Return of the Quantum Tower LED PC case

[skyslimit]

Hi trem0lo,

first of all: nice setup, i enjoyed reading this and your last report.
I'm also running a PC Grow right now, not with LEDs but CFLs. The CFLs get really hot and i have problems with the temperature inside the case, so i decided to change the light setup to LED, also because i'm fascinated by this technology.

I would use pretty much the same components like you, but i have some questions first:
- If you would build this LED-rack right now, would you still use the exact same LED types from Osram?
- Why did you use two current sources? Just because you wanted to turn of one half of the LEDs easily?

Many thanks in advance

p.s. I'm not a native english speaker, so please excuse my mistakes

 

[trem0lo]

Hi skys, nice to have you here

If you would build this LED-rack right now, would you still use the exact same LED types from Osram?

- Why did you use two current sources? Just because you wanted to turn of one half of the LEDs easily?

Many thanks in advance

I'd definitely use the same setup again. Also, I would not rule out the higher powered LEDs, particularly Cree. However, in a PC case with limited height, make sure the LED lens angle is wide enough to spread the light over a wide area. As you probably saw, my lamp allows the flowering tops to get within 1-2 inches without light bleaching, and the vegging plants 8-10 inches down grow well without stretch. I think that is a good goal for PC cases.

I use 2 current sources because the forward voltage is too much for one driver to handle! The forward voltage (which is the sum of the voltage used by each light) dictates how big your driver needs to be. In my case, it exceeded the rating of my driver (which is 48V) so I split it up among two drivers.

Clear as mud? I hope not!

 

[trem0lo]

I remember mentioning my smaller stealth cab where I'd hoped to clone and keep a few bonsai mothers. Well, here it is!

The case is a small RAID hard drive case that sits on the back of my desk. The light is the same design and uses the same driver as in my PC, albeit much smaller at 8 watts. The heatsink is large enough to allow passive cooling, ie no fan (although there are a few 3-pin headers to plug one in if needed, behind the light). A large 140mm PC fan pulls through a carbon pad and exhausts out the back. I also fitted a carbon pad inside the front door to block the light. The switch on the back turns the light on and off independent of the fan.

My bonsai mom-to-be was vegging in a 16 ounce party cup--much too tall for the case, and rootbound as well. I trimmed off about 50% of the root mass with a bread knife and repotted into a smaller 3.5" pot with some bonsai soil mix. She's perked back up nicely. Hopefully I can keep 4 mothers in this.

 

[rootidec]

Ingenious!
...that pretty goes along well with a PC btw!

 

[Weeda]

Hi,extraordinary job. congratulations!

you know give me the link of the LEDs you used?

thanks

Peace

 

[trem0lo]

Hey weeda, thanks man!

The LEDs are from Mouser. Osram Golden Dragon Plus, code W5AM.

 

[stealthENG]

fascinating grow. If all goes well with my pc atm (i.e the srubbers do their job and i harvest even a small amount of bud) I will definately be upgrading to something similar to this. I have been through your original thread as well but I couldnt find the answer i was looking for...

Could you give me some more information about your resevoir? Whats it made out of? How does it feed your plants? Is it a drip method? Sorry for my ignorance haha
Thanks

 

[trem0lo]

Could you give me some more information about your resevoir? Whats it made out of? How does it feed your plants? Is it a drip method? Sorry for my ignorance haha
Thanks

It's true I haven't really talked about the reservoir, maybe mentioned once or twice in my old thread.

I use Blumat Jrs... actually they are knock-offs called Perky Posey as they're cheaper and easier to get where I live--only a couple bucks for 4. They work in the same way though: the water drips from the reservoir through the tubing into the top of the blumat spade (which is clay) and gets slowly released as the plant drinks. The clay spade acts as a sensor of sorts to the moisture level around it and increases/decreases the water flow accordingly. My reservoir is simply an old water bottle that I wrapped in electrical tape to prevent algae growth. There is just plain water in there; my organic soil feeds the grow.

While they aren't as fancy as the drip Blumats, they are easier to set up... just plug and play.

 

[stealthENG]

Cheers for the info. just ordered myself some Blumats from amazon. in your 2nd pic the water looks red / brown :L

 

[30x470]

Hi trem0lo,
thanks for sharing.
A question for you, how much does the led panel? More or less than those assembled at the factory?
Stupid question.....anyway..
Good work!
I post a link to heat sinks , here, very interesting..
Buon cultivo

 

[trem0lo]

in your 2nd pic the water looks red / brown :L

I think what you're seeing is the LEDs reflecting off the grey cover to the bottle

Hi trem0lo,
thanks for sharing.
A question for you, how much does the led panel? More or less than those assembled at the factory?
Stupid question.....anyway..
Good work!
I post a link to heat sinks , here, very interesting..
Buon cultivo

I don't remember the whole cost, but around $250. I ordered spare LEDs and other supplies too, also a soldering iron, multimeter, copper tape, etc. If you don't own those tools already, it is a significant entry cost. But now I have a drawer full of construction supplies for my next light.

My technical Italian is not so good (only what I get from opera) but we have a similar site for custom heatsinks here in the US. Heatsinks USA I think it is.

 

[30x470]

Thanks..a lot.
I want create my panel. My box is this one

which measures the panel do you recommend?On the left I put my DIY carbon filter for about 25 cm, the rest is for the grow..
Two little panel is better than a big one?
What are the measures of the wings of the heatsink?
Big up

 

[trem0lo]

700 cm, is that correct? That's nearly 23 feet long. In that case (and using Osram GD+) I would put a 50watt LED panel every two feet. The 170 degree lenses would be perfect and the lumens from each light would overlap making for nice, even coverage.

 

[stealthENG]

As you're so knowledgable, could you please shed some light on how you wired your fan controller? Does it have to be a specific one? How did you short it out as well?

 

[30x470]

@Trem0lo
nono...ahahahah..700 cm..maybe soon..hahahah
Sorry for my draw, i'm van goggo..ahahaha..There are only 100 cm..
thank you so much... 50 w led panel every two feet square..interesting..
I see in the future, a hope, a panel 70cmx40cm, how many watts I could install in this area? And what is the thickness of the wings of the heat sink and the length?
There are many products on the site that I mentioned to you, which forms are better than those found in the catalog?
Thank you, sir..sorry for my OT )
Ciao

 

[trem0lo]

As you're so knowledgable, could you please shed some light on how you wired your fan controller? Does it have to be a specific one? How did you short it out as well?

Hi stealth... well my first fan controller was neat, had temp readouts, rpm control... I shorted it by crossing the wires to the power supply somehow, not exactly sure how.

My new system is actually simpler and doesn't use a computer PSU... It's a 12V hard drive power supply that's attached underneath the case. This is connected via molex to a PC backplate, then to an internal fan header with multiple 3-pin connections. The backplate has fan connectors for my external (exhaust) fans. I use resistor cables to reduce the fan speed. All this stuff is available on most DIY computer sites and it's just plug & play, no wiring or soldering necessary.

@Trem0lo
nono...ahahahah..700 cm..maybe soon..hahahah
Sorry for my draw, i'm van goggo..ahahaha..There are only 100 cm..
thank you so much... 50 w led panel every two feet square..interesting..
I see in the future, a hope, a panel 70cmx40cm, how many watts I could install in this area? And what is the thickness of the wings of the heat sink and the length?
There are many products on the site that I mentioned to you, which forms are better than those found in the catalog?
Thank you, sir..sorry for my OT )
Ciao

Ahah! I suspected as much I always forget that the European "1" looks like an American "7".

Two 50watt panels would be perfect, then, I think. The surface area of the heatsink dictates how many LEDs you can install without overheating. Check out the tutorial in my first thread for the calculations... it's 9 square inches for every watt when using a fan. So a 50 watt light needs a heatsink that is 450 square inches in surface area. It doesn't matter how it looks, as long as the surface area matches up.

And I like those heatsinks in the catalog very much. Nice designs for a large surface area!

 

[1337micro]

Wow Trem, very sexy case/build =) I've always been bit skeptical of leds.....but lately I think many people are proving that they are actually usable with good results =) I've started looking into the possibility of piecing together an LED panel for my subwoofer box, seems pricey lol. Maybe they'll be cheaper once I burn through my 100 hps bulbs.

 

[stealthENG]

Yo trem0lo, fancy helping me build my own LED panel? I just dropped my 120w CFL onto my desktop pc! Not only did the bulb fall to pieces and leave a nice trail of mercury behind, but because both of my tower doors were off as well as the front panel, the weight of the bulb reduced my tower to a quivvering mass of shit (was only a £20 cheapy) .

I have read through your tutorial a few times and swalled as much information as possible. Ive also done a fair bit of research mainly on the LEDs. Its pretty black and white that Golden Dragons are the way forward BUT: (here is one of many questions to come)
What is wrong with these: http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/visible-leds/6973636/
Am I missing something? These are extensively cheaper than something of similar specifications but sold by mouser for 6x the price... ?!

 

[xmobotx]

stealthENG LEDs are wired in serial, calculate your total load by adding the voltage of individual diodes {LEDs} in the circuit for your total load, amperage for the circuit is equal to amperage of 1 diode

it can be as simple as wiring your driver to the circuit and plugging the driver in

For a micro-grow you probably want something like lumiled rebel rather than 10w crees as intensity of cutting edge diodes may be too much in an enclosed space ~therefor, you likely wont need a monster heat sink {but it may be a good idea to plan your ventilation so it cools your lamp and exhausts from the heat sink area}

 

[trem0lo]

1337micro... thanks a lot! I admire your build as well. A LED panel would be perfect for your box, especially if you're battling high temperatures. To me, that is the biggest benefit for micro growers.

stealthENG... sorry to hear about the accident! There are other LEDs worth looking into (some of which I don't know as much about) like Cree. Some are higher-powered than Osrams but may be more difficult to mount or have viewing angles that would burn a hole through a leaf at close range. Based on that, I wouldn't conclude Osrams are the definitive way forward. But they do make efficient, very bright, and easy-to-mount LEDs in a variety of colors, and most importantly they grow nice buds

Those GD+ in the link look exactly like the warm whites I use on my panel. In fact, the BIN codes in the datasheet match up with mine. I am not entirely sure what Chip Level Conversion is but it sounds like a good thing. I use 6 of these in my light--they are very bright and my plants tend to move toward them. The spectrum graph for them is very compatible with PAR for growing plants, so I wouldn't hesitate to build an array made entirely of these since they're so cheap! Looks like they discounted them, but now are out of stock.

But yeah, calculate your light and wattage need, get a suitable heatsink and driver(s) and half the work is done. Beyond that you just need to mount them.