DIY LED Using 10 Watt Arrays

[daplatapus]

Hey Mike, can you just cut 2 matching arc shaped pieces of 1/2" ply or something and just stick them in 1/3 of the way from each end, effectively cutting the span of those strips to 16"?

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

My main display's DIY LED unit using 10w emitters has a big enough Al heatsink that it uses NO fans and stays barely warm to the touch. Should consider upping the heatsink size/mass to dissipate the heat.

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

My main display's DIY LED unit using 10w emitters has a big enough Al heatsink that it uses NO fans and stays barely warm to the touch. Should consider upping the heatsink size/mass to dissipate the heat.

I have no idea what an "Al heatsink" is or how many emitters you have attached to it, what your spacing is, so more details as to size, weight etc. would help. I'm trying to keep the weight of the fixture reasonable, so not too keen on adding excessive mass. This is the reason I went with the small heatsinks with individual fans in the outset. The fixture hangs by two anchors in the ceiling (I think one is in a stud, but the other is just in drywall), so I'd rather not take the chance on excessive weight causing my fixture to pull loose & fall. The new heatsinks I've used for the center rail seem to be doing the job without fans, so I'm fairly confident that modifying the remaining two rails with the same hardware with a couple of good quality fans to move some air through the fixture should be more than adequate.

More details on your fixture would be a great help. Do you have an update to your LED build thread?

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by daplatapus

Hey Mike, can you just cut 2 matching arc shaped pieces of 1/2" ply or something and just stick them in 1/3 of the way from each end, effectively cutting the span of those strips to 16"?

Thanks for the suggestion. I have considered an additional support near the center of the fixture, but there's just too much stuff in the way, wiring, terminal strips etc.