LED DIY : Making of a "DJ SET "-style grow led light .

This one is not good ..
(one thermal pad is etched in middle...A tiny scratch ,which I didn't notice ,to " fill" with marker ...)

Another print ...

......

^^^^
that tiny scratch is negligible.

stardustsailor said:

Ta-da!!!!!

View attachment 2527258View attachment 2527259View attachment 2527239View attachment 2527257...
Two more left ...
Piece of cake ....

Click to expand...

go popeye go...

Well....


So eager to try making mcpcbs for the box ...That ...
Well ..Not exactly measure ,so to use the first material in the most efficient way ...
Anyway ..Not that expensive...
And those are the thick pcbs (1,2 mm ) ..
I'm waiting also for some thinner (1 mm ) to arrive ...
..
^^^Now ..Making all this high-tech stuff ..And feeling bored to properly measure ,mark and cut ...
At least 12 small led pcbs I would have been able to have made by using just one "almost A4 " blank pcb sheet ..
Okey ...it was just for ...testing .....sacrifised as Scrap - metal sheet .....!!
So by now .....

-DIY metal core pcbs specially for Oslons SSLs' ?
-Check !....Done !
With thermal copper pours ...

(One has not good contact trace ,does not pass for sure ...
And only one also , is completely finished )
....


......
Now ....They will look ,something like this when assembled on the heatsink ....
3 x 12 = 36 leds ...
.......

I think it looks nice ,for DIY construction ...
How they will perform is the whole point .....
..
He-he-he .... ;-P

P.S. : Specially Thanx,to those who denied me their services or goods,by any means possible ...
Because of them ,I've managed to do the job , by myshelf ..

Stardustsailor .
Stoner ,grower and DIYer .

Click to expand...

" DIY your led MCpcb " Procedure Notes:

Pre-print :
-'Mirror' only "through hole *" pcb desings ,( *for under layer of FR4 pcbs ,where pin parts will be soldered )
-Do not 'Mirror' Surface Mounted Device desings .(i.e. like for a led mcpcb .. )

Printing :
-Choose "pre-printed paper " at printer's paper choice. Darkest contrast setting .Finest Quality .
(You want as much toner as possible in the transfer paper ...)
-Choose a paper of S.market/ fast food /pizza delivery /shops catalogs & flyers.
Something that almost sticks to your fingers ,if lightly sweaty/spitted/licked/wet ...

Finding the right paper is the biggest secret of success,in the whole operation ...
Right paper will transfer immediately (stick ) to hot, iron pre-heated mcpcb ..
Right paper will come off with only few drops of water (! ) ,leaving a clean & smooth transfer on copper...


Transferring :
-Place kitchen paper over pcb and let iron on top to preheat pcb (for about 15-20" )..
-Set iron to max ...
-Transferred parts will show(and 'feel') as bumpy traces ,as you iron ...
-Pay attention to corners and edges ..
-Do not overpress with iron tip ...Traces will "bridge " ( toner melts and ..flows ... )
-iron carefully the whole surface ,lightly with iron tip for details ,
iron blade sides (' cuts '... !! ) and "back " of iron ( most commonly a flat "Spatula" shape . ) for larger copper pours or smd areas ...

At end ...wet your hand and whipe it over paper ...
A bit of water...
Then iron over wet paper ,just a tad ...
The steam will make -hydrophobic-plastic toner traces to move away from -hydrophilic-paper ,to copper surface.
Toner totally "un-binds" from paper ...
It works ,trust me ...

Or if it's a steam iron ...
Just give a quick blast of steam at the end ....


Etching:
Metal core pcbs ....
Sodium Persulfate .
It' does not seem to react with aluminium ..
...(Or the alum forms a protective coat .... )
It turns more blue as it absorbs more copper...
Relatively (to other stuff ) safe ...Relatively ...

You can use it on (realy dilluted with plenty of water ..) as soil /plant spray/ anti -fungus primer , when totally "dead " ..(does not etch anymore ... )
It's Copper Sulfate ...For plant's fungus diseases & wall/wood /cement/fabric fungus infestations it's just perfect ...
Caution :It is poisonous ,ya know ,huh ?

Heat the etching solution to 40-60° C ...
Continuous stirring really accelerates the etching procedure ..

Wash your pcb and hands , with plenty of water after etching is finished ..

Good Luck ,Brave ones ...

Hey I know you got your own project going, was hoping you can come by my thread and drop some knowledge and suggestions to the right direction. Thanks

foreverflyhi said:

Hey I know you got your own project going, was hoping you can come by my thread and drop some knowledge and suggestions to the right direction. Thanks

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Really brother you'll have to forgive me .Can't set my mind to "tune Up " a mainstream commercial light ..
Not many things possible anyway (at least for cheap ...)
But since money isn't a problem ...
Go for something new and way better ...
Instead of fixing or tuning the present ...
Dunno,if it's worth it ..

........

Some more details from the project ...
....

From tomorrow ,starting placing electronics ..

SDS... you're such a fucking badass.

amazing work, my friend! amazing...

i can't wait to see you light one up, and then all of them!

High quality parts & materials ....

i.e ...

4 x M6 316 Stainless Steel "welded closed " hanging loops .
(......which serve also as top lid securing bolts .Tool-free -emergency ? - dismantling .)
And ...
Designed to stay above plants no matter what ...
With an Ace on the sleeve ....


Microphone cable just inserted ~ 2 cm ,inside connector's "cable chuck " ...
(cable connector Neutrik NC3FXS )




Connector plug inserted ..."Click " ...

Light can hang freely ,now ....

Tough nut to crack !
Or maybe ...
Hard to fall apple ...?
......



And some....internal ...
..
Early wiring detail.....

Well ..
A friend wanted from me ,to make him a red "burnin' " laser ...
So ,I had "recycled " an old DVD recorder (found in trash ... ) ,to salvage the red laser diode ...
....
Along with the laser diode ,I salvaged some cool stuff ,from the DVD recorder ..
Stuff ,that gave me new ideas ..
And lead me to make a new "driver's pcb " ( normal FR4 ) ...


So ,I picked some anti-vibration silicone "pads" ,from DVD and some tiny molex board connectors ....
And .....I'll keep the laser printer toner on the copper traces as protective layer ,from oxidation ...
Now ...Anti-vibration pads ,serve fine as insulation pads ,for the pcb ....
Micro-molex for fans & led outputs ..
Neat and clean ....

It should look like that :



(I 'm one micro-molex connector pair,short ...
I'll have to try and find one more .... )
...
.....Cool ,eh ?

Splifferous said:

SDS... you're such a fucking badass.

amazing work, my friend! amazing...

i can't wait to see you light one up, and then all of them!

Click to expand...

And if only ..(if only ....) you knew ,under of what conditions,all these are taking place ...

Ate 3 times during 5 days ..
Had to sell ,all the rest of my led panels ,to fund the new project ...
Do not have any "fuel " ...(weed... )
Haven't slept for full 8 hours ,for days now ...
Alone ...(just music for company ..Music ,dreams and hopes ...Those they can not take away from me ...)..
Do not have enough money to buy rivets !
Have to walk 3-4 hours around the city ,almost every night ...
Searching for broken electronic equip ..At "recycling trash bins " ..I do not feel ashamed ,doing so ...
I've to find what I need ,by any means available ...

.And I need new shoes ...Haven't bought new shoes almost for two years now ...
...Things here are very difficult ....

Still ...
Man was created to create ...
Not to destroy ...

And nothing can stand in the way of creativity ...
In the way of dreams and hopes ...

Anyway ...
Sometimes,I just feel a bit sad ...
I think I've every right doing so ...
Even ,if it doesn't lead anywhere ...
Even if it is pointless,feeling so ...

I still remain an ordinary human being ...
With plenty of weaknesses ,also ...

SDS you are a great inspiration for most of us!
you are an excellent mind and i hope you the best my friend!
brilliant project and i am sure about the certain success of your project!
keep going!

You got two legs
and all of us
and stop the moaning. continued walking

Brother, unfortunately thus as came the things for many in the past few year, such conversations you hear daily.
So I be believed it is not about of moaning.
Just despite the difficulties,you have the dignity and the courage not to give up and try in every way to survive.
and who thinks that there is no longer a matter of survival in Greece[even whole world], is simply mistaken.

Personally I believe saying your "pain" to someone,makes you feel even a little better because you shared with someone.
It is bad thing you keep such thoughts inside,because we've seen lately that people suicide without a second thought ....

Anyway I do not want to catch this discussion because I fucked up my psychology even more!!

All I can say is:
"we should stay strong and resist with forces that have and don't put down for any bastard that wants to hurt us"

testing again...

SDS, I've noticed that you are going with 660nm reds. Do you think that 660nm 1Waters would be better than 630nm in Astir 24 LED panels? 4-5 panels for one plant (50/50 - indica/sativa hybrid) in 60x60 cm space ?

Whackatabacky said:

SDS, I've noticed that you are going with 660nm reds. Do you think that 660nm 1Waters would be better than 630nm in Astir 24 LED panels? 4-5 panels for one plant (50/50 - indica/sativa hybrid) in 60x60 cm space ?

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Well ...
To be exact those leds aren't like the rest of "660 nm reds " ...
Osram has really developed a red led ,specially to cover the needs of photosynthesis of higher plants ...
Probably the best red led ,for growing purposes ....
....

Moreover ...

I trully trust by now ...
That blue Wls ,are responsible for really diminished / low yields..(regarding led growing )
Yes ,they offer compact growth,they open stomata ...But ....They really have a great impact on yield ...
(HPS light, has not any blue wls ....~ 5% of total PPF .....But they yield great ..Even with ~ 68% green and ~28% reds .....)


So ....That's why I want to try out ....4 x 660 nm & 8 x WW 2700K ..
Total blue wls of this combo is about 4~5%....
And more than 60% reds ...
.....
We'll see how it will perform ....