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DIY LED FAQ - Where to begin?

46K views 60 replies 14 participants last post by  theblondskeleton 
#1 · (Edited)
1. To begin, let me first state that I am not an expert.

I, like a good little parasite, have taken copious notes to keep track of all the info needed to build one of these things. The info was sourced from other hobbyists, vendor websites, and other DIY oriented information sources. After collecting these notes, it was suggested that a thread might be in order to share all of this info in one place.

I built this guide as a reference page for those like me who need to learn as much as they can about LEDs prior to undertaking a DIY build. There will be many mistakes in this first draft, but I have done my best to make this as clear and accurate as possible.

This is kind of like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book. It’s set up as a Q&A discussion with links to relevant sections. Start by considering your most important aspect of this project. I have provided a link to what I think is the most helpful info related to that aspect. I have attempted to provide as much info as I have learned in one location. Given the vast amount of information on this subject, I will be glad to add external links and expand, correct, or otherwise increase the utility of this info guide.

Again, I am not an expert. Consider me more of an archivist with some nominal practical experience (and thus a total nerd). I have compiled as much info as I can from those who are. I haven’t cited specific sources of info in this thread as it is not a scholarly paper, but just a humble FAQ.

A few shout-outs to the pioneers of this process who made mistakes so the rest of us don’t have to. They may not consider themselves experts, but their experiences and experiments have made some great contributions to our hobby.

Hoppy
jcgd
H2oaggie
Schneeball
Salmon
Fizzout
jcardona
IWANNAGOFAST
O2Surplus
Sink

(I'll add others as I remember them, as I know there are more!)

Disclaimer:

I will not accept responsibility for any projects, builds, experiments, plans, or explorations created by anyone using the information contained herein. This is YOUR build. The author claims no responsibility for any damage, injury, fire, explosion, alien invasion, supernatural habitation, spousal rage, second coming, paper cutting, molten formica, ruined pants, or other unfortunate circumstance resulting from the creation of a device using information from this guide. This resource is intended as research utility only!

That said: have fun!

 
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#38 ·
Haha, yeah, sometimes I feel bad myself for asking so much of him. I think he enjoys it as well though, and sees building electronics as fun. He also helped out greatly with Mistergreen's Close enough par meter.

DIY PAR meter, Yeah you heard me
Par Meter Options
Nice! That poor guy is probably going to get bombarded by pm's after this, haha... Seriously - you're making me think you enjoy this stuff as much as I do, haha![/QUOTE]"]Convert Lux Meter to Par Meter

I do love this stuff too. Can't get enough if it myself. I'm really glad you started this thread, because it really is a lot of info and it's about time someone to put it together. The incredible thing is, when many of these threads were made, the authors used every scrap of info they could find, and now there's threads with multiple sources of info, that have multiple sources of info.

I think I might make or try to dig up a DIY fixture enclosure thread for ideas of fixtures to make yourself. I got very lucky with mine, and I was having trouble thinking what I should DIY before I found my aluminum housing.
 
#39 ·
Yeah, that was my biggest issue. There are a bunch of really great sites and threads that explore one or two aspects of a build really deeply, but barely touch on others. Few were as comprehensive as Hoppy's original sticky-build. The trouble there was that the tech is changing so quickly that a lot of it was obsolete, or just unavailable.

I thought since there are so many things to think about when you build an LED that it would be great to consolidate it all. I originally asked about creating a subforum (as you know, haha), and SOMEBODY suggested I make a thread about it. I already had a ton of notes from my own research, so it was really just a cut-and-paste job. I polished it up a bit, and here it is.

They say the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone. I suppose after a few months of this I might grow to be an expert after all!

I think that's a great idea, by the way. A lot of these builds are very practical and utilitarian, and yours is so polished, it would be great to share some ideas to finish some of the very nice fixtures out there - make them wife-friendly :)
 
#42 ·
Any new info out there? I just updated the controller section, and I'm looking into adding a link to some info on the new Cree XP-G2.

Jcgd, if you'd like I can add a housing and finishes section to the heat sink post that could outline some options for finishing fixtures. We could just post pics here as well, I suppose. I'd like to invite anyone with a fixture to post photos here so we can start collecting ideas. Post your builds!
 
#43 ·
I'd like to invite anyone with a fixture to post photos here so we can start collecting ideas. Post your builds!
I haven't started my build yet but if I started today I would probably use 80/20 erector set to not only hold the heatsinks together but also provide a solid structure for suspension. 80/20 also have black anodized profiles that look nice.
 
#54 ·
Great thread! Dont know how I missed it before.....

I kinda stopped following up with LEDs since I completed my build, forgot about my build thread to be honest....cool to see it linked here. I'll have to post an update on it's finished look, and resulting plant growth.

One thing I think some of us are still tweaking is getting the right spectrum mix to best promote red plants as that seems to be the only issue with LEDs. I get a bit of color with my mix, but I agree with the most in that somethings missing.

How many of these builds use a plexiglas shield? Anyone ever play around with using different types of it? Ie clear, blue, green tint...
 
#57 ·
That's an even better idea. Might have to give that a whirl, looks like there's a dealer quite close to me. My fixture might be lacking the punch to get the most out of trying this but it's seems like it could be a great idea to play with as far a tweaking my current spectrum goes.

Thanks for the link hoppy.
 
#56 ·
I am using Cree XT-E's (50/50 cool white and neutral white) and I get great color - however, I have no real red plants. Using the Rosco gels would be great to see! Some of the guys around here are looking at using more warm whites. Jcgd is one, I believe. I'll keep an eye out and link in what I find as I can!
 
#58 ·
Close to a year of this thread! I hope it has been helpful to folks as you venture into DIY LED's! Feedback on this thread is always welcome. Let me know if there are things that are out-of-date, or updates that could be made. I'm happy to keep this thread current for anyone looking to build a fixture, or just to "nerd out" on the process.
 
#60 ·
Hey Skeleton!
I'm glad to see that you're still lurking around these parts. I'm using a few 50 watt RGB leds to bring out the "reds" in my tank. I'm also blasting my Ludwigia Inclinata var. "Cuba" with an additional 100 watts of Warm white just as an experiment to see if it will get any more "blood red" than it already is. Lol
 
#61 ·
Hey O2! Yeah, my school year gets pretty hectic, so I try to get back in the swing of the forum in the summer - when I have the time, haha...

Nice to hear you are having success with the warm whites - my mix wasn't producing the color I was looking for, so I added some red as well. It was a little, but the difference in growth was noticeable.
 
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