My DIY LED build (deprecated)

Sluggy said:
The LEDs will work, but constant high temps reduce their lifespan. 

 
Click to expand...
normal operating temp range is 40 - 60c. spec from manufacturer.
The blue is the only one at 60, the reds are at around 40.
 
Even if the blue fails prematurely(say 10k hour instead of 50k) it costs 1.50$ to replace.... the same as a bottle of coke.
it costs more to run a fan for cooling, or buy a bigger heatsink than to just run them like this and adsorb higher maintenance risk/cost.
 
got all but the top shelf setup. Ready to start some plants lol, gotta wait till December/jan.
 
IMG_20140722_230954.jpg
 
so i think i found a cheaper way to do it using 3w leds, i think it should run a bit cooler as well, also found i can use thermal epoxy instead screwing / taping aluminum which is nice.
Also there are ton more options for 3w leds you could mix in(like uv, infared, far red, etc)
 
driver 9.5 - 10$
 
led .24-.30 ea
9x red = 2.70
3x blue = .72
total= 3.50
 
alum chn 5$
power cord 2$
 
solder, wire, thermal adhesive 2$
total: 22.50
so 5$ or 17% cheaper than last build.
 
sp33d said:
Can these LED's your building grow a pepper plant full cycle?
Click to expand...
i'm using them just for starting, i imagine they could grow small full cycle plants (like 2ft) not big 4ft tall plants
 
yeah so after doing some more testing i  have deprecated this design. IT WORKS, just can be improved!
 
1. i found a cheaper way (5$ cheaper per bar)
2. the light is to focused at 4 points instead of spread out, plants are leaning toward the blue.
3. related to 2, the light is not evenly spread, some plants get a big blast of blue, some get mostly red.
4. more leds gives you more opportunities to mix up the spectrum more, i think limiting to only 2 wavelengths 620 and 450 is not super healthy for the plants.
5. new method less labor intensive.
 
I will post a 2nd version once i take some more pictures.
DmY7qMs.jpg
 
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