Willy's DIY LED Grow Lights

For best results, I'd recommend 4! :)
If you are planning to use these up close (about 4-5 inches above soil level), on short plants like Drosera roseana, you can use 2 lights per 1020 tray.
 
So for seedling and small juvenile plants, 2 should be ok...
But you don't use reflectors on the sides ? (like aluminum foil)
I'll probably order you some but after summer. ;)
 
Hmm... I do not know anything about light, but why there is no need for a reflector?
 
Dogrem said:
Hmm... I do not know anything about light, but why there is no need for a reflector?
Click to expand...
The physical properties of LEDs project light in one direction, though the beam is still pretty wide. I prefer to use reflectors myself to cut down on waste light, but even without one it's still very different from a typical omni-directional light source like a fluorescent tube.
 
The linear 2ft LED units for @Labine 's 120gal terrarium look great! Thanks for the photos, Pascal. :)
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That looks awesome, Willy! Do you have any issues with heat transfer with the strips sitting directly on the domes?
 
Not at all, Stanley. The Aluminum housing acts as a great heatsink to dissipate heat to the ambient, also the LED chips are super efficient so only a minimal amount of heat is generated!
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Yeah LEDs are great that way. T5 bulbs run very hot (they need to to maintain efficiency) and are boxed in by reflectors so a lot of the heat gets transmitted downwards towards the plants, while LEDs lose most of their heat upwards through the heatsink.
 
My 2' t5ho and Amazon led module puts out a lot of heat so I have to suspend it. With a little fan, temps in the done stay around 25C.

I really need to find some heatsinking for my build. Yours looks so clean!
 
So today concludes this little project of mine, building a custom LED grow light for Lloyd.
The whole design and build process has taken more time than expected because life has gotten in the way, but I'm quite happy that it turned out nicely.
I hope Lloyd will like it as much as I do. :)

Build:






The LED unit is air-cooled, with the premium LED chips and drivers, this light is efficient and effective.



Specification:
Total Brightness rating: 12,600 lumens
Color Temp: 4000k-4500k
Power Consumption (rated total): 108w
Spread: 100° Beam Angle
Number of SMD LEDs: 6*104
Length: 4ft
Special feature: waterproof (splashes)
Expected service life: 50,000 hours


Design:



 
Couldn't resist testing it out. Plugged it in. Blindingly bright. Used my PAR sensor @ 20 cm. from the lights. LED unit 78 (raw measurement). My brightest of 3 T5HO, exactly the same. The other two were 31 and 15! Got to change the bulbs! Half the energy requirements.
 
Just installed the fixture. Bright. Much less bulky and easy to hang. Also with 108 fewer watts of power, the temperature in the growing area has dropped 1-2°C. Even my wife was impressed.

Plus peak electricity costs 7.7¢ per kwh in Toronto. Saving 108 watts. So over the 50,000 hr. lifetime of the fixture, that saves $415.80 which is way more than what the fixture costs. Add in the cost of all the T5HO bulbs and you're way ahead with the WilLED®.
 
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