You do not. This is a common misconception. An authentic sunset simulation requires a specific far-red channel. The lamp must be able to extend the far-red glow longer than all other colors. In the SeriesX, however, the far-red is integrated into the bloom channel. Many other manufacturers already refer to a simple dimming function as sunset simulation. This means that the light is gradually dimmed instead of going out abruptly and directly. This function is also possible with our GC-SIGNAL. However, we do not want to explicitly call this a sunset simulation.

This phenomenon occurs with LED lamps. It is caused by so-called leakage currents. A simple and inexpensive solution is to unplug the timer from the socket, turn it 180° and plug it back in. This reversal of the phase position should solve the problem. For a complete solution that solves the problem permanently, we recommend using a two-phase timer. These special timers always separate the two phases from each other, which safely eliminates the weak residual lighting.

We don't always disclose this information. What we can say, however, is that we often do NOT use well-known chips such as Osram Oslon or Samsung LM301. In the seriesX PWR, for example, we use the older Samsung LM281. We see the fixation on the chips used as a marketing trend that we do not want to follow. Ultimately, it is not the components that are used in the lamp that matter, but rather how long the lamp lasts and what quality of light it produces. The Samsung LM301, for example, is an excellent chip. But that is irrelevant if it is installed incorrectly. With LED chips, there is always a connection between the forward current (mA), the output power (PPF or lumens) and the service life. For example, a chip can achieve an efficiency of 4.0 μmol/J at 700mA and an efficiency of 4.4 μmol/J at 350mA. Therefore, it is better to use two chips at 350mA each, but this is more expensive. A chip at 350mA also has a longer lifespan than one at 700mA. Sometimes a similar, cheaper chip at 350mA may not achieve 4.4 μmol/J, but only 4.2. But 4.2 is still better than the 4.0 of the "brand chip" at 700mA. As a developer, you then have the choice of buying the more expensive "brand chip" for 10 cents or two of the others for 6 cents each. We usually choose the second option. We buy the cheaper chip, double the quantity, and run at half the power. This leads to more efficiency and a longer lifespan - but without exploiting the marketing potential of the chip manufacturer's brand name.

Why should we? Chips and drivers are constantly changing and improving technology. We follow these developments in the market and implement improvements as soon as they are relevant enough. But there is no real technical innovation in the heatsink, a piece of aluminum. The thermal properties of aluminum have not changed significantly since it was discovered 200 years ago. Our heatsinks are more massive than most competitors and the design has received mostly positive feedback. So why change this part of the product? The only incentive would have been purely for marketing reasons - a new product has to look new! But that would have added costs that would ultimately have been borne by the customer. And we trust that our customers will recognize the essential features.

We deliberately only provide PPF values, not PPFD values. The PPF value describes the light output of the lamp for which we are responsible. This value varies depending on the chips installed, their number and the driver settings. Although we do not believe that the PPF value is a good indicator of the quality of a lamp (see above), it has become common practice to provide this value and our customers expect this from us. The PPFD value, on the other hand, describes the actual amount of light at the measuring point and is influenced by many factors that we cannot control. Different measuring environments, reflections and measuring methods lead to varying values. When we issue PPFD values, this is usually only done for specific purposes and with precise information about the measuring method.

This is due to our philosophy of "quality over quantity". The PPF value of a lamp indicates how many photosynthetically active photons the lamp produces. Dividing this value by the energy used gives an efficiency value. The "photosynthetically active" range of light extends from exactly 400nm to exactly 700nm. This means that all photons in this range are counted, while others are ignored. Some manufacturers focus on high efficiency by using only red LEDs at 660nm, for example. These achieve high efficiency values ​​above 4.5 µmol/J, which looks great on the data sheet. However, pure red light has a negative effect on plant growth. Therefore, they mix in blue and white chips, which lowers the overall efficiency. We go a step further and replace red chips not only with blue, but also with UV chips, even though these do not have PAR efficiency. We do this because we know that UV (and Far-Red) are extremely important for the harvest result. In the end, beautiful flowers are more important than impressive spec sheets.

This is due to our philosophy of "quality over quantity". The PPF value of a lamp indicates how many photosynthetically active photons the lamp produces. Dividing this value by the energy used gives an efficiency value. The "photosynthetically active" range of light extends from exactly 400nm to exactly 700nm. This means that all photons in this range are counted, while others are ignored. Some manufacturers focus on high efficiency by using only red LEDs at 660nm, for example. These achieve high efficiency values ​​above 4.5 µmol/J, which looks great on the data sheet. However, pure red light has a negative effect on plant growth. Therefore, they mix in blue and white chips, which lowers the overall efficiency. We go a step further and replace red chips not only with blue, but also with UV chips, even though these do not have PAR efficiency. We do this because we know that UV (and Far-Red) are extremely important for the harvest result. In the end, beautiful flowers are more important than impressive spec sheets.

There is no simple answer to this. First of all, you have to consider if you want to illuminate a certain area with a lamp (e.g., 60x60cm with a GCx-4), you have to hang the lamp at least high enough for the light cone to reach the entire area, which in this example would be from a distance of about 15 cm. It is also important to remember that LEDs emit a certain amount of heat. Depending on the ventilation, it may therefore be necessary to maintain a certain minimum distance due to the heat.