Building a Home Made LED

[hempfield]

As I said yesterday, I have built a small 4x10W LED Bar to supplement the veg lights. Here are some pics : https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=5394758#post5394758

 

[repuk]

Under 45C , that's great repuk !

The AC power is surely a bit higher, but this is normal: those driver achieve maximum efficiency when they have the biggest load as possible (maximum led number), and even then is not higher than 90~95% (I guess).

They're rated for 87% efficiency, and all the drivers are loaded to the max... I'm started to think after seeing a inrush load current of 60A in the spec sheet that maybe those 0.4A would have lowered after some time if I have left the multimeter probes fixed and waited several minutes...

53.9w draw and and 90w input. If that is true, something is getting damn hot.

That was what puzzled me, I expected a short or something, but the driver wasn't hot.

I think it's hard to get a Kill-a-watt here in Europe but I found a very useful device of this kind which measure : voltage, current, watts, vat, frequency, power factor, and in addition count the kwh and if you enter the price per kwh , it will show the total cost. I reset my counter when I start my current grow so it will be so easy to find the total cost of the electricity and to calculate the real g/kwh ratio.

I bought mine here in Europe, from the hardware store and it was around 20EUR. On it' back it is writen DUWI (with two horizontal dots over U - I don't have this caracter on my keyboard , it says that is imported in Hungary (I'm not in Hungary, but who know how knows what path did this device followed until it's final destination on the hardware store self) by a third german or polsky company , and of course that is was made in ... where else ... China. I am very happy with it .

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Great! so DÜBI brand? will look for it... thanks hempfield!

 

[guvoo]

The AC power is surely a bit higher...

i see you are not familiar on this.... think different

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUdRW0XgYQs

http://www.copperinfo.co.uk/power-quality/downloads/pqug/322-true-rms--the-only-true-measurement.pdf

 

[vukman]

Just a bit of an update here gang....been busy helping mother and sister set up their new store (brick and mortar)
www.raindropsto.com
is the web site for what they sell....Damn, the new location is a freaking gold mine....
The contractor didn't check before hand if there was networking cables or even phone lines run before the renovation started so it's taken a little while to co-ordinate all that crap...All done and all good now.

I went ahead and purchased this soldering station.. A little over kill but for the money, why not.. never know when my wide varying interests might require the extra bells and whistles to play with....

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/SMD-3in1-853...754?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item53eed15112

I am also going to take the advice of others much wiser than I and take some Al. 'U' channel and attach it onto the back of the main heat sink for the extra cooling. It's cheap enough seeing that bi-fold door tracks and window frames are made with the stuff already formed and in a wide variety of profiles....Easy enough to attach as well.....

More to come. Thank you for all the support you've all shown me in my endeavours....

 

[repuk]

Hi!

Just a bit of an update here gang....been busy helping mother and sister set up their new store (brick and mortar)
www.raindropsto.com
is the web site for what they sell....Damn, the new location is a freaking gold mine....
The contractor didn't check before hand if there was networking cables or even phone lines run before the renovation started so it's taken a little while to co-ordinate all that crap...All done and all good now.

and now to more "serious" business!

I went ahead and purchased this soldering station.. A little over kill but for the money, why not.. never know when my wide varying interests might require the extra bells and whistles to play with....

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/SMD-3in1-853...754?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item53eed15112

whoa, with DC variable power supply integrated! Mine (SMD) is similar but w/o the DC supply, now put it to good use!

I am also going to take the advice of others much wiser than I and take some Al. 'U' channel and attach it onto the back of the main heat sink for the extra cooling. It's cheap enough seeing that bi-fold door tracks and window frames are made with the stuff already formed and in a wide variety of profiles....Easy enough to attach as well.....

More to come. Thank you for all the support you've all shown me in my endeavours....

Don't forget the Pics once you gather everything and start!

guvoo, I'd swear my multimeter it's a true RMS one.

 

[vukman]

WHooooooooooo WHeeeeeeeeee

Lookie look what I got today..

Just a few more little items and we;re good to go...mUhahahahhah

 

[tenthirty]

Now that look really cool!
Fire that bad boy up and give it a test.

 

[DrFever]

WHooooooooooo WHeeeeeeeeee

Lookie look what I got today..

Just a few more little items and we;re good to go...mUhahahahhah

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Well buddy i might have to get you to make me one some day hell might have to come up for a visit lol my brother from another mother

just by chance what is your guess in making me a real 1000 watt LED panel

 

[PetFlora]

Vuk, where's the bong?

 

[hempfield]

No need for bong or pipe, the soldering station it's enough to vape some weed.

 

[vukman]

heheh,,,,,thanks gang....okay.. I got the 'fins' so here again is a preliminary layout for that...:

Going to be thermal dbl sided tape and rivets holding them in place..
First, gotta clean them and make 'em look all nice 'n purddy..

 

[DrFever]

heheh,,,,,thanks gang....okay.. I got the 'fins' so here again is a preliminary layout for that...:

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Going to be thermal dbl sided tape and rivets holding them in place..
First, gotta clean them and make 'em look all nice 'n purddy..

going to look great you better start making me one soon or i should wait lol and see how yours goes lol

 

[repuk]

Wow!! Time is coming!!!

 

[vukman]

going to look great you better start making me one soon or i should wait lol and see how yours goes lol

better wait...just because I got the tools..it doesn't mean I know how to use them!!!! LOL...

As the old saying goes, it's not the tools that make the master/craftsman..

I haven't soldered in freaking years and the old eyes just are not what they used to be,,, thank everything that I don't drink no more or else it would a very very messy solder job...

 

[xmobotx]

interesting

just used my glass stovetop to solder a cree mx6 to mcpcb {medium seemed a little hot}

totally winging it here as all i have is plumber's paste solder (lol)

anyway, using 15v 535ma wall wort just testing for continuity and lights it up!!!
these LEDs want 20v 60ma and yes i know i m messing w/ burning this one up

however some folks may be interested to know that;

a) stovetop (glass) works on med -should be a good idea to use a thermometer and know what temps one is working w/ but i was winging it

b) the plumber's solder paste worked for me even though it is supposed to be non-elecrical {i m sure there's caveats w/ this one too}
***EDIT; plumber's paste = NO GO! this plumber's paste ahs fucked this prioject; am going to have to clean it off since the rosin core wont adhere to it and the led's are not secure w/ it either***
late night on mouser and wishing i ordered 3.3v 1a LEDs like i intended but, having fun w/ these too!!!

 

[hempfield]

heheh,,,,,thanks gang....okay.. I got the 'fins' so here again is a preliminary layout for that...:

View Image

View Image

Going to be thermal dbl sided tape and rivets holding them in place..
First, gotta clean them and make 'em look all nice 'n purddy..

He he he, this pictures bring me in mind beautiful memories, when I was wondering how to add fins to my led panel heatsink.

Your LEDs will love the fins, they will find them ....'cool'


Keep up the good work !

 

[vukman]

interesting

just used my glass stovetop to solder a cree mx6 to mcpcb {medium seemed a little hot}

totally winging it here as all i have is plumber's paste solder (lol)

anyway, using 15v 535ma wall wort just testing for continuity and lights it up!!!
these LEDs want 20v 60ma and yes i know i m messing w/ burning this one up

however some folks may be interested to know that;

a) stovetop (glass) works on med -should be a good idea to use a thermometer and know what temps one is working w/ but i was winging it

b) the plumber's solder paste worked for me even though it is supposed to be non-elecrical {i m sure there's caveats w/ this one too}

late night on mouser and wishing i ordered 3.3v 1a LEDs like i intended but, having fun w/ these too!!!

...similar to what rives was talking about although his stovetop is an 'induction' variety instead of the glasstop one.

Worked none the less as you proved which is excellent but honestly my friend...I wouldn't push the luck too far..heheh....awesome going though I have to give you full kudos points on that one!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

 

[rives]

b) the plumber's solder paste worked for me even though it is supposed to be non-elecrical {i m sure there's caveats w/ this one too}

Plumbing solder has an acid flux rather than rosin-based. The acid will continue to work on the material, eating away the material that you are seriously wanting to keep! It is good for mechanical strength rather than a low-resistance electrical connection.

 

[DrFever]

wonder what it would cost to make a real 1000 watt led

 

[xmobotx]

Plumbing solder has an acid flux rather than rosin-based. The acid will continue to work on the material, eating away the material that you are seriously wanting to keep! It is good for mechanical strength rather than a low-resistance electrical connection.

i think this is exactly the problem i m having; edited my post to reflect that plumber's paste solder is no good for this

wonder what it would cost to make a real 1000 watt led

spreading it out is better so, @ the 1000w level; you want more panels

or really big panel