Very Simple DIY LED - step by step with pictures

[leyus]

Hi. I am at best average at DIY and I didn't struggle much with making it so I believe anyone can do it. Advantage is that no matter what you do it will be much cheaper than any available on the market.

What you will need (based on my own 75W LED):
1.Cooling fan (free recovered from PC)
2. Power source for cooling fan (free mobile charger, or few £ for a small driver)
3. Thermal glue (£3 but some people use super glue and works too)
4. Nuts and bolts (£3-5 )
5. 2 m of 18-19 AWG wire (£2)
6. 2 x metal sheet 300 x 200 mm ( I paid £7 from ebay cos my local supplier had no aluminum and steel will be much harder to work with probably you can get cheaper locally)
7. 2x LED drivers (£18 I got 2x 50 W I won't recommend seller because one of them arrived damaged)
8. Plug and cord (£3? or again you can recover it from so many places)
9. 25 LEDs from ebay (£14 for 5 blue , 20 Red in my case research ratio if you want something more sophisticated, the more u get the cheaper it is)
10. Heat shrink and electric tape (£3)

Tools:
1. Drill - I assume u got one
2. Wire stripper - same as above
3. Soldering iron (£8 for whole kit with stand, solder, desolder, sponge and all that. Warning don't use lead free solder its useless)
4. 2x Metal cutter (£10)
5. Clamps (£3.99 cheap plastic one it is not heavy machinery, you don't rly need them if you have someone to help, for me they were helpful)

So time for pictures and step by step instruction:
1. Mark where all LEDs should go on aluminium sheet and drill 4 holes in the corners:

Do: Stab your aluminium plate with knife where you want your wholes so drill bit can go in.
Don't: Don't do it how I've done it. Be precise I just marked square and placed more or less LED in each, result, that from one LED to another was different distance so every single time I needed different length of wire to connect them later. This measuring and going one by one cutting right length slow me down a lot.

2. Do the same holes in same position in second aluminium sheet (my were not exactly align but it worked out but as before be precise it might save you time and make your work better)

3. Attach LEDs in right places with thermal glue:


Do: Use superglue if you want. Use bolts if you want.
Don't: Don't glue them without plan how to solder them, since you need to know which way + and - signs should go, you will see in pictures what will happen if you don't.

4. Place your cooling fan on second aluminium sheet and mark it's position, centre and dimension (I used pencils so not very visible), when you finished drill a hole in centre of it:

Do: it quick.
Don't: be too precise.

5. Use metal cutters to cut out a hole for your fan:

Do: Combine Straight, and right cutters.
Don't: do it as ugly as I did

6. Put your fan in place, mark with screwdriver where bolts should go, drill them and bolt fan in (I've reached pictures limit now I will have to use external source I hope they won't vanish)



Do: Stab again places with a knife so that drill can go in.
Don't: stab yourself in the hand (I didn't this time but it happen in the past).

7. Connect fan to the power source, there is sticky in this forum DIY section how to do it so I won't just copy it here I will just add that I soldered wires together and secured them with heat shrink and then used electric tape (overkill I know) and so I recommend but your call. Also keep in mind that doing it my way will result in your LED having 2 plugs. 1 for LEDs and 1 for fan you can overcome that by investing extra £5 in small driver and then you just connect 3 drivers into power cord and you have just one plug. More work and cost but less plugs your choice.

8. Cut the right wire lengths and solder LEDs together. It is really as simple as connecting + with - on leds, after getting half of them stop and connect other half for second driver.


Do: Watch some youtube soldering videos if you never done it and practice by soldering wires to plate and your spouse/mother/brother/sister electronic devices.
Don't: If you placed your LEDs randomly like I did so + and - sides are on random and you have every wire different length don't come crying when your work looks like mine and took you 3x longer due to lack of planning.

9. Attach drivers to the aluminum sheet with fan:

Do: Just place them mark places for holes, drill them put bolts in, same as attaching fan.
Don't: Don't notice just now that one of the drivers have broken plastic part that should hold it in place, notice that when you purchased it so that you can return it to seller.

10. Bolt plates together:

Do: not overthink that.
Don't: use less than 3 nuts? I don't even know what should be a don't here.

11. Solder drivers to LEDs, basically red plus cable you connect to + on first led you soldered and black minus cable you connect to - on the last led you soldered:


Do: Google series/parallel wiring if you have any doubts and watch some more pictures and videos just to be sure you got whole soldering leds and drivers right.
Don't: worry it is not a secret advanced electronic engineering knowledge it is pretty simple when you read/watch/do it once. And don't forget to take a picture of this step if you are doing diary on it so later you don't need to run and open your wardrobe to make few extra pictures.

12. Solder drivers input to cord. Basically all you do is take 2 brown wires from drivers, twist them together, twist brown wire from cord into it and solder. To the same for blue and yellow. after use heat shrink and electrical tape (I run out of heat shrink I will get some tomorrow and do it proper today I just wrapped it with electric tape, works fine)

Do: use heat shrink + electrical tape, safety first. I will correct it tomorrow since I run out of heat shrink. Google how to wire uk plug if you have any doubts, and how to wire led drivers. There is info out there if you wired your Ruck fan you shouldn't struggle.
Don't: Drop drip of hot led on your hand because you need to sit shouting in agony till melted metal cools down on your hand before you can remove it. I have to say goodbye to my skin there and it was painful experience. But when I google how to treat solder burns I found a guy who solder only in his t-shirt on (disgusting) and piece of hot lead from soldering iron drip into his "lap" DON'T DO THAT TRUST ME my hand is not painful since I read his post but my mind is.

13. Lucky one!!! Enjoy your 75W LED for fracture of price (about £50-£70 not including tools and depending on how much can you find for free in your bin Some people might have all the bolts, wires and metal and only purchase might be LEDs and driver then it might be even as low as £30-40)





Do: Use it to grow cannabis!!!
Don't: Use Lead free solder it is so much harder to work with, it come free with soldering kit I ordered from ebay and I used it but you will struggle as I did.

Please remember about basic safety, every time you plug something in for the first time do it with switch off, watch soldering safety advices and don't get burned or electrocuted (I avoided second one, but not the first one). And yes I know my middle LED doesn't work and no I don't know why

Comments and infor welcomed. I am not a DIY master I am pretty much average or below so if you have idea how to do some parts better (especially insulating soldered wires, heat shrink is such a nightmare to use, when i solder it does shrink before i can move it into area where he needs to be) let me know I am opened for suggestions.

In 2-3 days I am starting my new grow with LED+CFL combined so if you are interested in performance watch my new diary that will start soon! I hope you enjoyed my post.

[Duke1]

cheers leyus i think even i can understand most so must mean its well written i will be interested to see how well it grows,good luck

[maenam]

Epic if it works mate, will be watching your grow with this panel like a hawk.

[stickyickyicky]

Nice leyus... I was thinking about using some sheet aluminium for a mockup. My LED bill is more than the ebay specials though and trying to decide how to drive them!

[leyus]

Nice leyus... I was thinking about using some sheet aluminium for a mockup. My LED bill is more than the ebay specials though and trying to decide how to drive them!

Yes I've seen your thread before Cost of your LED was skyrocketing You can either build your own driver or go for those that are averagely priced. As long as you stay away from cheapest faulty rubbish you should be fine it's just W and V it will not affect your yields it just have to deliver those W and V from plug to your LEDs.

From what I've seen in your thread you seems to be perfectionist and you have done tons of research. Just build your own driver then you will be sure about quality and it will lower your cost a bit.

[lazor_ears]

Nice work buddy, want to have a go myself!

Thanks for your time n effort dude that's very easy to understand

[Joe_Grower]

Excellent writeup. I will be trying this myself .

[just-chillin]

Brilliant bit of work there I've been looking at making one myself, it can't be THAT hard (can it?) LOL Good Job!

[leyus]

Small update. I solder drivers cables to power cord but heat shrink I was going to use shrinked during soldering ( too high temperature required for lead free solder not only heat shrink shrink in wrong position while that but that is when I burned myself ). As a result soldering was insulated just with electric tape so except test I didn't run it yet. So I decided to go for choc box here is picture update how I connected it. I could use waterproof one but since cable is hanging in the air there is no need for that I think. Only problem is that my LED is now 20" above medium because cooling is installed on kind of mobile phone charger and it had too short cable to go any lower But led got good penetration and I guess pre flowering they don't need to be much closer rly and as I pot up it should reach optimal 10".

So some pictures of how I've done it.




My LED is now up and running if you want to observe results I will post update to my grow any minute and feel free to come and see it in action.

[spoiledreefer]

I have built multiple LED units for Coral Propagation. Granted the required wavelengths are completely different and much simpler with Corals (420nm and 10k) but for assembling and suggested parts I am more than willing to help out.