Cheapo DIY Chinese LED grow. 200w

thats what i would also assume Gas.

the pcbs looked fun right? it was just n idea for the future try and eliminate led divers and build it all in one package and let the heatsync do the all work. i really just happened across that.

I'm looking at this. It looks tempting to me.

50W High Power LED 660nm for Plant Grow Light.

• Lens Color: Water Clear
• Emitted Colour : Red
• Forward Voltage : 25V~28V
• Forward Current : 1900mA
• View Angle: About 140 degree
• Wave Length: 660nm
• Luminous Intensity: 2200 ~ 2500 Lumen

product Reviews:

• 50 W 660 nm led, May 24, 2012
  I have four of these running as part of a tri band 320 watt system - they are very nice, and the girls love the light.
• Make sure you run a big heatsink and or fan cooling. I use a 2" x 5" x 12" sink per 50 W led, just gets warm.

Rasser said:

product Reviews:

• 50 W 660 nm led, May 24, 2012
  I have four of these running as part of a tri band 320 watt system - they are very nice, and the girls love the light.
• Make sure you run a big heatsink and or fan cooling. I use a 2" x 5" x 12" sink per 50 W led, just gets warm.

Click to expand...

Thinking out loud !

I go the other way btw, instead of using a big heatsink with a hot chip in the center, I will use a big heatsink
and use smaller chip spread further apart. (5 10W spread out on the heatsink vs. 1 50W in the center)
It will cost more, but should last longer and shine brighter.

A big compact chip only make sense to me if there is constrains on the available space,
like inside a theater lamp with optics.

Using the full heatsink I would think is the best.

And when comparing 10, 20, 30, 50, 100, 500 Watt chips there is no difference other than the number of tiny leds
it's not like a hps bulb, where lumen output more than double with double the power, and the bulb itself is made of stronger materials.




EDIT: And when it comes to temperature, is a warm white LED better to create red since it is based on a blue LED than a pure red ?
(can't imagine that's the case for 660nm, but 630nm perhaps)

That's pretty much what I was looking at. Maybe the manufacturer I was speaking with was just bunk - they were considerably less expensive so who knows, maybe just a quality issue. I agree that many smaller arrays would be better than fewer, both for temp issues, lifespan, light spread... - for me it just comes down to cost.

Hmmm, sooooo... I wasn't expecting them for a week or two but my LEDs and drivers came in today. I'm not totally prepared for them and need to go grab some bolts and wiring... But here's what I have. Should have some usable lights by the end of the weekend.

now we are talking!! hey gas, if you were to do a tutorial of how you are going to build this light from the start and if you were to make it so a 5 years old kid can pick up the right tools and do so, Its going to be hard for me not to order the same crap pretty soon here!! Gastanker, are you becoming an LED junkie^?

Endur0xX said:

now we are talking!! hey gas, if you were to do a tutorial of how you are going to build this light from the start and if you were to make it so a 5 years old kid can pick up the right tools and do so, Its going to be hard for me not to order the same crap pretty soon here!! Gastanker, are you becoming an LED junkie^?

Click to expand...

^^^^this.............I second it

endur0xx said:

...if you were to make it so a 5 years old kid can pick up the right tools and do so, its going to be hard for me not...

Click to expand...

ditto.....

Yeah... will do once I figure it out myself Quick I need some help... These are the drivers:





Yeah... so which way do these go? L/N side to the plug and -/+ to the LED?

yep, you got it right.

uh duh gas tanker(live neutral -positive negative). lol your having fun i can see. i love building you must be in heaven imagining whats gonna happen and making design adjusments as you go now that you have the parts in your hands. i really want to replicate but i cant allocate the funds away from buying some tents right now oh weel cant wait to see the results, you ever think about getting a dome off an old HId for the reflector? i think you did something similar already, a 400w dome might be able to figth 3 units inside.

It's that stupid drawing of the house that got me flipped around. Arrow pointing from the wall had me doubting myself and the other drivers had a ground on the plug side.

I've been tossing ideas around regarding reflectors; Large aluminum baking dishes, sheet metal, actual polished aluminum reflectors,... Haven't decided yet. I'm thinking that with such a small grow space might not need any but we shall see. Lol, I'm waiting on my battery to charge, I'm an idiot - I have a corded drill, duh. Ok, back to it.

Gastanker said:

Hmmm, sooooo... I wasn't expecting them for a week or two but my LEDs and drivers came in today. I'm not totally prepared for them and need to go grab some bolts and wiring... But here's what I have. Should have some usable lights by the end of the weekend.

Click to expand...

Shit ! that's some nice pictures and exciting project to look forward too.


On the subject of nuts and bolts, I got a package in the mail today
M3,4,5





I was playing with a cheap magnifying glass(1$ store) today, holding it over a led bulb, and watching the focus/coverage change accordingly,
I wonder what that would do in combination with a 10W+ chip. I'm thinking optics from a overhead projector or video projector would be fun to play with.

Exciting times in the LED grow light area in deed.

i just thought of something great perhaps...
http://www.lowes.com/pd_399498-230-22822SL-6_4294936624__?productId=3724292&Ntt=tub&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dtub&facetInfo=

Gastanker said:

It's that stupid drawing of the house that got me flipped around. Arrow pointing from the wall had me doubting myself and the other drivers had a ground on the plug side.

I've been tossing ideas around regarding reflectors; Large aluminum baking dishes, sheet metal, actual polished aluminum reflectors,... Haven't decided yet. I'm thinking that with such a small grow space might not need any but we shall see. Lol, I'm waiting on my battery to charge, I'm an idiot - I have a corded drill, duh. Ok, back to it.

Click to expand...

I would say you dont need any, if anything the plants that grow higher than the light or at light height around the edges will get better light without a reflector I am thinking.

Still a long list of things to do but I'm getting there. I'll compile all of this into a single "How To" once I'm finished.

[video=youtube;7nbMKdjjWgE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nbMKdjjWgE[/video]





I have to declare this one of the most miserable fun projects I've worked on in a while. 103 degrees today outdoors which means my garage (work bench) had to have been about 10 degrees warmer. Had to put a diaper on my head to keep the sweat off my glasses.

Great! I'm on a DIY project myself but shhh...!

would love to see how you made it


you think this type of led could be used to grow with ... goto 2:45... seems like it might over heat .. but i dont know shit bout led's
[video=youtube_share;NkkU0UO3sek]http://youtu.be/NkkU0UO3sek[/video]

Gastanker said:

Still a long list of things to do but I'm getting there. I'll compile all of this into a single "How To" once I'm finished.

I have to declare this one of the most miserable fun projects I've worked on in a while. 103 degrees today outdoors which
means my garage (work bench) had to have been about 10 degrees warmer. Had to put a diaper on my head to keep the sweat off my glasses.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure I want to see how that looked, if we are talking Humpers and Pampers,


Anyway I'm envious on those big ass heat sinks, they cost a lot here, so I'm scanning my surroundings for anything usable:

Some old CPU/GPU coolers would work nicely, what else do I got, a speaker with a flat back, great for a low budget
passive cooling with it's great mass and heat transferring capacity. OR remove the speakers membrane and mount a fan blowing down on the magnet
then the cooling power could be great.

And some old 1U Alexis audio effects, thats just been taking up space, but I've been reluctant to put them in the garbage.







I need three of them, and this would work, but what about cooling, will a fan fit inside?





Thats Nice - I have 3-4 12V Fan that are to slow to be used in the grow room
they would do nicely inside these tubes, and with some vent holes on top, this is perfect.

I tried to make a prototype, it went quiet well, a little messy with aluminum drilling in the bed room
but nothing a broom could not handle.



Now I just have to find out how to power these 4x10W chips