What's new

DIY leds Discussion Thread for all your how tos and doubts and anything related

Is DIY led worth it.

  • No idea never tried and it seems complicated.

    Votes: 3 8.3%
  • No, i tried it and it was just shit/i burnt down my house/im just a negative nelly about it

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, its too expensive nowadays, can find cheaper than diy growlights

    Votes: 3 8.3%
  • No, it takes up too much time and work for the results it gives

    Votes: 3 8.3%
  • Yes! The time and effort it takes is what actually makes it enjoyable

    Votes: 3 8.3%
  • Yes, with my prices considerations and needs its actually cheaper than bought lights

    Votes: 2 5.6%
  • Yes, its actually safer with me doing the work since i know what im doing and can choose parts

    Votes: 2 5.6%
  • Yes, it means i can repair it myself if it breaks

    Votes: 6 16.7%
  • Yes, it means i can get a light that is perfect for my unique space and needs

    Votes: 8 22.2%
  • Yes, cause i cant get the results i want which i cannot find in any light on the market

    Votes: 1 2.8%
  • All of the above yes answers

    Votes: 9 25.0%
  • I dont know but im leaning yes

    Votes: 6 16.7%
  • I dont know but im leaning no

    Votes: 2 5.6%

  • Total voters
    36

Ttystikk

Well-known member
Veteran
Yeah definitely, I'd like to find a decent 5 kw that runs on natural gas. Or DIY a steam turbine lol. I've been following this dudes tesla turbine project for a while, it can run on much lower temps than most steam power generators by running in a closed loop under vaccum very interesting.


What's the story here? I watched the video but could really sort it what they were doing, exactly?
 

jonesfam7715

Well-known member
What's the story here? I watched the video but could really sort it what they were doing, exactly?
The tesla turbine was a really cool invention, only reason it failed was the materials in the 1920's weren't strong enough. This dude did a lot of work continuing Nikola tesla's work with the turbine/pump, that one in the video is running on a temperature difference between two tanks. Hot tank is full of water making steam going in the inlet of the turbine side then exiting the pump side into the cold tank where it collects as water. This only works under vacuum hot side pumps cold side pulls.
 

Drop That Sound

Well-known member
Veteran
Was totally awesome when it started spooling up and self sustaining. Reminds me of how a hot air sterling engine works of temp differences. Imagine if it had a magnetic levitating bearing system for the main tesla turbine, so its completely friction-less.. and barely hums. It would probably rev up so much higher that any possible failures could be catastrophic!

I would use another gas turbine boosted barrel burner system to heat the hot tank side of the tesla with firewood\gas. Maybe even add an afterburner to it, with an extra turbine setup as a prop shaft to reclaim any last bit of thrust into extra mechanical energy. So yeah, 3 separate turbos, but all with different jobs, and working together to form a super bad ass power plant.

I would light up a whole greenhouse with supplemental LEDs, and also store the surplus energy\heat in underground sand and gravity based battery banks. Or some combination like that..

:chin:
 

jonesfam7715

Well-known member
Was totally awesome when it started spooling up and self sustaining. Reminds me of how a hot air sterling engine works of temp differences. Imagine if it had a magnetic levitating bearing system for the main tesla turbine, so its completely friction-less.. and barely hums. It would probably rev up so much higher that any possible failures could be catastrophic!

I would use another gas turbine boosted barrel burner system to heat the hot tank side of the tesla with firewood\gas. Maybe even add an afterburner to it, with an extra turbine setup as a prop shaft to reclaim any last bit of thrust into extra mechanical energy. So yeah, 3 separate turbos, but all with different jobs, and working together to form a super bad ass power plant.

I would light up a whole greenhouse with supplemental LEDs, and also store the surplus energy\heat in underground sand and gravity based battery banks. Or some combination like that..

:chin:
I've seen one with magnetic bearing and it did work. Nikola tesla used air bearings in the original design with 9" disk. Most run over 100,000 rpm but can be designed to run lower. On his deathbed he said it was his favorite invention, it was meant to be a geothermal energy source, would easily be used In a combined cycle, or to make use of any waste heat. Design is much simpler than one would expect.
 

Ttystikk

Well-known member
Veteran
The tesla turbine was a really cool invention, only reason it failed was the materials in the 1920's weren't strong enough. This dude did a lot of work continuing Nikola tesla's work with the turbine/pump, that one in the video is running on a temperature difference between two tanks. Hot tank is full of water making steam going in the inlet of the turbine side then exiting the pump side into the cold tank where it collects as water. This only works under vacuum hot side pumps cold side pulls.
These were promising but they couldn't make them very efficient.
 

Drop That Sound

Well-known member
Veteran
Anywhere there is decent enough DLI to go 100% solar, it almost doesn't make sense to grow crops indoors IMO. Or use energy to keep a hot water heater tank warm all day, even while the sun is baking the roof panels.

Like, FFS... just decriminalize the plant already, and incentivize people with lots of grant moneys to go off grid and design or create community power grids of their own. Stop the power companies from taking more land via access easements running through everyone's yards. Tell them to piss off and take their smart meters back, lol.
Don't get me wrong, i'm still all about it. Especially sun tracking PV panels, and solar dish powered sterling generator plants.

Just let me fire up my ionic\organite tesla turbine powered HAARP weather manipulator beam, and blast the rainy northwest clouds out of the way most the year..
 

Ttystikk

Well-known member
Veteran
Anywhere there is decent enough DLI to go 100% solar, it almost doesn't make sense to grow crops indoors IMO. Or use energy to keep a hot water heater tank warm all day, even while the sun is baking the roof panels.

Like, FFS... just decriminalize the plant already, and incentivize people with lots of grant moneys to go off grid and design or create community power grids of their own. Stop the power companies from taking more land via access easements running through everyone's yards. Tell them to piss off and take their smart meters back, lol.
Don't get me wrong, i'm still all about it. Especially sun tracking PV panels, and solar dish powered sterling generator plants.

Just let me fire up my ionic\organite tesla turbine powered HAARP weather manipulator beam, and blast the rainy northwest clouds out of the way most the year..
If solar and storage gets much cheaper, people won't need or want grid power anymore.As it stands today, labor is already often the most expensive line item in the average home solar install.
 

jonesfam7715

Well-known member
Getting back to the LED side of things as intended, I been putting off trying to customize these 4 up 2700k 90cri boards, they were $0.15 usd each I bought 150 because they are cheaper than buying new bare mcpcb.
20250406_184458.jpg



So the idea is pull three diodes leaving 1 2700k 90 cri adding 2 xpg3 photo reds and 1 xpe2 far red for a broad red supplemental board. the reason for procrastination is, they came with a double sided thermal tape already applied and I thought it wouldn't come off easy, but it did.Another problem arised, the solder paste used by New energy is a higher temp than what I use so I had to crank the clothing iron all the way up it barely got high enough for the solder to melt.
20250406_192615.jpg

20250406_191327.jpg

20250406_191645.jpg
Being that I've never done this and I don't want to fuck up any new far red diodes I will be removing them from old stars. I will be using new photored diodes tho. After I prove it all out I will be making more with all new diodes.
20250406_191345.jpg

I will post update when they are finished.
 

jonesfam7715

Well-known member
I mounted the red diodes and fired it up, it works well. But I'm not really liking the xpe2 far red on the same circuit. I will be making the far reds seperate because of the amperage ratings but it does work very well. The far red diodes is very old just a test I have new ones I'm saving for when I'm sure about how ima do this
20250408_062400.jpg

it's hard to see in the pic but here it is fired up on a Lrs 12v power supply dimmed all the way down. The voltage of the board drops to 9v from 12v because reds are 2v each as opposed to 3v for whites
20250408_065137.jpg

Here is the 2700k. 90cri board untouched at the same voltage.
20250408_065335.jpg

I'm doing these with the same clothing iron to show anyone can do this at home Just put a light amount of solder paste on each of the pads place the diodes then heat it up. You have to press down on the diodes lightly to get the excess solder to bulge out the sides it can be removed with a solder wick or piece of copper wire, or simply wipe away. Notice i just drop a little glob on each pad a solder stencil is preferred but not %100 necessary
20250408_061531.jpg

More to come this will not be my final design
 
Top