UFO Tri-Band LED lights??

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VAAlbert

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Does anyone have experience with these or similar LED lights? If so, how close can they get to plants? Don't they produce any heat? Actually, some would be welcome.

Best,

Vic.
 
There are many types of LED lights for plant growing. I don't know what tri-band means but I've used red and blue LEDs in association for a couple of years now. Some are spot types and others are distributed in square panels. They are good for growing low light plants like paphios and especially masdevallias since they generate very little heat. However, these bulbs are very fragile, especially in spot lamps format. Bad soldering is to blame mostly, which probably explains why they're not available anymore. Also, it's doubtful that they can produce enough light. So a combination of LEDs with fluorescent bulbs like T8 and T5 or metal halide lights gives very good results. LEDs can be placed very close to the plants without any risk of burning them but I've read somewhere that closer than 8 inches will distort growth in the leaves. There are newer types of LED systems, but they are expansive and I have no experience with them. :)
 
Thanks, Shiva:

I've seen these specific ads for UFO-shaped lights with triple cooling fans -- both in red-blue-orange and red-blue LEDs only. If you can communicate on the brands you've used, that would be great. Also, how close you allow the ballasted fluorescents to get to the plants, and what type of bulbs you use. Do I gather correctly that you use the 4-bulb mounts?

BW,

Vic.
 
i don't have any experience with their products, but have you heard of http://www.lumigrow.com/

^ Those fixtures at Lumigrow look nice!

Orchids Limited (Orchidweb.com) has some very new LED bulbs and panels listed on their website under "Equipment" which are quite intriguing as well. The panels are pricey but I strongly suspect they put out a helluva lot more light than most brands of LED lights which you will find anywhere else on the market today. HaightSolidState.com seems to be getting a lot of attention these days as well, and finally, ChameleonGrowSystems.com is incorporating those new high tech microwave-activated plasma capsules (about the size of a tictac) into their new lighting systems. Amazing stuff! Quite expensive too! :rollhappy:

I've long wanted to switch over to LED, but to date I have not done so. I currently use CMH lighting (ceramic metal halide) from Philips (their Retro-White bulbs) which is true full spectrum. My plants seem to love it. My electric costs are high too! :poke: I will switch to LED or Plasma once I find a product I am convinced will provide my orchids with the right kind of light and enough of it.

Those UFO Tri-band fixtures, IMHO, have a spectrum which is best-suited for growing illegal substances. They are very heavy on the red end of the spectrum -- even the Tri-band fixtures along with the newer ones with five and six bands. They all have a ton of red. I also don't know how big of an area you would actually be able to light for growing orchids if you are using a UFO as your only source of light. It would depend, I guess, on the light requirements of your plants. Vandas are probably not going to bloom using only the UFO fixture. Some of the Paphs might. The UFO might work well as supplemental lighting next to a north window.

In the past I've used banks of six 54 watt T5 HO fluorescent tubes (tube length = 45.8 inches/116.332 centimeters) in a variety of colors to provide the wavelengths needed and had good results with my Neofinetia falcata plants. There was a distance of about 12 inches between the tops of the plants and the surface of the tubes (give or take 2 or 3 inches depending on how high each plant was propped). Neos take a lot of light! The T5s were their sole source. T5s do put out quite a bit of heat even though they are advertised otherwise. I guess all things are relative.
 
Do I read right that you find these lamps to no longer be manufactured?

I've seen these specific ads for UFO-shaped lights with triple cooling fans -- both in red-blue-orange and red-blue LEDs only. If you can communicate on the brands you've used, that would be great. Also, how close you allow the ballasted fluorescents to get to the plants, and what type of bulbs you use. Do I gather correctly that you use the 4-bulb mounts?
------
I don't think we're talking about the same thing. What I have are spots with some 178 red and blue bulbs wired in at the projection end. They screw up in regular lamp sockets like any other spot lamps. They consume 13W each. I also have several of the one foot square type which have 225 red and blue LED bulbs aligned in rows. Those consume 16W each. Those are fixed to the ceiling of my growing chamber with regular screws. There is no integrated fan as they produce very little heat. They work in conjunction with two 40W HID lamps and T8 fluorescent lamps, lighting an area 12 feet wide by 18 feet long. Of course, I have regular fans moving air around. As far as I know, these types were the first advanced LED systems for plant growing and more advanced types have hit the market since. They are probably better and more powerful than what I have and probably consume more electricity as well.
I don't know if the kind of LEDs I have are still produced but I havent seen them advertised for quite a while and the place where I bought them doesn't sell them anymore.

As for the fulorescent fixtures, I use the 4 foot 4 tubes T8 types, or the 2 tubes 4 foot T8 type stacked side by side, depending on the amount of light the plants I put under will need. I like to keep at least 8 inches of space between the top of the plant and the tubes. I tried the mauve tubes designed for better plant growth but now I only use 6500 heat color rated tubes (cool white) , since I already have lots of red and blue coming in from one HPS lamp and all the blue and red LEDs.

I have also tried 250W compact fluorescent lamps with good results. :)
 
Albert!
I checked on the Internet and found the square panels were still for sale, and they're much cheaper than what I paid for mine. Also saw the UFO lights but they don't say much on coverage. One last comment : why pay 1600$ for a 700W LED panel when you can get just as much coverage with an HPS lamp for 300$? If they need fans to take out the heat, then where's the savings? I must be missing something. :)
 
Agreed! I don't want to pay $1600, and I haven't heard anything one way or the other yet about the UFOs.

My needs would be longitudinal anyway, only about a meter in depth but 4-5 meters in length. Sounds like a linear setup of fluorescent bulbs (with different wavelengths) could be best ???

V.
 
ufo lights

I tried using a ufo system on some of my paphs last year. I am now back to combined HPS and fluorescents.

The reason the ufos are hard to find now is that they don't last. Most (there are apparently a few American maufacturers who may have a quality product) are made in China as cheaply as possible. The workmanship is terrible. Both my units had the leds wink out one by one until after about 4 months of use they were totally dead. Each unit was supposed to be the equivalent of a 500 watt HPS and work for 10 years using only 5-10% of the hydro that HPS uses

I complained to the company, or at least I tried to.......they advertised a 3 year warranty. They were out of business. It was too late to complain to PayPal

Even when new, the systems were awkward and quite honestly the Paphs seemed unhappy. However the system was in place for so short a period that I don't know if they were unhappy or just adjusting

I spoke to a number of dealers for hydroponics locally and most would never even consider led/ufo for their own use. They make a good profit on the sales but the tech is too new and too unreliable. The whole industry thus far is focused (excuse the pun) on the homegrown illegal plant market. They admit this and that as a result there are few quality checks and fewers purchasers brave enough to raise a real stink

I agree with those who say stick with the tried and true. HPS and MH and the like are proven. My HPS ballast has been going since 1987 with no problems. The cost of a fan or venting is usually nominal and while hydro is expensive, it is more expensive to invest the money in leds only to proverbially flush it and then have to go back to the proven technology.

sorry about the rant, the topic is still a bit of a sore point for me

Ed
 
V
I would go along with that solution. Four foot long four tubes T8 or T5 are best. T5 come in 4, 8 and up to 16 tubes set up, but that would be for high light plants like vandas or cattleyas. Personnally, I think T8 represent a better value. But you can mix them. Of course, more tubes means more heat and the higher the cost. Good luck with your project. :)
 
Good rant Ed!
Welcome to ST! Did I miss an intro - please tell us about yourself!
 
:) Ohhhh and here's another LEP lighting system for anyone who might be interested.
This is the same technology employed by Chameleon Grow Systems.
15,000 Lumens using only 280 watts :drool:
and it's on sale
for
only $1080 :evil:
 
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