DIY LED Grow Light Vero 18 (Economy light)

SomeGuy

SomeGuy

Well-Known Member
I have been thinking about LED grow lights since seeing Jigfresh grow with them. I have followed the white cob led grows and the tech is pretty amazing. I decided to try it myself.

First.. I needed a veg light for a bit (like 4 weeks while away on vacation) So I built this and put plants under it hoping they wouldnt die before my return. These were under 100watts of 6000k cfl before.


when I came back they looked like this:




So.... I was pretty happy coming home. Also thought... dayum... the leds worked great and even in the high heat of summer in my shed! So I started looking deeper into all the DIY COB info on here


Thanks to supraspl, stardustsailer, greengenes, and so many more who have done alot of investment in time and money and posted it here. Your information has helped immmensly!


The next several posts will be a bit of a walkthrough on what I did with my build
 
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SomeGuy

SomeGuy

Well-Known Member
I wanted something versatile to use in the tent so I decided to build fixture "bars" instead of just one big fixture. They are still a work in progress but here you can see the two finished fixtures above the plants.
1.jpg

Here is look from the top and bottom of a fixture:
2.jpg
3.jpg
 
SomeGuy

SomeGuy

Well-Known Member
Here is a shot of the 50w fastech driver I used:

DC side with leads for the COB:4.jpg

Here is the AC side. I used pretty heavy gauge wire, smaller is ok. I sealed the connections with silicone:
5.jpg
6.jpg


I drilled a small hole in the center of the driver heatsink but NOT all the way through. I used a small screw through the under body of the fence post and also water weld to attach it inside.

7.jpg
8.jpg


The fan/heatsink are bolted in and the driver is secured with one srew and epoxy
9.jpg
 
SomeGuy

SomeGuy

Well-Known Member
They have been running for almost a week on 18/6. only bumb the tent to 5-10 degrees above ambient with extraction fans going.

Here is what I used:

vero 18
http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?mpart=BXRC-30E4000-F-03&vendor=976

fastech drivers
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1612/10004218/1320600

Intel fan & heatsink combo
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Original-Intel-Socket-775-CPU-Cooling-Fan-and-Heatsink-E97375-001-/230771615333?ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:US:1120

fan power supply: running 3 fans on each one. so one per fixture. You can get them with in different voltage and amps
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271544517231?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

housing:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_24992-73428-73002277_4294612404__?productId=3159989&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=?Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=


Wire and tools and littel this and that that I already have will add up... so be careful if your new.

Also... I soldered all my connections. I am Really good at soldering. If you are not nice connectors can be found and solderless mounts for the Cobs can be found also.



I have parts on order for another bar and will add to this thread as I continue on my building adventure. Thanks to all who help and follow along! :-)


Vapor Bags all around. :-)
 
DOX420

DOX420

Member
out of curiosity your fan power supply you linked has one cord and your fans appear to have 4 cords (black, blue, green, yellow)?

how did you wire them all up IE making the 4 go into one power supply?
 
SomeGuy

SomeGuy

Well-Known Member
in the intel fan wiring diagram only the yellow and black are used for full out. Other wires on the fan are just cut back or capped off. I stripped them and the power supply for the fans wires and soldered them together permanent like.

I will detail this item with pictuers when I get the parts in for the third bar and am building it. This will help make it more clear.
 
SomeGuy

SomeGuy

Well-Known Member
Positivity said:
Nice build!

I was just going to ask about temps. Heat can build up with these things. Probably be easy to rig that up into a vented cool tube style design.

Unless 10 degrees is okay in your room...mine has to be able to maintain ambient of 90f. Little tough but doable
Click to expand...

Its acceptable. I haven't got over 92 in there and its summer.

***also cut me slack on the plants. (not that your giving me shit) LOL! Its hot in there and I dont run ac in the tent. only my 600w hps cabinet****


ACTUALLY!! I was thinking after the build that I could have just done heatsinks and hooked up a 4" hoses to the extraction fan and run it like a cool tube. I am guessing it would work awesome.
 
DOX420

DOX420

Member
SomeGuy said:
in the intel fan wiring diagram only the yellow and black are used for full out. Other wires on the fan are just cut back or capped off. I stripped them and the power supply for the fans wires and soldered them together permanent like.

I will detail this item with pictuers when I get the parts in for the third bar and am building it. This will help make it more clear.
Click to expand...
thanks SG... pics would be great.... I taking the first baby steps to be able to achieve this in the DIY world so any help is greatly accepted...
 
heckler73

heckler73

Well-Known Member
SomeGuy said:
ACTUALLY!! I was thinking after the build that I could have just done heatsinks and hooked up a 4" hoses to the extraction fan and run it like a cool tube. I am guessing it would work awesome.
Click to expand...
If you do that, you may wish to change your heatsinks to standard fins, aligned longitudinally. Maximize airflow and thermal exchange (i.e. surface area). If you leave those 'spirals' in there, turbulence will develop leading to possible hot pockets (air speed dependent, of course).
That is a sharp idea, nonetheless.
 
SomeGuy

SomeGuy

Well-Known Member
hyroot said:
nice build. Interesting using the fence posts. Can they handle the heat? I uses those over 10 years ago for a DIY fill and drain x film hydro kits.
Click to expand...
No heat issues at all. Even with it being hot out.. so I think this is good beta testing. :-) The post could probably handle over 120 dg I bet. Since they are designed to withstand outdoor conditions for long periods of time. Very durable and a great, cheap housing.
 
SomeGuy

SomeGuy

Well-Known Member
heckler73 said:
If you do that, you may wish to change your heatsinks to standard fins, aligned longitudinally. Maximize airflow and thermal exchange (i.e. surface area). If you leave those 'spirals' in there, turbulence will develop leading to possible hot pockets (air speed dependent, of course).
That is a sharp idea, nonetheless.
Click to expand...

I think the turbulance would be negligible to the cooling. Considering we are not having to remove all that much heat. I can tell you that I cant even run my 400w hps in the tent this time of year.... I dont think even an additional fixture will make all that much more heat. Larger fins would help with a tube type design though. Maybe when I get another tent to run I can build something that is cooled like a cool tube! :-)
 
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