Question About Which Specific LED and Driver Arrangement is Most Efficient

Friday

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Jan 4, 2004
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I'd like to design my own very simple LED panel. It will be composed of 150 x 1w LED's in the 630 nm range.

For those who are closely following the latest developments in LED's, what would be the most efficient arrangement of drivers and LED's? And what source would have good prices for the LED's and drivers you'd recommend?

Thanks in advance!!!

~friday
 

deadrx7conv

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Why not use 3w, 5w, or 10w LEDs to simplify the process and reduce the LED count?

Whats the panel for? its size?

Is it going to be run of AC or DC?
 

Friday

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Joined
Jan 4, 2004
Messages
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Why not use 3w, 5w, or 10w LEDs to simplify the process and reduce the LED count?

Whats the panel for? its size?

Is it going to be run of AC or DC?

I think the higher wattage LED's are less efficient, on a straight up lumens per watt comparison. If that's not true, I'd love to know!!

The panel is for a tomato grow light, so I'm looking to squeeze the most light out of the least watts (of course) . . . and it'll be run off whatever is more efficient, from the driver to the angle of the LED to which power source, and so on . . .

It seems LED's keep improving yearly . . . and I'm looking to keep up with it, so I can create the most efficient light source for my plants.

Thanks for any and all input!
 

deadrx7conv

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Efficiency is nice. But, don't be blinded by it. To increase efficiency, why not use 300 1/2 watt'rs? or 600 1/4 watt'rs? ......

Drivers may be 60-90% efficient too. So, going overboard with LED count and wasting it with a driver trying to drive this array.... may not be a good idea. You need to balance what you're trying to do to make it work.

Your plants need a certain type of light spectrum to grow.
Your best bet is to research the type of LED, regardless of efficiency, that is needed to make your plants grow. All the efficiency is wasted if the 'tomatoes' don't grow in your light.

And, once you find the LEDs that you need, build your lights around them.

From the sound of it, you're looking for a large light panel.

I think it would be a good idea to build yourself a 'small' light to see if the bigger project is feasible and within your budget.

Start with 10-25 LEDs. You'll have to research brands, like from Cree or Luxeon..., the color output of the LED, the driver like Meanwell or Xitanium.., your heatsink(big aluminum block or extrusion, your LED wiring(series parallel combination)... and put together the test light. If it does what you need, expand on it.

Definitely read up in the aquarium LED section in some of the online aquarium/reef/fishtank forums. They seem to build some higher power LED lights. You might be able to copy/multiple some of their lights to get what you're looking for.

150 Cree XP-G's on a star would cost?
15-20 MC-E's or P7 sevens?
A 150w LED light growing panel off a website?
 

blasterman

Flashlight Enthusiast
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Jul 17, 2008
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Answered a lot of these questions along with giving specific advantages of LEDs over HPS in the other thread you created.
 
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