Just rebuilt my light for my 3x3 flower tent

[Buddha61]

The lights remain the same, but a couple key changes. First, I went from an aluminum sheet that was 24"x30" (boards set in 2" from the sides) to an aluminum angle frame that measures 28"x30" (made so that each board is pretty much centered in a quadrant of the tent).

Next, the driver has been removed from the tent (was mounted to the back of the aluminum) and placed outside. The light will also now be raised/lowered by chains, which will allow the light to be raised 6-8" higher (necessary as the plants are growing too tall, and the leaf temperatures near the top are approaching 80°F with lights on) than it was prior, due to the way it was hung. These changes should allow for a better overall experience/grow, I would hope.

Unfortunately, during install, I had a filter fall, and take out a few branches of a Purple Aliens plant. While it is less than fortunate, I didn't lose the entire plant, and should still be able to keep the half or so that survived.

 

[Big Terps]

The lights remain the same, but a couple key changes. First, I went from an aluminum sheet that was 24"x30" (boards set in 2" from the sides) to an aluminum angle frame that measures 28"x30" (made so that each board is pretty much centered in a quadrant of the tent).

Next, the driver has been removed from the tent (was mounted to the back of the aluminum) and placed outside. The light will also now be raised/lowered by chains, which will allow the light to be raised 6-8" higher (necessary as the plants are growing too tall, and the leaf temperatures near the top are approaching 80°F with lights on) than it was prior, due to the way it was hung. These changes should allow for a better overall experience/grow, I would hope.

Unfortunately, during install, I had a filter fall, and take out a few branches of a Purple Aliens plant. While it is less than fortunate, I didn't lose the entire plant, and should still be able to keep the half or so that survived.

Nice builds. 4 qb132s, & the lrs-350-36 driver for a 3x3 or 2x4, is hard to beat in alot of aspects.. Price, wattage, coverage, flexibility, performance, and no heatsinks required.
With that setup, a decent yeilding strain, and little grower skill, a lb shudnt be to hard to achieve.
When i had mine, the sweet spot for veg was about 14-18 in from canopy.
And flower 10-12 in. Alltho sum tops grew closer than that i didnt get any bleaching.

I also just ran them wide open at 75w each board the whole time. With a couple small fans blowing on fixture n boards they didnt get very hot.
I had 8 boards for 600watts of qb132s on a 5x5 diy fixture. Loved them. 4@2700k & 4 @3000k. If had that much space to grow in these days id buy them again, and make the fixture again. People under estimate them or overlook them cause they are smaller watt boards than the qb288's, but they hold there own.

The only thing id do differently if i buy them again wood be going with the 4000k for veg and flower.

Nice build & choice of lights , hope everything in ur grow goes well.
Thx

 

[TerpyTyrone]

Very nice!
Do you plan to use this in flower?
If so your gonns realize you want more light in a 4x4. Ime that 300 watts led is the perfect amount for 2x4 of flower.
I run 500-600 watts in my 4x4 and it is juuuuust right.

 

[sfrigon1]

Very nice!
Do you plan to use this in flower?
If so your gonns realize you want more light in a 4x4. Ime that 300 watts led is the perfect amount for 2x4 of flower.
I run 500-600 watts in my 4x4 and it is juuuuust right.

Agreed , just switched over to QB's but 600 in my 4x4 is tits. I am actually going to try it w 2 240s this time around to see if it enough w qbs

 

[TerpyTyrone]

Agreed , just switched over to QB's but 600 in my 4x4 is tits. I am actually going to try it w 2 240s this time around to see if it enough w qbs

Thats what i used. 2- 240-1750 meanwells. Very efficient

 

[MtRainDog]

I'm finishing up my first grow under the same 4x qb132 setup in a 4x2 tent. I notice a huge improvement in bud development and structure using these. Hard to beat this setup for the price.

 

[Buddha61]

Very nice!
Do you plan to use this in flower?
If so your gonns realize you want more light in a 4x4. Ime that 300 watts led is the perfect amount for 2x4 of flower.
I run 500-600 watts in my 4x4 and it is juuuuust right.

I am/have already flowered with these boards. This is my 4th grow in flower currently. They are 3500k boards. The ~240-242 watts its producing has been enough thus far (first grow was a scrogged plant that covered 80% of the canopy that yielded ~12oz, 2nd was 2 mainlined plants with ~4oz each, and 2 autos, 3rd grow was just 4 autos), and I haven't been upset. Could I do better, I'm sure, but it is sufficient for the tent it is in.

I'm finishing up my first grow under the same 4x qb132 setup in a 4x2 tent. I notice a huge improvement in bud development and structure using these. Hard to beat this setup for the price.

I had picked a 4x2 tent that I currently using to veg, and added another set of the QB132s to it, powered by a 185-1400 driver, giving 195w (probably more than I need for veg). I attached a photo from it.

Nice builds. 4 qb132s, & the lrs-350-36 driver for a 3x3 or 2x4, is hard to beat in alot of aspects.. Price, wattage, coverage, flexibility, performance, and no heatsinks required.
With that setup, a decent yeilding strain, and little grower skill, a lb shudnt be to hard to achieve.
When i had mine, the sweet spot for veg was about 14-18 in from canopy.
And flower 10-12 in. Alltho sum tops grew closer than that i didnt get any bleaching.

I also just ran them wide open at 75w each board the whole time. With a couple small fans blowing on fixture n boards they didnt get very hot.
I had 8 boards for 600watts of qb132s on a 5x5 diy fixture. Loved them. 4@2700k & 4 @3000k. If had that much space to grow in these days id buy them again, and make the fixture again. People under estimate them or overlook them cause they are smaller watt boards than the qb288's, but they hold there own.

The only thing id do differently if i buy them again wood be going with the 4000k for veg and flower.

Nice build & choice of lights , hope everything in ur grow goes well.
Thx

I have achieved about 12oz from my first grow, had 2 mainlined plants my 2nd grow with 2 autos, and each mainlined plant (about 1/4 of the tent each) yielded about 4oz. I definitely think a lb is doable, but I am soon to switch to a perpetual harvest I believe, as I have a 2nd tent to use for veg. Why would you buy 4k bulbs for full cycle? I found the 3500k bulbs to be good full cycle, and now just using them to flower, and vegging under 4k. I have also noticed, in my first couple grows, if I keep my lights under 20" during veg, the nodes are almost on top of each other with no stretch between them. I have found 20-26 to be good for me in veg. I am trying something slightly different in flower this time, which is what caused me to change the frame quicker, so I could raise it higher (poor hanging choice on first build). The plants had grown to about 10 or less inches from the lights, and since I had recently got an infrared thermometer, was checking the leaf temps of the top buds. Since they had gotten over 80°, I wanted to raise the light, and now they are sitting nearer the low to mid 70s for leaf temps. They just passed 3 weeks of flower, so hopefully the stretch is done, though I still have a few more inches I can raise the light. Changing the frame allowed me to raise the light about 8-10" higher than I had it before. I have had 2 plants foxtail, and think it may be due to closeness to the light, so I will see going forward with the next couple grows. Still a learning process that I feel I am getting the hang of, though we never stop learning new aspects of it.

 

[Big Terps]

Kool dude. At 3 weeks into flower id say ur stretch is pretty well done. I do like how u went with the alum angles for ur fixture the 2nd time. If it freed up 8-10 in of headroom for u then it was a good choice.
The reason id go with the 4000k whole cycle if i could do it over again is i like to keep my plants as short n bushy as i can. And like to see the nodes just stacked on top each other like u said. Plus the main factor why id go with the 4000k whole cycle is for the added blues in spectrum for the boost in glitter during flower.
I flowerd under those 2700k & 3000k and thought they did well. There was more stretch and less glitter than when i flowerd same strain under a 4000k light i had.
For me 4000k made a shorter plant, with tight nodial spacing, and had more glitter than the more red dominant lights(2700k&3000k).
Same theory for the older dino aged hps/ mh users that add the metal halides / cmh's to flower to give a boost in glitter and prevent alot of stretch. But 3500k is a good choice for full cycle too.
Good luck with grows bro il b watching to see how u do.

 

[Big Terps]

Forgot to ask or to stoned to see it in replies, but what are u growing in? Organics/ Soil, Hydro, ? Just curious

 

[Buddha61]

Forgot to ask or to stoned to see it in replies, but what are u growing in? Organics/ Soil, Hydro, ? Just curious

Didn't mention. I have 1 plant in a maximum yield organic soil recipe that is being fed water only (almost 5 weeks of flower). That is a purple cake plant. The rest of the plants are in promix bx (dynagro nutes), which I have a topanga canyon and purple aliens in flower (3 weeks of flower). In my veg tent, I have a Purple Crunch, a Topanga Canyon that is almost too big to flower already (going to take some clones, and maybe try to find a spot outside to let her flower guerilla style), a purple aliens clone, a few purple cake clones (almost tossed them out as they had no roots after 10-12 days in a bucket cloner, but they seemed to have little nubs. Tossed them in promix, and they ended up rooting as well).

 

[Big Terps]

Didn't mention. I have 1 plant in a maximum yield organic soil recipe that is being fed water only (almost 5 weeks of flower). That is a purple cake plant. The rest of the plants are in promix bx (dynagro nutes), which I have a topanga canyon and purple aliens in flower (3 weeks of flower). In my veg tent, I have a Purple Crunch, a Topanga Canyon that is almost too big to flower already (going to take some clones, and maybe try to find a spot outside to let her flower guerilla style), a purple aliens clone, a few purple cake clones (almost tossed them out as they had no roots after 10-12 days in a bucket cloner, but they seemed to have little nubs. Tossed them in promix, and they ended up rooting as well).

Hell ya that kool. Weve got a couple of same strains going at same time.
Ive got just a small veg area in closet atm. Havnt decided if im gonna put my veggn plants outdoors once ive got them ust to the light schedule outdoors or flower them indoors.. I popd my beans on 3/2 so mine have been veggn for 6-7 weeks under sum household leds with covers removed for a little more brightness.
But i got 1 Topanga Canyon like u. I got 1 Gucciberry / purple cake. I call it Gucciberry cause thats what the label says on pac. Not sure if both are same . so thats similiar as u too.
And then i got 2 little shrubs in same 5 gallon smart pot of StardawgxCorey's cut. They was regs heisenbeans labeled rare when i got them from the contest i won ((January 2020 potm contest here).
Being im out of work currently and covid bs going on i havnt bought or used any bottle nutes on em yet. Trying to do this as cheaply as i can. Im using like 70% prime composted soil and 30% perlite. Tap water which i lower ph to the prime zone, molasses, aloe gel, and bubble my water with airstones constantly for added oxygen and to remove chlorine. The stardawgs havnt had 1 problem so far. My gucciberry and Topanga are in 2 gallon smartpots and are starting to show signs they are getting hungry being they used up all nutes in that 2 gal pot. Was gonna kust sit the pots in totes full of my compost soil, wait a week then maybe flower them. Hoping i can flower them the whole time without any issues like that. Might need sum cal mag. Topanga is my more stretchy plant with long nodial spacing and is the most finicky out of the group too. All 4 plants are beggn to flowerd with pre flowers and veg frost on leaves in veg still. All got good aromas from them too in veg.

But good to see another growing sum of same strains to bounce tips and ideas back n forth.
Keep up good work and posting sum pics. Lol

 

[Buddha61]

After rebuilding, I have taken the time to up the driver, going with the Meanwell LRS-350-36 (rewired to parallel), allowing me to have full use of the 75 rated watts of the boards, though I have it cut at about 270w right now. One showing after a quick adjust, then going to about 270w, holding steady about 36.35-36.37V, pulling 7.5A, and just over 270w.

 

[Opie1]

Isn’t 7.5 amps a little high for just 270 watts?

 

[Buddha61]

Isn’t 7.5 amps a little high for just 270 watts?

*shrugs*

Either 7.5A or 150V to get close to 270w. The driver I had topped off at about 240w, this newer driver will allow me to get full power, albeit at parallel wiring vs series.