Spectrabox UFO 100W

The Spectrabox UFO 100W is the smallest of the three round UFO fixtures: 100 watts, passively cooled, an efficiency of 2.8 µmol per joule and a 120 degree lens.

The spectrum is already mixed at ten centimetres

An LED fixture holds not one kind of diode but a handful of colours side by side. Just below the lamp you are still looking at those separate colours: a red cone here, a blue one there. Only at some distance do the beams overlap enough to form the full spectrum together. On many grow lights that is around 25 centimetres, and hanging closer then means a leaf under one diode gets different light from a leaf ten centimetres along.

The UFO mixes from 100 millimetres, according to the manufacturer. That is the practical difference from a lamp you have to keep at a distance, and it counts twice.

The first is simply height. In a 60 by 60 tent you have none to spare: filter, lamp and crop all have to fit. Fifteen centimetres less clearance is fifteen centimetres more plant.

The second is yield, and it weighs more than most growers expect. Light intensity falls with the square of distance. Go from 30 to 15 centimetres and you halve the distance while the crop receives four times as much light from the same lamp. That is not a small gain you give back by dimming, it is why a compact fixture performs surprisingly well in a small space.

Do watch leaf temperature if you hang it really close. Ten centimetres is what the spectrum allows, not necessarily what every crop enjoys.

Technical Specifications:

• Model: UFO 100W
• Power: 100 W
• Efficiency: 2.8 µmol/J
• Flowering area: 60 x 40 cm
• Vegetative area: 60 x 60 cm
• Minimum hanging distance: 10 cm above the crop
• Lens: 120 degrees, 90 degrees optional
• Dimming: 0 to 10 V, dimmer available separately
• Driver: Sosen
• Cooling: passive, no fan
• Protection rating: IP66
• Warranty: 3 year manufacturer warranty

Frequently asked questions

May it really hang at ten centimetres?
Optically yes, the spectrum is mixed there. Check leaf temperature before hanging it that low.

Is the dimmer included?
No, you choose it separately. The lamp itself is ready for 0 to 10 volt control.

Why is no PPF listed?
The manufacturer publishes only the efficiency in µmol per joule. Multiplying that by the wattage would invent a measurement.

Does it make noise?
No. The aluminium body carries heat away passively, so there is no fan inside.