Led how to diy build

Basic Growing Info
1

Looking for info on a diy project. I do have store bought led but am thinking of the diy to upgrade my light source. I have a 3x3 tent and looking max the light, must be dimmable to adjust for changes. Veg and bloom. Thanks for any and all advice. I am mechanically inclined. Lol

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Here you go.

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Shadey is pointing you in the right direction. :+1:

Rough ā€˜rule of thumbā€™ of 30 watts/square foot (that will cover flower intensity light) means you want 275 ~ 300 watt light. I tend to go larger so the LED driver runs cooler.
There a ā€˜bakerā€™s dozenā€™ of folks around here that can help you out with any questions and offer suggestions.

Thereā€™s also SolStrip here if you want a turn-key solution.

Cheers
G

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Horticultural lighting group sells quantum board diy kits. Iā€™ve built them using their diy kit and itā€™s pretty simple. I currently run two of the triple slates in my 2.5x5 flower tent.

https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/collections/quantum-boards/products/qb288-v2-with-slate-2-triple

RapidLED also sells diy kits but theirs are CoB lights. Iā€™ve also built one of their 3x3 cree setups in a 3x3 and it rocked out with its sock out. Only I used the 3x3 frame with two 320w drivers running 12 CoBs.

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Iā€™ve also built arrays using strip led lights too. I use them for veg but normally build them for new growers wanting a better light than Amazon lights but donā€™t have the sheckles for one of the lights mentioned above.

The driver. You can run 21 strips with this driver
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/mean-well-usa-inc/HLG-320H-C700A/7704067

The straps
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/bridgelux/BXEB-L0560Z-35E2000-C-B3/7907663

Only other thing you need is angle aluminum for the frame, rivets for mounting the strips, wire to connect it all together, and a wall power plug.

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Hahā€¦ if thatā€™s the case that I massively overbought when I put together my 2x4 tent. I have 4 120w boards but theyā€™re running at like 200w for each driver.

I had always heard that you should be at 50w per square foot but I think 30w is totally fine.

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Efficiencies have been improving. Iā€™m finding even 30W is high. :pinching_hand:

The nice thing about overbuilding (and have a dimmer) is you can run the drivers really cool (less stress, they will last longer).

Cheers
G

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That is how I see it too. Good quality LEDs are way more efficient than we are LED to believe :rofl: sorry stoned and couldnā€™t help it.

Iā€™ve cooked more plants under the things than Iā€™m comfortable to admit to. In a rack lighting a 2x4 tent you donā€™t need more than a couple of hundred Watts. I go much over 220 and they start to burn

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