Diy 10w led - cheap! : )

[Adkins.its]

My first LED setup. Hopefully someone will benefit from this!

Components from Ebay and DealExtreme.

10W 7,000k LED - $8



1/2"x2"x2" Heatsink with 12V cooling fan - $5



10W 12V Driver - $7



Light housing from Lowe's - $12





11.4 gallon MR. Aqua



Power Supply for the fan was just an old 12V wireless router power supply. - $0

Grand Total: $32-ish

[prototyp3]

Anything eBay and DIY scares me. But that looks great in that light housing. Temperature staying cool? What did the build total come to?

[dbosman@msu.edu]

Impressive mod.
Have you checked the temperature of the heat sink? Does it really need the fan or could a couple of vent holes in the backside of the can provide air flow?

Please let us know how it works for plants.

[carpalstunna]

seems like a wide swath, maybe it would benefit from some optics at that height. A cheap addition. Itll work for plants, 7000K.

[jedimasterben]

I can tell you right now, it may look like one hell of a deal, but going with a cheap chinese knockoff LED isn't going to be cheap in the long run.

These 10w LEDs put out what is listed as "600-700 lumens", which is most likely not true, as well as being 6500-7000k. That's 60-70 lumens per watt, which is very inefficient.

A single Bridgelux BXRA 950-B (another 10w LED, the LED series these guys are trying to copy) running at 500ma puts out over 1100 lumens MINIMUM. They are more powerful and more efficient than even the CREE XM-L.

The LED will burn out very quickly on that heatsink inside of that fixture. You will need to place it on a better heatsink out in the open and run a fan on it to cool it down. As you get into higher wattage LEDs, you need significantly more cooling than 3w LEDs. It will burn out in a month, and you'll be need to purchase another one and wait three weeks for it to arrive. That one will burn out in the same amount of time unless given proper cooling.

You can definitely go with cheaper options, but if it's going to cost you significantly more in the long run, why bother?

[Adkins.its]

Originally Posted by prototyp3

Anything eBay and DIY scares me. But that looks great in that light housing. Temperature staying cool? What did the build total come to?

Its really pretty basic. And The driver gets warmer than the heatsink. I have never tried to measure the temp of the heatsink. It is room temperature to the touch so I don't even worry about it. I added the total cost to the OP.

Originally Posted by dbosman@msu.edu

Impressive mod.
Have you checked the temperature of the heat sink? Does it really need the fan or could a couple of vent holes in the backside of the can provide air flow?

Please let us know how it works for plants.

Yep, its room temp. It really has to have a fan or it will get hot. vent holes would not be enough.

It has already been proven by other board members.

Originally Posted by carpalstunna

seems like a wide swath, maybe it would benefit from some optics at that height. A cheap addition. Itll work for plants, 7000K.

It could definitely use a lens or reflector.

Originally Posted by jedimasterben

I can tell you right now, it may look like one hell of a deal, but going with a cheap chinese knockoff LED isn't going to be cheap in the long run.

These 10w LEDs put out what is listed as "600-700 lumens", which is most likely not true, as well as being 6500-7000k. That's 60-70 lumens per watt, which is very inefficient.

A single Bridgelux BXRA 950-B (another 10w LED, the LED series these guys are trying to copy) running at 500ma puts out over 1100 lumens MINIMUM. They are more powerful and more efficient than even the CREE XM-L.

The LED will burn out very quickly on that heatsink inside of that fixture. You will need to place it on a better heatsink out in the open and run a fan on it to cool it down. As you get into higher wattage LEDs, you need significantly more cooling than 3w LEDs. It will burn out in a month, and you'll be need to purchase another one and wait three weeks for it to arrive. That one will burn out in the same amount of time unless given proper cooling.

You can definitely go with cheaper options, but if it's going to cost you significantly more in the long run, why bother?

Please check out the OP. There is a picture of the heatsink...with a fan.

[Adkins.its]

[Hoppy]

Referring to some LEDs as Chinese cheap knock-offs is amusing. Virtually all LEDs are made in China, as are most other electronic components. Being made in China means made in China - nothing else. The LED light I'm using now has made in China, unbranded, Ebay special LEDs, and it works fine. It has been in use about 18 months now.

[PaytonGPettet]

Is there a link to more pictures? I want to see how the plants are doing I really like the way the lighting looks.

[Adkins.its]

Originally Posted by Hoppy

Referring to some LEDs as Chinese cheap knock-offs is amusing. Virtually all LEDs are made in China, as are most other electronic components. Being made in China means made in China - nothing else. The LED light I'm using now has made in China, unbranded, Ebay special LEDs, and it works fine. It has been in use about 18 months now.

Amen!

Originally Posted by PaytonGPettet

Is there a link to more pictures? I want to see how the plants are doing I really like the way the lighting looks.

Here is one from 10 minutes ago!

[kangshiang]

This actually looks awesome. I like it a lot!!!!!

[Adkins.its]

Thanks!

[Wasserpest]

Very nice, thanks for sharing. While there might be more efficient LEDs out there, they will cost more. I think the cooling is just fine. I've got a bunch of HSF's for computers sitting around calling me to do something with them. I just don't like the light spill.

How did you attach the LED to the heat sink? Tapped the alu?

[Adkins.its]

Originally Posted by Wasserpest

Very nice, thanks for sharing. While there might be more efficient LEDs out there, they will cost more. I think the cooling is just fine. I've got a bunch of HSF's for computers sitting around calling me to do something with them. I just don't like the light spill.

How did you attach the LED to the heat sink? Tapped the alu?

Thanks! And yes I would like to cut down on the light spill as well. I haven't been able to find a reflector for a 10W yet.

Yes, I removed the fan and tapped it. Just used a transfer punch for my centers to drill on. Obviously, I also used some thermal compound between them.

[limz_777]

any update on the growth ?