Pictures of your DIY lights - Post your pics!!!
- Thread starter TimeToBurn
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zep_lover
Well-Known Member
the heat sinks are the 10 inch profile cut at 5 inch lengths.all passive cooled.so each sink is 10 inch wide by 5 inch long
the rails to put it together are 1/4 inch by 1 inch aluminium stock
.the hydro set up is called a ppk system.it is a hybrid hydro system that uses top feed and has a tailpiece to drain the top feed but can also wick feed from the lower tote if the pump fails.very easy system.i wont be home till thursday to take a pic of one of the light bars.
here is a side view of one in my veg cab.i will take a better pic thursday.
BuddyColas
Well-Known Member
Thanks for getting back to me out on the road. I misread your previous post. Your build makes sense now. I see your heat per light is about 21 watts and that is what the 10" by 5" heat sink is capable of...passively cooled! I had not seen a bar put together like that...I like it. I will read up on the PPK system.
*And I would like to see more pics of your build when you get back!
Last edited:
bassman999
Well-Known Member
125*F is 51.67*C
Most cobs are rated at 85*C, but that isnt as efficient as cooler cobs.
So I guess acceptable is what you will accept?
I would still add a fan to my passive setup, but I am just that way.
zep_lover
Well-Known Member
125 is not bad but the cooler the better.my heat sinks stay around 31 to 36 degrees c so around 98 degrees at the hottest.i sized mine based on what supra recommended
zep_lover
Well-Known Member
i put mine together like that due to changing how i am using them.when i bought the heat sinks i was going to surround one big plant with individual lights all around it.that was going to take up too much space.since going to light bars i probably would have bought the 5.88 profile in 46 inch length for 4 cobs.it was alot of extra work drilling and assembling the light bars with aluminium stock.they came out nice but 1 big heat sink would have been cheaper and easier.Thanks for getting back to me out on the road. I misread your previous post. Your build makes sense now. I see your heat per light is about 21 watts and that is what the 10" by 5" heat sink is capable of...passively cooled! I had not seen a bar put together like that...I like it. I will read up on the PPK system.
*And I would like to see more pics of your build when you get back!
kmog33
Well-Known Member
My sinks get warm to the touch, but never hot. Never taken a temp so no idea of exact temp, but what does a sink at 98 degrees feel like lol. My original thought is hot to the touch, but then I think of A 104 degree jacuzzi lol.
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a better comparison is normal average body temperature 98.6
kmog33
Well-Known Member
I wasn't comparing. I was suggesting that i though 98 sounded hot, but 104 jacuzzi is warm so I rethought and asked what it felt like at the touch to 98. So I needed an answer to that not an evaluation of a comparison I wasn't making. Thanks though.
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zep_lover
Well-Known Member
it is hot to the touch but not hot enough that you jerk your hand away.cooler then your lap top if you are playing a game on it!
kmog33
Well-Known Member
Thank you. I think that's probably about where mine is, I can touch it and it's warm, but not hot. And if the fans running over it, I can literally feel it cool it down as it warms up. I can turn mine up its running at 525ma and is capable of 1100ma or so, but I was worried about burning the cobs up. Your experience was very helpful, I appreciate it.
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zep_lover
Well-Known Member
the cobs can run much hotter then you can comfortably put your hand on.the way most people on here use them underdriven with cooling them to low temps(compared to commercial lights)should mean the lights will last a long time.i would not worry about the heat.buy a cheap ir temp gun.the problem with the temp guns are it is hard to get a good reading off of bare aluminium
kmog33
Well-Known Member
Thanks, I'm less worried now lol. The fixture is 173-270watts, running it lowest setting now. Running at 48.42% now thinking I may turn it up a bit. If I run it hard my efficiency goes down to ~44% though and this seems to be working in my space so I may just leave it alone lol.
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kmog33
Well-Known Member
Thanks. They seem to be liking the cobs I'm running. First run with them and liking results. Already chopped 5oz out of the tent already, had some autos in there. As soon as these are finished I'll know what a 3 month cycle with this light pulls running around 250watts from the wall. If I get a qp off of everything that's left I'll hit a gpw. Looks like it's going to be well over that though, but you never know.
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J Bleezy
Well-Known Member
Cool. I was under the impression that the cobs would be warmer than the heatsinks.
BuddyColas
Well-Known Member
Thanks for explaining your thinking on the 4-piece light bars and that looking back you would have went with a solid section of the 5.88" profile. I have 2 each 40" 4.85" heat sink bars...a bit light, but it works. I sized it for passive, but use a fan per bar.
I too had to set aside my IR gun for measuring HS temps and have went with a digital meat thermometer from Wally World (about $15). I put the tip touching down in the valley of the heat sink right above the cob in question and hold it there with a squishy earplug. Very scientific. But it works well. The outside cobs (the ones most distant from the fan) run about 35C and the inside cobs are kept at ambient temp.