One more DIY noob for you guys to deal with

Johnny Lawrence said:

Hello everybody. Been lurking for months. This is my first post.

I've been using leds for several years, but mostly as supplemental lighting along side 600 HPS. Some Kessils, a couple blurples, and a pair of RW-75s. I recently have been upgrading to cobs. I purchased a T4 and a pair of T1s from Rahz, and spoke with Dan about picking up one of his DIY kits. I plan on purchasing more from these guys, but I'd also like to build a very simple single cob just to get my feet wet and understand the technology a bit better.

So, my question is more along the lines of a parts list. I'd like to build a single cob, but I don't really care if it's older tech(3070) or soon to be outdated tech(current vero). What I'm looking for is the easiest to build single cob, preferably with a pin cushion heat sink, again, just to sorta get my feet wet. Can you guys help me out with this? Or if it's easier, can you simply link me to threads where others have asked the same question.

Thanks in advance, guys.

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researching said:

@Johnny Lawrence You will be amazed at how easy they are to wire and assemble with just some angle aluminum. So much so the savings makes it well worth it. There are a couple ones gromau5 makes on u tube that are very simple. Drivers are not that expensive and you can easily get one that runs 4 cobs for abt $44. You can then buy cheap cobs to get started and upgrade. I am happy to help if needed.

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Airwalker16 said:

Yup, frames are a breeze. Just make sure you go to harbor freight and buy the cheap $10 or so riveter (comes with rivets) and a few packs of drill bits of the size holes you'll need to make for the rivets and a nice hacksaw with some good new blades. These things make building a frame very simple. Riveter especially rather than nut and bolting it all together. Plus that's bulky.

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researching said:

Also for the 18ga wire go to lowes and buy the spooled thermostat wire by the foot. It's super cheap.

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Johnny Lawrence said:

I just wanted to build a single cob unit for a little, tiny cabinet. Instead, I got answers to a question I never even asked. Yes, I plan on building a couple of multiple cob units in the near future, but I was simply asking for help for a single cob build.

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Johnny Lawrence said:

I just wanted to build a single cob unit for a little, tiny cabinet. Instead, I got answers to a question I never even asked. Yes, I plan on building a couple of multiple cob units in the near future, but I was simply asking for help for a single cob build.

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Airwalker16 said:

And all I'm saying, is its more work time and money to build another one after that small one so I'd personally just build one worth hanging.

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Shugglet said:

Theres hundreds if not thousands of ways to skin that cat...

When you say you want to "get your feet wet" in what regards are you referring to? The whole DIY side of it, new to soldering and wiring?

Everything is pretty simple once you have a grasp on it but can be fairly daunting for someone with no understandings of the basic things that go into making a DIY COB.

From your original post it would seem you just want someone to show you a driver, do you have any background knowledge on them?

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Johnny Lawrence said:

Basically, everything I know about them I picked up from here. I think I have the basics down. And like I mentioned before, a four cob light and frame is in my near future.

In the mean time, I have a spot that would be perfect for a single cob. I'd like to build this light first, so that when I do move onto building a four cob setup, I'm not a complete virgin at it.

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Shugglet said:

So what do you need from us?

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