Is it difficult to make your own strips?

tilopa

Well-Known Member
Wondering how hard it is to put together strips from LM301b diodes? I'd like to try this more for my own amusement.

Do the diodes need to be soldered to the substrate, or are there other methods? The Samsung strips that I've bought there is no visible wiring, how do they do that?

I know it is not cost effective to do this, but I'm curious anyway.
 

cobshopgrow

Well-Known Member
its doable these days, but need some knowledge and work.

A PCB Cad software is needed, there are fee ones like Kicad.
There are also lots instructions for thermal managment of Led´s on PCB´s out there, better to read them before starting a desing.
You can order the PCB design from many manufactorers, most are located in china.
For soldering, FR4 is easy to do with a Hoitair soldering gun.
Aluminium PCB is quite hard to solder, you would need to heat the whole PCB by a heatplate or oven, rework station etc.
There are pro tools out there, it just can become pricey at this point.
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Basically If you can design, source and print this, then take the time to Surface Mount Solder every single diode, you're off to the races!

D504EAC6-31C1-4756-9F9F-8575ABBB6163.jpeg
Source credit for pic @Baked420☆
 

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
Wondering how hard it is to put together strips from LM301b diodes? I'd like to try this more for my own amusement.

Do the diodes need to be soldered to the substrate, or are there other methods? The Samsung strips that I've bought there is no visible wiring, how do they do that?

I know it is not cost effective to do this, but I'm curious anyway.
The technique is called surface mounting, as in SMD surface mounted device. You heatt the pcb with chips carefully for the solder to take. I knoww @cobshopgrow did some for his red sup but i think he is very busy with family right now. Anyways there youtube and online respurces but its not worth the hassle for samsung chips i thiink, but maybe for custom monos, if you can get them.on the cheap.
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
The technique is called surface mounting, as in SMD surface mounted device. You heatt the pcb with chips carefully for the solder to take. I knoww @cobshopgrow did some for his red sup but i think he is very busy with family right now. Anyways there youtube and online respurces but its not worth the hassle for samsung chips i thiink, but maybe for custom monos, if you can get them.on the cheap.
I'd say not even then... Mark @welight has got the necessary tools over at cutter to customize literally any thing you could ever think of. Maybe not a specific board with specially detailed traces, but certainly strips with any different diodes you could ever want, layed out side to side, with no gaps between them, is basically a custom board. 280/560/1200mm lengths. Whatever your heart desires.
 

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
I'd say not even then... Mark @welight has got the necessary tools over at cutter to customize literally any thing you could ever think of. Maybe not a specific board with specially detailed traces, but certainly strips with any different diodes you could ever want, layed out side to side, with no gaps between them, is basically a custom board. 280/560/1200mm lengths. Whatever your heart desires.
Iirc: the 2 foot strips are 1.6mm foot print which is not great. Mark, please correct me if im wrong cause ive been looking for customized 2 footers for quite some time, it seems like i cant get uv+420+660+850 anywhere in 2 foot format.

1 foot are standard 3.5mm and there are really nice options for 2 channel strips. But that would mean 4 strips per light for my format. But there are some really nice stuff there.
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Iirc: the 2 foot strips are 1.6mm foot print which is not great. Mark, please correct me if im wrong cause ive been looking for customized 2 footers for quite some time, it seems like i cant get uv+420+660+850 anywhere in 2 foot format.

1 foot are standard 3.5mm and there are really nice options for 2 channel strips. But that would mean 4 strips per light for my format. But there are some really nice stuff there.
It's probably because the TRUE UV Diodes need to be ran at literally 150mA MAX for any kind of longevity of its lifespan.
450s and 660s are more often ran much harder aren't they?
 

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
It's probably because the TRUE UV Diodes need to be ran at literally 150mA MAX for any kind of longevity of its lifespan.
450s and 660s are more often ran much harder aren't they?
I meant uva, i think cutter have some decent priced going down to 380nm. These are similar in manufacturing and performance to 420s and 450s i believe. They can be run ok up to 700ma.

Uvb, imo, should always go on sep heatsink and driver, to keep them cool at anytime. Dont want them to deal with the heat of the main light. And correct: they usually use 100mA nominal, nachooo likes to give his a bit more 150mA, fo' shizzle
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
I meant uva, i think cutter have some decent priced going down to 380nm. These are similar in manufacturing and performance to 420s and 450s i believe. They can be run ok up to 700ma.

Uvb, imo, should always go on sep heatsink and driver, to keep them cool at anytime. Dont want them to deal with the heat of the main light. And correct: they usually use 100mA nominal, nachooo likes to give his a bit more 150mA, fo' shizzle
Well just say that then, buddy you meant "Hyper Violet"
 

grotbags

Well-Known Member
Iirc: the 2 foot strips are 1.6mm foot print which is not great. Mark, please correct me if im wrong cause ive been looking for customized 2 footers for quite some time, it seems like i cant get uv+420+660+850 anywhere in 2 foot format.

1 foot are standard 3.5mm and there are really nice options for 2 channel strips. But that would mean 4 strips per light for my format. But there are some really nice stuff there.
i would imagine its only a matter of time before the bulk of cutters supplimental strips switch to the 3535 footprint. but for the time being you can buy the v2 solstrip and just fill channel 3 and leave chan1 and chan 2 empty, that would give you 12 mono's on a 2ft strip in the 3535 footprint to play with.
 
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Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
i would imagine its only a matter of time before the bulk of cutters supplimental strips switch to the 3535 footprint. but for the time being you can buy the v2 solstrip and just fill channel 3 and leave chan1 and chan 2 empty, that would give you 12 mono's on a 2ft strip in the 3535 footprint to play with.
Link please or is this custom by email?
 

grotbags

Well-Known Member
Link please or is this custom by email?
if you look on cuters solstrip v2 page - https://www.cutter.com.au/product/ssk-3560br-v2/ the last three strips in the scroll down box are just single channel, they currently list a uv blend - 365nm(3), 380nm(3), 395nm(2), 400nm(2),415nm(2)-(12)total, a 730(12) and a 660(12). but i think mark @welight will do you any combo you want, the only downside is you are technically paying for pcb real estate that your not using ie chan1 and 2.
 

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
Well just say that then, buddy you meant "Hyper Violet"
Below 400: uva until 320ish, then uvb until 280, below is uvc. But so many nowdays seems to call the 420-400 region uv something even though its technically incorrect. Theres also the n-uva, or near uva, 390-400.

Edit: and top plant reactivity seems to be around 280ish 360ish and 420ish, based on stomata aperture action spectrum and uvr8 photoreceptor.
 
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Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
if you look on cuters solstrip v2 page - https://www.cutter.com.au/product/ssk-3560br-v2/ the last three strips in the scroll down box are just single channel, they currently list a uv blend - 365nm(3), 380nm(3), 395nm(2), 400nm(2),415nm(2)-(12)total, a 730(12) and a 660(12). but i think mark @welight will do you any combo you want, the only downside is you are technically paying for pcb real estate that your not using ie chan1 and 2.
Found it looks real good. Id prefer them to be of a 24v architecture but whatevs.
 
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