DIY LED Using 10 Watt Arrays

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by emerald crab

I used one 20000k, one 6500k, one 455nm (royal blue) and one470nm (blue). I used 100 mm (4") PVC pipe and yes I did use optics, one 100 mm diameter glass lens f=80mm. I like it better than individual optics. All the bolts used are 6-32. The swivel mounting was supposed to be used for mounting speakers on the wall. I bought that from Walmart 5-6 years ago. I don't remember what I paid for, but it wasn't expensive.

Thanks for the details. The swivel mount is definitely a nice touch. That's quite a mix of colour temperatures in one LED cannon too! I'm beginning to wonder if my approach will blend the colours adequately.

Progress with my build. BC Fasteners & Tools in Vernon was able to get in some #4-40 stainless machine screws allowing me to mount up more LEDs. I've asked them to bring in another 40 of them plus 2 M2 taps. Not able to use the same holes for mounting as with the M2 nylon screws, but it works. The#4 screws butt up against the curves at the corners of the LED base & the larger head clamps down nicely on it. The #4 tap is larger & more robust than the M2. This time though, I dipped the tap into some diesel fuel to make cutting easier. Diesel is the closest thing I had on hand to kerosene, which is apparently the preferred tap lube for aluminum. Here's a photo showing two arrays, one mounted with the nylon M2 screws & one with the stainless #4s. Several LEDs are mounted using both since I wasn't able to extract the broken pieces of the M2 tap out of the holes.



I've reconfigured the rail to hold 9 LEDs in total. The plan is to start with 5 of the 10,000K LEDs & 4 of the Royal Blue LEDs. Would like additional colours, just not sure how to fit them in at the moment. Perhaps a third rail or some MR16 bulbs. Spacing between the LEDs is now at 4 & 1/2 inches on center. This leaves about 6 inches from the center of the first & last LEDs to the ends of the rail. Two rails to start with, so a total of 19 LEDs for almost 200 watts. The 250 watt power supply will handle that with a few watts to spare. Hoping this will adequately replace my current ghetto DIY 2xT5/2x250 watt Halide rig. Total wattage there is close to 600 watts, I'm overdriving the 4 foot T5 tubes. The 10,000K T5s run morning & evening, with the 14,000K Plusrite Halides coming on in sequence during the midday period. BTAs, LPS, softies & a couple of SPS frags all looking healthy & showing steady growth under the current lighting scheme. Still need to figure out how I'm going to time the LEDs.

Things will be a lot more open with two rails of LEDs replacing this monstrosity.



Have to wait until I hang the rail to see how the LED spacing works as far as blending the 10,000K & Royal Blues without optics. Specs for these LEDs generally quote a viewing angle between 120 & 140 degrees. Intensity will surely be less at the perimeter as directly underneath each array. Will be a matter of adjusting height & spacing between rails to see what works. Further reconfiguration/adjustment is always an option. Still need to complete wiring, measure current for each LED to determine what I need resistance wise for each to run them at the proper level. 5 more heatsinks in the mail & I'll need a few more to get the 9 per rail that I'm shooting for. Couple of spares are probably a good thing too.