Buying chinese LEDs for DIY panel: worth or not?

[Oregonism]

ok, thank you all for the info, it has been quite an eye opener

My aim was to build an under 50$ LED panel for a midi or large computer case, but it seams that it still can't be done, yet.
LEDs work, but cost pretty penny.

thanks again!

It is getting close. Multichips might be already there, but they are limited in color choices that I have found.

Neekz and his kessil type, finally made me find something:
This one is already put together mostly $95
Would make a killer veg lite, but multichip style on a longitude heat sink aren't as flexible, unless you have 1 or 2 more.
DIY Complete LED Driver+Cree100W Multichip+Heatsink+Fan Ebay


What about several of these: Ebay 30W Cree Emitter WW and mount them on cpu coolers w/fans. Pretty small form factor. Here are more in Neutral White 30w Cree MultiChip and here is Green @ 520-560nm 30w
Cpu coolers sometimes can be had for less than $10.


Last one: I really dig Weezard's light, I hope there isn't a beef with post a link or whatnot from rrog's thread, 65w lamp, cool as hell. Probably could be built for $50. Here is the link of it, Turned on in same thread: https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=533&pictureid=3762&thumb=1

 

[Oregonism]

What about several of these: Ebay 30W Cree Emitter WW and mount them on PC heatsinks w/fans. Pretty small form factor. Here are more in Neutral White 30w Cree MultiChip and here is Green @ 520-560nm 30w
Cpu coolers sometimes can be had for less than $10.

CPU coolers can work as an active option [Cpu's run over 70+w's] but if your fan craps out, your passive capabilities are LIMITED, big drawback.

 

[Neekz]

Yes Oregon, I have pondered the same since most cpu cooler's can handle at least a 65w thermal load right? My I3 is rated at 65w, and only uses a single 80mm fan and moderate sized sink. I think even a liquid radiator type cooler would be good for the 93w White Cree, seeing as overclocker's do such. Fans are usually rated about the same as the diode's (50,000 hours...) so life shouldn't be bad, but the unexpected can always happen. Get a Dayton Axial, their bullet-proof! I may just end up making some one of these day's when I have some money to throw around, as I had been thinking along the same lines with CPU cooler's, like a Kessil, only I definitely wanna throw in a PWM dial for adjust-ability seeing as the footprint's small. They would be perfect for small spaces and corner filling. If your really handy with the fin-tip soldering you could substitute a couple red xp-e's on the ends of the integrated and throw in some Warm White xp-e's to round out the spectrum instead of using a green spotlight with the 520-560nm ;P !

 

[Neekz]

This would make a trick L.E.D. fixture!

$14 and it's got a bigger face surface than most of the radiator fin type's 40mm mount.

Sooo....

$14 (Cooling)+$23(Diode's)+$16(Driver)=$53 for 25w actual output using Cree's, then all you need is the wiring for the driver to plug in, and a 12v wall-wart for the fan (Could even splice into venting fans in a PC...). I would say it would get you by in a PC case, 2 would be optimal for even spread (Like Teriyakiz 100w PC). Either way you should definetily yield more than money spent. Look at Chloemobile's 23w scrog he's got going in a 11"x11" using some quality chip's, I'd say he's gonna have close to a zip .

 

[Neekz]

BTW if you wanna get closer to your real wattage, google supercircuits.com and they got a calc, u input the sum of all the voltages into Volt's, the current of the driver in Amp's, and you should get a wattage number. Easy with those integrated's to calc, but when you start mixing manufacturer's it can get confusing...

 

[Oregonism]

......My aim was to build an under 50$ LED panel for a midi or large computer case, but it seams that it still can't be done, yet.
LEDs work, but cost pretty penny.

thanks again!

Found this one too, I actually might pick something like this, just to fuck around, for once.

Ebay ChipOnBoard 2 75w Pieces 92w output [Hgl Knockoff]

$90 US aint too shabby. 280mm [11"] x 165mm [6.3/4"] x 75mm [<3"]

This one easily fits into my mini fridge [16x14] and I bet they would fit quite well into a larger pc tower or Midi case.

Wish I could just build it, however, for my own piece of mind.


@Neekz, cool integrated fan and heatsink. Back in the Pentium D days [just a few years ago too....] those bitches ran hot as fawk, 95w on the older heatsinks is very common. Starting with Conroe's and such, I think nowdays the newer sockets dont push as much wattage on the newer architechture [excluding servers] and 65w is probably the average but those coolers are usually beefed up quite well.

 

[Neekz]

Yeah that integrated's pretty damned cheap considering the chip itself is $79.99 for 1 no driver's...

 

[KRANKENWAGEN]

ok, hello all,
i'm resurecting this theme because this idea has became interesting again.
Had some other projects, but i need somethign for the winter

i got that i shoudl go to aliexpress instead of ebay, but i'll use ebay examples here 'cause i know of them

The idea is micro LED grow, in a PC case. led panel cca 40cm * 20cm (15.75" x 7.87").
I was thinking of max 70W, preferably less.

so , let's say i take 12V 10A 120W driver (there are cheaper, i know):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-1...arts_and_Accessories&var=&hash=item51c186d39f

i'd take some combination of 10W warm white and red (660nm) leds. probably 3+3
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DIY-10W-20W...Lighting&var=420356987779&hash=item1c45388234

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10W-Watt-Sq...46363442?pt=Lamps_US&var=&hash=item3395313a32

Now, here's where i suck: electronic.

I would like to hook that up in series, for simplicitys sake.
white LEDs are 12V, but red are 7V. So reds will have to have some kind of resistor to bring down the voltage, right?
What about current? driver can give 10A, but white leds take 400mA, while red are 1A.
What's the situation there? Can LEDs work like that?
i know this is embarrassing trivial, and i AM looking into ohms laws and electric circuit, but if someone could just point me so that i can start ordering gear...
i'd be super super grateful...
If anyone has experience with this (10W leds, on small micro diy panels), please do say and suggest.

thanks all