Ok GN this is going to be my Led light build thread. Here were going to discuss led lights and drivers and equipment and parts. What im trying to do is find the most budget friendly D.I.Y light builds that are easy to build and source parts for.
Im going to make a few low cost light build options and list all the parts and instrucrions on how to fabricate these lights. STAY TUNED! Im going to make a really nice light build tomorrow. I have all the parts now and this light is going to be my most advanced light so far. This new light is going to feature.
4x hlg main light quantum boards.
4x V2 elite lite engines.
4x UVA light pucks.
3x meanwell drivers everything will dimmable except the UV lights.
Ive done all the math sourced all the parts and found the best prices for all the required parts to build this light and help others to build there own lights and equipment.
I will further update this thread tomorrow and show all the parts in detail and list it all. And if anyone likes anything i make and cant do it your self im going to maybe make a couple custom light builds for people that dont feel comfortable building and wiring lights.
GET READY! Im super excited to make this new light and this thread.
Ok i did a little more work to the light last night. Stupid work meeting went 2 hours! Talking about goals, sales awards, gross proffit lol i was so fucking stoned lol i was trippin and could care less about that shit. goals just stress me out and im a top performer because i dont care . Shhh dont tell the bosses. Ive been not caring for 20yrs lol. Leave me alone, ill get things done my way! Anyways i was able to at least get the frame sections cut to length and set up to where i could mock up the light board positions and kind map out the where the UVs gonna fit in there. Ill add the updated pics to the first post so it doesnt get scattered down the thread. I didnt realized i needed more little bits and connections to attach the lights to the rails properly. And amazon does 1 day delivery lol. So hopefully l can update the pics of how i attach the parts. The small uv pucks have a very small lip on the edges im going to have to drill and maybe tap but more than likely just drill. Since i messed up one aluminum bar with a reciprocating saw i used a hand held chop saw to make a cleaner cut and it was much better but still not as nice a bench chop saw. So i ordered one because ive always wanted one and i keep forgeting to buy one. So ill have both either way. Now i need a pedestal stand for my bench grinder?
I had to source these little heat sinks on an online catog. Used a micrometer and could not decide what i wanted to buy it Was a Pia! These overhang a tiny bit but that way i can still mount them to a rail or an L bracket. Because i had to drill and tap the heat sinks akready Might look odd like it doeant fit right. But it cools better and you wont be looking at them Ever because they will fry your eyes! these arent your basic UV’s and were gonna load up the light with 4 of these little devils.m because i like to over do shit to the max!
These bolts have a nut that has a rounded edge so you just slide the silver nut into the rail and as you tight it it rotates and locks into the rail. There pretty slick and you can make all kinds of things with this atuff. I think i can get this ready to wire up tonight.
You can use hand tools. A basic hack saw and a vise works. I used a shop rag and vise then use the chop saw. This will be the most labor intense part. And i will be soldering/hardwiring the lights power wires and tucking them into the frames chanel and using the yellow silicone channel inserts to hide the wires and make it look clean and sleeker. I also have some other corner brackets to test when they arrive later. I mean it will live in the tents ceiling and wont be looked at much but i wawnt happy with the angle aluminums flimsiness. And square tube is like $26 for 4’ and 10 sticks of extruded 2020 is like $69 so it makes sense to use it and it looks nice!
Well i went and got a new non ferrous metal blade for miter i have that made it quick and easy to cut this stuff. And i love tools so i still need the chop saw i ordered for another job.
Ok a little update! Sorry got called into work due to snow. So i havent been able to work on my light. And i needed some other parts to attach the lights to the 2020 rails i bought.
I decided that i didnt want the corner lights fixated in only one spot/position. So i decided to cut 1.5 pieces of 4’ rail into 8) 8" pieces because after a bunch of measurements and subtracting the 3/4" rail measurements from the the frame perimeter the most even spacing was about 8.5" apart for the light boards and rail placements. So i got these inner “L” corner connecter pieces to connect the 8 rails i cut to the main frame. This way the lights are able to be moved back and forth on the rails depending on how long the wires are i make. Because that will be factored into the final wiring and how im going to hide the excess wires.
Here i have all the parts attached execpt the back brace brackets. Surprisingly it takes a long time to put lots of these little twist nuts into the rail channels and then tighten them up! Like hours. Since the corner brackets come in 10 packs i needed 4 plates but i got 2 packs of 10 i used them on the rails ends as attachments to the main frame and since they take 5 screw sets each it gets tedious AF! But looks nice and if you have any gaps in your rail length cuts it hides those. Also i need 1 more driver and 1 more potentiometer so i can dim the 4 corner lights also. Then the light will be 100% dimmable the 4 corners lights are IP64 rated for dust and moisture now because i added the optional gasket seals and the acrylic lenses. If i could find lenses to cover the boards i would add those also but they create heat so its a caveat.
Once i have the light completed i will post all parts costs and links to find them. I should have it done thursday as long as the driver i need gets here i need 2 and i had one on hand. And only 1 dimmer. So i ordered a couple more dimmers for my inventory.
I like to use this silicone flexible wire for My RC drone builds. But it can handle some serious voltage and temperature extremes 392°F / -76°F. I wire all my lights with this stuff
Im all set up to wire the light. I wanted to hide wiring either way. So you can see the yellow i chose, I usually Go Green or blue. But the yellow matches the led boards.
I hardwire all my lights. I dont mess with quick wego connectors. I used to build computers for gaming rigs and did a bunch of circuits and circuit board reworking. Soldering chip removal from circuit boards. So i always use a kester pen. Basically rosin and Rubbing alcohol. It makes solder go where you want it to. You basically twist your wire nice and straight and use the kester pen to paint it onto the wire lightly then add solder to it using the side of the iron tip. Not adding solder to the iron but in between the iron tip and wire it will instantly melt and suck it into the wire. called tinning the wire two tinned wires are easy to joint in seconds.
When using a flexible wire poking it into a light board push clip will not work. You have to tin the wire so is solid then i use some hemostats to grip the end of the wire were the tinning ends and insert the wire in until it clicks into to the connector.b
Also a pro tip! Tinning the wire end also makes it easier to insert wires into tight holes and spaces without snagging on frayed wire ends, like when you put heat shrink tube on the wires. I was going to just cover the wires with heatshrink but small pieces of the yellow track insert looks better.
Here i installed the water proof lense gaskets to keep out dust, bugs or any foreign items from geting on the boards. Using the silicone wire and lenses gets you an ip67 water rating!
I drilled small holes into the extrusions straight down and in from the side and i used the same size drill bit as the center hole of the extrusions im using.
I need to attach to power cord to the driver and the dimmer needs to be soldered on. Then i will install the uv pucks and wire up the other boards. Im close to being done but a few more things to do.
Awesome. I need to find a house with a basement and garage so I can do this shit. Always perks my interests seeing this. I love doing shit like this at work when it pops up available to build things like this and or wire stuff I just don’t play with live electric.
. Shhh 
dont tell the bosses. Ive been not caring for 20yrs lol. Leave me alone, ill get things done my way! Anyways i was able to at least get the frame sections cut to length and set up to where i could mock up the light board positions and kind map out the where the UVs gonna fit in there. Ill add the updated pics to the first post so it doesnt get scattered down the thread. I didnt realized i needed more little bits and connections to attach the lights to the rails properly. And amazon does 1 day delivery lol. So hopefully l can update the pics of how i attach the parts. The small uv pucks have a very small lip on the edges im going to have to drill and maybe tap but more than likely just drill. Since i messed up one aluminum bar with a reciprocating saw i used a hand held chop saw to make a cleaner cut and it was much better but still not as nice a bench chop saw. So i ordered one because ive always wanted one and i keep forgeting to buy one. So ill have both either way. Now i need a pedestal stand for my bench grinder?
