# DIY LED with mid power chips and no fan.



## 2RedEyes (Dec 14, 2017)

The goal with this light is to provide plenty of light and disperse it evenly through out the grow space and down into the canopy. It uses strips of LED&#8217;s that can be spread out in the grow space. Each strip has 96 LED&#8217;s at a max of 48 watts per strip. This should work well in my small 4.3 sf grow cabinet and allow me to keep the light fairly low over the canopy. Theoretically I could run this thing at 240 watts but my driver will be capable of only 185 watts giving me a max of about 40watts per sf. Each strip has a heatsink and should stay well within its max operating temp without any active cooling. 
So far I have built the frame and temporarily mounted the led strips. I need some heat sink compound before I make them permanent. 
Here is a cost breakdown.
5 led strips @ $20each&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;$100
5 heatsinks @ $10 each&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;$50
1 185amp CC driver&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;$89
Misc frame,screws,wire,etc&#8212;&#8212;-$20
Total&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;$259
And here are some progress pics so far. 

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## umbra (Dec 14, 2017)

that's how I'm doing mine


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## screwdriver (Dec 15, 2017)

Are the strips of LEDs wired in parallel with the one driver?


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## 2RedEyes (Dec 15, 2017)

screwdriver said:


> Are the strips of LEDs wired in parallel with the one driver?



Yes they are. You can use as many strip as you like as long as the driver can support.


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## bombbudpuffa (Dec 15, 2017)

Nice diy!


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## 2RedEyes (Dec 15, 2017)

Thanks Puffa, you inspired me!!!


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## bombbudpuffa (Dec 15, 2017)

Yours will have less downfalls then mine. Active heatsinks can fail, something I have to constantly look out for. Less worries going passive. Looks good too. Very nice design.


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## umbra (Dec 15, 2017)

I got the 240W driver for the 5 strips


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## 2RedEyes (Dec 15, 2017)

umbra said:


> I got the 240W driver for the 5 strips



I have such a small grow space, but I still have about 40 watts per sf. I wired it up today and plugged it in, it is very bright. I made the mistake of watching it as I turned it on. Just a fraction of a second and it was 30 seconds before I could see to find my screw driver... according to my kill-a-watt, my 185 watt driver actually goes above 200 watts. Of course it&#8217;s a cheep Chinese measuring device so perhaps not so... I haven&#8217;t put it in my grow cab yet though since currently it&#8217;s supposed to be night time in there.


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## umbra (Dec 15, 2017)

they added something new, solsticks . Used arrange them pretty much the way you set them up


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## 2RedEyes (Dec 16, 2017)

So their selling the light strips pre attached to the heatsinks... wish Id known cuz I didnt have any heatsink compound in hand. I got some on the way though. Im gonna add a couple of those far red bloom initiators as well to see how much that might help. He also has some blue-red strips and some multi color white strips on the way. Kinda nice to be able to mix up the spectrum a bit and customize your lights.


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## 2RedEyes (Dec 18, 2017)

Trying to finish up these two girls, Harlequin on the left and Blue Dream CBD on the right. 

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## screwdriver (Dec 24, 2017)

How far away are the lights from the top of the plants?


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## 2RedEyes (Dec 24, 2017)

They were about a foot or so in the pic but I gotm about 6 or 8 right now and they seem to like it...


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## 2RedEyes (Dec 24, 2017)

I got the parts to try a little far red flower initiator for my next run. I&#8217;m also looking into an arduino control setup so I can leave home for a week or so when I want. Besides it&#8217;s fun stuff...


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## umbra (Dec 24, 2017)

Hey red, you mentioned the led strips were parallel circuit, but I think you meant series. When you do large banks it can be done as a combination of parallel and series circuits. But with the driver you have, you want the resistance high enough to draw enough current to drive the leds without exceeding the max current of the leds.


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## 2RedEyes (Dec 24, 2017)

Mine are definitely wired in parallel though there may be some series wiring internal to the strip. Each strip needs 24v and my driver only puts out 24v so it would need to be parallel in order to work.


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## umbra (Dec 24, 2017)

2RedEyes said:


> Mine are definitely wired in parallel though there may be some series wiring internal to the strip. Each strip needs 24v and my driver only puts out 24v so it would need to be parallel in order to work.


Well that's not exactly how that works. Yes each strip is getting 24v, but to get it to burn brightly you have to provide enough resistance to draw enough current. A resistor by definition is a current limiting device. By arranging the strips in a parallel circuit, it would not provide enough resistance to draw enough current to make the strips very bright.


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## umbra (Dec 24, 2017)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdLeA2BFT0A


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## 2RedEyes (Dec 24, 2017)

I don&#8217;t know how the LEDs are connected within the strip but my strips are all wired in parallel. I assume that within the strip there are some parallel-series connections going on.
Here is a thread on another forum describing the use of these led strips with more info than I could come up with.
150 watt led using Solstrips


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## umbra (Dec 24, 2017)

ok my mistake


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## 2RedEyes (Jan 1, 2018)

So here is my blue dream CBD, Coming along under the new light.both of the plants in my grow cabinet suffered while I tried dwc but then came back fairly well after going back to the dirt. As soon as this run os done I&#8217;m going to remodel the cabinet for better and easier access and I&#8217;m going to try using coco chips as a grow medium. I&#8217;m even thinking about automating the feeding system to some degree.

In the meantime, I have this bucket this going on. It uses four disassembled a19 14 watt led bulbs mounted on heat sinks and controlled by a sonoff WiFi switch as a timer. A pc fan sits on top and provides ventilation. The plant is in a one gallon cloth pot filled with coco chips. 

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## 2RedEyes (Jan 1, 2018)

The 5 gallon bucket is the veg/flower space and there is a 3 gallon bucket merged into the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket where the cloth pot sits. The height can be adjusted as needed by adding top sections of additional buckets.


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## bombbudpuffa (Jan 1, 2018)

Good looking setup.


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## SMOKINGRANPA (Jan 6, 2018)

I'm thinking LED lights for new room.  Any thoughts on (GrowMau5 X kit )


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## 2RedEyes (Jan 6, 2018)

I&#8217;m not familiar with that kit but I think they ship from Australia right. Check out solstrip.com, shipping from within the USA. One of the things I liked about them and I suppose it&#8217;s similar to the growmau5 stuff is you can use as many of few as you want and arrange them to fit your space and get very good coverage that should extend down into your canopy.


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## SMOKINGRANPA (Jan 6, 2018)

I'll check em out thanks RE, been watching you and bomb, lots of help on the learning curve, thank you both good info.


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## 2RedEyes (Jan 6, 2018)

SMOKINGRANPA said:


> I'll check em out thanks RE, been watching you and bomb, lots of help on the learning curve, thank you both good info.



Here is an article by the guy behind the solstrip lights. It covers the concept that is used by several newer led companys including the fantastic Fluence company that produces commercial grow lights like the Spyder line but using these strips, you can get as dense as you wish and design the shape of your light distribution to meet the needs of your space. The strips are only $20 each so if you decide to add more, you can.
Anywho, just a little more info...


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## bombbudpuffa (Jan 6, 2018)

Hey, 2RE, have you ever used COB's?


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## bombbudpuffa (Jan 6, 2018)

SMOKINGRANPA said:


> I'll check em out thanks RE, been watching you and bomb, lots of help on the learning curve, thank you both good info.



No problem. Hope you can build something you like.


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## 2RedEyes (Jan 6, 2018)

bombbudpuffa said:


> Hey, 2RE, have you ever used COB's?



No I haven&#8217;t, I was just about to though when I found these. Not that they are any better than COB&#8217;s but they seemed simpler and fit my space well. I can keep them about 6&#8221; above the plants and cover the whole space. Maybe just wider dispersion. Both are better I think than the &#8220;blurple&#8221; stuff a lot of light makers are selling.


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## bombbudpuffa (Jan 7, 2018)

2RedEyes said:


> No I havent, I was just about to though when I found these. Not that they are any better than COBs but they seemed simpler and fit my space well. I can keep them about 6 above the plants and cover the whole space. Maybe just wider dispersion. Both are better I think than the blurple stuff a lot of light makers are selling.



I was just curious how these compared to cobs.


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## umbra (Jan 7, 2018)

BBP, Fluence makes a model called vyprx that is meant for supplemental lighting in a greenhouse. It is positioned 18" or more from canopy and works better than many COBs. Not cheap, lol.


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## bombbudpuffa (Jan 7, 2018)

umbra said:


> BBP, Fluence makes a model called vyprx that is meant for supplemental lighting in a greenhouse. It is positioned 18" or more from canopy and works better than many COBs. Not cheap, lol.



Yep. They use the latest tech from leaders in the led industry. They're way overpriced though.


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## 2RedEyes (Jan 15, 2018)

I reworked my bucket a bit and have my auto water/feeding going on now. One of the little sonoff switches on top controls the lights and fan while the other controls the feeding. This is a polar express autoflower in the bucket and I have the lights set for 18/6. The feeding is 4 times per day during lights on only. The black bucket underneath holds the nute solution and a pump is activated to feed thru a loop of 1/4 soaker hose around the plant. Its growing in coco chips so it drains really well and goes right back into the black bucket. I try to check ph every day and will change as needed. These sonoff switches are kinda cool as you can control them via WiFi and you can also pre program them for up to 8 events per day. 

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