Calling out to Weezard for LED advice

[DreadedHermie]

Weezard, what's up? Been super busy, I just hung the 6+2 led light in place of the 400 HPS and got back to real world issues for awhile. Everything looks good. Severe heat stress definitely improved. Plants seemed happy right off the bat; transpiration hassles diminished, too. Plants do NOT seem to be pining for any missing frequencies or intensity.

Been tinkering with the blue ratio, hard to figure anything out in a hurry. Have to wait for the plants to tell me what they like. At first, I just ran all the leds at 1.2 A. But now I've got the blue driver turned all the way down. (13.16V) Haven't checked the current draw at that voltage but it can't be much. The driver for the blues is cooler than the PLN 60-12 which is driving only 2 reds at 10.85V. Not sure I need 2 blues for the next light, at least not this month! (Already have the reds.) Might wanna do a side-by-side with 1 blue vs. 2 blues. Ideal probably varies according to development stage of the plant.

"My mistake" on the heatsink / shield things. They are not impressed with my neodymium magnet, so maybe they are anodized aluminum. Being new at this I just have a hard time viewing those things as heatsinks when they're sealed up in that plastic housing. Seems terribly ineffective.

With the supply off and unplugged, check resistance between both/each heatsink and both ouput pins, in both directions.

Totally open. Nuttin'.

Then, fire it up and check for dc/ac voltage between both the sinks

Pay dirt. Measured 200mV DC and 1.0V AC between the two sinks on one of the drivers (Don't remember which...)

Thanks again for all of your help, encouragement, and kind words. I do intend to do a build log and show how to put together a plug-n-play like this. These prefab drivers are pricey, but folks with heat issues will find it worthwhile, and simple to do. I'll start a log in this forum or the "grow log" section if that seems more appropriate. I'll build the light and photograph the steps within a week or 2, but it may be a while before I can begin the tutorial.

Also want to retest the leds for Vf after 25 days of 12 / 12 which is 300 hours of operation. I read somewhere the leds may burn-in during this period and I wanna check it for myself--see if I've grown a sub-10.6Vf "current hog."

Regards, Hermie

[Weezard]

Weezard, what's up?

Just disposed of all my sugarleaf.
A buddy, a few beers, his schwag, my schwag, (tomato, of course),
Some buckets, some ice, a sunset.
There are many ways to be busy.


Been super busy, I just hung the 6+2 led light in place of the 400 HPS and got back to real world issues for awhile. Everything looks good. Severe heat stress definitely improved. Plants seemed happy right off the bat; transpiration hassles diminished, too. Plants do NOT seem to be pining for any missing frequencies or intensity.

Been tinkering with the blue ratio, hard to figure anything out in a hurry. Have to wait for the plants to tell me what they like. At first, I just ran all the leds at 1.2 A. But now I've got the blue driver turned all the way down. (13.16V) Haven't checked the current draw at that voltage but it can't be much. The driver for the blues is cooler than the PLN 60-12 which is driving only 2 reds at 10.85V. Not sure I need 2 blues for the next light, at least not this month! (Already have the reds.) Might wanna do a side-by-side with 1 blue vs. 2 blues. Ideal probably varies according to development stage of the plant.

"My mistake" on the heatsink / shield things. They are not impressed with my neodymium magnet, so maybe they are anodized aluminum.

Good bet!

Being new at this I just have a hard time viewing those things as heatsinks when they're sealed up in that plastic housing. Seems terribly ineffective.

Actually, they are just that. HeatSINKS. rather than heat pumps or pipes, etc.
It is effective in adding "beef" to a PN junction that would go poof without it. but, is ineffficient in dumping that heat elsewhere.


Thanks again for all of your help, encouragement, and kind words. I do intend to do a build log and show how to put together a plug-n-play like this. These prefab drivers are pricey, but folks with heat issues will find it worthwhile, and simple to do. I'll start a log in this forum or the "grow log" section if that seems more appropriate. I'll build the light and photograph the steps within a week or 2, but it may be a while before I can begin the tutorial.

This has been a rare pleasure.
Your humor is much appreciated.
The wife says you are a "hoot".

I like your style. And we are both "richer" for this.

Though, I'm not quite done with this thread.
Still not sure what to do with this last order of 10 LEDs.
I free'd up my variable PS and will be testing for Vf. tomorrow.
Do you think I should start a new DIY thread or just continue to thrash about in yours?

Also want to retest the leds for Vf after 25 days of 12 / 12 which is 300 hours of operation. I read somewhere the leds may burn-in during this period and I wanna check it for myself--see if I've grown a sub-10.6Vf "current hog."

Good idea, I believe that was from greenpinlane

Regards, Hermie

Please excuse brainfarts and scatterings
li'l 'zard be bubbled tonight.:stoned:

ciao
Weeze

[DreadedHermie]

A trainer friend sent me this. It's actually an ad for Samsung led TV's.


YouTube - Extreme Sheep LED Art

[Neural]

A trainer friend sent me this. It's actually an ad for Samsung led TV's.


YouTube - Extreme Sheep LED Art

Haha, amazing link. Starting to think how I can integrate sheep into my grow light project.

[Weezard]

Leds Still Do.

Stalled again.
Waiting for parcels and parts.
Got choke horses.
Hardly any carts.

<Sigh>

Weezard

[DreadedHermie]

You are homebrewing a switch mode PS for a driver, and have the inductors, but little else?

[Weezard]

Close enough.
In pidgin, "choke" means too much.
I'm sure you caught the initial joke.
And the rest...?

Just sayin' that, once again, I'm out of sequence.
First things last and V. V.
Should have bit the bullet and bought your kine heatsinks first.
Been hunting for another thick alumunum turkey pan to no avail.
Have not even ordered any meanwells or blue leds.
Looking for my round tuit to measure Vf on the red leds.
Seems like my Let's Smoke Dope alarm goes off a little earlier every day.

Ah well. it's self limiting.
My bag has a bottom.

Guess I'd better go do some less important stuff for a while.

Loved the Baaa studs video, thanks.

Weezard

[DreadedHermie]

Been hunting for another thick alumunum turkey pan to no avail.

If "round" ain't a deal-breaker (think UFO) I found some pre-teflon era aluminum skillets / fry pans at thrift shops and garage sales. THICK! Buy 'em for fiddy cent.

Failing that: the eBay heatsink guy ships quick and cheap. 8.5" by whatever length you want. Cuts are free, too. I was originally going to build "photon torpedoes" of single-file leds on a half-width heatsink, but decided to just build dedicated lights to work in my space, rather than build an all-purpose, slide-it-in-anywhere kinda supplemental light. (This thing is kicking butt, BTW-replaced the 400 HPS no problem. :smokin

Anyway, rep me an addy and desired dimensions and I'll gift you one, if it'd brighten your day. :thumbsup: Gotta go! Still busy! (It's a good thing, tho)

[Weezard]

If "round" ain't a deal-breaker (think UFO) I found some pre-teflon era aluminum skillets / fry pans at thrift shops and garage sales. THICK! Buy 'em for fiddy cent.

Failing that: the eBay heatsink guy ships quick and cheap. 8.5" by whatever length you want. Cuts are free, too. I was originally going to build "photon torpedoes" of single-file leds on a half-width heatsink, but decided to just build dedicated lights to work in my space, rather than build an all-purpose, slide-it-in-anywhere kinda supplemental light. (This thing is kicking butt, BTW-replaced the 400 HPS no problem. :smokin

Anyway, rep me an addy and desired dimensions and I'll gift you one, if it'd brighten your day. :thumbsup: Gotta go! Still busy! (It's a good thing, tho)

"Must spread some reputation around before..."

Found an affordable 10" X 10" 'sink.:thumbsup:

But thanks big for the offer.:1baa:

Also found a 12V. 21A. supply and a couple 12V. 8A. dimmers dirt cheap.

Leds tested well.
Got 5 that eat 1.2A @ 10.5V.
4 @ 10.4V and 1 @ 10.3V.

Found 60 degree lenses for the 15W. , (perfect for my bloomin' space), and 90 degree lenses for the 5W. arrays that will now be veg lights.
Whymy actually buying stuff?
Hadda windfall, sold 4 tubes of ICs for $500.
So, 10 X 10, I'm thinkin' 10R and 2B.

* * * *
* * * *
* * * *

Mundane, but effective.

Yay! :yippee:
Mailman just brought the UFO knockoff.
Allaway from Hong Kong.
Hmmm.
Nice!
At 12" I get 8k lux.
Just a tad less than my cakepan with 5 15W leds. (8.4k)
Just 500 lux more than my lensed 5W. array but @625nm. vs 660nm. for both my lights, so it's very relative.
My 10mm 300 led homebrew reads 3.5k
Best I can get out of the HGL 5mm kit is 3k.

First eyeball impression of the faux UFO?
Very bright!
First earball impression?
A bit louder than I had hoped.
Lets give it a week and see what the girls think.
For $200 bucks it's affordable.
For the price of a Procyon, you can hang 2 UFOs and still have some lunch money left.
Now we should see some real competition from the grow light mfgrs.

OK I give up trying to make the diagram size properly. :stoned:

Regards,
Weezard

[DreadedHermie]

21 Amps !??!
10 + 2 !?!!!!

Hold yer horses, there, Nikita--I didn't think things were gonna escalate this quickly! And put yer shoe back on! I have everything I need to stay in this race: Thermal epoxy, room on the heatsink, and my (ouch) credit card! Just no time to "play" for 3-4 more weeks.

Supposed to be retired, but some projects came up that were too good to pass up. Gotta make hay while the iron hot, ya?

To respond to some things that went whizzing by during the last few days:

Some buckets, some ice, a sunset.
There are many ways to be busy.

Sounds grand. Folks complain about the drudgery of ice and buckets, but I love to cook, and that's how makin' bubbles seems to me. Like doing a big vat of demi-glace. You need to be "not-in-a-hurry" and appreciate the journey. I so look forward to relaxing a bit, and doing something nice with some leisurely prep. Coc au Vin, maybe Oxtail Stew. :thumbsup:

Actually, they are just that. HeatSINKS. rather than heat pumps or pipes, etc.
It is effective in adding "beef" to a PN junction that would go poof without it. but, is inefficient in dumping that heat elsewhere.

Well, I am a noob at heatsinks. These finned sinks I got just about made me wet myself, though, and that's dangerous around electricity. One led on a corner of the sink heats it up evenly, all the way to the opposite corner. It never seems warmer near the leds--the heat just flows away evenly, and a fan placed anywhere on the fins (even on a corner) evenly cools the whole sink. If I aimed a circulation fan so it just "grazed" the light that'd probably be sufficient cooling. (At least, for a puny 6 + 2 )

It's just that this term "sink" seems misleading to me. A true heatsink would just get hotter and hotter until...well, it just seems like they are all heat radiators of widely varying form and efficiency. Sealing the "sinks" inside the Meanwells just seems wrong, unless the case (polymer?) is designed to help transfer heat from the sinks to the ambient air. Actually, that was a question: would the meanwells be happier with the case open? (Let me know if you ever get one of 'em so you can help me use it right!)

Do you think I should start a new DIY thread or just continue to thrash about in yours?

Weezard, please do what you think will best serve the greater good. It's an honor to have you here. This thread has lotsa views, and I think your name in the title is why. (If I'd have called it "I am a dumb-ass and am trying to homebrew an led light" I doubt there'd be much interest. :wtf

I was (am) planning to do a separate thread for my build log. No sense dragging innocents through my carnage unneccessarily. Was thinking of a title like: "Build a hi-power led growlight--difficulty level age 12 and up." (Plug-and-play drivers, fo' sho')

So, whatever. Multiple threads about led builds may pique some interest, if that matters for anything. And Weezard is box-office gold. The Brad Pitt of CannCom, sorta:

"Weezard, please be in my thread!"
"We're sorry, Weezard's agent has him booked in multiple techy threads plus a guest appearance at a Star Trek convention. Check back next year for availability."

Whoops, gotta run. To be continued..... Hermie