SolStrip LED lighting: Product info and announcements

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#559

I hesitate to diagnose blindly, so many variables. But in general, I have not seen any major differences in nutrient requirements with LED vs. HID, except that leaf and root temperatures tend to be lower with LED. If not managed, this can lead to sub-par photosynthesis rates and thus lower nutrient needs which can show up either as nutrient burn from excess nute levels; or as nutrient deficiencies if root temps fall below 50F and different components become locked out.

This isn’t usually a problem in the summer, rather it’s a blessing, as the more typical issue is keeping the grow space cooler. But it can crop up in winter, especially on concrete floors and in unheated rooms. The fix is usually moderating ventilation volume and intake temperatures, and/or heat mats for solid medium grows, or reservoir heaters for hydro systems.

I know @nitro went through some this and resolved it, perhaps he can chime in. -b420

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#560

As @anon32470837 said, 50,000 hours. You’ll probably never burn out a single diode before you get your next light. The key is keeping strip temps below their rated operating max of about 60C and voltage/current within their operating maximums (24v and 2400m/a for the X2s). Do that and you’ll get very long life.

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#561

What is the length of the solstrip x2? I’m sure the dimensions are listed but I can’t find them.
I’d like to replace the blurple light I have in my flower chamber. It’s roughly a 16" x 16" space. What would you recommend?

#562

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The strip itself is as listed above, the heat sink adds a little extra, all the info is available with minimal clicking on Solstrip Photon Solutions Website :slight_smile:

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#563

Thank you for looking that up @Jellypowered. I guess I was looking at the solstix x2. There are no dimensions for that product but I guess I should have looked at the components. So the strips are 15.75" and either mounted to a 13"x 18" cookie sheet or a 17.717" solsink.
Being unfamiliar with the product and how it mounts or possible configurations It is still not clear to me if it would be a good fit in my 16"x16" space

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#564

It wont fit in a 16x16 space, unless you angle it, but then the light will be angled and poor illumination.

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#565

I’d look into quantum boards. Would fit your situation better. Same chips. Just the way they are configured fits better into your space.

I do like my solstrips better for the opposite reason. They are more spread out.

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#566

16" is tight but if you found a 1/8 or thicker aluminum plate to mount the strips to you could fit them in just fine. I’d recommend a single X3 or two x2s for that size canopy. Even a single X3 mounted diagonally would probably light the space just fine with mylar walls and 12" of vertical above the canopy. The strips have a 120 degree spread out of the diodes.

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#567

Thank you all. I will look into the quantum boards as well

#568

I have 11 strips running down a single rack in my 4x4 tent. They don’t seem to be enough to spread enough so the plants get enough lights at the sides. I’m planning 2 light builds bolted together running around 600w with 6 strips per side. Should end up around 50w each. I do plan on either running 2 cheap chinease drivers (id not trust the 600w Chinese ones) OR investing on a dimmable meanwell. Is 50w per strip mounted on heat sinks ok do you think?

#569

Yeah 50w is max for X2. I’m running 7 on a 320 and I think that’s minimum # for this ballast before you have to dim.

I’m sure they will run on higher, but he said he doesn’t recommend. I took that as probably wouldn’t refund if burnout occurs.

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#570

Yeah I have 11 on a 500w but it’s just not catching the sides. I’ll have a think. Do some math and see if I’m able to afford the re build :+1:

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#571

I had the same sorts of issues…looked like nutrient deficiencies… ends up the issue was my room was too cold… These lights do not throw the same amount of radiation as does a HID so to get the same operational leaf temperature a LED room has to be run a few degrees higher then a HID room to get the same level of growth… Before I figured that out I was having all sorts of troubles, its like there wasn’t enough heat energy in the leaves to properly process all the elements, 100% acted like a nutrient or PH issue… had me chasing my tail nearly ready to pull the trigger on some new lights… Then I did some reading and get myself up to speed on the needed room temp changes and after that it was like magic…as you can see I just pulled a really sweet crop from the very same plants that were in serious trouble at one point dye to low room temperature… SO yeah with these LED strips you need a room temp a minimum of 82 and happily at 84…

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#572

Chop the sides off your plants.
Jobs a goodin :wink:

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#573

Nah chopping nowt mate. Just letting them do their thing without messing with them. Just need to spread the lights out a little more. I could just buy some more angle Ally and split this build into 2 rows of 6 strips and run at 41w per strip.

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#574

You could try lowering the number of plants in the tent like :sweat_smile:

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#575

I have. I only have 5 in it this time :+1:

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#576

Good lad :sweat_smile::sweat_smile::sweat_smile: (fkn 20)

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#577

You need 600w to get to the 40 w/sf range you want for premium LED lighting over 16 sf; +620 watts ideally. SolStrips throw a 2-ft wide beam at 12 inches, so you need 2 rows of strips to cover a 4 ft width - you’ll never get there with a single 16-inch wide rack.

You’re a bit low on total PFFD (intensity), but your real issue, as you’ve identified, is configuration - you need 2 rows of 7 strips, each on a 300-350 watt driver, rather than 11 strips on a single rack. Luckily, with SolStix, it’s a simple matter of breaking down your existing rack and redeploying them on two parallel racks, covering your 4 x 4 tent perfectly.

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#578

Thank you @Baudelaire for your reply. In total including spares I have 16 solstrips all mounted to heatsinks. I’ll pick up some supplies over the next week or so for the build.

1 Like