DIY price per watt, for top of the line and or best bang for your bucks

GreenSanta

GreenSanta

Well-Known Member
Sorry for boring the DIY LED gurus for asking questions that have already been asked and answered....I know I could spend a few hours researching the LED section and answer most of my questions myself but I am too busy, plus I contribute to the forum in different ways with my time...

here is my main question, as of today, what is the actual price per watt of DIY COBs?

What are the top of the line components one can use to build a 3500k lamp and a 5000k lamp? and what are the best websites to buy them in North America?

If one was to not go top of the line but best bang for your bucks, what components should they use instead?

I have at least one old chine fixture I want to convert to COBs, its a 16 clusters fixture, used to be 540w 3w diodes blurple light that I keep having to fix and to convert sorta like growmaus did with the MARS.

Pretend you are telling a 5 year old kid what to buy, I want it to be that easy :)
 
GreenSanta

GreenSanta

Well-Known Member
here is 5 lights that I could potentially turn into COB. I figure I can at least use the casing and the heatsink on all of those?


This was my most recent purchase, a shitty lamp from ebay, the light is essentially brand new should I try to get some use out of it first?
IMG_0085.jpg

The old FERO 336x3 , I really want to convert that one to COB I dont think I could reuse the drivers?
IMG_0087.jpg
Another FERO that one has proven to be more reliable, one of the first LED grow light I bought it like 4 years ago
IMG_0088.jpg
At the same time I bought this Blackstar
IMG_0091.jpg

The UFO has been a decent veg light and I might just keep it as is but I would really like to convert the old diamond into a 2 COBs fixture
IMG_0092.jpg

any idea or input appreciated!!
 
Abiqua

Abiqua

Well-Known Member
Pacific Light Concepts is hopefully getting an order for us DIY'ers on maybe Mon, Jan 10, 2016....

Cree CXB 3070 3500K BB and
CXA 3590 3500K CB?



Cutter.Au is advertising here. They are australian and have the same bins as above, little more, Authorized Cree Dealer.......shipping to the states seems to be fairly hassle free.


[email protected]?
believe that is Jerry's email or search that in quotes here.....Jerry had to take his list down, because of some beef? But he communicates through email...


PCL is the best deal imho stateside at least....Top bins.
I feel they and @Greengenes707 definitely earned the support.
 
The Dawg

The Dawg

Well-Known Member
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badtorro

badtorro

Well-Known Member
I have bought cobs last week (cree cxb3590 3500k CD).
All in all it cost me 100$ for 50W of led output, incl. shipping. You should also keep in mind the effort I put into assembly +I don't need to buy extra tools.
For shopping go to Kingbrite at Alibaba.
For heat sinks you got to make up your own mind what you want. On the RIU forum a company Heatsinkusa and their profile 5.886 is most popular.
For me most ideal setup is 1 cob per sq ft. It provides equal light distribution and excellent intensity.
 
GreenSanta

GreenSanta

Well-Known Member
Thanks for contributing, great info, sorry for being so late in the DIY COBs, I didnt think I was ever gonna fuss with it until I saw growmaus video about the mars. Because of this I am a bit lost with some of the terms you guys are using.

@badtorro, $100 for 50w, $2/watt, seems to be about the same price as buying a ready made fixture from a reputable company? what were the advantages for you^?

When you are looking at buying the COB, what does the last 2 letters stand for^? the rating? why would anyone be happy with DD when you can get AB for same price^? THANKS AND SORRY :)
 
puffenuff

puffenuff

Well-Known Member
The last 2 letters are the bin numbers. Different bins have different characteristics. If you look at the spec sheets for CXBs, you'll notice that the different bins have different lumen characteristics for example. No clue how cree designates what the letters actually mean though.
 
Fastslappy

Fastslappy

Well-Known Member
timber makes a 3590 2 cob lamp sells for 6-700.oo $
I bought 12 3590 with holders ,reflector for less than that
If you have a mars that's actually all you need is the cob, holder ,reflector
 
badtorro

badtorro

Well-Known Member
GreenSanta said:
Thanks for contributing, great info, sorry for being so late in the DIY COBs, I didnt think I was ever gonna fuss with it until I saw growmaus video about the mars. Because of this I am a bit lost with some of the terms you guys are using.

@badtorro, $100 for 50w, $2/watt, seems to be about the same price as buying a ready made fixture from a reputable company? what were the advantages for you^?

When you are looking at buying the COB, what does the last 2 letters stand for^? the rating? why would anyone be happy with DD when you can get AB for same price^? THANKS AND SORRY :)
Click to expand...
No problelm at all. There were several advantages over ready made fixtures:

1) adjustability - typically all ready mades are closed in a fixed box, ie. Mars Hydro. It contradicts one of the key advantages of LED: possibility to have equal light distribuiton over canopy. I have designed my setup to to cover each square foot by a single cob. The light distribution is perfect. Light intensity is very high with no hot spots. This means no need to install extra light for corners of the tent, because every part of the tent is equally bright.

2) scalability - my orignal design composes of 9 cobs spread across 3 heatsinks. Due to limited funds I have bought only 6 cobs & 2 heatsinks. When I have more cash I will buy an extra 3 cob setup. Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I will go for a 3rd heatsink with 4 cobs on it, the price is almost the same, effort is the same, I'd put it in the middle. Ten I would have two 3 cob setups on each side and a single 4 cob setup in the middle.

3) retailers cut corners on compnents, ie. cheaper less efficient drivers, cheaper bins etc. I got everything top shelf, within reasonable price ofc. The two letter abbreviation indicates generation of leds, how much light and heat a single cob pushes out. My cobs are made in CD bin, which is the highest on the market among reasonably priced LEDs. I have captured a picture of the almost-ready cob setup in my grow journal. Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think :-)

btw. im not a diy-kind a guy. Doing it by myself costs me a lot of effort.
 
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Jp.the.pope

Jp.the.pope

Well-Known Member
badtorro said:
No problelm at all. There were several advantages over ready made fixtures:

1) adjustability - typically all ready mades are closed in a fixed box, ie. Mars Hydro. It contradicts one of the key advantages of LED: possibility to have equal light distribuiton over canopy. I have designed my setup to to cover each square foot by a single cob. light distribution is perfect then. Light intensity is very high with no hot spots.

2) scalability - my orignal design composes of 9 cobs spread across 3 heatsinks. Due to limited funds I have bought only 6 cobs & 2 heatsinks. When I have more cash I will buy an extra 3 cob setup. Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I will go for a 3rd heatsink with 4 cobs on it, the price is almost the same, effort is the same, I'd put it in the middle. Ten I would have two 3 cob setups on each side and a single 4 cob setup in the middle.

3) retailers cut corners on compnents, ie. cheaper less efficient drivers, cheaper bins etc. I got everything top shelf, within reasonable price ofc. The two letter abbreviation indicates generation of leds, how much light and heat a single cob pushes out. My cobs are made in CD bin, which is the highest on the market among reasonably priced LEDs. I have captured a picture of the almost-ready cob setup in my grow journal. Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think :-)

btw. im not a diy-kind a guy. Doing it by myself costs me a lot of effort.
Click to expand...
You might end up paying the same for a top end DIY and an acceptable pre-made. The advantage of the DIY for myself was the ability to customize.

I was able to get 1 COB per square foot (ideal spacing for PPFD IMO) and build the system to be passive cooled. This saves a little (fans take little electricity) electricity but very much simplifies the rig for DIY. The less I have to wire and incorporate into my electricity planning and needs, the better it was for me. It also allows you to start at whatever size you can afford and build up. It is effectively a modular system.
 
badtorro

badtorro

Well-Known Member
Jp.the.pope said:
You might end up paying the same for a top end DIY and an acceptable pre-made. The advantage of the DIY for myself was the ability to customize.

I was able to get 1 COB per square foot (ideal spacing for PPFD IMO) and build the system to be passive cooled. This saves a little (fans take little electricity) electricity but very much simplifies the rig for DIY. The less I have to wire and incorporate into my electricity planning and needs, the better it was for me. It also allows you to start at whatever size you can afford and build up. It is effectively a modular system.
Click to expand...
exactly my thoughts.
I have a strong extractor for 250W HID, it's already making too much noise & I dont want to get more. So passive seems perfect for me.
Also it's nearly impossible to get a passively cooled ready made fixture.

Also efficiency was important to me. With my top shelf cobs, my setup pushes an amount of light similar to roughly HPS 500W, while the heat output is lower then 250W HPS. You can't hope for the same with ready-mades.
 
Rahz

Rahz

Well-Known Member
Not all ready made fixtures have those disadvantages. Maybe not 1 cob per foot, but close.

badtorro said:
No problelm at all. There were several advantages over ready made fixtures:

1) adjustability - typically all ready mades are closed in a fixed box, ie. Mars Hydro. It contradicts one of the key advantages of LED: possibility to have equal light distribuiton over canopy. I have designed my setup to to cover each square foot by a single cob. The light distribution is perfect. Light intensity is very high with no hot spots. This means no need to install extra light for corners of the tent, because every part of the tent is equally bright.

2) scalability - my orignal design composes of 9 cobs spread across 3 heatsinks. Due to limited funds I have bought only 6 cobs & 2 heatsinks. When I have more cash I will buy an extra 3 cob setup. Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I will go for a 3rd heatsink with 4 cobs on it, the price is almost the same, effort is the same, I'd put it in the middle. Ten I would have two 3 cob setups on each side and a single 4 cob setup in the middle.

3) retailers cut corners on compnents, ie. cheaper less efficient drivers, cheaper bins etc. I got everything top shelf, within reasonable price ofc. The two letter abbreviation indicates generation of leds, how much light and heat a single cob pushes out. My cobs are made in CD bin, which is the highest on the market among reasonably priced LEDs. I have captured a picture of the almost-ready cob setup in my grow journal. Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think :-)

btw. im not a diy-kind a guy. Doing it by myself costs me a lot of effort.
Click to expand...
 
Abiqua

Abiqua

Well-Known Member
@GreenSanta

I would also look into retrofitting the cooling... No way the MAR's is setup to run COB's on stock cooling aka, Metal Plate with no fins and oftentimes missing TIM [thermal interface material] ......

Imho, the case, electronics [hopefully fans and fan drivers], maybe even the vF of the stock drivers is useable as well...but that's about it.....To do what you want, Reliably, is a near total gut.
 
GreenSanta

GreenSanta

Well-Known Member
Abiqua said:
@GreenSanta

I would also look into retrofitting the cooling... No way the MAR's is setup to run COB's on stock cooling aka, Metal Plate with no fins and oftentimes missing TIM [thermal interface material] ......

Imho, the case, electronics [hopefully fans and fan drivers], maybe even the vF of the stock drivers is useable as well...but that's about it.....To do what you want, Reliably, is a near total gut.
Click to expand...
Yes thank you I plan to re-use mostly just the casing and maybe some heat sinks, I think the diamond is just one long heatsink might be good for 1 cob passive cooling? I plan to spend money on COBs, drivers, probably no lenses, really basic
 
Fastslappy

Fastslappy

Well-Known Member
my mars2 all have finned heatsinks like in Mua vid , I do know Sara @marshydro once said last winter that they changed their name due to knockoffs & they still have a issue with knockoffs on ebay IIRC
I know some guys on on another forum who got pooched thinking they were buying the real thing (mars2) & the assy didn't have the same guts if u get my drift
Guys said they got better deal @ Ebay at 1st
 
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