DIY LED with COBs - small medium and large grows

h4ppyf4rmer · May 24, 2017

here's what I ended up buying for running my 18 COB bloom array with 220v:
20 - BXRC-30G10K0-D-7X-S VERO29SE 36V 90CRI COBs (18 for my tent, two spare) from Future
3 - mean well HLG-320H-C1400B drivers from Arrow
18 - 140mm pin heatsinks from RapidLED
6 - 1x4 RapidLED frames from RapidLED
18 - heatsink mounts clips from RapidLED
6 - fixture hangers from RapidLED
7g - Arctic silver 5 from amazon
3 - power monitor displays from amazon
3 - 220v timer switches from amazon
300' - 18 AWG solid wire (100-black, 100-white, 100-yellow) from amazon
3 and 5 slot WAGO connectors from amazon
25' 1/4" nylon braiding from amazon (to dress up the wires a little)
I'm sure I'm going to need some small miscellaneous stuff like pvc boxes...

then I cried a little when I looked at my credit card balance...

Toaster79 · May 24, 2017

h4ppyf4rmer said:
here's what I ended up buying for running my 18 COB bloom array with 220v:
20 - BXRC-30G10K0-D-7X-S VERO29SE 36V 90CRI COBs (18 for my tent, two spare) from Future
3 - mean well HLG-320H-C1400B drivers from Arrow
18 - 140mm pin heatsinks from RapidLED
6 - 1x4 RapidLED frames from RapidLED
18 - heatsink mounts clips from RapidLED
6 - fixture hangers from RapidLED
7g - Arctic silver 5 from amazon
3 - power monitor displays from amazon
3 - 220v timer switches from amazon
300' - 18 AWG solid wire (100-black, 100-white, 100-yellow) from amazon
3 and 5 slot WAGO connectors from amazon
25' 1/4" nylon braiding from amazon (to dress up the wires a little)
I'm sure I'm going to need some small miscellaneous stuff like pvc boxes...

then I cried a little when I looked at my credit card balance...

You got the screws and wahers?

h4ppyf4rmer · May 24, 2017

Toaster79 said:
You got the screws and washers?

to mount the COBs to the heatsinks, they come with the heatsinks.

Vic smart · May 25, 2017

Hay bud i spok to realstels11 he put me on whith u. U no jarry seid 30for shiping u ging king for just 5 chips lol idk. I just fowd alternative 3590 they have 50 volts 1500 milliamp sweet spot

Toaster79 · May 25, 2017

h4ppyf4rmer said:
to mount the COBs to the heatsinks, they come with the heatsinks.

Sinks and drivers to frames?

h4ppyf4rmer · May 25, 2017

Toaster79 said:
Sinks and drivers to frames?

There are screws that come with the heatsink to mount the COBs to the heatsink and mount the heatsink to a DIY frame.

With Rapids new frames, you need to buy special clips for each COB. I think it was $5 for a set of clips, but these clips and frames make the COB locations configurable.

Cob scribble · May 25, 2017

I dont no on on the quantum boards because the quantum boards from what real style says ain't putting out chunkers he sold his Quantum boards I think the new thing is Chill grow lights Quantum boards are going to help logo riginal all white Quantum boards my personal opinion all white is good but some extra Spectrum in there is going to benefit]

h4ppyf4rmer · May 25, 2017

Toaster79 said:
Sinks and drivers to frames?

oh, and the drivers are mounted to the Rapid frame with a special mount that you can purchase from them $10 I think. I didn't buy them as I'm going to mount the driver external to the tent on my power board. so I'm kind of glad Rapid made the frame kits a-la-carte where you can order the frame, heatsink mounts and driver mount separately.

sixstring · May 25, 2017

Cob scribble said:
I dont no on on the quantum boards because the quantum boards from what real style says ain't putting out chunkers he sold his Quantum boards I think the new thing is Chill grow lights Quantum boards are going to help logo riginal all white Quantum boards my personal opinion all white is good but some extra Spectrum in there is going to benefit]

Dont believe everything you read.quantums grow dank.you think hundreds of quantum users are wrong or just fooled maybe?

dnewsome2 · Jun 3, 2017

SupraSPL said:
Hey guys a lot of you know me from RIU or ICMag but for the LED growers here that have not seen it, here is the recipe for building DIY LED very cheaply. Why build a DIY lamp? You can get up to 49% efficiency if you can find the top bins and run them soft (700mA). You can get 36% efficiency with the mid bin running hard (1400mA). The best commercial LEDs (Area 51, Apache, Onyx) are in the low 30s. Another advantage is the ability to have remote drivers to keep that heat out of your grow space and away from the LED heatsinks.

Everything has changed since COBs became available to us. It is much easier to build a lamp and it turns out that 3000K works just fine on its own, better than HPS even.

For the simplest build the best COBS to use are the Cree CXA3070 and Vero 29. The CXA 3000K has 14% blue and the Vero 3000K 8-10%. They are available on Digikey or if you need a bulk order you can save $ on Arrow.

As far as drivers go, 1.4A is a good compromise between cost and efficiency. They are available on eBay for $13, 90% efficient and power factor corrected. You can use Mean Well LPC-60-1400 but it is lower efficiency and not power factor corrected. If you want to run at 1050mA you can use Mean Well LPC-60-1050. The one I tested was 88% efficient.

For heatsinks, CPU coolers work great for small grows. The 92mm Arctic 11 Plus is a favorite because it can be found for $10 and uses a fluid dynamic bearing fan, lots of cooling power and not too loud. Amazon and Newegg sometimes offer them for $10. Currently outletPC has them for $10 with reasonable shipping cost.

If you are building a medium or large lamp, I recommend HeatsinkUSA 5.88" profile. A 12" length is good for (2) COBs and a 24" length is good for (4) COBs. You can cool it with a single 140mm fan to make a super efficient cooling combo. I recommend the Prolimatech 140mm from Amazon. It is quiet even at 13V and moves a lot of air.

View attachment 415611

The Vero is solder free but the Cree requires a COB holder and to go solder free. Both methods require drilling and tapping the heatsink. I don't mind the soldering so rather than drilling, I mount the COB with Prolimatech PK3 thermal paste and then use kapton to tape the COB in place so it cannot slide sideways. The paste makes a very strong vacuum when you press the COB onto the heatsink. It will not come off from gravity or heat. If you try to pry it off it will break. You have to twist it and then slide it sideways to get it off.

Small build:
View attachment 415595

Medium build:
View attachment 415593

Large build:
View attachment 415594

Hello there. There is a Roleadro on Amazon that claims it has a 3000k Cree cxa 3070. Of course I couldn't find any specifications about the driver or anything like that but they claim it has some type of Glass lens on it. Just wondering if you knew anything about this light or if it was garbage.https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01I...tDescription_secondary_view_div_1496468636600

ofbyah · Jun 3, 2017

Hi all
Has anyone compared the reflector vs glass lens vs silicone lens for the 3590 yet?

Gherb · Jun 3, 2017

dnewsome2 said:
Hello there. There is a Roleadro on Amazon that claims it has a 3000k Cree cxa 3070. Of course I couldn't find any specifications about the driver or anything like that but they claim it has some type of Glass lens on it. Just wondering if you knew anything about this light or if it was garbage.https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01I...tDescription_secondary_view_div_1496468636600

I have looked at that light and wondered if it would perform well. I am curious as well.

dnewsome2 · Jun 3, 2017

I think I've come to the conclusion you can build a way better one for less money plus the way you want it. I was willing to pay a little more because I wanted something that looked a little more nicer but I don't think it's worth it. I think a guy would be better off to spend that money on high-quality chips.

h4ppyf4rmer · Jun 3, 2017

dnewsome2 said:
Hello there. There is a Roleadro on Amazon that claims it has a 3000k Cree cxa 3070. Of course I couldn't find any specifications about the driver or anything like that but they claim it has some type of Glass lens on it. Just wondering if you knew anything about this light or if it was garbage.https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01I...tDescription_secondary_view_div_1496468636600[/QUOTE

yeah, I wouldn't trust the "400w" number on that light.
those Cree parts have a forward voltage of 36v and a maximum current of 2.8 amps. so at maximum you would have 36v x 2.8a = 100watts per COB. that fixture only has tw0 COBs so the COBs can only draw 200 Watts MAX. I would never run anything at max, it would burn those COBs out pretty fast.

so I have no idea where they get there 400Watt number.

dnewsome2 · Jun 3, 2017

h4ppyf4rmer said:
yeah, I wouldn't trust the "400w" number on that light.
those Cree parts have a forward voltage of 36v and a maximum current of 2.8 amps. so at maximum you would have 36v x 2.8a = 100watts per COB. that fixture only has tw0 COBs so the COBs can only draw 200 Watts MAX. I would never run anything at max, it would burn those COBs out pretty fast.

so I have no idea where they get there 400Watt number.

That is what I was hoping someone would tell me thank you.

dnewsome2 · Jun 3, 2017

h4ppyf4rmer said:
yeah, I wouldn't trust the "400w" number on that light.
those Cree parts have a forward voltage of 36v and a maximum current of 2.8 amps. so at maximum you would have 36v x 2.8a = 100watts per COB. that fixture only has tw0 COBs so the COBs can only draw 200 Watts MAX. I would never run anything at max, it would burn those COBs out pretty fast.

so I have no idea where they get there 400Watt number.

Let me ask you a stupid question if I use say a 1400 and a dimmer is that like Deming it down to his 700 I want it to be as efficient as possible when I want and then be able to Blair it also

dnewsome2 · Jun 3, 2017

dnewsome2 said:
Let me ask you a stupid question if I use say a 1400 and a dimmer is that like Deming it down to his 700 I want it to be as efficient as possible when I want and then be able to Blair it also

I am sorry if that didn't make any sense let me get my facts a little straighter and I will hit you back.

dnewsome2 · Jun 3, 2017

h4ppyf4rmer said:
yeah, I wouldn't trust the "400w" number on that light.
those Cree parts have a forward voltage of 36v and a maximum current of 2.8 amps. so at maximum you would have 36v x 2.8a = 100watts per COB. that fixture only has tw0 COBs so the COBs can only draw 200 Watts MAX. I would never run anything at max, it would burn those COBs out pretty fast.

so I have no idea where they get there 400Watt number.

Okay so what I would like to accomplish is building this light

h4ppyf4rmer said:
yeah, I wouldn't trust the "400w" number on that light.
those Cree parts have a forward voltage of 36v and a maximum current of 2.8 amps. so at maximum you would have 36v x 2.8a = 100watts per COB. that fixture only has tw0 COBs so the COBs can only draw 200 Watts MAX. I would never run anything at max, it would burn those COBs out pretty fast.

so I have no idea where they get there 400Watt number.

Is it possible to build my light so that it will run at its absolute maximum efficiency as far as heat and electric usage but then be able to switch it over when you don't care about heat or electric or efficiency you just want the most light. Would a dimmer simply do that or would I need a separate set of drivers?

h4ppyf4rmer · Jun 3, 2017

dnewsome2 said:
Let me ask you a stupid question if I use say a 1400 and a dimmer is that like Deming it down to his 700 I want it to be as efficient as possible when I want and then be able to Blair it also

I think I know what you're saying, if you use a 1400ma mean well supply and you use a dimmer on that supply, you will be cutting down on the current. so if you dim it half way, you are effectively running at 700ma and of course half the wattage the COB will use.

dnewsome2 · Jun 3, 2017

h4ppyf4rmer said:
I think I know what you're saying, if you use a 1400ma mean well supply and you use a dimmer on that supply, you will be cutting down on the current. so if you dim it half way, you are effectively running at 700ma and of course half the wattage the COB will use.

Right so I'm just trying to understand how they are figuring these efficiency ratios not sure if it's wired in parallel or series or the chip itself or the driver that would make it more efficient.No matter what I want the most efficient and coolest running light set up I can get

DIY LED with COBs - small medium and large grows

DIY LED with COBs - small medium and large grows

h4ppyf4rmer

Toaster79

h4ppyf4rmer

Vic smart

Toaster79

h4ppyf4rmer

Cob scribble

h4ppyf4rmer

sixstring

dnewsome2

ofbyah

Gherb

dnewsome2

h4ppyf4rmer

dnewsome2

dnewsome2

dnewsome2

dnewsome2

h4ppyf4rmer

dnewsome2

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