For some reason shipping anything here is absurdly expensive (except Arrow with their free shipping) and I cannot find suitable aluminum profiles around me.
I am considering a build with strips in a rectangular frame without mounting them to a U channel or whatever.
I an not sure how to determine whether a strip needs heatsinking from the specs.
I think I saw a similar build but cannot find the thread. The search feature is not this forum's strong point.
Can anyone please give me a suggestion for a suitable strip?
Suggestions for strips without heatsinking..
If you're anywhere near someplace that sells hardware or construction materials I'd start there. Shipping aluminum is expensive. You'll need the aluminum if youre trying to flower cannabis, maybe not if your trying to grow leafy greens as they require alot less light. However calculating how much aluminum you'll need is going to be tough.oozing wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:20 pmFor some reason shipping anything here is absurdly expensive (except Arrow with their free shipping) and I cannot find suitable aluminum profiles around me.
I am considering a build with strips in a rectangular frame without mounting them to a U channel or whatever.
I an not sure how to determine whether a strip needs heatsinking from the specs.
I think I saw a similar build but cannot find the thread. The search feature is not this forum's strong point.
Can anyone please give me a suggestion for a suitable strip?
I have scoured my entire area, asking window makers, local construction material shops, even F'ing lazer cutting/machining shops that actually list aluminum on their sites as a material they work with but none of them have it for sale nor know where to get any. I am talking about aluminum sheets and standard aluminum profiles.
This one shop has a square profile, size AxB, another shop has an L profile, size CxD, The third one has a AxD but painted white... It's a mess. U channel I could not locate anywhere close to me.
I already built 4 frames but I did have to drive a couple of towns over and pay a bit more, but they had the thickness and sizes I wanted. I also located a big manufacturer about an hour drive that supposedly makes them profiles in any size I could want, but I am only getting like 2-3 profiles each time. I haven't contacted them yet.
This is the reason I am asking if anyone has built a strip build with only a frame and the strips are not mounted to any heatsink and are air cooled?
This one shop has a square profile, size AxB, another shop has an L profile, size CxD, The third one has a AxD but painted white... It's a mess. U channel I could not locate anywhere close to me.
I already built 4 frames but I did have to drive a couple of towns over and pay a bit more, but they had the thickness and sizes I wanted. I also located a big manufacturer about an hour drive that supposedly makes them profiles in any size I could want, but I am only getting like 2-3 profiles each time. I haven't contacted them yet.
This is the reason I am asking if anyone has built a strip build with only a frame and the strips are not mounted to any heatsink and are air cooled?
I kinda take it for granted that not everyone lives near a hardware store or a home depot/Lowes.oozing wrote: ↑Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:26 pmI have scoured my entire area, asking window makers, local construction material shops, even F'ing lazer cutting/machining shops that actually list aluminum on their sites as a material they work with but none of them have it for sale nor know where to get any. I am talking about aluminum sheets and standard aluminum profiles.
This one shop has a square profile, size AxB, another shop has an L profile, size CxD, The third one has a AxD but painted white... It's a mess. U channel I could not locate anywhere close to me.
I already built 4 frames but I did have to drive a couple of towns over and pay a bit more, but they had the thickness and sizes I wanted. I also located a big manufacturer about an hour drive that supposedly makes them profiles in any size I could want, but I am only getting like 2-3 profiles each time. I haven't contacted them yet.
This is the reason I am asking if anyone has built a strip build with only a frame and the strips are not mounted to any heatsink and are air cooled?
I havent heard of anyone not using anything to attach the strips to. Maybe you could give it a shot and see how it goes.
Id use wood or PVC if I had to, as the strips are pretty flimsy. And pretty much anything is going to be more thermally conductive than air.
Just curious, where do live approximately?
@ Ted and Takeshy
Quick question here:
when you would have found the right supplier for an aluminum source, and you would have found the right cooling thingy, how would you know, the thing you build out of that, would properly cool your little light, so it would have a long and healthy live e.g. would not burn up in an week or so....
Like...do you take measurements...measure the heat?
How would you know?
Im serious, I have the same problem!
Quick question here:
when you would have found the right supplier for an aluminum source, and you would have found the right cooling thingy, how would you know, the thing you build out of that, would properly cool your little light, so it would have a long and healthy live e.g. would not burn up in an week or so....
Like...do you take measurements...measure the heat?
How would you know?
Im serious, I have the same problem!
In the states we have hardware stores that sell wood, nuts and bolts etc... and everyone of them sells aluminum sheets and angled aluminum. Ultimately you have to use something to attach the strips to, as they they themselves arent very rigid. Aluminum is cheap, prolific and is an excellent thermal conductor. For strips running at a reasonable amount of current, they need very little heat dissipation.almansor wrote: ↑Fri Dec 29, 2017 5:05 am@ Ted and Takeshy
Quick question here:
when you would have found the right supplier for an aluminum source, and you would have found the right cooling thingy, how would you know, the thing you build out of that, would properly cool your little light, so it would have a long and healthy live e.g. would not burn up in an week or so....
Like...do you take measurements...measure the heat?
How would you know?
Im serious, I have the same problem!
If you cant find a piece of aluminum, you could probably attach them to wood and make sure they get decent airflow.
I actually have quite a few local hardware stores around me. They sell everything you can think of, including metal profiles.
Someone on RUI, recently noted that the Bridgelux E3 series (http://www.bridgelux.com/sites/default/ ... %20A_0.pdf) run at nominal current does not need a heatsink. It does say so on the first page under benefits.
I think the E3 series is the same as EB gen.1.
If i'm not mistaken, I need 24-26 of them to power a 200w veg tent. That's $105 free shipping on arrow (only option for intl. buyers). gen.1 and gen.2 cost about the same on arrow. It's a no brainer, for the gen.2 I'll have to add the cost of 26xU channel. That's insane.
My only other option, albeit less uniform spread, is 4xQB120 from HLG. At $230 incl. shipping, it's still cheaper that a gen.2 build but more that twice a gen.1 build. Alu cost will be the same here.
Am I right about the E3 series being EB gen.1?
Someone on RUI, recently noted that the Bridgelux E3 series (http://www.bridgelux.com/sites/default/ ... %20A_0.pdf) run at nominal current does not need a heatsink. It does say so on the first page under benefits.
I think the E3 series is the same as EB gen.1.
If i'm not mistaken, I need 24-26 of them to power a 200w veg tent. That's $105 free shipping on arrow (only option for intl. buyers). gen.1 and gen.2 cost about the same on arrow. It's a no brainer, for the gen.2 I'll have to add the cost of 26xU channel. That's insane.
My only other option, albeit less uniform spread, is 4xQB120 from HLG. At $230 incl. shipping, it's still cheaper that a gen.2 build but more that twice a gen.1 build. Alu cost will be the same here.
Am I right about the E3 series being EB gen.1?
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fishsticks31
- LED-Curious
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The only non-heatsinked strip I have experience with are the InFlux L_03s from samsung. I've had them attached to particle board and ran three strips for about a year now with 12-18 hour photoperiods and they still work great. If you're not heatsinking, look for strips that have the lights spaced apart a bit more. Sometimes, having the heat is nice on a shelving unit because you can use the upper part of the shelf as a nice warm seed germinator.
I know what you are going through.
Im planning a build using f strips my self and ill
Need 4ea 75inch peices from heatsink usa its 100 bucks plus 64 for shipping to where i am
As a guy who has worked with tons of aluminum
Its hard to swallow 4 6ft sticks for close to 200 lol
As much as i hate being cheap.. this is the one spot im considering it
.
Im planning a build using f strips my self and ill
Need 4ea 75inch peices from heatsink usa its 100 bucks plus 64 for shipping to where i am
As a guy who has worked with tons of aluminum
Its hard to swallow 4 6ft sticks for close to 200 lol
As much as i hate being cheap.. this is the one spot im considering it
.