@Baudelaire
Have you noticed a temp difference in the blue spectrum strips vs. the red? Seems like my 5000k SolStrip runs much warmer than the 3500k and 2700k’s. I am running at just under 40 watts per strip. Hlg 150 on 4 strips.
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No I haven’t noticed that. There’s a few variables amongst the different CCTs we offer that could result in greater waste heat, mainly slight forward voltage and efficacy variances. I’d have to check on the Vf differentials but the 5000Ks are definitely the most efficient so that would suggest less waste heat, i.e., running cooler than other CCTs (the bluer the LED, the more efficient they are, generally.)
Best way to really know is to run the different CCTs in the same system and measure temps. I’m doing a lot of spectral tests with each CCT of the SolSheet Xs right now. I’ll try to get some temp measurements while I’m at it.
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What temperature Is “cool” exactly? 
I run my strips at 35w And they got like 50C. Is it ok?
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Baudelaire is it possible to message you on some questions on amount of strips needed for a larger room!
Not sure if it’s even possible to afford doing half for now guess it depends on how many it takes to do a 4x4 area and times that by lots lol !
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You have X2 strips don’t you? If so your strips will heat up at 35w each. I don’t usually run X2 strips at more than 30W each for that reason.
We were talking about X3 strips btw
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Is it necessary to tap the frame? I figure it’s sandwiched between the head of the bolt and the heatsink which is tapped so as long as it’s snug it’s fine.
Can’t find m4 taps anywhere cause Americans hate metric system and even the ones I find are in a kit and they specify threads per inch which the pack of bolts that come with the stix just say m4
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I used PC motherboard screws to fix my strips to the aluminium angle. Fit perfect in the solstrip heat sinks pre tapped holes 
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The tap you want is M3 x .50 pitch. Amazon has a vast selection of them 
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A m3 tap for m4 bolts?
@Jellypowered is tapping necessary was the bigger question I was asking
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My apologies I wrongly assumed you meant something else lol.
Ignore my suggestion, I re-read the question and am on the same page now.
The frame itself, no need to tap it. The screw head will indeed hold the frame to the sink.
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No worries. Thank you both for responding so quickly and maybe someone wondering the same will read this and this will serve to answer their question.
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Nitro mind if I ask length width of the row you show in the pic? And how many strip lights to cover that area ,what were you using for lighting before and what difference do you notice in bud quality ?Sorry for all the questions
Thanks shiska
PS forgot the most important part great looking crop you’ve got happening
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thank You !
Each frame is 30" x 120" …each light panel is 18" x 24" and has 5 solstrips attached inside, each pair of panels is powered by a 320 watt driver… I have 4 of these sheets on top of each row, and in the future will have 5 or 6 above each row, however many will fit .I will aim to have 100% total coverage, each panel will butt up to the next panel… I should add that there are 19 plants in flower…a mix of 2 diferent strains from seeds I bought locally, so huge variations in phenotype, but I have them all fairly under control regardless, some plants are bent over and others are lifted up trying to produce a even canopy…
This is only my second crop using these lights and my last one had issues due to Pythium( DWC) …so I didn’t get a proper run to evaluate bud quality vs the HID I was previously using… But for whats its worth I think the quality will be better due to the more even growth patterns under the LED, we can hit the tops of the plants with ridiculous amounts of light without burning…I have a C02 generator that is plumped to my houses natural gas line so I can use that extra light with elevated C02 levels… At 5 weeks these plants look about right, they are unknown strains to me so I don’t have a reference but so far they are tight dense buds with lots of resin… With my usual strain under these same conditions I would think a 6lb crop would be realistic with the current light setup… the production for watts used will end up being about triple what we would see from a typical single ended 1000 watt HID with a higher number of premium grade top buds… for my room size it is a far superior lighting system to traditional HID… my room is 6’9" x 16( roughly ) and I have a 5’x5’ tent in the corner for veg
Another huge benefit of these lights is how light and easy to move they are…its awesome… plus its nice not to have to worry about being burnt… ! I’m sold !
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50C is good, it is my target upper operating temperature for our SolStrip lamp designs. They can go up to 60C without any issues, and thermal runaway range is around 85C. But cooler is always better. 50C is fine but monitor temps regularly to make sure they aren’t rising much above that range.
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Always. Happy to help you put together a custom design for your space. PM me here or at Solstrip.com.
Please use nylon washers between the strips and the screws if you are using metal, to prevent crushing of the delicate circuit traces on the PCBs.
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The screws, and heatsink taps, on SolStix are M3 size. (Apologies Squirtle, I may have mislabeled your screw pack). As Jelly said, if you are simply attaching the stix to a frame, no need to tap it, just drill through and use the tapped SolStix mounting holes as your “nut”.
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10/10 would not drill my own frames again. Don’t cheap out like me. Pay the $40.
Was a pita. I doubled measured and checked twice and still two holes needed to be slotted.
Maybe on the next frame I’ll go with larger holes so there’s more wiggle room.
I wish the fins on the heatsinks weren’t right on top of where the holes are that you use to attach the frame to the heatsink so you could actually lay out the holes better.
Other than that and not giving me enough ends on the DC side to fit into the wagos everything is great. I waited a long time, but it shipped quick. CA to RI in 3 days. Not bad.
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Thanks nitro for a look inside your room and the breakdown of the set up , currently I’m looking at 24X24 ft sealed room lit with gavida 1000’s and trying to get a handle on what would be required to convert to led ! I too have a gas c02 burner just courious what ppm are you running and room temp I know led run much cooler are you noticing your having to run the room hotter to take advantage of the added c02 ie less ac or is that not a factor ?
Added C02 has me head scratching at times what’s enough and at what temp is it most effective ,read so many conflicting posts saying it’s only effective if your running a hot room some others say a steady 8-900 ppm is sufficient not mentioning temps ! Some say veg to third week flower then cut back others say pour it to them right to the end 1500-1600 ppm ?
Last run I was conservative never went past 1200 and cut back to 900 the last few weeks some where around 6-700 in veg !
Thanks again for posting some great looking buds looking forward to your reply. Shiska
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