Quantum boards vs COB LED grow lights

You must have heard about types of LED grow lights, and the market is full of these, but do you know the differences between them? Well, to clear your doubts, we are back again with the solution, today we are going to cover Quantum board, and a quick comparison between COB LED and Quantum board. Let’s find out and get into details.

1. What is Quantum Board?

In simple words, Quantum boards are small pieces of boards that are lined up with the LED chips. These chips are spread all over the boards. This way that they get their power supply simultaneously from the same source. Most indoor growers buy quantum board LED grow lights to illuminated their plants and ensure they blossom well.

Horticulture Lighting Group (HLG) by Quantum boards are considered one of the highest efficiency, high-intensity horticulture light engines. HLG quantum board is a big circuit board with hundreds of mid-power LEDs mounted on it. The large circuit board makes for extra even light distribution. It has a number of micro-LEDs which are thoroughly connected in series to form strings to get high voltage exercise. Quantum boards are considered the same as COBs, except they span a much broader land to fully-cover a larger heat sink. It has a low energy consumption, which can minimize the cost of extra heat sinks. The term quantum board was first developed by HLG for an LED grow light with the diodes evenly spread out on board.

2. What is Chip-on-Board (COB)?

While the high-power LED lights can handle a few watts of power and thus hundreds of lumens of light output, some applications would require thousands of lumens from one source. This is where a chip-on-board (COB)-style LEDs marks its presence. In a multiple chip configuration, multiple chips are mount in housing, while in the COB LED technology, the chips are mounted on a single common board. It generally consists of various smaller sizes with high-power LED chips to encapsulate on the metal-based board. In the latest COB LED configuration, the phosphor-silicone encapsulate mixture is molded on the chip array surface. With COB, the LED chips within a package can be up to a thousand pieces with much higher packaging densities than with a single-chip LED configuration.

3. Difference between Quantum Board and COB

The technology used in terms of Quantum Board vs COB

– Some applications would also require thousands of lumens from one source. A common solution that comes out here is to use chip-on-board style LED lights. COB is one of the most advanced LED packaging technology that describes mounting several high-power LED chips onto a standard board. HLG’s quantum board is a relatively newer technology that’s creating quite a buzz across the growing LED community for its higher thermal efficiency and low energy consumption. Quantum boards can be a great substitute to their COB counterparts, and they are even the same as COB lights except they span a much broader and larger area for light distribution.

4. Configuration in of Quantum Board and COB

In COB LED configuration, a small-size high-power LED chips is mounted on a metal-based board. A high power COB packaging technology is usually preferred in order to raise the power output optical power. In latest and modern COB LED configuration, the phosphor-silicone encapsulate mixture is mould on the chip surface. On the other hand, HLG quantum board is a big circuit board with thousands of semi high power LEDs mounted on it which are connected in series to form strings to achieve high voltage operation.

5. Advantages of Quantum Board vs. COB

Quantum boards are the highest efficiency, high-intensity horticulture light engines with the diodes spreading out on a much larger board, which in turn makes for more light distribution. They are one of the great lights with a much simpler thermal management system with much greater efficiency. Also, it has much lower power consumption which can minimize the overall cost of heat sinks.

COBs are good for DIY projects, and they have outstanding thermal resistance, a larger cooling area, and much better lighting effects.

To be true, Quantum boards are quite difficult to DIY than COB LEDs.

Summary

In a COB LED configuration, the chips are mounted on a common board. It generally consists of multiple smaller size high-power LED chips encapsulated on the metal-based or ceramic-based board. It has great thermal resistance, a larger cooling area, and outstanding lighting effects, and it is also great for DIY projects. Quantum boards are a new technology designed by the researchers at the Horticulture Lighting Group (HLG), and they are generally the same as COBs except they span a much larger area which makes for more even light distribution.

Conclusion

Both lights play their part very well; all you need is to understand your requirement and then to buy these LEDs as per usage. Both these lights are one of the best options for your indoor planting. All that is needed is your choices and preferences.

A plant goes through different stages of growth before you even begin to see the beautiful buds flourish. Watching flora grow through all four stages of its developmental process can be quite the experience. If you’re looking to get some insights on how the plant growth cycle work and the responsibilities that come along with each stage, then you’ll find this article extremely helpful.

4 Key Stages in the Plant Grow Stages

At every stage, you need to provide the best environment for the plant to thrive and that can be challenging at times. Generally, plants i.e. its complete lifecycle can expand over a year. However, most varieties of plants can grow indoors within 3 to 5 months.  

Stage 1: Germination

The first stage of any plant begins with a seed. The seed needs to be germinated and there are several ways to do that. Even at this early stage, quality is crucial. The indication of a quality plant seed is that it should be dry, hard, and brownish in color.

In germination, the germ inside the seed breaks out in the form of a root. This germinated seed can then be introduced to a growing medium (e.g. hydroponics). Most home growers use the good old paper towel method to germinate the seed.

The germination stage can take anywhere from 24 hours to 7 days depending on its variety. When the first two leaves form, the plant loses the seed husk and this is where the next stage begins.

Stage 2: Seedling

This stage perhaps requires the most care. The plant at this stage is susceptible to disease. You have to be very careful about how much water or fertilizer you give to the seedling. Too much water or fertilizer may hamper growth.

The most important need of the plant at this delicate stage is light. It needs as much light as possible. You can provide the light indoors with the best LED grow lights and we would prefer Viparspectra grow LED, which provides full-spectrum and are budget friendly to buy. Ample light and water will allow the plant to develop stronger roots. As a result, you will start to see the characteristic plant leaves.

The shape of the leaf and the number of leaflets may vary depending on the kind of plant you are growing. At this stage, the leaves usually have just one leaflet. Once the number of leaflets per leaf becomes 5-7, the seedling stage is over. This entire stage can take 2 to 4 weeks.

Stage 3: Vegetation

During the vegetation stage, the growth accelerates. Your plant can grow as much as 5 inches in just one day. You need to supply the right nutrients to the plants at this time for them to start growing buds. The supply of nitrogen is crucial at this point as it helps provide chlorophyll and protein.

The water intake of the plants also increases at this stage. Again, the light remains a vital component for growth. You need to have the best lights for all cycles of flora growth. Most grow lights have a vegetation model that is optimized for this stage of the plant.

The duration of the vegetation stage varies greatly from one variety of plants to another. However, if everything is done right and the plant is growing in a healthy way it should gradually move to the next stage of growth within 2-3 weeks.

Stage 4: Flowering

This stage is perhaps the longest of the plant growth lifecycle (4 to 12 weeks). It can be divided into two sub-phases: the pre-flowering stage and the flowering stage. The pre-flowering stage begins when the days become shorter and the plant receives less light. Of course, you can control that indoors.

This is also the time when you will know the sex of your plant. Female plants produce flowers or buds while the male cones produce pollen. Once you can identify the sex of the plants, it is time to isolate the females to avoid the production of seeds.

During the pre-flowering stage, the plants need a lot of water. Some growers even use special fertilizers to enhance the formation of buds. Potassium and phosphorus-based nutrients are great for this stage and may speed up the process. Finally, in the flowering stage, you will see grown buds with milky pistils and a pungent smell.

Conclusion

With the above information, these are some stages of plant growth, hope the above information will help you to begin your own indoor plantation with these growth stages.