DIY DIY Led 3w X 18 UFO/Spotlight

Nam80232

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Alright. I've been procrastinating long enough, so here we go. DIY led lights, easy enough as long as you've got the tools and the will to do it.
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So here we have a;
Multi electrical tester. This one is over kill, fluke control meter. You don't need this one be you do need a tester.
Aluminum base plate
3w LEDs 650nm red, 620nm red, 460nm blue, 520nm green
Heat sink paste
Soldering iron
Solder
Damp sponge.
A couple of forceps

Will edit as I move along!
 
:tiphat: pothead ingenuity.

:peace:
 
Alright now that you've got your LEDs we need to test them to make sure we know which side is + and which is -, this is critical. We're going to be wiring in series which is - to + because if there not it won't work. If you look closely at your LEDs you'll notice that one side has a tab on it. This is to make it easier to ensure proper wiring, or in our case soldering. This is where you need your multi electrical tester. Now on mine I have a one way diode selection which when I place the leads on the correct side, red to - black to + it will light it up. When it lights up the side the black is on is + and the red side is -, yes i know the red is + and black is - but we are using our multi meter as a power source. Cool hu, ya I think so to! Don't worry if you don't have a one way diode function your ohm setting should work.
 
Cool work bro ...
Prepping for a Sweet grow im assuming lol
 
Now that we know which side of the led is + and which one is - we can start the real fun. Get your soldering iron hot and make sure your sponge is damp, not wet wring it out well. The sponge is for cleaning off excessive solder. While your soldering you'll notice that the solder isn't applying easily as it should. Just wipe the iron on the sponge quickly and that will remove the solder that is mucking up the program.

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This is great solder, I suggest it. Got it at radio shack.

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Notice how thin it is. Pencil is 7mm

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If you've just purchased your soldering iron you need to prep the iron before we go any farther. Just heat up the iron and melt so solder on it, get the whole tip covered then wipe it off on the sponge. Now your ready, lets do some soldering.
Looking at the base place you'll notice two smaller spots surrounding a larger round circle. The larger circle is for the heat sink, don't solder there. The little tabs are where we're headed.

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Notice the solder on the little tabs, thats what we're doing. Easy pizzie lemon squizie.

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So this is how I do it. Place the iron, once its hot, on the tab your going to solder. Now touch your solder to the iron. The solder should run around your iron and on to the tab. With heating your tab the solder should melt into the tab making a good joint. See how I worked joint in to there, good stuff! Now a little solder is all we want. You don't want a large blob on it, don't worry if you got a blob on there it'll all work out in the end. Now solder all the tabs and we'll pick up after that! Happy soldering!
 
Alright, this should be the final post. Sorry it's taken so long to get it all on here. My bad.

Now that all your little tabs are soldered we can start with the lights. Your going to need heat sink compound, this too can be picked up at radio shack.

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Now just a little dap will do ya right on the bottom side.

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Now it's very important that you place the - side toward where the power is coming in at. Looking at your base place you should be able to see a faint line under the covering that you can trace to where the + side of the power in will soldered at. The - side of the led should be heading toward the next led. REMEMBER that when you tested the LEDs the black lead on your tester was actually on the + side of the led. This is why the multi tester is vital, that and to test for ground shorts and to test your soldering and direction of your LEDs. We won't cover ground short issues here but if yall need ill help you with that, just hit me up. Anyway lets get back to building our led light array.
Now that you have your heat compound applied place it in the correct direction on the first led space. The little tabs you've soldered should line up with the tabs on your LEDs. The heat sink compound should hold it to the base plate. Place your soldering iron onto the first tab your going to solder, hold it there firmly pressing down on the tab. With in moments you should seethe solder you've already have there start to melt. Add just a touch more solder to the tip of the iron, it should all melt together quick like covering the tab on the led. Now repeat on the other side of the led.
If your having troubles with the tab on the led lifting from the base place just put a little more pressure on your iron pinning that side down to the base plate. Side note, if when you've soldered the tab and release the pressure from the led, the led raises from the plate before the solder hardens don't fret. Just place the iron back on the LEDs tab melting the solder and pushing the led back down onto the plate. Now take your forceps and gently push down on the lens of the led holding it there while you remove the iron.
Now test your light.

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Notice I don't use the tabs of the led to test. I place the + side of the multi meter on the tab where the + power in will be soldered and the the - side of the led. Testing to make sure my soldered connections are good. Check every one you solder, every one. It's easy to flip on around, and this will let you know if you have. And here is what you'll end up with after all 18, or how ever many you have, are soldered! Good job!

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Now the power in. My driver came with a detachable wire harness, nice!

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Now solder this in just like a led. Run the wire through the hole and wire the red to + and black to -. That's it.

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TEST IT OUT!

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Caution, don't be dumb like me and look into the light! I saw spots for ten minutes. Stupid. Here is the light with 90* lenses shooting to the ceiling, 8 feet away!

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Here are the added lenses.

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Here is what my led light looked like with the lenses. I only did the outer ring. This thing will be awesome for a little test grow I'm thinking of doing soon!
Evil Laugh x

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Hope yall find this thread helpful. If you need any help don't hesitate to ask. I'm here for EVERYONE. Thanks for having a look, again sorry it took so long to get it all up on here. Best of luck!
 
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Hey Nam great thread bro really enjoyed this one. I have a question where did you get your LED's from and the base plate thanks and here is a big :slap: for this one
 
Nam, great tute.
Does your kit come with a power supply and a cooling fan?
 
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