COB DIY Journal

[LEDBud]

Nice , I am about to fashion a panel up myself and enjoy seeing peoples builds.

The thing I like about diy lights is the sky is the limit / unlimited design and expanding potential

As I don't scrog I'm leaning toward making multiple 4 cob panels to set over each plant.

 

[texasdjj]

thanks for sharing your build! Very impressive. To be honest - I have looked at several sites that have components, but it is still confusing as hell to me when trying to "match" what goes with what;
Did you just "wing it" or did you have a list of required components??

Each time I go and look at components - I end up with more freaking questions than answers.

Cheers,
Texasdjj

 

[AvidLerner]

thanks for sharing your build! Very impressive. To be honest - I have looked at several sites that have components, but it is still confusing as hell to me when trying to "match" what goes with what;
Did you just "wing it" or did you have a list of required components??

Each time I go and look at components - I end up with more freaking questions than answers.

Cheers,
Texasdjj

I took the approach of selecting the driver first. I settled on MW c700b or c1400b. Than I chose my cob voltage, 36v to go with 1400mA driver and 72v to go with the 700mA driver giving 200w output for the desired ppfd of 750 to 850. Then I selected heat sinks I use 5.66" w x 9" for each 50w of cob or I use mechatronics 50w passive heat sinks. After that wiring drilling etc and you have a light

 

[Gree N]

Nice , I am about to fashion a panel up myself and enjoy seeing peoples builds.

The thing I like about diy lights is the sky is the limit / unlimited design and expanding potential

As I don't scrog I'm leaning toward making multiple 4 cob panels to set over each plant.

Yeah and you can learn a lot the same time! I've designed my little rig so it can be expanded indefinitely, identical rigs can be fixed to each when I want to expand.
Originally I was going to have individual units but I thought it would make the whole operation easier when adjusting the height of the lights, each panel of 3-5 cobs can still be taken out easily with two screws if I need to work on it.

 

[Gree N]

thanks for sharing your build! Very impressive. To be honest - I have looked at several sites that have components, but it is still confusing as hell to me when trying to "match" what goes with what;
Did you just "wing it" or did you have a list of required components??

Each time I go and look at components - I end up with more freaking questions than answers.

Cheers,
Texasdjj

I did try wing it from the start, had a few little hiccups but it's coming together now.

It's a bit of a Frankenstein cob contraption but I have done it on the bare minimum $$$$ wise.
I've gone with deals from e-bay, parts mostly from sweat shops in china. Have to give them credit for there skills in deconstruction and redesign. I think they just about reverse engineer anything...
I've been lucky in the fact that all my cobs and drivers work.

 

[Gree N]

Now I'm thinking about incorporating a new design. I'm going to build a complete frame over the whole unit and encase it with an exhaust outtake at the top in the centre and vents on either end to get air moving straight through the unit then outside via ducting (through carbon scrubber)

 

[Gree N]

I've ordered some lenses for the cobs too just to play around with. What do you guys think of using lenses with LED's.
Most of the big companies making led panels utilise a lense so I'm guessing it must magnify the light intensity?

 

[Gree N]

I let the panel run for 20 mins with the lenses on and I noticed they became very hot, almost too hot too touch. From what I have learnt where ever heat is generated by light you are losing efficiency.
I think I'm going to ditch the reflectors and lenses and just let the light bounce around the room off the 90% reflective panda film.

Please if anyone else has any good reads about lense's & reflectors or previous experience using them let me know cheers

 

[JustinHemp420]

I'm with the guy that's really confused . Being from SA it's difficult in guys giving off options that are not really available to us or totally different codes etc. I think someone needs to be a bit more broad in their description of the lights for those who are starting out for the first time and from another country.

 

[I like Cheese]

Are those heatsinks big enough for passive cooling ? They look a little small to me and the fins are really close together.

 

[Gree N]

Are those heatsinks big enough for passive cooling ? They look a little small to me and the fins are really close together.

I had planned on running a 2.4w CPU fan on each heatsink but after testing it without fans going the 100w chips run at 50w really arn't getting hot at all compared to the citizen clu038 chips.

 

[texasdjj]

I took the approach of selecting the driver first. I settled on MW c700b or c1400b. Than I chose my cob voltage, 36v to go with 1400mA driver and 72v to go with the 700mA driver giving 200w output for the desired ppfd of 750 to 850. Then I selected heat sinks I use 5.66" w x 9" for each 50w of cob or I use mechatronics 50w passive heat sinks. After that wiring drilling etc and you have a light

thanks - that adds some clarity to the "components / vs #'s" for sure. Somewhere in this thread, you mentioned that you were still waiting on your red and purple COB's. What is your final goal? How many full spectrum "white", how many red and how blue? Also, are you going to build in the ability to change amount of spectrum for veg vs flower? If so, how are you going to do that?
Please advise / share more.

 

[JustinHemp420]

Guys if I were to say, cover 10 square feet what would your opinion be and in terms that most that don't know these lights specifically can understand. Don't use brand names because it's not always available in different countries

 

[AvidLerner]

I am waiting on 2 20w cobs that run at 700ma each. I will use these in 4sf area. That should do well. I have been running an additional 50w of full spectrum cob with 200w of 3500k cxb and it is just amazing. The full spectrum completes the missing spectrum in cobs

 

[AvidLerner]

Guys if I were to say, cover 10 square feet what would your opinion be and in terms that most that don't know these lights specifically can understand. Don't use brand names because it's not always available in different countries

I would use a 50w each deep red and far red along with two 50w full spectrum cobs at 1400ma each. You could use a meanwell 120h c1400b driver for these and be quite happy.

 

[JustinHemp420]

So that's a total of 4 lights correct? What so of watts pulled are we talking about? 50 x 4 = 200...would that mean I'm running them at max? All info is greatly appreciated guys Thanks

 

[I like Cheese]

I am going to use 3, 3w far red for 15 mins to put my girls to sleep. I have read that too much far red causes alot of stretch.

 

[AvidLerner]

Guys if I were to say, cover 10 square feet what would your opinion be and in terms that most that don't know these lights specifically can understand. Don't use brand names because it's not always available in different countries

For a 3x3 8 cxb3590 36v 3500k 2 neanwell hlg-185h-c2400b drivers plus hs

 

[Gree N]

I love that everybody is experimenting with the led spectrum's.
I'm still waiting on a whole bunch of cobs.
100w whites x 5
100w blue x 5
100w red x 5
50w full spectrum x 3 (220v driverless)
10w uv x 6
20w deep red x 3

I can move the heatsinks and cobs around with just a couple of pop rivets and resolder the connection.

I think by the end I should be running 16-50w white, 5-50w blue, 5-50w red, 3 50w blurple, 10w UV x 5, 20w deep red x 3

I'm planning on making 5x 600mm long rails with 2 white, 1 red, 1 blue, 1 UV. Intermittent rails x3 with 2 white, 1 blurple and 1 far red. 1 rail in centre running 5 x 2700k at 30w.
The rails will have 200mm centre's so with 9 rails it's final size should be 1.8m long and 0.6m wide.

By the end I think I will be pulling about 1500watts for just the cobs.

 

[AvidLerner]

I love that everybody is experimenting with the led spectrum's.
I'm still waiting on a whole bunch of cobs.
100w whites x 5
100w blue x 5
100w red x 5
50w full spectrum x 3 (220v driverless)
10w uv x 6
20w deep red x 3

I can move the heatsinks and cobs around with just a couple of pop rivets and resolder the connection.

I think by the end I should be running 16-50w white, 5-50w blue, 5-50w red, 3 50w blurple, 10w UV x 5, 20w deep red x 3

I'm planning on making 5x 600mm long rails with 2 white, 1 red, 1 blue, 1 UV. Intermittent rails x3 with 2 white, 1 blurple and 1 far red. 1 rail in centre running 5 x 2700k at 30w.
The rails will have 200mm centre's so with 9 rails it's final size should be 1.8m long and 0.6m wide.

By the end I think I will be pulling about 1500watts for just the cobs.

That sounds excellent