Artificial lighting for CPs

[Cindy]

I used to have 3 shelves with all T5 HO setup. This year, I have reduced it to just 1 shelf while the other two will be LEDs. On a separate rack, I also have LED lamps (red/blue). All the setups are in ambient humidity which is consistently high by most standards.

Reason for change: My original setups were rather unsafe. Tsk tsk... But it is also because I would like to try using LEDs for CPs...and much to the annoyance of Butch here as I will bug him on a daily basis about the what, why and how of LEDs.

For the following readings on the meter, they are x 100 e.g. 116 x 100 = 11600 lux.

For reference (wiki):
10000–25000 lux Full daylight (not direct sun)
32000–100000 lux Direct sunlight

LED panel - meant for growing fresh water aquatic plants


LED1 - notice the bluish tinge as the temperature colour is 7000K.




T5 HO end - temperature colour is 6500K


T5 HO middle


LED2




LED Lamps

 

[Cindy]

Just for the fun of it...

 

[Av8tor1]

LOL, you can definitely tell which is the white and which is the red/blue set.

wish more people would do this, then over time we would have a better understanding of what "good" should look like
just a gut instinct, but the white LED's (image 1) spectra looks like its needing help in the red wavelengths or maybe might more accurate to say a little heavy in the blue, but doesn't look too bad really...
(based on my experience)

Here is the signature of some 5000k German Narva fluorescent bulbs that performed nicely for me

Have you tried adjusting the slit or angle to increase sharpness?
Pretty fuzzy

way to go Cindy!

 

[Cindy]

Hi Butch, thanks for the reference. I think it's my mobile phone that is the cause of the blur-ness. I'll be using my camera soon to see if the pics can be sharper.

The first pic is of leds at 7000K. Could that be the reason why it is more blue?

 

[Monkey]

How do you take those spectral photographs?

 

[dionae]

How do you take those spectral photographs?

I think Butch posted this-spectrometer


I'll try and take a pic of my LED light I have over my helis atm.

 

[Cindy]

Dear Butch, I've tried my best...made 4 paper spectrometers...and the slit is as thin as possible...hope you are ok with the fuzzy photos...

Sunlight at 6pm


Left: Taken with mobile, Right: Taken with camera

White LED 1


T5HO


White LED 2

 

[Not a Number]

We made those in high school with defraction grating sheets you could get from Edmund's Scientific. I may still have some sheet somewhere. We used razor blades to make the slit - two blades or you can carefully cut a doubled edged razor blade in half and tape them edge to edge over the hole. You can't get much of a straighter edge. You could also adjust the width of the slit for the best results. Blade -->] [<-- Blade

 

[Av8tor1]

Built mine today, first try with software.... need to read the docs lol
but impressive none the less

This was taken from the bulbs on my main heli rack


woot woot!
Av

 

[Av8tor1]

I'm learning how to use the new tools

First profile is from my "Ghetto" heli rack.
GE Sunshine T8 36w bulbs, these are a very high CRI bulb that was known as the "Chroma 50" for many years.
They are an inexpensive bulb that have grown plants well for me for many years and can be found at any big box building supply store (i.e., Lowe's)

Next profile is my main Heliamphora rack, these are Giesemann Aquaflora 54w T5
These have been my bulb of choice for the last 5+ years

you have to disregard the differences in visual intensity, that simply means I was closer to one bulb that the other.
Mainly look at the spectral pattern and relative energy levels from one wavelength to another.

There is a little bit of an "art" to getting just the right amount of light when taking these measurements.
It's very easy to oversaturate, my Chroma 50 profile is oversaturated.

comparision set:

Enjoy,
Av