements on this particular unit do not meet the supplied specification for PPF using a centerspot measurement at the minimum recommend distance (1600 umols/m²/s). Likewise, averaging over the 4ft x 4ft area produces 1424 umols/m²/s (400-700nm). This falls slightly below the specified tolerance. See above for notes regarding integration spheres and why this measurement may still be satisfactory.

One of the unique features of the Spydr series is that the light energy is spread out over a large area. Other units that have smaller overall footprint but similar centerspot performance numbers will fall short for uniform intensity over the grow space. We can expect a significantly more uniform intensity for this Fluence fixture over the specified footprint of the fixture.

While the specification sheet does not provide PPFD, a fixture comparison matrix provided by Fluence does note ~990 umols/m²/s on average. At the six inch and twelve inch distance, our measurements match the marketing values within a reasonable amount of measurement error, 958 and 912 umols/m²/s respectively averaged over a 4ft x 4ft area.

This photosynthetic flux is sufficient from veg to flower. At an estimated fixture distance of between six to eighteen inches, the use of CO₂ may be helpful to inhibit photosynthetic quenching and to enhance carbon fixation particularly for sealed systems. Otherwise, photosynthesis at these high PPFD levels will be carbon limited at the atmospheric CO₂ concentration.

The general recommendation for cannabis is that CO₂ supplementation must be utilized for PPFD exceeding ~1000 umols/m²/s. At the recommended 6 inch hanging height above the canopy, this unit enters into the realm of supplementation. At 12 inches of height, this unit is knocking on the door of required supplementation. Supplementation would likely still be helpful. If you don’t have CO₂ supplementation, setting the height at 12 inches or greater above the canopy or dimming the unit slightly would be suggested.

While this unit has a fairly consistent coverage due to it’s form factor, the advantage of a higher hanging height includes a more even coverage across the grow space albeit at the cost of reduced intensity.

The power supply provided by Fluence is quite large. In fact, it’s something of a nesting doll with an outer case that wraps an inner cased power supply. This is a bit unusual and I’m not certain as to the reasoning for such a design. The outer case temperature of the supply measured at approximately 136.2°F (57.89°C). The default configuration for the fixture is such that the power supply is intended to mount on top of the LED frame with a short DC cord interconnect. As usual, it’s probably a good idea to place the power supply somewhere external to the grow area to limit the additional heat load. An DC extension is not supplied but can be ordered for a nominal amount.

The supply is a universal autoranging supply which means that these units can be utilized around the world between 120 - 480VAC with the appropriate line cord.

Cheers…

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[Shadey]

A great very comprehensive write up you did there Loki

Just makes me depressed because I cant afford one

[Northern_Loki]

Good point, these are not inexpensive as far as LED fixtures go. The current list on these are over $1300 USD putting them into the top tier price-wise.

[TrevorLahey]

Excellent information @Northern_Loki as always. 2.14 is mighty efficient and that footprint I’m sure will grow amazing buds.

Some surprising results here, to see how far outside of spec some of your results were. Shows that even at the higher end one should take marketing data with a grain of salt.

Thanks!!

[Shadey]

They are not inexpensive,but I definitely think they are worth the money.

[Northern_Loki]

@TrevorLahey

Some surprising results here, to see how far outside of spec some of your results were

We don’t really know in some cases how the measurements are performed. At this level of design/manufacturing it’s likely they’re using an integration sphere (big, expensive, accurate).

An integration sphere captures ALL of the light emitted. This is unlike how we’d be able to measure these units since we’ll have loss of photons to the surroundings, absorbed by “reflective” walls, etc. It is also why manufacturer’s can be touchy about this stuff since every situation is unique and will produce slightly differing results. We can only guess that they’ve used an sphere. But, values produced in that case are the best case and not realizable in practice.

So, I don’t know. Could be something wrong with the calculation, too. The measured value for PPFD falls slightly below the lower limit from the spec using our relatively primitive equipment. I’m still happy with the result as it falls within a margin of error I’d be comfortable with. If PPFD was -25%+ difference then I’d start looking harder.

The could do some work in improving the power supply efficiency. It’s good but could be better at this price point.

[TrevorLahey]

@Northern_Loki

But, values produced in that case are the best case and not realizable in practice.

Practical application of this unit is for horticultural lighting, so “more accurate” is relative to its application, which for our purposes your measurements are what we care about.

All that aside the efficiency is still through the roof and paired with that coverage it’s going to be a powerhouse. Can’t wait to see what @Jay does with it!

[zephyr]

@Northern_Loki great read, and great job on the technical aspects.

[Jay]

Another fantastic write up @Northern_Loki.
After the draw was announced I had a more thorough read through the web based specs, I’m pretty sure that there’s more information on the product here than there was on the site. And interestingly in greater detail here as well, especially considering that it’s a top of the range light with a retail price to match.

The package arrived at the delivery point two days after Christmas. Haven’t been able to retrieve it yet, when I do I’ll get those measurements, just to fill in the blanks (glad they’re simplistic ones ).
There’s a few things I need to source from Fluence before I’m able to run it. Power lead, I don’t really want to run it through a adaptor to suit our electrical sockets, and one long enough so I can mount the transformer outside of the grow area. CO2 supplementation is another thing I have to consider, though I know its not a necessity.
Then it’s a a/c unit to negate ambient temps and a electrician to hook my room into the power.
Thanks again to everyone that made this happen. OG rocks

[orange]

Good job on the review.

Itsa shame them numbers IRL r lower than specsheet. Fer such a price tag youd expect 2 exceed the specs. Especially if yer frontin $$$ 2 em fer 60 days err longer.

Compound that w the issues ppl r havin getting in contact w warranty support @ Fluence n its hard to justify these prices $1400 delivered + wait 2+ more months compared 2 a $400 diy of eb2 strips w better coverage n less hot spot w slightly lower ppfd.

[Northern_Loki]

@Jay

'll get those measurements, just to fill in the blanks

Excellent, thanks. I’m certain many will be interested in your impressions once things are up and running, too.

@Jay

Power lead, I don’t really want to run it through a adaptor to suit our electrical sockets

Yes, the one with the unit is US socket. I checked and didn’t see non-US options for power cord in their online store. It’s either call them and see what they have or chop the cord and install the proper plug. I’d probably go with chopping the cord and installing the plug being careful with the wiring.

The DC power cord extension is another item that can be had from Fluence, or I found some here:

https://www.bghydro.com/fluence-dc-extension-cord-spydr-2-series-6.html

[spaceman]

Great write up Loki!
Our of my price range assuredly but what I find amazing is no UVB or UVA.
The benefit UVB provides in increasing potency is apparent yet these “cutting edge” manufacturers haven’t a clue.

[Northern_Loki]

@orange

Good job on the review.
Itsa shame them numbers IRL r lower than specsheet.

Thank you, sir. Yes. Or at least it would be nice to know how they are measuring these things.

@orange

the issues ppl r havin getting in contact w warranty support @ Fluence

Haven’t heard much along those lines. I’ve contacted them in the past without trouble. Not for warranty but other issues. If you are aware of some non-ancedotal experience that can be shared, I’m sure it will be of interest as they should be treating their customer like bars of gold.

@orange

a $400 diy of eb2 strips w better coverage n less hot spot w slightly lower ppfd.

I don’t find hotspots as much of an issue here. You’ll have the same with a similar DIY layout. FWIW, I wouldn’t necessarily run this unit at 6 inches for the hot center point, personally. Rather, less intense spread out over an area is the better way to go (more distance).

DIY is certainly a good option to save cost while trading off some of the features that may be useful to some folk.

[Northern_Loki]

Fluence does have an UVA supplemental light bar (I have one of those). No UVB that I’m aware of. Since the footprint more or less consumes the entire hanging area, I don’t know how one would rig supplemental UV into the same space. Good point about UV.

I know that in the past, UV LEDs have shown poor reliability / lifetimes and could be part of their rationale. I don’t know of many fixtures that currently include UVB LEDs. There is at least one supplemental UVB LED fixture I’m aware of. Hopefully, in the near future we’ll have some more solid state options for UV.

[Olbrannon]

@Jay

CO2 supplementation is another thing I have to consider, though I know its not a necessity.
Then it’s a a/c unit to negate ambient temps and a electrician to hook my room into the power.

In general these grow areas are recirculating air and not getting much exchange. Not sure what the regulators run.

[john]

Could you please tell what different between Spydr 2P and 2I?

[Northern_Loki]

The 2i has as a slightly higher PPFD spec along with a slightly better efficacy (2.7 vs 2.5). Because of this, the 2i actually uses less power but produces more light. It is also slightly more expensive.

Take a look at this chart from Fluence:
Fluence-Product-Matrix-181130.pdf (208.1 KB)

[spaceman]

Not a great selection atm, I was hoping some companies would start mass production of them.
The single chips I’ve seen are pretty costly, an array would have a hefty tag.

[john]

Got it and Thanks very much! But why 2i has three dimensions optional and 2p has one only? On the other hand, I found that 2i has not UVA or UVB, It means that I should buy their Ray seires for UV or deep Red?