DIY COB grow light

[bombbudpuffa]

Thanks everyone!

MP-Nah. I'm constantly rotating and moving them and I have the fan tilted upwards so the plants aren't being blown around as much as you would think from the pic.

 

[bombbudpuffa]

6 weeks from seed and Day 1 12/12. Will be flowered under 1 400w hps and around 350w of led. That 350w will more than likely be increased sometime soon.

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[MeNtAlPaTiEnT]

Yowzas! Happy girls you have there.

 

[bombbudpuffa]

Yowzas! Happy girls you have there.

Thank you mental!

 

[Budlight]

Man they are looking excellent buddy really beautiful can’t wait to see how they come along the next little bit I know they’re going to be crazy I know you don’t mind doing a little bit a DIY stuff you should look on Instagram or search the photon phantom boards they are really amazing boards for the price and the nice part about them is they have all the colours you need in one board

 

[bombbudpuffa]

Man they are looking excellent buddy really beautiful can’t wait to see how they come along the next little bit I know they’re going to be crazy I know you don’t mind doing a little bit a DIY stuff you should look on Instagram or search the photon phantom boards they are really amazing boards for the price and the nice part about them is they have all the colours you need in one board

Yea, I'm cheap and those boards are expensive. I'm so happy with the cobs atm I'm not even seeing a reason to look for better. I still have several different cobs I want to play around with and I like how I can mix my own specs with the cobs. I'll play around with those eventually but I don't see it in my near future.

 

[MeNtAlPaTiEnT]

Yea, I'm cheap and those boards are expensive. I'm so happy with the cobs atm I'm not even seeing a reason to look for better. I still have several different cobs I want to play around with and I like how I can mix my own specs with the cobs. I'll play around with those eventually but I don't see it in my near future.

There's a guy on youtube called thegrowboss. He HATES Leds. Should tell him whats up. I wanna see someone put him in his seat!

 

[bombbudpuffa]

There's a guy on youtube called thegrowboss. He HATES Leds. Should tell him whats up. I wanna see someone put him in his seat!

To each their own. I was skeptical but I even have a burple led light that kicks butt. I'm sold...plotting the next build.

 

[Hackerman]

So, I am looking to start on this soon. Just been kind of reading a little background.

This light will be used for flowering only. I'm not sure how Kelvin applies to LED. I am reading where the full 56k is fine because the 27k is just the 56k with a filter to eliminate the difference in blue. Some say bull. I'm not sure who to believe. I was also looking at CRI. No one seems to give a hoot about that. LMAO

The Cree LEDs, themselves look pretty cheap. I am wondering where the giant cost kicks in.

Anyway, for a flowering light, what K should I look for?

Thanks

 

[bombbudpuffa]

So, I am looking to start on this soon. Just been kind of reading a little background.

This light will be used for flowering only. I'm not sure how Kelvin applies to LED. I am reading where the full 56k is fine because the 27k is just the 56k with a filter to eliminate the difference in blue. Some say bull. I'm not sure who to believe. I was also looking at CRI. No one seems to give a hoot about that. LMAO

The Cree LEDs, themselves look pretty cheap. I am wondering where the giant cost kicks in.

Anyway, for a flowering light, what K should I look for?

Thanks

I'd go for 2700, 3000 or 3500 but a 4000 isn't out of the question. I use cree but they're older chips. I mainly use citizen clu048 1212 and I mostly use 3500k. I use different cri too. The reason is a clu048 90 cri and clu048 80 cri are peaking at different nanometers so I mix them to get a more "full" spectrum.

https://cobkits.com/product/citizen-clu048-1212-90cri-gen5/

$10 a piece and they're awesome.

 

[Hackerman]

Hey Bomb, what do you think of these....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-170-26...r-380NM-840NM-Full-Spectrum-LED-/262703085255

COB with a built-in driver. Seems like it would save some assembly. Not sure what the down side will be.

Thanks again

 

[bombbudpuffa]

I have a few. Nowhere near as bright as those citizen chips. I wouldnt recommend for growing but I use one for a security light though.

 

[Hackerman]

Cool, thanks. I figured there would be a down side. LOL

Thanks again

 

[sopappy]

Thank you THG but, I promise, anyone could do it. You can make one without touching a soldering gun. I'll show you how easy it is.

what about the tap and die thing, easy to botch that,
I wonder if self-tap screws would be as tight

 

[sopappy]

I'd go for 2700, 3000 or 3500 but a 4000 isn't out of the question. I use cree but they're older chips. I mainly use citizen clu048 1212 and I mostly use 3500k. I use different cri too. The reason is a clu048 90 cri and clu048 80 cri are peaking at different nanometers so I mix them to get a more "full" spectrum.

https://cobkits.com/product/citizen-clu048-1212-90cri-gen5/

$10 a piece and they're awesome.

"$13.50 medium flat rate box (~$65 international to most countries):"

weehoo, don't care, I'll pay, surely to gawd kanada is still a most country?

GREAT thread on the build, thanks for that, and the wifi automation link too! (wish I'd had that, I had to make x10 work)

mulling over to your posts to put together my parts list, thanks again!
I've been agonizing over new lights, this is the option for me up here methinks.

 

[sopappy]

Now you have a chip mounted to an active heatsink. To be continued...

Friggin lovely, shop teacher would be gushing!
How much you want for one of those?
seriously, that's the hard part, you need tap and skilz, I'd buy 8

I'm also curious why you don't get everything at that Cobkits site, are you saving by using Ebay? and again, thanks for the links!
I thought I'd find "kits" at that site, just 5 pages of parts but I did stumble across these, maybe this engine thing makes this even easier https://cobkits.com/product/cxm22-light-engine/

 

[Hackerman]

I have been trying to buy parts as well and cobkits has been out of stock forever. Digikey is $24 for the same thing. Ebay had similar but not the same COBs.

Any good sources?

Also, just tossing this out... I plan to make each COB as a separate light on a separate hanger with a separate HS and fan and a separate plug and a separate..... well, you get it. Then, I can hang one here and there, wherever I need it as required to accommodate different heights and areas of coverage.

That's why I kind of like those COBs with the drivers built-in. So far, everything I have seen is.... one driver runs many COBs.

 

[bombbudpuffa]

what about the tap and die thing, easy to botch that,
I wonder if self-tap screws would be as tight

It's not that hard but if you do 20 heatsinks expect to screw up a few taps. It happens.

How much you want for one of those?

3000...Canadian

are you saving by using Ebay?

Sometimes. I shop around for the best deals.

maybe this engine thing makes this even easier

That's your chip mounted to a heatsink. Buy 4 or 5 of those then you'll only need a driver and power supply, not including wire and connectors.

Any good sources?

Which chip are you looking for?

That's why I kind of like those COBs with the drivers built-in. So far, everything I have seen is.... one driver runs many COBs.

I don't think you'll be impressed with those but they're just like $2 a piece so no big loss. If you don't like them you can do like me and use it as a security light lol.

 

[Hackerman]

Sources... for the Citizen cob you recommended. Cobkits has been out forever.

As for the COBs with built-in drivers..... don't they make brighter (suitable for growing) ones?

Thanks again for the guidance.

 

[bombbudpuffa]

Sources... for the Citizen cob you recommended. Cobkits has been out forever.

As for the COBs with built-in drivers..... don't they make brighter (suitable for growing) ones?

Thanks again for the guidance.

They have the 4000 and 2700 in both 80 and 90 cri. I'd grab one of each and make a 4 bar. Those are an awesome deal that's why they're selling so fast.

I'd suggest you buy one then buy a cob and compare them. At 55w cobs make the 100w itegrated driver chips look pitiful. I had them in the tent but they were nowhere near as bright so I just replaced it with more cobs.

No problem! Hope you get you a nice light built.