TigerTanks
Insanely Active Member
What do you guys do with discarded lights after you’ve moved on to something bigger and better? For laughs and for ideas let’s see and hear what y’all have done. Might be something interesting.
Grow light graveyard
- Thread starter TigerTanks
- Start date
I cleaned my garbage lights up and put them away as an emergency backup.
TigerTanks
Insanely Active Member
All of mine have dimmers so thought of using them around the house for house plants or taking them apart and using them as accent lighting on focal points.
TerpyTyrone
LED Recruiter
Would make great under cabinet lighting!!
TerpyTyrone
LED Recruiter
Those are gold! Still use mine. Bulletproof. In veg I use it as a tray to stack my alcohol and snips and tags and cups on
even acts as a heater for stuff in colder weather! 
I dont know why they stopped making em???!!
TigerTanks
Insanely Active Member
I have 1 Vipar600 and 2 Mars 300w they ar actually 95 watt but I still use them, all three throw lots of red into the room and plants always look good. But anyway.....
looking to conserve some electricity and cut heat down. I’d like to increase my footprint AND decrease my electricity consumption ALL at the same time.
TerpyTyrone
LED Recruiter
U mean they falsely advertised the wattage of there lights!?!?!
TheSadVeryBadMadGrower
Wait...what?
Not at all. People just didnt look for the actual watts from the wall draw. They are there....just many dont know what to look for until its too late.U mean they falsely advertised the wattage of there lights!?!?!
TerpyTyrone
LED Recruiter
But they advertise it as the blahblahblah300 cause its the equivalent of 300 Watts. Spiderfarmer is the worst. Sf1000 is like 300 and the sf2000 is like 600+++,$$ I make them. I know what real samsung diodes cost. A dollar a watt. Any better....RED flag!!
TigerTanks
Insanely Active Member
I knew their actual wattage when I bought all three lights. But at the time they were dirt cheap and they actually did work, still use them today for the reds. But I was curious what people were doing with their discarded lights
TheSadVeryBadMadGrower
Wait...what?
No different than Mars Hydro and many others....just gotta look at the specs. I build my own lights too after buying and getting free lights from various companies.
PuffTheMagic
Super Active Member
What exactly are you saying here?
PuffTheMagic
Super Active Member
SF4000 is on sale right now for 399, that about 85-90 cents a watt.
TerpyTyrone
LED Recruiter
Actually according to the website its 450 Watts. So less than a dollar a watt.
I know that my 350 watt driver puts out 392 watts and the strips are rated to handle 400watts. Or 50w each. I usually charge 350 a light. We can work out shipping because there is a small amount of assembly required in my design. But when using 8 strips at around 3x3 footprint in flower.
Here is a couple bros that know. @Rocman91 and @Bustenbeans know what these strips will do. I add reds and blues. Change spectrums and sizes based on scope. Here is a few par meter reading. The 9 k is it around 12 inches. The 1400 reading is for reference that was taken @ 3 inches away. The last reading is at 18-20" away. These are screenshots from a video taken by these two about a year ago.
I have sold over 20 lights. Many to people here. No numbers. But over a handful. Never a complaint. A little assembly to the driver. 5 wires and 8 screws in the frame and your complete. I use genuine samsung diodes from a reputable dealer. I dont "need" to build lights. I Love to build lights.
@Peacehead
@High kev
@H.A.F.
@Butlers ridge
@Backwoodsgrowin
Just to name a few. The rest dont do the forum thing. One I built was 5 large heatsinks @50" with 3 strips. Or a total of 750 watts. I used two drivers. I have a pic somewhere.
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PuffTheMagic
Super Active Member
I have 2 SF4000 in my 8x4 tent, current meter (self calibrated) shows 890W. I have no complaints other than the dimmer box on the older one of the two makes some noises at the lowest level (I just avoid that).
So, to be clear, is each light a one off or do you have some standardized models/designs. These days, everyone is basically using good diodes, its the rest of the parts and the design that makes or breaks a light. Personally, I don't care for either the large quantum boards or the multi-bar setups. My favorite design so far is the single bar designs that fit more of a florescent fixture setup like this Mars Hydro light...
I'd rather rock a bunch of these and space them how I want. Only issue, this model specially is over priced for its output.
NoWaistedSpace
I'm Hoarding Skunk
It was those "for cheap" 600 and 1000 watt HPS/MH combo lighting groups are blame for most of the "UnLEDx" at the time.U mean they falsely advertised the wattage of there lights!?!?!
They did it and got rich doing it. lol
I bought one 1000 watt "blurple". 172 watts at the wall.
I got interested in DIYing and began building my own lights and never looked back.
I have accumulated a rather large amount over the years.
It's all interchangeable like an LED Erector Set.
H.A.F.
a.k.a. Rusty Nails
Except the length of the bars...
The only thing I would do different is get the light a little smaller. I have about 3" of clearance between the tent wall and the first bar. It was made to my specs but I didn't think right. So I will eventually re-position mine when I find that round tuit, but it works fine. I just think there's "wasted" light because I didn't think it through.