Motorized Light Track

[Christopher Meunier]

With the cost of LED Light panels ($1200 or so) i was wondering if anyone used motorized light track to help move the actual panel over the lights. i have looked at some different designs online and they will cover about a 6' area. the designs look pretty simple, and i was thinking i could make my own. 

 

does anyone here have any experience with motorized light tracks? if so can you tell me what you have learned about them? are they worth it? do they sufficiently do what they are supposed to do?

 

thanks

 

christopher

[nyfloristics]

We used motorized track lighting for coral mariculture with mixed results.  For our purposes, we got the best results making the track only twice the size of the light.  Our track motor was pretty slow and if the distance the light had to travel was any more than one fixture space, the corals would start to show signs of stress.  I am willing to bet that if you can get the light going back and forth fast enough you could cover more space without any deleterious effects.  

 

You could also supplement low light areas with FL lights to keep costs down and results positive.

[Jesse Hull]

I've used light movers for many years.  I've found them to be most effective when moving the light back & forth over short distances.  Depending on the crop you're growing, an automated mover can increase yield/sq.ft. significantly (20-30%) and produce healthier plants which aren't grown in an environment that otherwise would have unchanging intensely lit or shaded areas.  

[Brent Wheeler]

I have more questions on  the two replies,,,     when you say "move twice the size of the light" and "move short distances"  what exactly do you mean,,.,,   the foot print of the light OR the physical size of the light..   IE 400W HID or LED  is good for a 4X4 area  but the fixture is 1x1 (aprox)  ,,,  so can you move them 8 foot or 2 foot?