Going commercial

[littlejacob]

But it is a very good idea!
Something like Isled do in EU...already made pannels or in parts! (Except that they are very expensive...)
I will be curious to know how much a diy kit for 4 cxb 3590 3500ºk 36V CD + hlg-185-1400b + hs, fans, 12V psu + everything else wires, wago, TIM, pots...?!?
Good luck...

 

[PSUAGRO.]

But it is a very good idea!
Something like Isled do in EU...already made pannels or in parts! (Except that they are very expensive...)
I will be curious to know how much a diy kit for 4 cxb 3590 3500ºk 36V CD + hlg-185-1400b + hs, fans, 12V psu + everything else wires, wago, TIM, pots...?!?
Good luck...

I remember isled(credit guod for the find), really nice stuff out of france, harvard drivers and all top bin diodes in the kits years ago

 

[littlejacob]

Bonjour
Yes isled is all that you said but it is too expensive...
And the last special flowering spectrum shortened the flo by 1 week...but they said it is not compatible with others pannel...if you take one of these you must buy the same to match the spectrum......
I prefer cxb cheaper for the same gpw (or more.)
Have a great day ★

 

[speedyganga]

Bonjour
Yes isled is all that you said but it is too expensive...
And the last special flowering spectrum shortened the flo by 1 week...but they said it is not compatible with others pannel...if you take one of these you must buy the same to match the spectrum......
I prefer cxb cheaper for the same gpw (or more.)
Have a great day ★

Hell yeah isled is expensive but driving CXB at 25W is also very expensive... You get what you pay for in terms of efficiency. His spectrum is very good apparently but I have no idea what the actual wavelength he is using for the last flowering card. Maybe he just added some 740nm in the mix ?!

 

[BM9AGS]

@Rahz

It would appear you're following what you like/love doing, which is building light fixtures. Now that you're in a position of making a business out of what you know, what exactly will your business be offering potential customers? Obviously a light fixture but what will set it apart from others, such as PLC's CX300?

If he names the company Raʾs al-Ġūl then I'm all in

 

[Rahz]

Tasty LED is the name of the company.

 

[OneHitDone]

Ya, I was searching the other night - wondering what the fuck is "Tasty LED"?
Makes sense now.
Congratulations and best of luck on your business adventure Rahz, looks like a solid product

 

[Rahz]

Ya, I was searching the other night - wondering what the fuck is "Tasty LED"?
Makes sense now.
Congratulations and best of luck on your business adventure Rahz, looks like a solid product

Thank you. I was trying to be subtle. It may not have been cataloged by Google at that point, but is showing up on page 2 of results now.

 

[HockeyBeard]

Hell yeah isled is expensive but driving CXB at 25W is also very expensive... You get what you pay for in terms of efficiency. His spectrum is very good apparently but I have no idea what the actual wavelength he is using for the last flowering card. Maybe he just added some 740nm in the mix ?!

The 730nm isn't meant to be on the entire light cycle, only a short blast at the end of it. 5-10min at lights out. I run mine for 10, last 5 of on, 5 off. Finished a Purple OG in 7 weeks, and a SFV in 9.

 

[Rahz]

Since I started this project I've realized the goal of bringing a DIY like offering to retail. Along the way I had standards that I adhered to regarding performance. Values of appearance and price were secondary and I'm coming to realize they were just as important, specifically because there were times during the design process where there was this little voice telling me something wasn't good enough. Unless it related to performance I would bump it into the future or discount the concern. While I think the T22 looks ok and is rugged the simple fact is it doesn't look retail nice and while it's not the most expensive per par watt among cob lamps it's still pricey. So, I've done some redesigning. The T22 model will end up being a limited edition and I suspect at a discount to get rid of them. The new design/s will be sleek and candy coated, and will fabricate much faster (The T22 takes about 5 hours to build) and be competitive in pricing. I been designing the new templates this weekend and finally feel like there are no design issues that are going to be bugging me in the back of my mind.

I spent some time with a friend who has a powder coating booth and oven. I sprayed a few parts with semi-gloss black and really like the results, but will probably end up going with something more colorful and glossy.

 

[Abiqua]

Since I started this project I've realized the goal of bringing a DIY like offering to retail. Along the way I had standards that I adhered to regarding performance. Values of appearance and price were secondary and I'm coming to realize they were just as important, specifically because there were times during the design process where there was this little voice telling me something wasn't good enough. Unless it related to performance I would bump it into the future or discount the concern. While I think the T22 looks ok and is rugged the simple fact is it doesn't look retail nice and while it's not the most expensive per par watt among cob lamps it's still pricey. So, I've done some redesigning. The T22 model will end up being a limited edition and I suspect at a discount to get rid of them. The new design/s will be sleek and candy coated, and will fabricate much faster (The T22 takes about 5 hours to build) and be competitive in pricing. I been designing the new templates this weekend and finally feel like there are no design issues that are going to be bugging me in the back of my mind.

I spent some time with a friend who has a powder coating booth and oven. I sprayed a few parts with semi-gloss black and really like the results, but will probably end up going with something more colorful and glossy.

1st off Congrats on bringing a finished product to the table...Salutations to future success as well...



I hate to be a Debbie Down here, and making a fixture attractive is part of process imho...

But if you are focusing on aesthetics 1st...shouldn't we take all black into consideration as possibly the best "radiated heat body" characteristics?...after all we are building glorified heaters,

 

[Rahz]

That is true, but while the fan is running it won't make much difference. I haven't tested the new design yet but suspect it will operate within specs with no fan. Considering this why not pick a color for aesthetics? Black does look nice but I'm looking at some powder coat websites and there are a ton of colors, 20-30 shades of every color including black makes it hard to decide.

 

[Rahz]

I've been reading a bit more on the subject. Black generally does a good job at radiating heat but white paint does a pretty good job too. The visible color isn't necessarily a good indicator of how it will absorb and emit heat. It seems like most paints have an emissivity of .85 or higher. As it turns out any paint is better than no paint, and white paint is almost as good as black paint. Apparently human skin has an emissivity of .98!

 

[sanjuan]

The first google result for "tasty LED" is Illumitex and then this LED sign at Amazon:

But you're on your way, Rahz, congrats. Tastyled.com is only six slots from the top right now.

And I agree with your business analysis. The pictured luminaire has a hobbyist look about it, no offense.

 

[Rahz]

I appreciate the honesty. There are no loans associated with my company so I'll just keep refining things til it works. I kinda hate giving up on 1.05 amps though. Perhaps if there is some success in the future I can start mixing some lower current options in there. With Vero it doesn't make a huge difference (1.05 amps = 45% efficient, 1.4 amps = 43% efficient), but 1.05 amps is the sweet spot in getting 1 cob per foot with both Vero and 3070, and even 3590.

 

[OneHitDone]

I appreciate the honesty. There are no loans associated with my company so I'll just keep refining things til it works. I kinda hate giving up on 1.05 amps though. Perhaps if there is some success in the future I can start mixing some lower current options in there. With Vero it doesn't make a huge difference (1.05 amps = 45% efficient, 1.4 amps = 43% efficient), but 1.05 amps is the sweet spot in getting 1 cob per foot with both Vero and 3070, and even 3590.

So are your lights based on a design that puts the cobs at 1 per sq ft?

 

[Rahz]

The T22 is yes. The new ones will not, but spacing will still be part of the solution. T22 was about offering a lamp that I would likely use myself. There was going to be a CXB 3590 as well. In a single square foot a single Vero 29 at 1.05 amps provides almost 850 PPFD after lens loss. Without a lens the figure is about 900. CXB 3590 is more like 1120 PPFD and 3070 AD is inbetween.

.7 amps would require tighter spacing, and maybe pay for itself over time, and while certainly desirable it's even more money up front, something I would hesitate to do for myself though I would want to. I think now that even 1.05 is too expensive for retail... especially in a DIY looking case

 

[OneHitDone]

The pictured luminaire has a hobbyist look about it, no offense.

Not sure if I would say "hobbyist", more "Custom Fabbed"
I would definitely rather spend my cash with Rahz's straight up honest approach than most of the others out there.
I do think you will need to contract with a sheet metal shop at some point to have the cases fabbed up in numbers once you settle on final designs.
I personally would take raw aluminum over the cheap ass chinese powder coated cookie cutter case every other light is shipping in.
That's one thing you gotta hand it to Optic on - jankie as their organizer drawer case may be you know who's fixture it is when you see it

 

[Abiqua]

Not sure if I would say "hobbyist", more "Custom Fabbed"
I would definitely rather spend my cash with Rahz's straight up honest approach than most of the others out there.
I do think you will need to contract with a sheet metal shop at some point to have the cases fabbed up in numbers once you settle on final designs.
I personally would take raw aluminum over the cheap ass chinese powder coated cookie cutter case every other light is shipping in.
That's one thing you gotta hand it to Optic on - jankie as their organizer drawer case may be you know who's fixture it is when you see it

A rivet machine
A drill press
A metal brake 24"?
Powerder Coating oven [Free off Craigslist]
Dang the machine shop...hire lackeys and produce the cases yo damn self, lol.

I have seen someone turn out hundreds of "similar" metal boxes by themselves in a home shop, every month....So I even wonder if going to a shop is even worth the volume disount, if its possible with an above average home setup?

 

[Abiqua]

That is true, but while the fan is running it won't make much difference. I haven't tested the new design yet but suspect it will operate within specs with no fan. Considering this why not pick a color for aesthetics? Black does look nice but I'm looking at some powder coat websites and there are a ton of colors, 20-30 shades of every color including black makes it hard to decide.

Thanks for considering this and following up... There are many choices available, it can get tiring quick I imagine...

I was reading up on DIY power-coating myself and ran across a similar comment, and wondered how much weight it might bear...Small minute detail, but I build too and even the little things count IMHO, even if they don't eventually follow through