LED FAQ) Building and DIY

[Dion]

Quote:
Originally Posted by belivitez View Post
Dion whay we cannot discuss about cheap cob chips? I dont have knowledge but im here to listen experience growers like you and some others.

Do you have some experience with chinese cob? What can we expected?

I wonder about this possibility becouse i want to order cree 3590, but minimum order is 5 pcs. I dont want anything over 100w. So i see cheap chinese cobs.... i can order just 1pc.

If you have some sugestions i will be very happy

@Dion
i wrote this up today as i was thinking about a pc growbox- dunno how big/small your garden is

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread....08#post7218408

come talk to me in my thread(link below) you sound like your also in the EU?

tell me about ur space and I will help you find the cheap parts


Just copypaste from another topic. Dion i dont have growbox yet. My first plan is to talk about cobs, which chip... i go to max 100w. What is ideal space for that W?

And yes im from EU.

hey welcome

because u are in the EU the euro will fuck you until your asshole bleeds lol

you have 4 choices

1) order from mouser because they pay tax and shipping for anything over 100 euro

2) order low bin(means good brand but not the best ones) LED from german sites that charge too much

3) order high quality cree cobs from china and hope you get what you pay for and hope customs doesnt catch you and fuck your asshole until it bleeds

4) order chines shit from ebay/ aliexress


because you want to use 100w max i suggest you go with mouser- you can make a cart with drivers chips and thermal grease and get heatsinks locally


i suggest you stay away from the 3590-its not very suitable in a microspace-better use more cheaper leds of less watt like 2530/2540 or vero 10/13

i will take a look at mouser.eu later and see what i can find


are you the guy with the 4 icnhes headroom?

u are building a can right and want to make a good desighn around the best light?

what are you working with? just 100w?

or you have any other criteria?

Well, i´m not Dion but i have made a small experiment with a Chinese 100W cob driven to 50 watts.
It´s glued to the heatsink and mounted with a 60 deg reflector
About 30 cm from the lamp there is 21000 lux and the plants grow nicely with short distance between the nodes.
A cheat way to get started with experimenting,the hole thing costed me about 15$ and some surpluss.

Rilla.

Rilla u da man!

I beg you to do a bit more testing with this

i have an idea to use lots of (maybe 7-10) x $5 100w chinese cobs run @ 10w(maybe less) instead of cxb3590-could they compare?

the above poster seems like he want to try it

do you have any more numbers for me to analyse?

like what does that same lux meter measure for cree cobs?

can u drive it even softer and test?

anything really im super interested in exploring this

 

[GDSBurns]

Yo dion could you post a pic of how your fan is wired in to your driver?

 

[henpa]

mechanical desighn
so 135.9 Lumens per watt ? 52.4 total watts? 42% efficient? ill take it!

Hi everybody! First post here. While researching for LED lights and etc, I keep finding people writing sentences such as the one above. How is this 42% efficient calculated?

I really appreciated @Dion's thread, and I've learned a lot from it. But I still don't get how this efficient percentage is calculated. Could someone please help?

Thanks!

 

[Koondense]

@Dion

Today I finally assembled the basis of my new light system and given it a very short test.
The basis consists of one MW 1400mA driver, 3x Cree3590 3000K CB(36V), 3x ideal holders and 3x Alpine 64+ coolers without operating fans(for now).

For a start I dimmed down the driver @700mA(total 75W) and plugged in AC.

HOLY SH*T!!!! :O

These things are so damn BRIGHT, even when dimmed.
So I tried to go full power, slowly

The room got so bright I instantly went for my sunglasses but forgot them in the car. Couldn't take more the light so I plugged them out and took a breath of excitement.

These things are incredible, and it's only the first half(building another base setup with total 2 drivers, 3 cobs each) of the final setup which will light a 120x60 tent.
Awaiting great things to happen


*this setup should have an efficency range from 56% up to 64% or very similar.


Many thanks to Dion for guidance and S.spl for starting the DIY Cob Tsunami

 

[REALSTYLES]

@Dion CXB3590 are great for Micro grows I have a panel that can be dimmed from 180watts to 63watts here's a pic @63watts

I've spoken to Supra about micro cabs and CXB3590 running them super soft = super efficient. CXB3590 6500k DD bin MeanWell HLG-185H-C500A. The light is running over 70% efficiency per Supra.

 

[Dion]

Yo dion could you post a pic of how your fan is wired in to your driver?

u need to use a seperate driver for the fans mate

i snapped some pics now but they r not very informative as there is about 3 meters from my fan driver to my arctic 11s with so many other fans coming off

I will ask Koondense to help you as he is just wiring his up and perhaps woudl be so kind as to do a step by step with photos?

BUT basically u just use a phone charger

ill post pics 2morrow

 

[Dion]

Hi everybody! First post here. While researching for LED lights and etc, I keep finding people writing sentences such as the one above. How is this 42% efficient calculated?

I really appreciated @Dion's thread, and I've learned a lot from it. But I still don't get how this efficient percentage is calculated. Could someone please help?

Thanks!

ive answered this question a few times in this thread and honestly i see too much "who's got the biggest dick"aka my effeciecny is .3% higher than yours

so dont even worry about efficiency '

just use the cree pct and look at lumens per watt

 

[Dion]

@Dion CXB3590 are great for Micro grows I have a panel that can be dimmed from 180watts to 63watts here's a pic @63watts

I've spoken to Supra about micro cabs and CXB3590 running them super soft = super efficient. CXB3590 6500k DD bin MeanWell HLG-185H-C500A. The light is running over 70% efficiency per Supra.

WOW really?!?!?!? running the most efficient chip in the most efficient colour spectrum and the most efficient bin is super efficient?

and when u under drive them to 1/7th of their max power they are efficient as well?

I bet thats cost effective too,huh? lol

virtual cookie for you kiddo, thats very good news

 

[REALSTYLES]

WOW really?!?!?!? running the most efficient chip in the most efficient colour spectrum and the most efficient bin is super efficient?

and when u under drive them to 1/7th of their max power they are efficient as well?

I bet thats cost effective too,huh? lol

virtual cookie for you kiddo, thats very good news

Wow really? How about CXB3590 3500k CD bin full power @378watts each Light 6 Thin Mint Cookies

 

[exploziv]

what temperature you have on the heatsink when running full power, realstyles?

 

[REALSTYLES]

what temperature you have on the heatsink when running full power, realstyles?

96.7F using a laser thermometer.

 

[chipper68]

Thanks Dion and Realstyles, reading these threads inspired me to jump on in

I'll be tinkering away soon with

6 CXB3070 3000K AB Bin
2 CXB3070 4000K (can remember bin)

Lil mix of spectrum.. thought it may be a good idea.. ideas?

2 MW Drivers MW driver HLG-185H-C1400A (will hook up 4 ea)
Ideal Holders / 80 deg Glass Lenses

I may initially mount the COB's to alpine coolers and later on to a solid heatsink

So.. a question. Knowing I may move/rebuild to a different sink. What's the best TIM to use? Something artic silver and maybe kapton or ? I think the ideal holders have place to provide mechanical fasteners/screws.

Ideas?

 

[belivitez]

hey welcome

because u are in the EU the euro will fuck you until your asshole bleeds lol

you have 4 choices

1) order from mouser because they pay tax and shipping for anything over 100 euro

2) order low bin(means good brand but not the best ones) LED from german sites that charge too much

3) order high quality cree cobs from china and hope you get what you pay for and hope customs doesnt catch you and fuck your asshole until it bleeds

4) order chines shit from ebay/ aliexress


because you want to use 100w max i suggest you go with mouser- you can make a cart with drivers chips and thermal grease and get heatsinks locally


i suggest you stay away from the 3590-its not very suitable in a microspace-better use more cheaper leds of less watt like 2530/2540 or vero 10/13

i will take a look at mouser.eu later and see what i can find


are you the guy with the 4 icnhes headroom?

u are building a can right and want to make a good desighn around the best light?

what are you working with? just 100w?

or you have any other criteria?

thanks for advice Dion i search alot on mouser but is too expensive. my budget is arround 200€.

i dont need more than 100w. im not making stuff for selling, im not hard smoker on my first plan is to make 1000 fem. af seeds for next year outdoor. and than i will play a littlebit....

i want to make ideal space for 100w. if i go in the game with cheap chinese chips maybe i can go to 200w so 400w dimmed to 200w. i allready have meanwell hgl185 1400.

what is ideal space for 100-200w?

 

[Dion]

thanks for advice Dion i search alot on mouser but is too expensive. my budget is arround 200€.

i dont need more than 100w. im not making stuff for selling, im not hard smoker on my first plan is to make 1000 fem. af seeds for next year outdoor. and than i will play a littlebit....

i want to make ideal space for 100w. if i go in the game with cheap chinese chips maybe i can go to 200w so 400w dimmed to 200w. i allready have meanwell hgl185 1400.

what is ideal space for 100-200w?

That is a great plan! breeding Auto seeds is a great way to do an outdoor gurrila grow(i never admit to growing weed and I dont ever post pics of plants online but rumour has it Autoflowers outdoor is how Dion got started in this hobby lol)

-now I understand what you are trying to do and know that you already have a 200w driver I can easily suggest smth

So you dont need a veg cab actually- so lets plan to max out your driver and stay below 200 euro

I wanted to to suggest you use Vero from Digikey but then u have to pay tax and mouser doesnt stock bridgelux So...

I can suggest you take 4 x cxb3590 (36v version very important) and 4 chip holders from the chinese seller on alibaba because you already have the driver it makes sense to run in series and use the dimming option

Then you will need 4x pc heatsink+fan

this should be good for about a 65x65 cm box (usually 50w of cree cob is good for 36x36 cm space for each cob)( ie 35x 140)

I suggest you read https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=315849



if you want just 100w you can try 2 of the CXB 3070 BB bins from mouser (56 euro each) 2 of these will just just fit on the low side your driver

http://eu.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...4Prknbu83y/XSy/Gad3PUBQ0HQXhXSi25GM9E2GijWA==

or 3 of the cxa 3070 AB bin( 36 euro each)
http://eu.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...4Prknbu83yx7PpVbn5Yo/3d6atWJFCUq3uBT/FonVxg==

and use http://eu.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...TaG4bmfeOz7IGeYRXwjS4wm%2bvCfvhbJO%2byQOYLg== (min order 2pc-u need 2 pc per cob)

to attach them to the heatsink

if u want to use more smaller chips i sometimes buy from a chinese seller who has the cxa2540 W4 binning for 15euro(including shipping)

in ur shoes i would buy 4 of the CXA 3070 AB bins and 8 of the connectors(149.24 euro taxes and shipping included) and get some thermal grease and arctci alpine coolers locally

 

[Dion]

Ive been working in the micro section the last couple of days and I invite you all to cretique these desighns

1st) The $100 veg light(just change all the spectrums for 5000k)

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=7221783&postcount=16


2nd) The $130 veg light(agian change all spectrums to 5000K)
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=7221876&postcount=18

3rd) The $182 mamoth as a veg panel for bigger grows
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=7222790&postcount=21

These all use passive cooling so if u went with active cooling the mamath could easily be $50 cheaper

 

[CesarEL]

Hey guys I'm new to the DIY Led phenomena going on. After trying to purchase a decent size LED without going into debt I realized the only way to go is DIY. Whoever can take the time out of their day and answer some of these questions will forever have a special place in my heart.

I want to build veg and flowering lights. For vegging I will have a 2'x 4'x 5' tent that I want to nicely fill with LEDs. I'm leaning towards 2 panels for 8 plants total. Are these parts compatable? Any other recommendations would be appreciated (ie. use one panel or 4)

Parts:
(Eight) Vero 18 cobs 5000k, 70 cri (driving them @1.05a)

(2) HLG-80h-c700 (sorry HLG-120H-C1050 *edited*)

(2) 12" x 5.886 heatsink from Heatsinkusa


Other questions in regards to my veg station:

-Is the cob spacing going to be sufficient enough?

-Will I need active or passive cooling?

-Should I look into reflectors/lenses?

-Should I mix 5000/4000k spectrums?



For the flowering I want to do 4 panels for a 4x4 space (this is only temporary; potentially I have 4'x8' space).
The parts I've decided to go with are:

(16)CXB 3070 3000k

(4) HLG-185H-C1400

(4) 5.886" x 12" (or would I need 24" for active? I want to have it somewhere in between. Where as if my fan dies or something there's still a chance for the rig to survive.


Questions regarding flowering panels/general questions:

-Should I mix 3000k/4000k for the flowering panels?

-Is it possible to go completely solderless with these builds?

-Will I need a dimmer for this set up right away?

-Any extra spectrums I should order/mess with? Or should I stick with the main lights for now and expand on it later?


I am not all that tech savy, neither hardware savy, so avoiding drilling and stuff would be nice but I am not ruling it out (willing to rent hardware for the days I assemble).I was also juggling the idea of maybe using Alpine+ (which I don't want to rule out as well for the heatsink options) because it's just cool and seems easy to set up with. I might be able to get a hand with helping me build this but I really would like to tackle it on my own. Any feedback/comments are welcome and greatly appreciated.


Blessed day to all,
-K

 

[Koondense]

Today I finally installed an early version of my build in the tent.

It's 3x CXB3590 3000K CB driven@700mA, mounted on Arctic 64+ coolers with fans running @5V.

I did some cheap measurements with lights dimmed @700mA and full power @1400mA.
Tent is 120x60x175cm, around 1,25 cubic meters volume. No extraction fan, passive out on top of tent.
Measuring instruments - LightMeter App for android, temp/humidity meter, finger tips, hand

@700mA
Light on canopy - around 12000 lux
Upper limit of sensor - 30000 lux reached @20 cm under each cob
Temperature at canopy level - 27-28°C, humidity 58-65%
Temp of heatsink - not noticeable, feels just above room temperature
Temp under cob - hand feels slight warmth

@1400mA
Light on canopy - around 21000 lux
Upper limit of sensor - 30000 lux reached @ 30 cm under each cob
Temperature at canopy level - 29-31°C, humidity 50-57%
Temp of heatsink - a bit higher, I'd say around 40°C
Temp under cob - hand feels warmth at 10cm decreasing distance

Room temperature 23-24°C
Room humidity 65%


For now I'll keep the lights down to 75W until next week, then increase to 150W and add another set of 3 cobs with same specs.
Oh yeah, and I'll get an extraction fan.

Cheers

 

[Dion]

Today I finally installed an early version of my build in the tent.

It's 3x CXB3590 3000K CB driven@700mA, mounted on Arctic 64+ coolers with fans running @5V.

I did some cheap measurements with lights dimmed @700mA and full power @1400mA.
Tent is 120x60x175cm, around 1,25 cubic meters volume. No extraction fan, passive out on top of tent.
Measuring instruments - LightMeter App for android, temp/humidity meter, finger tips, hand

@700mA
Light on canopy - around 12000 lux
Upper limit of sensor - 30000 lux reached @20 cm under each cob
Temperature at canopy level - 27-28°C, humidity 58-65%
Temp of heatsink - not noticeable, feels just above room temperature
Temp under cob - hand feels slight warmth

@1400mA
Light on canopy - around 21000 lux
Upper limit of sensor - 30000 lux reached @ 30 cm under each cob
Temperature at canopy level - 29-31°C, humidity 50-57%
Temp of heatsink - a bit higher, I'd say around 40°C
Temp under cob - hand feels warmth at 10cm decreasing distance

Room temperature 23-24°C
Room humidity 65%


For now I'll keep the lights down to 75W until next week, then increase to 150W and add another set of 3 cobs with same specs.
Oh yeah, and I'll get an extraction fan.

Cheers

absolutely need a fan dude lol

 

[Dion]

Hey guys I'm new to the DIY Led phenomena going on. After trying to purchase a decent size LED without going into debt I realized the only way to go is DIY. Whoever can take the time out of their day and answer some of these questions will forever have a special place in my heart.

I want to build veg and flowering lights. For vegging I will have a 2'x 4'x 5' tent that I want to nicely fill with LEDs. I'm leaning towards 2 panels for 8 plants total. Are these parts compatable? Any other recommendations would be appreciated (ie. use one panel or 4)

Parts:
(Eight) Vero 18 cobs 5000k, 70 cri (driving them @1.05a)

(2) HLG-80h-c700 (sorry HLG-120H-C1050 *edited*)

(2) 12" x 5.886 heatsink from Heatsinkusa


Other questions in regards to my veg station:

-Is the cob spacing going to be sufficient enough?

-Will I need active or passive cooling?

-Should I look into reflectors/lenses?

-Should I mix 5000/4000k spectrums?



For the flowering I want to do 4 panels for a 4x4 space (this is only temporary; potentially I have 4'x8' space).
The parts I've decided to go with are:

(16)CXB 3070 3000k

(4) HLG-185H-C1400

(4) 5.886" x 12" (or would I need 24" for active? I want to have it somewhere in between. Where as if my fan dies or something there's still a chance for the rig to survive.


Questions regarding flowering panels/general questions:

-Should I mix 3000k/4000k for the flowering panels?

-Is it possible to go completely solderless with these builds?

-Will I need a dimmer for this set up right away?

-Any extra spectrums I should order/mess with? Or should I stick with the main lights for now and expand on it later?


I am not all that tech savy, neither hardware savy, so avoiding drilling and stuff would be nice but I am not ruling it out (willing to rent hardware for the days I assemble).I was also juggling the idea of maybe using Alpine+ (which I don't want to rule out as well for the heatsink options) because it's just cool and seems easy to set up with. I might be able to get a hand with helping me build this but I really would like to tackle it on my own. Any feedback/comments are welcome and greatly appreciated.


Blessed day to all,
-K

hey well this is the place to talk about taht

i assume you want an set up for your space?

i guess you saw my other thread?

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=7222790&postcount=21


if u wanna use that as a veg
because you are in the USA you should get heatsinks from heatsink usa.com will be better

I have a spreadsheet to figure the cooling of heatsinks just ask if u wanna


id advise u get 3 of the 4.85 profile for those cobs(12 icnhes) but and run 4 chips on each-but you cant just change the drive current dude stay at 350mA as is doesnt work that way

or even better get 2 of the 2.8 profile 4ft t long) and run 6 cobs on each/ 4x 2ft






alll your other questions have been aswered multiple times in this thread

ill get back to you a bit more on this later

 

[Dion]

Yo dion could you post a pic of how your fan is wired in to your driver?

i use an adjustable voltage ac/dc thing(10 bucks for 1500mA/ about 15 fans)

this allows you to adjust the speed on the fans

just for reference the + is the blue wire
the - is the black wire( think lol i cant remember now)