Finished build (first light)
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2021 9:17 am
Well I finished my build, it is not super powerful unit but it is fairly neat I would say. It can be run at 1.4A max if needed without getting too hot to touch. I will not be running it at 1.4A though, most likely around 1000mA-1200mA which keeps the LED:s running cooler and thus expanding lifetime. I grow chillies, tomatos and herbs so my needs are not the same as most people here have. This light will be mostly used to light up multiple bonsai chillies next winter, as their need for light isn't that high.
The strips used 9x : https://www.digikey.fi/products/fi?keyw ... 50-C-C3-ND
Driver used: https://www.digikey.fi/products/fi?keyw ... 2348-ND%09
I hooked up with 18AWG wire which was actually a slight mistake since the connectors were rated for 20-24AWG. Everything is connected in series. Which does put the voltage output fairly high but also made the amount of wire running very small
For heatsink/mounting I used 800x400x3mm aluminium sheet.
The white box you see in the picture is electrical box, the wires run thru the box and the connections are safely made there. The box also servers as the mounting point for the dimming pot as seen in the picture. The box can withstand around 160C so it is good choice for this usage.
Maximum output is max driver output so 151W, the plan is to run it little bit lower around 100-135W depending on situation. I cannot provide accurate numbers on LUX or PPFD since I don't have proper measuring devices. Light sensors in phones are capped at 10k lux so that is more or less useless, but they do give something to make estimates from. My estimates after collecting some data and trying to roughly analyze: At 15cm with 1.0A you are getting around 20-28k LUX and 380-500umols... take these numbers with a grain of salt (or a mountain of salt).
Pros: easy wiring, doesn't need many holes to be drilled, runs farily cool, looks neat
Cons: Not suitable for growing many full size plants, size (farily big for the amount of output), sheet bending slightly from center(not a big deal though)
I think this light is suitable for someone growing inside their house ex. for bonsais or few full size plants, or plenty of seedlings. I'm also planning on building a small shade for it so it doesn't bother normal living. What is your take on this thing?
The strips used 9x : https://www.digikey.fi/products/fi?keyw ... 50-C-C3-ND
Driver used: https://www.digikey.fi/products/fi?keyw ... 2348-ND%09
I hooked up with 18AWG wire which was actually a slight mistake since the connectors were rated for 20-24AWG. Everything is connected in series. Which does put the voltage output fairly high but also made the amount of wire running very small
For heatsink/mounting I used 800x400x3mm aluminium sheet.
The white box you see in the picture is electrical box, the wires run thru the box and the connections are safely made there. The box also servers as the mounting point for the dimming pot as seen in the picture. The box can withstand around 160C so it is good choice for this usage.
Maximum output is max driver output so 151W, the plan is to run it little bit lower around 100-135W depending on situation. I cannot provide accurate numbers on LUX or PPFD since I don't have proper measuring devices. Light sensors in phones are capped at 10k lux so that is more or less useless, but they do give something to make estimates from. My estimates after collecting some data and trying to roughly analyze: At 15cm with 1.0A you are getting around 20-28k LUX and 380-500umols... take these numbers with a grain of salt (or a mountain of salt).
Pros: easy wiring, doesn't need many holes to be drilled, runs farily cool, looks neat
Cons: Not suitable for growing many full size plants, size (farily big for the amount of output), sheet bending slightly from center(not a big deal though)
I think this light is suitable for someone growing inside their house ex. for bonsais or few full size plants, or plenty of seedlings. I'm also planning on building a small shade for it so it doesn't bother normal living. What is your take on this thing?