Pictures of your DIY lights - Post your pics!!!

disengaged

Member
Should I be worried about using zinc galvanized screws/nuts/washers with Al heatsinks?
No.

I have TIG welded regular 304 stainless (not extra-low carbon 304L,316L) to copper and it has been in service in an acidic wet environment for many years with no issues. The joint is washed down 5 times a week with chlorinated tap water.
Almost every refrigeration unit has copper tube brazed to aluminum tube. Sure, it may fail someday, but the compressor usually dies many years before and the joint is redone at that point.
If my fixture starts to grow a patina on it I'll laugh, then have to take it apart for cleaning. Din't read the articles, but I did remove the finish from the heatsinks when I sanded the mounting surface smooth. Now it is protected by a layer of Aluminum Oxide, that's hard stuff. The same thing Ruby's are made of? I suppose I could use all copper heatsinks on top, the problem is that I'm short one, even if I use one of the heatsinks made of a mixture of aluminum clad with copper. I have half a dozen heatsinks with copper bases under the less expensive aluminum top but decided against them since they have heatpipes with fins that want a cross breeze which I'm not designing my fixture for.

So sure, take the warning about galvanic corrosion. It is real and I see it all the time, but as geeky as this group is, upgrading their COB's every year for a more efficient model you probably won't have to worry about galvanized steel corroding with the aluminum heatsinks. If concerned use an anti-sieze compound on the threads. Or grease if you can't find any, or blue loc-tite 242 which is what I'll use on the stainless screws threading into aluminum.

If really concerned about the galvanized parts, go to a store that specializes in bolts, not a home depot type store and they will cost a fraction and have all the right sizes with the types of heads you choose.

I got the munchies, think I am going to go start cooking dinner on my Williams Sonoma All- clad copper -stainess cookware set.
 

disengaged

Member

Tim Fox

Well-Known Member
Unless cash is no objective, go to a real metal supply house. Home Depot may have good prices on weed eaters but for what they charge for a 5' piece of aluminum you could have a 20' stick and a real selection of sizes. Even if cash is no objective, the small businesses need your cash to to stay afloat.
as I look around me I see Christmas trees in every direction, the nearest Home Depot is 20 miles, it could be another 100 miles to the nearest metal supply house, but Christmas trees make great neighbors
 

PurpleBuz

Well-Known Member
as I look around me I see Christmas trees in every direction, the nearest Home Depot is 20 miles, it could be another 100 miles to the nearest metal supply house, but Christmas trees make great neighbors
onlinemetals.com if your lucky they might have a local pickup brick and mortar.
 

Abiqua

Well-Known Member
as I look around me I see Christmas trees in every direction, the nearest Home Depot is 20 miles, it could be another 100 miles to the nearest metal supply house, but Christmas trees make great neighbors
helicopters going all day today :)
 

Growmau5

Well-Known Member
Unless cash is no objective, go to a real metal supply house. Home Depot may have good prices on weed eaters but for what they charge for a 5' piece of aluminum you could have a 20' stick and a real selection of sizes. Even if cash is no objective, the small businesses need your cash to to stay afloat.
THis is so true about metal stock. Lowes is crazy expensive, home depot is slightly cheaper. The local metal supply house are staggeringly cheaper.

ex. 8' length of 3/4" angled alum @ home depot $13. The same $13 buys a 20' piece at my local shop. The discrepancy gets even more obscene when you move to square stock and flat alum.
 

HockeyBeard

Well-Known Member
THis is so true about metal stock. Lowes is crazy expensive, home depot is slightly cheaper. The local metal supply house are staggeringly cheaper.

ex. 8' length of 3/4" angled alum @ home depot $13. The same $13 buys a 20' piece at my local shop. The discrepancy gets even more obscene when you move to square stock and flat alum.
Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep this in mind.
 

bankcee

Well-Known Member
24 vero 18's powered by 4 hgl-185h-c1050 meanwells. Six 2700k Twelve 3000k and 6 3000k

what the actual fuck is this? I wanted to get into using leds. but gooootttdamn. after seeing this I'm a little discouraged would love to have this setup..
 

bassman999

Well-Known Member
The safest most reliable build for that money is probably to run

4x Cree CXB3590 36V 3500K's
1x Meanwell HLG185-1400 [A version has a internal adjustable pot for dimming current][B versions have active dimming with multiple options]

Cheapest cooling is probably either the Arctic 11+ or the Ultra 64's....
Cheap 5v/12v Constant Voltage power supply [I would get a 20 volt Meanwell APC20 and run all four fans in series for 5v power at each]


-Mounting-
This thread alone provides you all the info and choices on how to mount or emulate a box/ case or certain mounting technique....:peace:
Can you explain in more detail the difference between the A and B driver differences?
 

bassman999

Well-Known Member
@bassman999 The A version of that driver would run at .700a or 1.4a. The B version with a100k pot could adjust between the min/max(not sure on the numbers) with out the pot it runs at 1.4a.
Are you saying B gotta buy and wire a pot, but fully adjustable, and A works as is but fully adjustable from .7 to 1.4, or .7 to 1.4 but nothing in between?
 

Abiqua

Well-Known Member
Are you saying B gotta buy and wire a pot, but fully adjustable, and A works as is but fully adjustable from .7 to 1.4, or .7 to 1.4 but nothing in between?
The A series: has an internal adjustable Pot....Mine is the 1050mA version and I belive the A's will dim 50%....

The B is just the dimmable version....you can use an external 100,50,33K pot or 10v external source.

Both can be used without dimming as well. The B is more versatile in DIY dimming :peace:
 

erodas

Member
@bassman999 The A version of that driver would run at .700a or 1.4a. The B version with a100k pot could adjust between the min/max(not sure on the numbers) with out the pot it runs at 1.4a.
"A" version is dimmable 50%-100% with the help of internal pot adjusting the screw (not only 700mA OR 1400mA — ANY current in between), with B version using the external pot, one can dim in the region 10%-100%, meaning 1400mA "B" driver can be dimmed to as low as 140mA.
 

bassman999

Well-Known Member
"A" version is dimmable 50%-100% with the help of internal pot adjusting the screw (not only 700mA OR 1400mA — ANY current in between), with B version using the external pot, one can dim in the region 10%-100%, meaning 1400mA "B" driver can be dimmed to as low as 140mA.
Thanks this is what I was wanting to hear.
I read about using a resistor as well, is that only with a single cob connected?
 

bizfactory

Well-Known Member
What light is that in the back with red spectrum?
I love the "stay badass" sticker or lettering on your fixture!
It's a PlatinumLED P300. I actually like it, got .9something gpw on my first grow with only that light. Gonna replace it with CXB3590s soon though, got the COBs already.

That is a Capita sticker I got with my snowboard last year, came with a nice sticker pack!
 
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