LED light array


  #1  
Old 01-28-12, 12:30 PM
K
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Exclamation LED light array

I recently began making a cabinet into a grow station. It's almost finished, but

im having trouble with the lighting system. In the beginning the idea was to

make a full-spectrum LED light array of no particular voltage. I wanted to mimic this array I saw on LED Lights and Light Fixtures

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]


Then after I looked into it more I decided to use different types, and colors of

LED That would produce the same full-spectrum light pattern. I chose a Warm White, Super Blue, Super Red, ,and Super-UV I put links to the specifications of each LED.



I purchased 3 pieces of aluminum sheeting from Ace hardware and made 3

panels to mount the LED in.

hardware.[IMG][/IMG]

These two are {18x9} in and have 99 holes {(11x9)} {Length x Width}

Red 41
Blue 36
UV 18
Warm White 4
-----------------
99 LEDs

they will hopefully end up looking like this

[IMG][/IMG]

The other panel is {18x7} with 84 holes {(7x12)}

[IMG][/IMG]

This is What im planning

[IMG][/IMG]

P.S. Here a link to an LED series or parallel array wizard

I am not an electrician nor am i an electrical engineer. I am

however competent enough to learn so if anyone can help me

with the assembly of either LED array I would be very

appreciative.
 
  #2  
Old 01-28-12, 01:26 PM
B
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: New England
Posts: 9,460
Received 47 Upvotes on 43 Posts
Hi kamko and welcome to the forum.
LEDs are actually easy to work with. Each requires a forward current and enough voltage to get there. Let's take one diode and figure out how to turn it on. Most of yours are 30 ma at around 3 volts. Those numbers are different for each color light. If you assume a 6 volt power supply, then 3 volts will go to the diode and 3 volts will need to be dropp3d across a resistor in series with that diode. That gives us what we need to select the size of the diode. R= E/I 3 volts divides by 0.030 amps equals 100 ohms.
If the voltage across the diode is 2.2 volts @ 20 ma then we will need 3.8 volts @ 20 ma across the resistor. R = 3.8 volts divided by 20 ma which equals 190 ohms.

Yout total power supply will need to be probably 6 volts or higher and the total current capacity will be the total of all of your lights plus a comfortable margin, say 50% bigger. So, 100 diodes at 35 ma equals 3.5 amps, thus something like a 5 amp capability. See what you can come up with for a power supply and then use that voltage to calculate all of the resistors, one for each diode.

Bud
 
  #3  
Old 01-30-12, 06:19 PM
K
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Exclamation

looked over all of the responses and tweaked the design slightly.

I am completely new to this and all of the feedback really helped.
Now that I looked into it a little more I see 1 Watt LEDs would ultimately produce the best plants, so I ditched the 5mm and went with these. RED 630nm, RED 660nm (1.9-2.7v forward voltage), BLUE450nm, Warm White.

This was originally the array with 84 LEDs. It now consists of 70 1 Watt LEDs .



I know that the diagram above is NOT correct.

My question, is this possible or am I just pipe dreaming.
I know that I need some form of current limiter, or driver, but im not sure what exactly. heres a site with 350 ma drivers. If someone could tell me what one is the right one and how to use it that would be awesome.

I'm gonna attach the word doc that has the
LED diagram I have been using so if someone wants to
supplement in where the driver power source and
anything else might be.
(it wouldn't attach if u want it PM me)

is there anyway to use a smaller power source for this project? if so please let me know!

I really appreciate all the input I can get on this project thanks in advance!
 

Last edited by kamko15; 01-30-12 at 08:12 PM.
  #4  
Old 01-31-12, 05:46 AM
B
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: New England
Posts: 9,460
Received 47 Upvotes on 43 Posts
If you want to light them all at once in a parallel arrangement, the above description is close to what you will need. Now, if you want to Christmas tree the wiring, where several lights are run in series on several branches there might be some reduction, but that would take someone configuring the combinations of each branch and the final power supply voltage/power required.

I don't believe you can sequence LEDs, pulsing them so half are on while the other half are off, as they are extremely fast and you would simply lose intensity. A 5 amp capacity on a 6 volt power supply (30 watts) is actually a rather small power supply. Think in terms of a 30 watt light bulb. All those lights are not going to run from a little wall wart, maybe a big one.

Bud
 
  #5  
Old 01-31-12, 11:18 PM
K
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Exclamation

I've finally decided how i'm going to assemble the 70Watt (70x1W) LED array.

That dose not mean that I am ready to build it, not even close. I am posting this method so

that you guy's can let me know if it will work, and it probably isn't the most efficient method

so please, let me know, I am open to suggestions.

However if this is a really good way to wire em up then please let me know what

components i'm going to need, what I might need to know, I mean anything that can help.

All of the information on the LEDs in on this thread.



The image of this array is link to the site hosting it, and on that site you can edit so if you

ever wanna use that too respond to this post you can.

 
  #6  
Old 02-01-12, 05:57 AM
B
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: New England
Posts: 9,460
Received 47 Upvotes on 43 Posts
Recognize that whatever you end up building, I'm not responsible . It's difficult helping people build projects because the end results might work perfectly or burn your house down and I/we have no control.

With that said, here are some thoughts. I can't see exactly how you have it wired, but the various voltages suggest several diodes in series with your constant current source driving them. The question then is, who are the diodes with different current ratings going to behave when they are not seeing the current they are designed for. Even if you put 6 similar diodes in series, all rated at 30ma, you still might see differences in their brightness as they are not matched to perform the same with the same current. Thus, driving them with a voltage source and series limiting resistor effectively allows each diode to control its own current.

I have never tried driving multiple diodes with a single current source, but suspect there are more problems to be resolved.

Maybe Ray or others have suggestions.

Bud
 
  #7  
Old 02-01-12, 06:35 AM
ray2047's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 29,711
Upvotes: 0
Received 15 Upvotes on 13 Posts
Maybe Ray or others have suggestions.
Not me. They used vacuum tubes when I learned electronics.
 
  #8  
Old 02-01-12, 04:37 PM
K
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Exclamation

Hey guys. Thanks for all the posts and advice, but I have a specific question I need help with.

if you look at the most recent diagram you'll see I'm planning on using

10 constant currant drivers to run each series of 7 LEDs in parallel. Okay got that figured.

Now i'm having issues with the power supply. I don't know how I am going to wire all of

Those currant drivers to one power source.
please if anyone sees something let me

know.


I saw that my LEDs weren't the same currant and am now looking for replacements.

 
  #9  
Old 02-02-12, 08:35 PM
K
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Exclamation

Hey guys I'm about to begin purchasing LEDs. when I'm all done Ill be sure to let you know prices.

But! alas i cannot move forward with this project, because I'm not sure how to wire all of the

constant currant drivers to the 24v power supply.I need to wire 10 parallel connections, and

for them to be parallel each driver will need to be directly connected to the power supplies

+ and - output. I haven't seen this done and am wondering if i just strip the + and - wires

then just "tie-in" or wire each positive and negative end of the driver to each singular

+ and - lead from the power source.

In my search for power sources I came across ones that said dual output. I am wondering if

I need multiple outputs, or if dual means it can hook up to two different arrays.

Please answer these questions specifically so I can begin to order a power supply.




[SIZE="5"]power source in consideration[/SIZE]
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: