Looking for advice on my DIY COB project

yodagrower

New Member
Hey guys.

So my plan is to build a COB LED light with a total power draw of 100-120 watts and for under a hundred bucks which will last me for an entire grow, seedling to chop. Initially i was thinking to get those noname 100w "full spectrum" cobs on aliexpess but i was told they are quite inefficient and quality is far from consistent. My budget of course won't allow me to get cxb3590s or 3070s. Vero's are imposible to get here where i leave and with delivery rate from alibaba they become too expensive too. So i found these cxa2530 on aliexpess which look decent and cost only 11bucks with holders and free delivery.

My current setup looks like this:

3x Cree CXA2530 with plasctic holders - 11.05$ each - driven at 1050mA will give me 120w total

1x MW LPC-150-1050 - $36.55 - cant find dimmable alternatives which would fit into my budget

1x alu heatsink - 20$ - Huge and heavy, made by local manufacturer. I can't find any efficiency charts for cxa2530's but lets say it's 40% efficient. So i need to get rid of 72w of heat. This heatsink has a total surface area of 4710cm2 which is more than enough for active cooling as per growmau5 guide. Here's a pic of it: http://imgur.com/O3LYJgD

120mm fan and separate power supply for it ~11$ - have not chosen yet but its the easiest part .

Total 100$

Q's:
  • is this driver ok for this cobs and isn't 1050mA too much for them?
  • is this heatsink will be good enough? it weighs 3kg - maybe its an overkill?
  • is there anything i'm missing?

Thanks for any input guys.
 

kaivorth

Active Member
I'm not an expert by any means, but I hear Citizens 1212 COBs are the ones to get right now. They're about $11 right now as well.
 

CobKits

Well-Known Member
what country are you in?

citi 1212s hard to beat for value

get creative with heatsinks. run your cobs soft enough and you can use common aluminum barstock
 

CobKits

Well-Known Member
well you get what you pay for.

2530@ 1050 ma = 3800 lm at 98 lm/W
1212@ 1050 ma = 5800 lm@ 159 lm/W

youd make up that extra $60 pretty quick with a setup thats 60% more efficient
 

yodagrower

New Member
Well my grow area is super tiny, it's 1,6x1,6 feet only and I only grow 1 plant for myself so I'm not looking for the top of the line efficiency. Also over paying 3 to 4 times to local resellers sucks and I think I better spend those extra on a better smell control honestly. Right now this is a bit of problem with my current grow. So other than that are there any major flaws with the proposed design?
 
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