Considering Quantum Board

[Slartibarfast]

Hi, considering getting a quantum board but very much on the fence. I have a 600W LED light but have been finding my grows to be quite airy. Would this board be sufficient for a 1m x 1m tent where I typically grow 1 auto plant? Or are there good boards anyone can recommend?

https://lightitup.co.za/product/120w-quantum-board-led-grow-light/

 

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[SkunkPharm]

What light do you have?

I see you have a bestva. This light would be an improvement. Also consider growing photo. With autoflowers i have found they grow best in a micture of soils. 

Something like freedomfarms mixed with orgasoilux 50:50. In a 20l pot.

Edited December 14, 2020 by SkunkPharm

[Slartibarfast]

I have the 600W version of this light
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0787QFQNL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_hiX1FbPVE614J?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

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[PsyCLown]

@Slartibarfast you could even run both lights in that tent and fit 4x 20L pots inside there. Or if you want to get rid of your current light, it may be better to get a 240W light instead then. However if you really only grow 1 plant at a time and it is an auto, it wont fill that tent so you can get away with a single 120W Quantum Board.

That light of yours is certainly not 600w, despite what the marketing might state. If you measure the draw from the wall, I would guess it would be around 100 - 150w at most. The Samsung LM301B diodes would be more efficient as well though. So lets say your current Besva "600w" light is actually only drawing 120W from the wall, the Quantum Board would have a higher output despite both lights drawing 120W and this is due to the diodes.

 

 

To further assist, I guess we need to know:

• Do you plan on always only grow 1 plant or would you like to grow more plants?
• Will you considering growing photoperiods? A single photoperiod can be vegged to fill the entire tent space if you only want a single plant in there

[Slartibarfast]

Maybe for the sake of future proofing I should consider the 240W rather, would that then be good for my size tent? Any good ones that you can recommend?

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[Ill_Evan]

Going quantum was the best investment I made to my growing equipment. Busy running 3 x 240W QBs in a 2.4m x 1.2m tent. 

I find that a single 240W QB is perfect for roughly every 80cm² - 100cm² of canopy/tent space. 

The 120W is great for veg, cloning and mother plants, and maybe to flower like one plant properly. 

[PsyCLown]

Well, once again it depends on how many plants you plan on growing. I feel the 240W QB is a waste for 1 autoflower.

The autoflower wont ever get big enough to fill that 1 x 1 tent of yours.

 

In terms of which QB is a good one to go for, well, really up to you. A lot of them are quite similar but there are differences for sure.

Common differences would be the actual QB board itself, there are quite a few Quantum Boards out there which do not use the typical QB288 board, quite a few are starting to use less than 288 diodes on their boards - so less maximum output and less power handling. These quantum boards also come with more of an aluminium plate as opposed to a proper heatsink with fins and they are generally plain aluminium silver, not anodized.

While these Quantum Boards will work, I personally would prefer to go for the more traditional quantum board with the qb288 boards as you are getting more diodes from the searching I have done, pricing is about the same give or take a couple hundred. A lot of the Quantum Boards which come with the QB288 boards also seem to have a better heatsink, they have fins on them (once again, not all heatsinks are the same, some have longer or larger fins than others) and the heatsinks are often anodized, which is more of a look thing. I feel it looks neater and cleaner.

 

Then other considerations would be the accessories which come with the Quantum Board, I have noticed not all of them come with the same accessories.

I have only seen one seller actually provide a power meter with their light, also not all of them offer a dimmer etc. The Quantum board you linked to comes with a power meter and they're the only seller I have seen who actually provide a power meter with their lights. However depending on how you run your lights, it may not even be needed really. If you plan on dimming your lights, then it will make a massive difference as you can actually tell how much power you are dimming the lights to.

Then depending on how competent you are with DIY, some of the Quantum Boards come assembled, some require you to connect cables and some may require you to fully assemble it yourself. While this is not difficult, it is something to consider as not everyone will be comfortable to assemble it themselves or would prefer the convenience of having it fully assembled.

 

In terms of warranty, not something I would be too worried about. Majority of the Quantum Boards come with Meanwell LED drivers which should have a 5 year warranty on them and most provide a warranty on the LED board itself, but the likelihood of anything going wrong is slim. Not impossible, but not a common occurrence.

[Slartibarfast]

Well, once again it depends on how many plants you plan on growing. I feel the 240W QB is a waste for 1 autoflower.
The autoflower wont ever get big enough to fill that 1 x 1 tent of yours.
 
In terms of which QB is a good one to go for, well, really up to you. A lot of them are quite similar but there are differences for sure.
Common differences would be the actual QB board itself, there are quite a few Quantum Boards out there which do not use the typical QB288 board, quite a few are starting to use less than 288 diodes on their boards - so less maximum output and less power handling. These quantum boards also come with more of an aluminium plate as opposed to a proper heatsink with fins and they are generally plain aluminium silver, not anodized.
While these Quantum Boards will work, I personally would prefer to go for the more traditional quantum board with the qb288 boards as you are getting more diodes from the searching I have done, pricing is about the same give or take a couple hundred. A lot of the Quantum Boards which come with the QB288 boards also seem to have a better heatsink, they have fins on them (once again, not all heatsinks are the same, some have longer or larger fins than others) and the heatsinks are often anodized, which is more of a look thing. I feel it looks neater and cleaner.
 
Then other considerations would be the accessories which come with the Quantum Board, I have noticed not all of them come with the same accessories.
I have only seen one seller actually provide a power meter with their light, also not all of them offer a dimmer etc. The Quantum board you linked to comes with a power meter and they're the only seller I have seen who actually provide a power meter with their lights. However depending on how you run your lights, it may not even be needed really. If you plan on dimming your lights, then it will make a massive difference as you can actually tell how much power you are dimming the lights to.
Then depending on how competent you are with DIY, some of the Quantum Boards come assembled, some require you to connect cables and some may require you to fully assemble it yourself. While this is not difficult, it is something to consider as not everyone will be comfortable to assemble it themselves or would prefer the convenience of having it fully assembled.
 
In terms of warranty, not something I would be too worried about. Majority of the Quantum Boards come with Meanwell LED drivers which should have a 5 year warranty on them and most provide a warranty on the LED board itself, but the likelihood of anything going wrong is slim. Not impossible, but not a common occurrence.

Wow, thank you for the detailed response! I am leaning to the 120W then. Out of interest sake, could I just buy a 2nd 120W should I want to grow more than 1 plant in the tent in future?

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[PsyCLown]

Yeah, you can purchase a 2nd 120W quantum board later on and add that to your tent. This will offer additional flexibility as well.

It is actually quite common for people to purchase multiple smaller Quantum Boards as opposed to a single larger one.

 

For example, @Ill_Evan has 3x 240W Quantum Boards as opposed to a single fixture of 720W. I personally prefer it this way as well, it offers more flexibility if you ever need to change your setup or if you want to adjust the height for a few plants only, you can lower a single light. This is exactly what Evan has done if you go look at his grow diary and the pics he has posted of his tent and plants. You will see some of his lights are at different heights due to him running multiple strains and the plants grew to different heights.

I also run multiple smaller Quantum Boards and majority of growers out there do the same. Very seldom do you find a 480W or larger Quantum Board light being used by someone.

[Slartibarfast]

Yeah, you can purchase a 2nd 120W quantum board later on and add that to your tent. This will offer additional flexibility as well.
It is actually quite common for people to purchase multiple smaller Quantum Boards as opposed to a single larger one.
 
For example, @Ill_Evan has 3x 240W Quantum Boards as opposed to a single fixture of 720W. I personally prefer it this way as well, it offers more flexibility if you ever need to change your setup or if you want to adjust the height for a few plants only, you can lower a single light. This is exactly what Evan has done if you go look at his grow diary and the pics he has posted of his tent and plants. You will see some of his lights are at different heights due to him running multiple strains and the plants grew to different heights.
I also run multiple smaller Quantum Boards and majority of growers out there do the same. Very seldom do you find a 480W or larger Quantum Board light being used by someone.

That's really good to know and puts my mind at ease. I think I am sold then, will likely order one this month. Thanks for all the advice

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[Slartibarfast]

Sorry, last question. I think I am ready to order today would the first light I linked be best or would one of the below be better?
https://www.futurama.co.za/hydrodepot-lm301b-full-spectrum-led-grow-light-110w/

https://www.futurama.co.za/geeklight-crazy-farmer-full-spectrum-led-grow-light-120w/

https://www.futurama.co.za/flexstar-dimmable-led-grow-light-120w/

 

[Budwizer]

Go with the first one from lightitup. I know the guy. You won’t get nearly as good customer service from those other guys. If something goes wrong, you’ll be sorted in days rather than weeks. The lights are pretty much the same thing.

Plus, that power meter comes in handy. All in all the lightitup one is by far the best value for money.

[Slartibarfast]

That's enough motivation for me, thanks!

[Budwizer]

I’m also using those from lightitup. Doing an informal comparison between 600w HPS and 480w QBs.

Ill know in 2 weeks time, but it’s looking good for the QBs

[Slartibarfast]

1 minute ago, Budwizer said:

I’m also using those from lightitup. Doing an informal comparison between 600w HPS and 480w QBs.

Ill know in 2 weeks time, but it’s looking good for the QBs

That's one awesome looking setup! Keen to hear how it goes

[GreenGrow Garden Route]

I have no experience with indoor growing or lights but have buddies growing indoor and what they have found is that bud density is far better with HPS.. I'll start up soon and will require allot of guidance from the forum. I am a outdoor man but with pollen flying all over I will do my personal variety in the tent from now on and only have my extract plants outside. Any other forum members that found HPS better for bud density?

[PsyCLown]

I have no experience with indoor growing or lights but have buddies growing indoor and what they have found is that bud density is far better with HPS.. I'll start up soon and will require allot of guidance from the forum. I am a outdoor man but with pollen flying all over I will do my personal variety in the tent from now on and only have my extract plants outside. Any other forum members that found HPS better for bud density?

Well I know that both@CreX and@Ill_Evan use to run HID and have since moved over to Quantum Boards with the Samsung LM301B diodes.
Perhaps they can shed some light on how their grow has been affected and whether they've noticed any difference in terms of bud density.

I feel bud density is more strain related.
Also@Budwizer will be able to give some feedback once he has harvested his plants - will be nice as he has both in the same tent so just needs to compare same strains on the left to the ones on the right.



But even if bud density was better with HID, how much better and does it justify the extra heat and additional power consumption over led? Especially considering we're growing for ourselves, while some of us may aim for cream of the crop bud, boutique bud which would sell for a mini fortune in a retail store its not the end of the world if what we end up with is slightly off from what we were hoping for - is it?

I'd much rather worry about the strains and seeds I'm buying, as I feel that'll make a far bigger difference. Pheno hunt for the right phenos amongst those strains.

My 2c

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[Ill_Evan]

3 hours ago, PsyCLown said:

I feel bud density is more strain related.

But even if bud density was better with HID, how much better and does it justify the extra heat and additional power consumption over led?

This is pretty much my experience. There is more than just what light you are using to growing good weed. I find the growing experience is a lot easier to manage with LEDs such as heat management and power consumption. I am certain that at my current level I have grown just as good weed under HID as I have under LED, but at double the efficiency. Having good genetics is also fundamental and they will always treat you well if you keep them healthy and optimal. 

[CreX]

my experience with HID has not come close to my LED experience.

Granted i was using 400w HPS and not the bigger boys - so the difference for me has been chalk and cheese

And contrary to popular belief, i have grown larger, denser more plentiful buds with LED than i ever did with HPS

and i have already paid for half my lights just with savings on electricity due to the efficiency of the LEDs

 

and i have to agree with @PsyCLown, the right strain , and the right pheno make the biggest difference.

Keen to hear the comparison @Budwizer!!!

[Budwizer]

Yeah, I can already tell you: decent LED lights are as good or better than HPS. @Ill_Evan hit it on the head- there’s much more to bud density than just light. Sure, light is important, and good LEDs do the job just fine. Good genetics, good watering practices, correct nutrient strength, ph,  temps, humidity, airflow and on and on. 
You can have the best light in the world, but get one or two of these other things badly wrong, and you’re nowhere.

[Slartibarfast]

Quantum board received :D I went with the 240W. What power should I be using it at? Currently have it set to 95W and it looks pretty damn bright.

Also, what height would you recommend I have it above the canopy? With the mounts provided the highest I can get it is 35CM above the canopy.

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[PsyCLown]

1 hour ago, Slartibarfast said:

Quantum board received I went with the 240W. What power should I be using it at? Currently have it set to 95W and it looks pretty damn bright.

Also, what height would you recommend I have it above the canopy? With the mounts provided the highest I can get it is 35CM above the canopy.

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Well, are your plants in veg or flower? How old are they?

 

Also 35cm above canopy should be fine but doesn't sound right that it's the highest you can hang the light - perhaps send a picture for us to see. How tall is your tent and your plants?

[Slartibarfast]

Well, are your plants in veg or flower? How old are they?
 
Also 35cm above canopy should be fine but doesn't sound right that it's the highest you can hang the light - perhaps send a picture for us to see. How tall is your tent and your plants?

Increased the power a bit now. Tent is around 1.8M and the plant is flowering, about 7 weeks in now and it's an Auto

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[Budwizer]

I’d do 150 for a day or two, see how it goes, then bump it up to 180. 35-40 cm should be cool. 

[PsyCLown]

@Slartibarfast you do not have to use that metal wire thingy.

 

You could wrap the rope ratchet around the rope and then connect one end to the one side of the heatsink and the other end to the other side of the heatsink.

 

Otherwise use 2 of those metal wire things to connect between 2 sides of the heatsink and then just connect the rope ratchets to that... if that makes sense? That will help give you some extra headroom and give you more stability with hanging the light.