Finished build (first light)

[R^2]

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?

[Horst]

Looks very nice.
Only thing is u could add a reflector or put all in a white box fir 30% more light on ur plants.
Greets

[R^2]

Good idea, the reflector was actually something I was thinking about and I will probably use some Mylar to create one.

[Horst]

I am a Mylar guy too....but u could also use black and white foil.
Maybe its simple white fitting ur living environment better.
The differences are marginal.

Greets

[R^2]

That one crossed my mind too. The biggest factor for me is which one blocks most light, and they can both block equally well if you just double them up. I guess it all comes down to what my local stores have to offer. I'm still pondering on how to set it up. The optimal solution would be to build it into the light so i don't have separate the system for reflection/blocking the illumination and the light itself. Well the process of designing and thinking is always the most fun so I will let this thing simmer for a while before making any decisions . Thank you for your input though, it's always interesting to read about the ideas people have on their mind!

[R^2]

If I were to double the amount of strips I have but run them in parallel would I be getting more light or roughly the same amount? Each section would get 700mA or less if dimmed. The spread would be more even thus it might be better for the plants. Another question is how does the driver handle this if I choose to run them at 700mA, which would effectively cap the drivers output capacity? If I run at 500-600mA the driver is well out of it's cap. Would this generate enough light compared to the old system or about the same?

Judging by the datasheet (relative flux vs current is pretty much linear) I would be getting rougly the same amount of light with just better spread, it seems.... Obviously it would generate less heat thus expanding the lifetime of the strips...

[Horst]

Yes. That’s possible. Double the strips, wire 2 in parallel with 700ma.
Slightly more light, way better distribution of light and less heat with longer lifetime then.

I would read about parallel series combination....u could do it in two ways.

1: wire all in parallel duo’s and this all in series.
Or 2: have 2 series circuits and wire them together in parallel.

Ur driver is ok with that. Overall the same ampere and slightly less voltage cause of less heat.

Am personal not a fan of parallel but here at ledgardener the most people are. So if I forget anything, pls add.

Greets

[R^2]

My original idea was to go with nro.2 since it's just more simple to do... I was mostly curious on how this new setup would compare to the old setup luminance wise. I came to the same conclusion as you that the distribution should be better and the luminance should be about the same. Good news is my heatsink has the space available since I can just put them in between my other strips . Here comes the hard part... I will have to convince my spouse that this will be better setup and the total lumination will stay about the same. She will have hard time understanding why we need more strips if it doesn't increase the luminance, and only makes spread better and extends the lifetime of the strips. The reaction will be something along the lines of this . To be serious she has been very supportive about this whole light building thing, but she is thinking it's over for now... little does she know .

[Horst]

Haha very good...I don’t know am single

Flowers or breakfast to bed maybe....

Where are the experts for human issues?