would this light work?

[ihfarmboy75]

I was thinking about buying two of these, one for each side of my screen which will be 10.5" x13.5", the fixture itself is 12.5" x 12.5" and will be placed about two-three inches away, and maybe a splash guard between the fixture and the screen. http://cgi.ebay.com/225-WHITE-LED-GROW-LIGHT-PANEL-HYDROPONIC-LAMP-AQUARIUM-/270576904886?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3effa3eab6#ht_2562wt_927 Would this be enough light? Good idea, bad idea?

[inkidu]

Don't walk run from almost any led light with 5mm or the like led.(tear drop led) It might work but there are several problems with them.

One main problem is that they dim much to quickly to be practical for something that will be on for so many hours. (probably the main reason to go with led i.e. long life)

Look at the second to the last post is my recommendation. That is if you want to do some DIY work.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=435&start=190 (http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=435&start=190)

If not with enough searching there are some screw in bulbs available that use high power led (SMD) i.e. there are only 5-10 led per bulb.

But I really don't know much about them and it just might be easier to use some of the bulbs SantaMonica recommends. (CFL)

Hope this helps.

[ihfarmboy75]

If not with enough searching there are some screw in bulbs available that use high power led (SMD) i.e. there are only 5-10 led per bulb.



Thanks for the info. So would something like this work? http://cgi.ebay.com/AC220V-E27-12x5050-LED-SMD-White-Light-Spotlight-Bulb-/390194329113?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ad964f619#ht_2518wt_1084

[inkidu]

First you may want to read some of the thread that I pointed you to earlier. Several people contributed and the posts

might give you some idea what you are getting into.

Led are expensive.

Led are great point sources of light. You can put the lights for an algae scrubber close, which is a good thing.

Led can ( my key ord jut roke the letter tween a and d now my letter tween a and d doen't work ) Dam more money

here i the link *o eperiene with and no idea how to uy them ut thi* i* what I am talking a*out. The one you ha*e pi*ked might not *e enough

http://furniture.cens.com/cens/html/en/ ... 68396.html (http://furniture.cens.com/cens/html/en/product/product_main_68396.html)

hope thi* help*

[rygh]

Key suggestions:
1) Start with CFL at first.
- There are many things that can be done wrong with an ATS build. Don't combine that with the many things that can go wrong with LED.
- Perhaps do CFL on one side, and LED on the other.
2) Do not use anything built with the small 5mm LEDs.
- They are junk. Yes, run away. Not enough power, efficiency, or lifetime.
3) Do not use anything that looks cool-white.
- The reds are critical, and missing in most normal LED lighting.

That grow light link looked interesting, good spectrum. But seems to only use 1W LEDs.

[inkidu]

Newly borrowed keyboard till my new one arrives. I can write again.

All great advice. Rygh.

I am not trying to confuse infarmboy but it was confusing to me too tell I knew the difference. You can run some led at all the different currents to get a 1,3, or 5 watt led

I will mention that I think? they are high power led,what you ideally want,but these are only run at 350 mA instead of 700mA or higher. A typical 5 mm led runs at much lower current.

350mA * 3 volts = 1 watt (1 watt, 3 watt, and 5 watt are mostly generic terms for high power led)

One reason for the lower current must be the need for heat removal also manufactures can use cheaper drivers.

There are some inherit limitations to having something that needs to be screwed into a socket (the small size limits the ability to get rid of heat)

Hope this helps.

If you use the bulbs Santa Monica recommends you should have and easier time with an initial setup. (look at FAQ section)

[rygh]

Suggest farmboy reads this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=560 (http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=560)
Real success with an off-the-shelf LED light.

Light used: http://cgi.ebay.com/50-WATTS-LED-GROW-L ... 35a75a68df (http://cgi.ebay.com/50-WATTS-LED-GROW-LIGHT-PANEL-RED-BLUE-UFO-HYDROPONIC_W0QQitemZ230440986847QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a75a68df)

Yes:
Modern high-drive = 350mA -> 1500mA, or more
Most 5mm / 8mm LEDs run 35mA or less
Also, the smaller ones are usually listed in candle power/candela/mcd, not lux/lumens.