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3500K 8 cob 3590 light 1.4 amps
- Thread starter Ichabod Crane
- Start date
RE> It is not really that hard to make if you can run a drill and use a saw.
That's a tall order for some of us....definitely pulling up a chair for this..let the learning begin!
Yes and no simple to make hard to make clean meaning hidden wires , dressed up etc i ordered bunch of cobs drivers lens holders and same heat sinks as cranes ..
making few of them 2 drivers per 8 cobs 36 cob build total it was stupid costs per unit mixed spectrum 3000, 4000,5000 and 6500 k
What i did was got for free the actual unit that will hold it all together wiring hidden in manufacturers wire harness .. etc
Just been to busy to get on it with so many other home projects on the go mama ( Wife ) was pretty choked i spent so much on Cobs that to keep the piece i now have to make her back yard
Deck done now stone work and yes got some purple nails fucking going to lose a few finger nails .Attachments
I prefer the passive. And really what is cheaper is debatable. You have a fan that could go out and over heat your chip. Then there is the cost of a new fan and a chip as well. Dont really think the electric used will ever amount to much but it is still a cost as well.
Northern Grow Lights rates this heat sink at 50 to 80 watt chips and 25 to 50 watts of heat. Me running at 49 watts and 56% efficiency leaves me with less than 22 watts of heat. Well under the heat sinks rating. Here is a link to there info:
https://northerngrowlights.com/products/sst140-heatsink?variant=20640814916
Even if I ran this chip at 75 watts or 2.1 amps it would only put out less than 38 watts of heat which is still under this heat sinks rating.
As for cost these heat sinks with shipping were less than $18.50 each. At Mechatronix they are $11.74 each or $6.78 cheaper. That means my pin heat sinks cost $54.08 more before subtracting shipping from Mechatronix for all 8. So really not that much more in cost.
Dont know what you are asking on the dimming. It will be the same as Gromaue5 kits.
Wow, so very sexy. Pulling up my rocking chair.
Well ok then but be careful of the cats tail.
Ok so more people here than I thought would be so lets get started.
When I started this light I wanted to see if I could keep heat issues down in my grow. That is still to be seen because I have not grown with it yet.
That being said there were a couple other things that I wanted as well. One was durability. Who wants to spend a shit ton of money on something that keeps breaking? So I went with Cree chips. They seem to be top of the line in quality. I also didnt want to keep ripping wires out when I moved it around. So I tried to keep the wires protected. And I made a removable cord as well.
Next I wanted something that would hold its value. So no hack job allowed. It had to look good. And it does. I have had two people tell me to start selling them. But I dont want to do that. I want to grow weed instead.
The last thing is I wanted something that I would use. So it has to be easy to use. That is where the dimming comes in along with the jumping power outlets and off on switches. With the dimming I can use it for small plants that dont need a intense light or cant handle it yet. The on off switches allow me to turn off part of the light when it is not needed because the plants are not big enough or there is two much heat. Last is the jumping outlets. I find it a pain in the ass to run a shit ton of cords to a single out let and use a splitter. They fall out all the time and get pulled when you trip on them.
So that is why the light is the way it is.
As I go threw this thread I plan on logging every item that I use on the first post on page one as I use it. This will make it easier to keep track of what is needed.
When I started this light I wanted to see if I could keep heat issues down in my grow. That is still to be seen because I have not grown with it yet.
That being said there were a couple other things that I wanted as well. One was durability. Who wants to spend a shit ton of money on something that keeps breaking? So I went with Cree chips. They seem to be top of the line in quality. I also didnt want to keep ripping wires out when I moved it around. So I tried to keep the wires protected. And I made a removable cord as well.
Next I wanted something that would hold its value. So no hack job allowed. It had to look good. And it does. I have had two people tell me to start selling them. But I dont want to do that. I want to grow weed instead.
The last thing is I wanted something that I would use. So it has to be easy to use. That is where the dimming comes in along with the jumping power outlets and off on switches. With the dimming I can use it for small plants that dont need a intense light or cant handle it yet. The on off switches allow me to turn off part of the light when it is not needed because the plants are not big enough or there is two much heat. Last is the jumping outlets. I find it a pain in the ass to run a shit ton of cords to a single out let and use a splitter. They fall out all the time and get pulled when you trip on them.
So that is why the light is the way it is.
As I go threw this thread I plan on logging every item that I use on the first post on page one as I use it. This will make it easier to keep track of what is needed.
So to start with I need to drill holes in the pin heat sink to mount the rails. To do this I made a jig to make it easier to do. Here is a picture of the jig to mark the holes with.
You can see that it is completed. Also notice that it is mounted with two screws. These screws are M3 screws that are 10 mm long. They are threaded into the cob mounting screw holes. Above it is a punch that you will need. I prefer this one because when you push down on it it will punch a dent into the aluminum. It is much easier to use than a punch that needs a hammer.
To make this jig I first lined up a piece of 3/4" x 7" x 1/8" aluminum with the holes on the heat sink top. I then drew two lines on the aluminum piece for each side of the screw hole.
With that done I used the punch shown above and made a dent in the aluminum at the center of the two marks in the center of the aluminum from side to side. With this indentation my drill will drill in the dent and not move from it. I used a 1/8" drill bit and drill these two holes.
Then I filed the jig down to remove any burrs from drilling. The burrs will scratch the finish on my heat sink. Besides being ugly this can also reduce the usefulness of the heat sink.
After this I used the M3 x 10 mm screws to mount the jig onto the heat sink. Once I mounted the jig I marked the edge of the heat sink under the jig. once that was done I flipped it over to see where the edges were. By doing this I could tell if I was marking the holes for the rails off the heat sink edge by mistake. You can see the line in the above picture.
After doing this I placed a piece of the rail on the heat sink to see how it looked. I thought 1.25 inches from the screw hole for the LED cob holder looked good. Going back to the jig I marked over 1.25 inches from the screw hole and it was between the screw hole and the edge I marked. This is the other line pictured above with the drill hole in it.
So to make this easy for every one here is how to make the jig. Mark for the screw hole edges like above. Punch the two spots to be drilled for the mounting screw holes. Drill the two mounting holes with a 1/8" drill bit. Then move out from the center of the jig 1.25 inches from the mounting screw holes and punch the jig in the center from side to side. Then drill with the 1/8" drill bit. Once you have the four holes drilled file off any burrs.
Now we have a jig to drill holes quick and accurately.
You can see that it is completed. Also notice that it is mounted with two screws. These screws are M3 screws that are 10 mm long. They are threaded into the cob mounting screw holes. Above it is a punch that you will need. I prefer this one because when you push down on it it will punch a dent into the aluminum. It is much easier to use than a punch that needs a hammer.
To make this jig I first lined up a piece of 3/4" x 7" x 1/8" aluminum with the holes on the heat sink top. I then drew two lines on the aluminum piece for each side of the screw hole.
With that done I used the punch shown above and made a dent in the aluminum at the center of the two marks in the center of the aluminum from side to side. With this indentation my drill will drill in the dent and not move from it. I used a 1/8" drill bit and drill these two holes.
Then I filed the jig down to remove any burrs from drilling. The burrs will scratch the finish on my heat sink. Besides being ugly this can also reduce the usefulness of the heat sink.
After this I used the M3 x 10 mm screws to mount the jig onto the heat sink. Once I mounted the jig I marked the edge of the heat sink under the jig. once that was done I flipped it over to see where the edges were. By doing this I could tell if I was marking the holes for the rails off the heat sink edge by mistake. You can see the line in the above picture.
After doing this I placed a piece of the rail on the heat sink to see how it looked. I thought 1.25 inches from the screw hole for the LED cob holder looked good. Going back to the jig I marked over 1.25 inches from the screw hole and it was between the screw hole and the edge I marked. This is the other line pictured above with the drill hole in it.
So to make this easy for every one here is how to make the jig. Mark for the screw hole edges like above. Punch the two spots to be drilled for the mounting screw holes. Drill the two mounting holes with a 1/8" drill bit. Then move out from the center of the jig 1.25 inches from the mounting screw holes and punch the jig in the center from side to side. Then drill with the 1/8" drill bit. Once you have the four holes drilled file off any burrs.
Now we have a jig to drill holes quick and accurately.
Now to drill the holes to mount the rails you need to have a little info. The four holes to mount the cob holder and the reflector with are not in a square pattern with a hole at each corner. They are in a rectangular pattern with the screw holes at the corner.
This means that there are two ways to mount the cob holder. One being correct and the other wrong. In the wrong position you will not be able to mount the reflector. Here are two pictures of a cob holder mounted to the same heat sink. one is correct and one is wrong.
If you look closely you can see one has a screw hole in a gap in the cob holder. This screw hole is where the reflector holder is mounted. Also notice that to the side of the cob holder is a hole. That hole is what the rail mounts to and is what I drilled out with the jig.
Now you may be asking why is this important right? Well when we mount the cob holder we want the wires to come out in a specific direction. Here are two pictures to show what I mean.
In the top picture you can see the wires come out to the side towards the rails. In the bottom picture they are rotated 90 degrees and come out towards the ends. It is easier to get the wire into the cob holder in the second picture than it is in the first picture. But I didnt want the wire to hang past the end and get snagged so I rotated the end cobs.
With that in mind I wanted 4 cobs to be mounted like the top picture and four cobs to be mounted like the second picture. To make sure I did this I mounted a cob in each heat sink and left the mounting screws to show where I wanted the jig mounted at. It is hard to explain but you will understand once you mount the cobs where to place the screws. If you get confused just drill four heat sinks out and mount the cob holder and it will become clear to you.
This means that there are two ways to mount the cob holder. One being correct and the other wrong. In the wrong position you will not be able to mount the reflector. Here are two pictures of a cob holder mounted to the same heat sink. one is correct and one is wrong.
If you look closely you can see one has a screw hole in a gap in the cob holder. This screw hole is where the reflector holder is mounted. Also notice that to the side of the cob holder is a hole. That hole is what the rail mounts to and is what I drilled out with the jig.
Now you may be asking why is this important right? Well when we mount the cob holder we want the wires to come out in a specific direction. Here are two pictures to show what I mean.
In the top picture you can see the wires come out to the side towards the rails. In the bottom picture they are rotated 90 degrees and come out towards the ends. It is easier to get the wire into the cob holder in the second picture than it is in the first picture. But I didnt want the wire to hang past the end and get snagged so I rotated the end cobs.
With that in mind I wanted 4 cobs to be mounted like the top picture and four cobs to be mounted like the second picture. To make sure I did this I mounted a cob in each heat sink and left the mounting screws to show where I wanted the jig mounted at. It is hard to explain but you will understand once you mount the cobs where to place the screws. If you get confused just drill four heat sinks out and mount the cob holder and it will become clear to you.
Now that we know where to drill and have a jig lets get started.
First mount the jig to the heat sink in the direction you want. I like the M3 10 mm screws for this as they are easy to hold and twist in by hand with out a screw driver. You dont have to drive the screws in far, just enough to hold the jig in the right spot.
You will notice that it is a little loose. That is no big deal we are not making a grand piano. So this may not be the best way to do this if you are a perfectionist. But for the rest of you just push it tight to the screws and pick up the punch and punch a dimple in the center of the two outside holes. With this done remove the jig.
Load up a 7/64" drill bit into a drill. Once you have the drill ready put a drop of oil on the dimples you just made. I use this oil to drill with.
But most any oil will work. Once you have the oil in the dimple start a hole with the drill. I had to oil the holes three times when I drilled mine. During the drilling I wiped the aluminum flakes from drilling out of the way. Then oiled the hole. Again be careful not to scratch the heat sink surface. You need good contact between the LED cob and the heat sink to transfer the heat from the cob to the heat sink and scratches reduce this contact. I drilled the holes threw the base of my heat sink. Sorry if that upsets you but I really didnt want to have to use a tap.
Once you have your holes drilled you need to create the screw thread holes. I didnt use a tap for this. I used these screws here that I got at Menards. You can get them at Grangers or I think Home Depot as well.
These screws are for metal studs. They are black and steel. Because they are steel they are harder than the aluminum heat sink and will create your threads. These are also the same screw you will use to mount the rails to the heat sink with.
So to create the screw threads I just used my drill to drive the screws into the hole. I oiled the holes before I drilled the screws into the holes. I drilled the screw in and out till the screw drove in flush to the top of the heat sink. I could drill one or two holes before the screws threads were full of aluminum flakes and I threw the screw out. Dont worry there are over three hundred screws in that one pound box of screws.
Tomorrow I will go over the construction of the rails.
First mount the jig to the heat sink in the direction you want. I like the M3 10 mm screws for this as they are easy to hold and twist in by hand with out a screw driver. You dont have to drive the screws in far, just enough to hold the jig in the right spot.
You will notice that it is a little loose. That is no big deal we are not making a grand piano. So this may not be the best way to do this if you are a perfectionist. But for the rest of you just push it tight to the screws and pick up the punch and punch a dimple in the center of the two outside holes. With this done remove the jig.
Load up a 7/64" drill bit into a drill. Once you have the drill ready put a drop of oil on the dimples you just made. I use this oil to drill with.
But most any oil will work. Once you have the oil in the dimple start a hole with the drill. I had to oil the holes three times when I drilled mine. During the drilling I wiped the aluminum flakes from drilling out of the way. Then oiled the hole. Again be careful not to scratch the heat sink surface. You need good contact between the LED cob and the heat sink to transfer the heat from the cob to the heat sink and scratches reduce this contact. I drilled the holes threw the base of my heat sink. Sorry if that upsets you but I really didnt want to have to use a tap.
Once you have your holes drilled you need to create the screw thread holes. I didnt use a tap for this. I used these screws here that I got at Menards. You can get them at Grangers or I think Home Depot as well.
These screws are for metal studs. They are black and steel. Because they are steel they are harder than the aluminum heat sink and will create your threads. These are also the same screw you will use to mount the rails to the heat sink with.
So to create the screw threads I just used my drill to drive the screws into the hole. I oiled the holes before I drilled the screws into the holes. I drilled the screw in and out till the screw drove in flush to the top of the heat sink. I could drill one or two holes before the screws threads were full of aluminum flakes and I threw the screw out. Dont worry there are over three hundred screws in that one pound box of screws.
Tomorrow I will go over the construction of the rails.
ShetFerBrains
New member
This set up looks great. I'm subbed. I really want to go LED.
What are you basing this off of? It's my impression that it only takes about ~600w of COB, being run efficiently (700ma or below), to equal a DE set at 1000w.
Are you basing this off of PPFD?
Your light looks very professional and like you put a lot of love and care into it. Good job
What are you basing this off of? It's my impression that it only takes about ~600w of COB, being run efficiently (700ma or below), to equal a DE set at 1000w.
Are you basing this off of PPFD?
Your light looks very professional and like you put a lot of love and care into it. Good job
I dont remember where but it was 700 watts that I was told. So I am about a hundred watts above that with about 50 watts lost to the driver. So i have about 784 watts that looses about 7% because of the defusers. So that leaves me about 735 watts of light. Which based on what I was told is about 35 watts above a DE. And lets face it one ov the things people like with DE is the ability to over driver them to 1100 up to 1200 watts. And truthfully I am fairly new to LEDs and could be spouting out my ass.
But all that aside it is still running brighter and more efficient than a DE. And I cant get a DE anywhere in my grow. To hot and not enough height.
Glad you like the light cause I do. And I will be making more. But have to go mount the rails and get pictures.
Hey IC! Love the COB setup! Super professional looking!
I was very tempted to go with COBs as opposed to the Greenbeams, but I'm not a DIY'er like you. Plus I was really sold on the idea of max uniformity. The Greenbeams run cool, but not like those COBs . They are ideal for your situation I believe. As far as yield goes, I think I remember tenthirty saying that the COBs edged out the Greenbeams in his setup. They both have great spectrum so they should serve you well! I can't wait to see how they do!
I was very tempted to go with COBs as opposed to the Greenbeams, but I'm not a DIY'er like you. Plus I was really sold on the idea of max uniformity. The Greenbeams run cool, but not like those COBs . They are ideal for your situation I believe. As far as yield goes, I think I remember tenthirty saying that the COBs edged out the Greenbeams in his setup. They both have great spectrum so they should serve you well! I can't wait to see how they do!
Today we mount the tracks to the heat sinks. Before we do we have to drill a bunch of holes, prime, paint, cut, and do some filing.
So to start with we need to get the track. I use 1/2" u shaped aluminum track that is designed for covering plywood edges. I picked it up at Menards but Home Depot has it also. Here is a picture of the tag on it.
I cut this to 46 inches. You can leave it at 48 if you want it will just hang a inch longer at the end. I like the way it looks at 46 inches though. Once I cut it it will have burrs hanging on the end that was cut. Use a file and smooth these out. After you have it filed down you need to drill 4 holes in the center of the bottom. They will be 2 holes at 3/4" from each end and 2 holes 15.5 inches from each end. If you did not cut down the track dont forget to add this extra inch. So 1.75 and 16.5 from each end. These holes are 9/64" in diameter.
After you have drilled them out again file the burrs off the holes. Now you are ready to paint the tracks. Use a solvent stripper to remove any oil from the tracks. Once that is done give the outside of the track a coat of primer and two coats of semigloss paint. When this is done and dried we can move to the next step.
I had some covers made for my track. I had it bent at a local siding supply company. It is just aluminum coil stock that is black on one side and white on the other side. I had 10 pieces bent but only need 4 for this light. They cost me $3.50 each. If you can not do this you can use 3/4" track as a cover. But you will not be able to cover the ends like I do. This is what the track looks like after painting and drilling the first holes, and what the cover looks like also.
So to start with we need to get the track. I use 1/2" u shaped aluminum track that is designed for covering plywood edges. I picked it up at Menards but Home Depot has it also. Here is a picture of the tag on it.
I cut this to 46 inches. You can leave it at 48 if you want it will just hang a inch longer at the end. I like the way it looks at 46 inches though. Once I cut it it will have burrs hanging on the end that was cut. Use a file and smooth these out. After you have it filed down you need to drill 4 holes in the center of the bottom. They will be 2 holes at 3/4" from each end and 2 holes 15.5 inches from each end. If you did not cut down the track dont forget to add this extra inch. So 1.75 and 16.5 from each end. These holes are 9/64" in diameter.
After you have drilled them out again file the burrs off the holes. Now you are ready to paint the tracks. Use a solvent stripper to remove any oil from the tracks. Once that is done give the outside of the track a coat of primer and two coats of semigloss paint. When this is done and dried we can move to the next step.
I had some covers made for my track. I had it bent at a local siding supply company. It is just aluminum coil stock that is black on one side and white on the other side. I had 10 pieces bent but only need 4 for this light. They cost me $3.50 each. If you can not do this you can use 3/4" track as a cover. But you will not be able to cover the ends like I do. This is what the track looks like after painting and drilling the first holes, and what the cover looks like also.
Now if you can find a place to bend this cover up for you we can now start making it fit the track. The first thing I do is use a piece of scrap track to space the track back from the end. It looks like this.
Once I get this distance I use a pencil and mark a line on the bottom and sides of the cover. I then cut a very shallow angle down both sides to where the line meets the bottom of the cover. It will look like this.
In the above picture you see the tin snips I used to make the cut. The have a pointed tip and are not rounded at the tip. These snips will allow you to get all the way to the bottom and the rounded tipped tin snips will not.
Also notice the needle nosed pliers. You will need these. If you look at the picture above you will see that the right side of the cut is to the out side of the left side of the cut. The right side will need to be bent in under the left side. It will not do that like it is. To fix this use the needle nose pliers to bend it to the other side of the left side.
Once you have it bent drop the track into the cover and bend the end up. The two sides of the cover will need to go between the track and the left side of the cover. once this is done you will end up with some thing that looks like this hopefully.
Now leave the track in the cover and flip it around so you can mark the other end. Push the track tight to the end you just bent and run a pencil line along the edge of the track on the end you are now working on. Once you have this line done drop the small scrap piece of track into the cover and mark a line against the scrap piece. When you do this it should look like this.
Once I get this distance I use a pencil and mark a line on the bottom and sides of the cover. I then cut a very shallow angle down both sides to where the line meets the bottom of the cover. It will look like this.
In the above picture you see the tin snips I used to make the cut. The have a pointed tip and are not rounded at the tip. These snips will allow you to get all the way to the bottom and the rounded tipped tin snips will not.
Also notice the needle nosed pliers. You will need these. If you look at the picture above you will see that the right side of the cut is to the out side of the left side of the cut. The right side will need to be bent in under the left side. It will not do that like it is. To fix this use the needle nose pliers to bend it to the other side of the left side.
Once you have it bent drop the track into the cover and bend the end up. The two sides of the cover will need to go between the track and the left side of the cover. once this is done you will end up with some thing that looks like this hopefully.
Now leave the track in the cover and flip it around so you can mark the other end. Push the track tight to the end you just bent and run a pencil line along the edge of the track on the end you are now working on. Once you have this line done drop the small scrap piece of track into the cover and mark a line against the scrap piece. When you do this it should look like this.
Now that the lines are marked it should look like this.
Now take the track out of the cover and cut the cover along the line to the right in the picture below.
Once you have the cover cut to length cut the vee's like you did on the other end. Then take your pliers and again bend the end so it will fold to the inside when bent. Once the vee's have been cut and bent drop the track back into the cover. Push it tight to the previously bent end and then bend the end up again like you did to the first end you bent.
Now drop the track out. If you did it right you will have this on both ends of your cover.
Now take the track out of the cover and cut the cover along the line to the right in the picture below.
Once you have the cover cut to length cut the vee's like you did on the other end. Then take your pliers and again bend the end so it will fold to the inside when bent. Once the vee's have been cut and bent drop the track back into the cover. Push it tight to the previously bent end and then bend the end up again like you did to the first end you bent.
Now drop the track out. If you did it right you will have this on both ends of your cover.
Now it is time to drill holes for some rivets and wires. Place the track into the cover. You want the bottom of the track to be opposite the bottom of the cover. Not like when you were bending the cover. It will look like this.
Now place the track and cover on the floor. You want it on its side with the bottom towards you and the cover away from you. And going from left to right.
Once you do this use your punch and punch a dimple 1.5 inches from each end. Like this picture shows.
Now you will also do a dimple that is 2 inches to the left of the third hole from the left. Here is what I mean by this. In the picture you can see the punch in the hole in the bottom of the track and the dimple on the side.
Now you will do the same to the hole that is second from the left. This happens to be 13.5 inches from the left end. The above pictures dimple is 17.5 inches from the right end.
Now once you have the dimples made it is time to drill the 4 holes. Use a 9/64" drill bit to do this. When done the end will look like the picture below. I place two rivets into the holes so that you can see them better.
Now place the track and cover on the floor. You want it on its side with the bottom towards you and the cover away from you. And going from left to right.
Once you do this use your punch and punch a dimple 1.5 inches from each end. Like this picture shows.
Now you will also do a dimple that is 2 inches to the left of the third hole from the left. Here is what I mean by this. In the picture you can see the punch in the hole in the bottom of the track and the dimple on the side.
Now you will do the same to the hole that is second from the left. This happens to be 13.5 inches from the left end. The above pictures dimple is 17.5 inches from the right end.
Now once you have the dimples made it is time to drill the 4 holes. Use a 9/64" drill bit to do this. When done the end will look like the picture below. I place two rivets into the holes so that you can see them better.
Now flip the assembly over so the cover is towards you and the track is away from you. Put a dimple in the end 1/4" from each end. Once you do this at both ends again drill a 9/64" hole into each dimple. You will end up with this here shown in the next two pictures.
Now take the track out of the cover and place it next to the cover. Make a mark so you can tell which cover goes to which track. Here is a picture of what I mean. It shows two tracks and their covers after they were marked.
Once you do this set the cover aside. Take your file and file off the burrs on the inside of the track. Here is what I mean.
If you look close you can see a burr. If you do not get this off it can cause a short when you run your wires. After running your file across the bur take your drill and wobble that around the hole lightly to get the burs in the hole that the file pushed into it.
Now take the track out of the cover and place it next to the cover. Make a mark so you can tell which cover goes to which track. Here is a picture of what I mean. It shows two tracks and their covers after they were marked.
Once you do this set the cover aside. Take your file and file off the burrs on the inside of the track. Here is what I mean.
If you look close you can see a burr. If you do not get this off it can cause a short when you run your wires. After running your file across the bur take your drill and wobble that around the hole lightly to get the burs in the hole that the file pushed into it.
