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DIY PAR38 LED Track Light

16K views 36 replies 14 participants last post by  Dgilpin22 
#1 · (Edited)
#10 ·
Hoppy, thanks for the link.

It would be interesting to know for discussion & help others. For me it still comes down to how my plants will grow. Between the dimmer & the ability to raise the lights I should be able to dial it it fairly easy.

I got my minimalist look in a way that doesn't look like Aquarium lighting.
You certainly did that! I like that look, but I would probably use different "shades", most likely round ones. This is one more very nice way to light a tank using off the shelf hardware.

Be aware that a PAR meter will only read light wavelengths between 400 - 700 nm (around that). A lux meter will vary drastically depending on what photo resistor/diode it uses.
If we wanted to use a lux meter for a variety of different types of lighting, or for some array of LEDs with a mix of reds, blues, greens, etc. it would likely not be accurate enough. But, if we stick to cool white, neutral white, etc. LEDs, or 6500-10,000K fluorescent lights, or similar color temperature MH lights, it should do well enough for our purposes. We don't need extreme accuracy, and we don't even get that with a PAR meter. The Quantum meters aren't perfectly accurate for low light either. They read in whole digits only, so a reading of 10 micromols is only good to about +/- 1 micromol, or 10%, and errors in technique add still more inaccuracy.

I haven't tried using a lux meter yet, but that's something I hope to do later.
 
#11 ·
yup... which is why my friend said no go for the application i want.
I would get the other spectrum which arent needed inside the lux, and wouldnt represent anything.. minus how well the camera would take its picture at what flash setting

I haven't tried using a lux meter yet, but that's something I hope to do later.
Ohhhh if u figure out a way hoppy let me know..
My friend whose a professional photographer said he would totally loan me his lux meter. But as i said, he said it was pointless for what i wanted.
He knows what a par meter is, and said get a cheap par meter.

Problem tho, a Par meter costs 200 dollars!!! :eek5:
I still want my dual stage regulator b4 a Par meter. :)
 
#18 ·
LOL, thanks. I've done a lot of LED lighting and solder work, just trying to avoid building my own track and soldering multiple LEDs. Plus my dad is an EE and is always confirming/critizing the stuff I build. LOL.

Thanks again!
 
#31 ·
Pretty sweet light setup. I really like it. About those shades though... you mention that finding ones you like, that have plenty of airflow are few and fare between, and expensive. But you also mention "modern looking" shades. Have you considered not using a shade at all? I personally think that it would look plenty modern. I wouldn't think that there would be too much light spilling into the room, as concentrated as that beam is.

If there is too much light spilling into the room if you remove the light shades, maybe you could manufacture something out of aluminum flashing? It's what I used on my 10 and 20 watt LED floods, to keep the light from bouncing against the glass, causing algae issues. Bonus is that aluminum flashing is plenty cheap.
 
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