Sammy's DIY Cree CXA LED

I'll be thrown' some cannabis under this faster than you can say Han Solo

I have it cranked up at the moment, and its running very very cool





I wanted to send much thanks to many helpful people here, in this forum, who pointed me in the right direction to achieve the vision I had, for this light.


I have so many other crazy ideas. This particular one is super simple and anyone can do it. I pretty much copied several tactics from others here and about to make this, with a few twists of my own

Which CXA is that and what bin?
Mine are the CXA3070 Z4's and I'm running them at 1.4.

This is a link to the CXA 3050 that this light is running


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=131171142774


I have this CXA 3070 here that is going to be used in my 2nd Cree test light. Maybe in the next few days. I intend to try numerous designs and take tips on improvements as I am sure there is lots of wiggle room there for bettering these led setups

this is a link to the 3070---
It's a lighter yellow than the 3050 (meaning the unlit color is lighter)

http://www.digikey.com/product-deta...0N00Z450F/CXA3070-0000-000N00Z450F-ND/4386668

So you got a 2700k for flower and a 5000k for veg?
Forgot to mention mine is a 3000 K.

niceeee there is another link to the same setup!!! i want to do this too!! https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=281244

i really like the pictures though!!! im a man of seeing and doing, read it and it will be horrid!

any chance on giving a break down on how to build this?

im a led noob.

Han Solo !

morgandecaptain said:

So you got a 2700k for flower and a 5000k for veg?
Forgot to mention mine is a 3000 K.

Click to expand...

Actually, I am going to incorporate many different spectrums into my final actual "lamp" or lamps. I am not certain just where this LED experimenting will lead, but I intend on building a lamp that is not too large, but can still contain perhaps 4 of any kind of mixture of 100 watt COB's. I don't want it much bigger than that as I would much prefer to replicate that size lamp as opposed to building it too big and cumbersome. In my scenario here, I prefer to cover more space with numerous sources of light, than try and huddle everything close to say, 1 big hood or or 1 giant LED light. I think that doing it the DIY route and some practice and testing, that I could really do some damage with this technology.

I will eventually build several of these 4 cob "lamps" and scatter them about my garden.
For now , this little CXA I built will be the 1st of numerous tests to nail down my final choices as far as the final spectrums

My final spectrum, that will be in all my new LED lights, will be a true FULL SPECTRUM that will not ever really change from veg to flower. This is my choice and I understand that many will say this and say that , but light spectrum change , and when to do it, in my opinion , is way over- rated. For me, the answer is simple..................

MORE LIGHT!!!!! Just give them more light, and if you can maintain temperature, etc, the results will be there...


Having said all of that, from what I know, I think that the 2700k or the 3000k would grow everything perfectly from front to back with nothing added. This much is known.

I like adding lots of supplemental light to my flower room.


Using numerous heat sink designs
Both active and passive cooling--- So that I can really see how to best keep things running cool, yet BRIGHT!!! MUST continue testing......

Let's put it this way, I will NOT be running my 100 watt LED COB @ 28 watts

I will be adding these spectrums to test-----


2700k CREE 3050 100 watt COB
3000k CREE 3050 100 watt COB
5000k CREE 3070 100 watt COB
630nm RED 100 watt COB (from CHINA)
3000k warm white 100 watt COB (from CHINA)
and maybe later....

Some UV CHINESE COB (not sure yet)
and some 450nm blues

The UV and the blues and reds will likely be only added as supplemental lighting. My FINAL LED "lamp" design that will be replicated, after all this testing is complete, will probably just have 2- 2700k's - 1 5000k - and 1 630nm, but everything is subject to change

Keep in mind here, that for me, ALL of these LED's, for now , will be added as supplemental in addition to my 1000 watt HID's.
I am hoping to ditch the HID's at some point , and this is exactly why I am interested, and frankly, excited about LED's. Maybe even addicted now LOL

That is the nice thing about these 100 watt COB's. FLEXIBILITY --- on so many fronts. Power choices----heat options------- take or leave a COB here or there, and best of all, fill a dark corner or add side lighting to reach our goal, MORE LIGHT

ipumpon said:

any chance on giving a break down on how to build this?

im a led noob.

Click to expand...

Of course my friend, I will be happy to tell you what I did. I will lay it out here in detail as soon as I can find the time. Need a few days BUSY!

I am certainly no LED master, by any means, but only a student of the current technology and basic easy wiring, things like that. I am just barely cracking the surface about understanding how and why these things work and how to use them properly without destroying them due to the heat they put out.
This should prove to anyone out there, that with a few tools, and some good common sense, that you too, can be joining the future .... ... LED'S!!!!! They will dominate all lighting shortly in my opinion. Within 15 years

I'll break down the build for you in a day or 2.

There are many others here on IC Mag who are kind and helpful and put my LED skills to shame, so keep up your interest and, READ READ READ

I admire your flawless manicure.

The remote driver is more then just a good idea, but if you have a lot of drivers it could add up to excessive wiring. And I see what you mean about the passive system being much more simple when you have to add for several meters of extra wire just for fans. Not to mention really clean looking. Where are you putting the drivers?

Dr.Nonagon said:

I admire your flawless manicure.

The remote driver is more then just a good idea, but if you have a lot of drivers it could add up to excessive wiring. And I see what you mean about the passive system being much more simple when you have to add for several meters of extra wire just for fans. Not to mention really clean looking. Where are you putting the drivers?

Click to expand...

Thanks bro. Appreciate it.. Each grow room I have has a master panel that is my control area. I plan on mounting the drivers in this area in each room, eventually. I want to go passive not just to simplify things, but also to save power. More accessories and more moving parts= more heat and more power. I would rather invest in a sufficient sized heat sink or simply incorporate the rear of the heatsink into your 4" or 6" inline fan lines. (I use mine to carry Co2 back up to the ceiling and drop back over the garden). I plan on re-routing those upward pipelines to my desired LED mounting height and just cut holes in the pipe, placing the rear of the sink right inside the pipe, and use what is already whipping through there anyway. May as well use that draft, in my case, then run fans like crazy.

Here are a few other heat sinks I will be trying, using several types of COB's of course---

DUDE!!!!! EPIC PICTURES!!! ty!!!!

Quick question... If i was to get a 100w LED driver, thats all i would need to power it right? as in plug and play just about? (besides connecting to led cob)? There is a LED supply store right down the street from me and i can see what they have for cheap there. ill get the COB's online sometime this month and the thermal paste.

You are inspiring!!!

PS. do you think i can run 200W of LED driver from a regular *SINGLE* plug in? if wired correctly? 120v or w/e the regular plug is?

or do you think i should get 1 250w dimmable led setup?? http://www.flexfireleds.com/zurik-magnetic-dimmable-led-drivers/ they say run the 250W at 80% or all drivers, so that makes it 200W

Ill be checking their store soon to see

nephrosis said:

DUDE!!!!! EPIC PICTURES!!! ty!!!!

Quick question... If i was to get a 100w LED driver, thats all i would need to power it right? as in plug and play just about? (besides connecting to led cob)? There is a LED supply store right down the street from me and i can see what they have for cheap there. ill get the COB's online sometime this month and the thermal paste.

You are inspiring!!!

PS. do you think i can run 200W of LED driver from a regular *SINGLE* plug in? if wired correctly? 120v or w/e the regular plug is?

Click to expand...

Thanks

You can do that (the 100w) , but you will need a suitable heat sink, for that kind of heat

You will need a LED/DRIVER/HEAT SINK and maybe a fan, if you undersize you heat sink (get a big one, IMO)

I wouldn't mess with the 200 watters myself... TOO hot to contain...... reasonably

nephrosis said:

i really like the pictures though!!! im a man of seeing and doing, read it and it will be horrid!

Click to expand...

LOL, I FEEL YOU MY FRIEND

Pictures speak a million words..... to me

Combining the 2 is the key though

nephrosis said:

or do you think i should get 1 250w dimmable led setup?? http://www.flexfireleds.com/zurik-magnetic-dimmable-led-drivers/ they say run the 250W at 80% or all drivers, so that makes it 200W

Ill be checking their store soon to see

Click to expand...

Naw, Nephrosis you don't want anything from the page you linked, all that stuff is constant voltage 12-24v, and you need constant current for a CXA3050 - 2500am @ 37v . The 250w driver they are selling is for around 60 feet of strip lighting. I don't think you should get a 250w led, to expensive and too hot.

I think you should do just like Sammy is doing it. The cxa3050 is really f'ing good.

Do like the man says. Get a CXA3050 or 2, and Meanwell CEN 100-42 driver, a huge heatsink and a plug you will be a happy guy.