HBG-60-1400 - Which heatsink and where?

I've been lurking for a while but reluctant to post for a while, but I've finally reached a wall and kind of need some help in regards to lights. I have never diy'ed a light before but have built a PC and have googled and tried to find the answer to my questions before coming here. Please forgive me for the length of this post, I am trying to be as detailed and specific as possible so I can be helped.

I'm struggling with (1) Sourcing items for the project, and (2) identifying the right pieces to go to my project.


BUDGET:

My current goal is to build a "Budget" Cob light between $100 - $110. Originally I was going to go with a Growhydro light but after much research decided since I'm only growing 1-2 plants (with the expectation that I'll make a mistake and the 2nd is likely to die if not 2), decided a cob light would be a better investment with an expansion to two for this current grow. If the cost of the build exceeds $110, then I would end up questioning whether I am really saving money by DIYing this project or if I would do better off spending the extra $50 difference in an autocob from cobshops. Most savings for the products I am looking at seem to happen when you buy in bulk, but I need to grow something now and want to start small and expand as I go. I'm really trying to bring the cost down to $100~110, and so just trying to explore my options here. I figured if I could strategically buy around discounts I could save money but the only place that I could find offering discounts at this time was rapidled.

BUDGET MINDSET
I do think in terms of "Investment", so as an example I will calculate the price of one cob and think ok if I spend a little extra and get the two cobs I plan for this grow that will be $80/cob instead of $100/cob (before) discounts, and if I do get my second light or set of lights buying around these time periods would be helpful. And then calculate, the added fact that these will last me X years and so--but if I wanted to grow right now and didn't have the luxury of waiting another 3-4 months to buy a $300~ light, the compromise for me is how much can I afford to spend right now and still have room to stretch the penny to do just a smidge more (like with the extra $40 saved purchasing some hydroponic grow food and some growless medium to go with x y z) -- so if I can get two quality cobs for less than $140 with a total diy of ~100-140 range over a single cob in that same range great, and if I can have the versatility that the autocobs offer even better. So that's a bit how my mind works there and what I'm aiming for with this project.

CURRENT BUILD LIST:

1. Citizen 1212, 3500k - Led
2. HBG-60-1400 - Driver
3. Passive Heatsink ---- ????
4. US Power Cord, spacers, screws, wiring

WHICH HEATSINKS?

My research brought up only a few posts referencing to the circular drivers in it they describe the heatsink being used as a 13450-B (or) a 152100 B HBG (Adapter plate required but not sure exactly what an adapter plate is or where I would find one). I have not been able to find either of these heatsinks at rapidled or cobkits and the one place I have found them led.cdiweb suggests that shipping will take weeks.

*If I purchased a heatsink from cobkits or rapidleds, which of their heatsinks would work? Rapidled only offers 140mm (at a low cost excluding shipping), while cobkits offers 133mm, 140mm, 120mm (at higher costs plus shipping), and the only mechatronix I can see is the Iceled Active which I'm sure would work but is not passive. Forums that reference the HBG 60 keep mentioning Mechatronix -- which are more expensive and don't appear common - it appears there's only one place to get them? led.cdiweb? Is that true or am I missing something?

What are my alternative options for passive heatsinks related to HBG-60-1400 at cobkits or rapidled? I saw Kingbrite had an option for $11.50 but don't know much about them, are they viable?

I saw another build that simply used an LPC-60-1400, with the citizen 1212 and with some ingenuity put together a hanging cob light with a power cord. That would work; but really like the circular design of the HBG-60, is there a reason it can't work with any other passive heatsinks that aren't the 13450 or the 152100 B?


LEDS/DRIVER

I had planned to purchase my cob lights from rapidled but they only appear to offer Citizen leds in amber and (royal blue?) but don't offer anything within spectrums I'm looking at (3500k), and then only offer Cree, Vero and Luminus which work fine, Vero is less expensive but changes the type of heatsink I would need because it's not 36v let cree or citizen at rapidled, but rather ~50vs(as I understand). On the other hand, Cobkits is the only place I can find that has the driver I want HBG-60-1400 and offers a larger variety of citizens, in the 3500k spectrum that I'm looking for (last I checked they didn't have many in stock, so bummer). I figure when I factor in shipping that I save more money getting them from the same place than buying my Leds in one place and my driver in another so was considering purchasing my driver and lights from cobkits. Which is only sad to me because I have the 10% discount from rapidled and really wanted to use it to save on the project mrgreen.

WIRING/SPACERS/SCREWS

I notice that 18 gauge alarm wiring is used to connect leds to other leds, but if you have a single cob system do you still need all that wiring, or can you simply connect the drivers own wires to the led directly and a power supply cord; and be done with it? Do you still need to connect negative and positive with only one led, or will a single wired connection work? Is soldering necessary for this part or is their a solder free alternative? (I have a solder iron with solder but after a few burns try to avoid it).

I also notice spacers and screws are referenced as required for the HBG-60 build. Can I ask are spacers mandatory? Why are spacers used? Are there alternatives to spacers? Would home depot, lowes or even amazon have these spacers?

Thanks!

I have many questions but most of my questions related to grow room design are thoroughly answered. It's the cob lighting diy set-up and all the different combinations for specific needs that doesn't seem to have as much detailed instructions. I'm really good at following lists, instructions and being meticulous but … def. fail at engineering. If there were an autocob kit for single-cobs that cost less than the autocob but was still profitable to the seller (shipping factored in) I would 100% jump on board that kit!

What's the area in feet of your grow space for your 2 plants?

I am working backwards and designing around my light restrictions - so rather than designing my area first then the lights because lights are SO important I am designing my grow space to my lights, lights first then grow area space restricts around that space. Do you have any suggestions for the recommended grow space of a single cob vs. a dual cob system? Whatever that recommendation is the recommendation I will stick to.

With 60 watts of power you will only be able to light up an area of 1'' x 2'' at best... Even 2 '' x 1.5'' is pushing it... And don't even think about 2x2 the results will be sub par.
That's a ridiculously tiny space, even for 2 plants.

It's not really about whether you're using one COB or 2 or 20

I can help you design a much cheaper light, but you need to figure out how much space you'll be growing in

Ideally I would have a 48"x24"x60" (4x2x5). I currently have an old critter nation double unit cage that has been repurposed (racks removed) and is a 36"; L X 24"; W X 63" (3x2x5.25), my ultimate goal is to provide enough watt friendly light to this area - if my budget lights can work within those two different sets of dimensions (while still being easy on the electricity) I'd be ecstatic. If I need more lights to fit that space and to invest a little more money I can work with that too, (hoping it's not too unrealistic to think I can grow with <140$ lights). Thanks so much for the guidance!

For the 4x2 you'd need around 240 Watts, and for the 3x2 you'd need around 180 watts.

A good build would be:
12 x bxeb-l0560z-35e2000-c-b3 (bridgelux strips EB Gen2 2 feet long)
1 x meanwell LRS-150-36
1 x meanwell LRS-75-36
For $125 or so.... You'd also need to buy some L shaped aluminum to build a mounting base/heatsink, but that's super easy and cheap. Also a roll of 18g wire, a power cord, and a few wagos.

All in all it's a ridiculously frugal build. I dont' think you'd find anything similar anywhere. You'd be getting around 225 Watts, and should be enough for the 6 sqf space... It would also be OK for the 4x2 space, but for that space i would go up to 300 Watts and get:

16 x bxeb-l0560z-35e2000-c-b3 (bridgelux strips EB Gen2 2 feet long)
2x meanwell LRS-150-36

Which would be around $160 + wires, aluminum, wagos, and a computer power cord.

Thanks that answers the budget question. Could you or anyone help me with the build I have on hand? I'd like to build 1 or 2 cob lights using the HBG-60-1400 driver (it's ok if the space I can grow in them is small, I'll use one cob in a smaller space, expand to two and then keep expanding from there). In that same like -- how many citizen 1212 cobs would it take to meet the 180w and 240w goal? The inspiration to growing with a single cob came when I saw that you could grow a single marijuana plant with a single cob and expand to two.

I'm trying to figure out what heatsink options I have to go with the HBG-60-1400 driver (in relation to the problem I mentioned under the "Heatsink").

*If I purchased a heatsink from cobkits or rapidleds, which of their heatsinks would work? Rapidled only offers 140mm (at a low cost excluding shipping), while cobkits offers 133mm, 140mm, 120mm (at higher costs plus shipping), and the only mechatronix I can see is the Iceled Active which I'm sure would work but is not passive. Forums that reference the HBG 60 keep mentioning Mechatronix -- which are more expensive and don't appear common - it appears there's only one place to get them? led.cdiweb? Is that true or am I missing something?

What are my alternative options for passive heatsinks related to HBG-60-1400 at cobkits or rapidled? I saw Kingbrite had an option for $11.50 but don't know much about them, are they viable?

Click to expand...

Right now I've decided on a Citizen 1212, a HBG-60-1400, and now I'm stuck with the wiring if I need an 18 gauge alarm wire to work a single-cob HBG-60-1400, and my heatsink options.

Thanks so much for the guidance!

Invierno said:

Thanks that answers the budget question. Could you or anyone help me with the build I have on hand? I'd like to build 1 or 2 cob lights using the HBG-60-1400 driver (it's ok if the space I can grow in them is small, I'll use one cob in a smaller space, expand to two and then keep expanding from there). In that same like -- how many citizen 1212 cobs would it take to meet the 180w and 240w goal? The inspiration to growing with a single cob came when I saw that you could grow a single marijuana plant with a single cob and expand to two.

I'm trying to figure out what heatsink options I have to go with the HBG-60-1400 driver (in relation to the problem I mentioned under the "Heatsink").




Right now I've decided on a Citizen 1212, a HBG-60-1400, and now I'm stuck with the wiring if I need an 18 gauge alarm wire to work a single-cob HBG-60-1400, and my heatsink options.

Thanks so much for the guidance!

Click to expand...

its a 60w driver so the most light you'll get out of it is 60w therefore you need a heatsink that can dissipate 60w. i know from personal testing that the 140mm pin from rapidled can dissipate 60w so i would recommend that. i think 18awg solid would work

Invierno said:

Thanks that answers the budget question. Could you or anyone help me with the build I have on hand? I'd like to build 1 or 2 cob lights using the HBG-60-1400 driver (it's ok if the space I can grow in them is small, I'll use one cob in a smaller space, expand to two and then keep expanding from there). In that same like -- how many citizen 1212 cobs would it take to meet the 180w and 240w goal? The inspiration to growing with a single cob came when I saw that you could grow a single marijuana plant with a single cob and expand to two.

I'm trying to figure out what heatsink options I have to go with the HBG-60-1400 driver (in relation to the problem I mentioned under the "Heatsink").




Right now I've decided on a Citizen 1212, a HBG-60-1400, and now I'm stuck with the wiring if I need an 18 gauge alarm wire to work a single-cob HBG-60-1400, and my heatsink options.

Thanks so much for the guidance!

Click to expand...

heatsink:

https://cobkits.com/product/120-mm-passive-pin-fin-heatsink/

if youre using a single cob, you can just wire them directly from the power supply... positive goes to positive, and negative goes to negative. cobkits sells the mounting adapters for citizens 1212. Although i wouldn't recommend a 1212 for 60 watts, i'd go for the luminus cxm22

Can I ask why you would not recommend a 1212 for 60 watts?
Why a luminus cxm22 instead?

I notice the luminus cxm22 is rated at 51v instead of 36v (is the voltage the determining factor - or is there something else that determines that)
In which case why a luminus over ex. Vero 29, (which I think is 52v).

I notice cobs are listed by their volts - how does one determine the output wattage that a single cob would produce? Or does the driver determine the output of the watts not the cob itself?

Would a 133mm passive heatsink also work to dissipate 60watts? When it comes to passive drivers, is there a reason when working with HBG that the 13450-B from Mechatronix is recommended over other passive pin drivers?

Thank you both so much for your guidance!

Invierno said:

Can I ask why you would not recommend a 1212 for 60 watts?
Why a luminus cxm22 instead?

I notice the luminus cxm22 is rated at 51v instead of 36v (is the voltage the determining factor - or is there something else that determines that)
In which case why a luminus over ex. Vero 29, (which I think is 52v).

I notice cobs are listed by their volts - how does one determine the output wattage that a single cob would produce? Or does the driver determine the output of the watts not the cob itself?

Would a 133mm passive heatsink also work to dissipate 60watts? When it comes to passive drivers, is there a reason when working with HBG that the 13450-B from Mechatronix is recommended over other passive pin drivers?

Thank you both so much for your guidance!

Click to expand...

Volts multiplied by amps determines the watts... So you'd get voltage multiplied by current (36 x 1 amp... or 36 x 2 amps) would yield 36 watts or 72 watts respectivelly.

Volts don't mean anything other than what they need to turn on. A 50 volt cob can be worse or better than a 25 or a 100v COB. How good they are depends on the manufacturing process and quality.

Usually you'd say:

Ok i need 5 cobs, and they're all 36 volts. So i'll buy a constant voltage driver in which i can modify the current so i can dim them or something like that.

Cobs are manufactured to work within certain ranges of operation. And will need much more cooling the higher you run them, their efficiency will go down tremendously the higher they're being run too.

1212 is good if you're planning to stay under 50 Watts... Ideally you'd stay around 35 Watts. And the CXM22 is almost as good as the super pricey CLU058-1825 for less than the price of a CLU048-1212

As the wattage of the chip goes up, the efficiency goes down... For example:






And yes the 133mm heatsink on cobkits will do 60 watts, in fact it'll do 75 watts, just read the description!

Thank you so much for the information I truly appreciate it; I saw that post from cobkits seeing it again helps a lot.

I created a DIY cob build today that I finally think may be what I want (and then to expand from there). After calculating the cost of the product I then asked is there any comparable light that I could get for the same price or better at or around that price and circled back to quantum boards.

Here is the DIY list that I have (give or take any errors in my thinking):
60w cob light
Source: LED CDI WEB

1. A single 60w
2. Heatsink: 13450-B $19.53
3. Spacers: HBG 60 connector set* $3.54
4. Driver: HBG 60w 1400ma $20.30
5. Shipping: $14.83
6. Total: $58.2

Source: Rapidled or Cobkits
Luminus cxm22, Citizen 1818/1825*, or Cree Cxb3590, Vero 29

1. Lights: Citizen V5 CLU048-1818 $24.00
2. Solderless holder: $3.50
3. Shipping: $6.55
4. Total: $34.05
5. (($92.55))

Extra. Items
Source: AMAZON/Home Depot

1. (4x) M5 x 20mm screws Red indicator marks $2.10 (Home depot)
2. Power Supply 3 prong - 18 gauge and eventually a power strip $4.97 (Amazon, addon)

TOTAL: 7.07
$99.32

(I started thinking that while the single cobs are nice that you can expand as your budget allows that I might need to purchase a lot of power strips or repurpose the system to run as a quantum board or in a board if it got to be too big and that many lights that need outlets would get difficult to manage when thinking long-term so that's food for thought for when I have more experience than the 'nil' experience I have now...)

I'm not sure if this list contains everything I'd need to complete this diy light. I have thermal paste already and if I need to solder I do have soldering iron and a solder. Using a single cob, I figured I could take a 64 gallon trash can that I was going to turn into a second worm bin for composting and thought that it might be a good place to grow. I figured if I needed to I could supplement with CFL's. The watts for this as I understand it would produce 60watts - for ~$100. The trash can may be too big in which case I have a cage that is half the size of that trash can that could also work.

Next I compared the price of this build to what else was available that could help me. I considered the galaxyhydro 300watts (which I understand is not really 300watts, I read it compares to a traditional 250/400HPS and that an HPS is comparable to a 90watt led). Would a galaxyhydro be better than the single cob build I have?

Alternatively I looked at Quantum boards. An HLG 65 at a 4000k spectrum would cost $99.00 ( horticulture light group: hlg-65 ), shipping would be free*. If I invest a little bit more for $175.00s I'd get 135watts also around 4000k, once again I could supplement.

I read somewhere Quantum boards had 2-3 cob (Cree/1825) equivalents for half the price but could be as good as an HPS -- but I myself read this in passing so I don't personally know. I don't know what the difference between the HLG and the QB series are they all look like quantum boards to me -- unless the Quantum boards require that you buy the leds separately? I'm not sure. ( horticulture light group:135w-led-board-kit ) (Is my assumption that these quantum boards and HLG are complete lights ready to be assembled and plugged in out of the box correct?)

So my question now is:

1. should I buy cob parts one at a time and diy them (following the list above)
2. would a galaxyhydro be a better bet for me
3. or would it be better to go with an HLG 65 quantum board
4. and if I were willing to save up more to go with the 135w led board kit (and over time add something else to go with it).
5. Or is there another option I'm overlooking?

Thanks for the guidance, it has been enlightening!

Invierno said:

Thank you so much for the information I truly appreciate it; I saw that post from cobkits seeing it again helps a lot.

I created a DIY cob build today that I finally think may be what I want (and then to expand from there). After calculating the cost of the product I then asked is there any comparable light that I could get for the same price or better at or around that price and circled back to quantum boards.

Here is the DIY list that I have (give or take any errors in my thinking):
60w cob light
Source: LED CDI WEB

1. A single 60w
2. Heatsink: 13450-B $19.53
3. Spacers: HBG 60 connector set* $3.54
4. Driver: HBG 60w 1400ma $20.30
5. Shipping: $14.83
6. Total: $58.2

Source: Rapidled or Cobkits
Luminus cxm22, Citizen 1818/1825*, or Cree Cxb3590, Vero 29

1. Lights: Citizen V5 CLU048-1818 $24.00
2. Solderless holder: $3.50
3. Shipping: $6.55
4. Total: $34.05
5. (($92.55))

Extra. Items
Source: AMAZON/Home Depot

1. (4x) M5 x 20mm screws Red indicator marks $2.10 (Home depot)
2. Power Supply 3 prong - 18 gauge and eventually a power strip $4.97 (Amazon, addon)

TOTAL: 7.07
$99.32

(I started thinking that while the single cobs are nice that you can expand as your budget allows that I might need to purchase a lot of power strips or repurpose the system to run as a quantum board or in a board if it got to be too big and that many lights that need outlets would get difficult to manage when thinking long-term so that's food for thought for when I have more experience than the 'nil' experience I have now...)

I'm not sure if this list contains everything I'd need to complete this diy light. I have thermal paste already and if I need to solder I do have soldering iron and a solder. Using a single cob, I figured I could take a 64 gallon trash can that I was going to turn into a second worm bin for composting and thought that it might be a good place to grow. I figured if I needed to I could supplement with CFL's. The watts for this as I understand it would produce 60watts - for ~$100. The trash can may be too big in which case I have a cage that is half the size of that trash can that could also work.

Next I compared the price of this build to what else was available that could help me. I considered the galaxyhydro 300watts (which I understand is not really 300watts, I read it compares to a traditional 250/400HPS and that an HPS is comparable to a 90watt led). Would a galaxyhydro be better than the single cob build I have?

Alternatively I looked at Quantum boards. An HLG 65 at a 4000k spectrum would cost $99.00 ( horticulture light group: hlg-65 ), shipping would be free*. If I invest a little bit more for $175.00s I'd get 135watts also around 4000k, once again I could supplement.

I read somewhere Quantum boards had 2-3 cob (Cree/1825) equivalents for half the price but could be as good as an HPS -- but I myself read this in passing so I don't personally know. I don't know what the difference between the HLG and the QB series are they all look like quantum boards to me -- unless the Quantum boards require that you buy the leds separately? I'm not sure. ( horticulture light group:135w-led-board-kit ) (Is my assumption that these quantum boards and HLG are complete lights ready to be assembled and plugged in out of the box correct?)

So my question now is:

1. should I buy cob parts one at a time and diy them (following the list above)
2. would a galaxyhydro be a better bet for me
3. or would it be better to go with an HLG 65 quantum board
4. and if I were willing to save up more to go with the 135w led board kit (and over time add something else to go with it).
5. Or is there another option I'm overlooking?

Thanks for the guidance, it has been enlightening!

Click to expand...

1. if you want to. but as you said later on you'll end up with individual plugs. but you could always build a frame for your cobs/heatsinks later and rewire everything to a bigger driver.
2. no! its 130w blurple LED. much better to spend the extra money for the HLG 135w kit. because the HLG boards will be much more efficient. i.e. more par light per watt consumed
3. yes.
4. yes, this is what i would recommend. 60-65w could really only flower a 1'x1'. if you get the 135, you have the option to dim it in 1x1 or go up to a 2x2
5. the difference between the quantum boards are the diodes used on them. generally, the qb 288 v2 is regarded as the best, because it samsung lm301b bin diodes. but the other quantum boards are good too. you want the 135w v2 kit, https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/collections/kits/products/135w-qb-v2-led-kit, yes it comes with everything you need to assemble it and plug it in. these people https://growerslights.com/collections/horticulture-lighting-group-quantum-board-led-kits/products/horticulture-lighting-group-135-watt-quantum-board-led-kit will ship it to you pre-assembled for $25 up charge.

The quantum board would be a much better option than the cobs, specially if you really want with work with the 60w one. Although you should get the 135 watt one at least.

By the way, the Light strips i recommended above would do pretty much the same thing as a quantum board for a much lower price, you can buy everything you need for a 150W build for $100. Gotta build them yourself tho...

This has been a very insightful conversation, it has shed so much light on the questions I have.

I am amazed that the light strip would do the same thing as the quantum boards at a lower price; I'm not afraid to roll up my sleeves and DIY, esp if it will save me down the road. I guess now my question is this:

1. If you weren't afraid to diy, but were also willing to save up, and had a choice between the Led Strip build or the diy Quantum Board build (no kit) which would you choose (Why/Why not?)
2. Would 1-2 QB288 V2 Quantum Boards be a good investment? ( I understand that the QB288 v2 by itself doesn't come with the things you need to assemble but that the kits come with what you need assembled, in which case I'd probably be looking at 135 QB V2 Led Kits, unless the savings of not using a kit and doing a diy build saves me significantly more than it would if I just used a kit)

I am now down to choosing between the Led Strip build and the Quantum Board setup. The Quantum boards (by themselves) appear to be on sale right now, so I will make the decision today based on what is said to me here and purchase the parts for my light.
Thank you both so much for your guidance, I'm incredibly grateful!

Invierno said:

This has been a very insightful conversation, it has shed so much light on the questions I have.

I am amazed that the light strip would do the same thing as the quantum boards at a lower price; I'm not afraid to roll up my sleeves and DIY, esp if it will save me down the road. I guess now my question is this:

1. If you weren't afraid to diy, but were also willing to save up, and had a choice between the Led Strip build or the diy Quantum Board build (no kit) which would you choose (Why/Why not?)
2. Would 1-2 QB288 V2 Quantum Boards be a good investment? ( I understand that the QB288 v2 by itself doesn't come with the things you need to assemble but that the kits come with what you need assembled, in which case I'd probably be looking at 135 QB V2 Led Kits, unless the savings of not using a kit and doing a diy build saves me significantly more than it would if I just used a kit)

I am now down to choosing between the Led Strip build and the Quantum Board setup. The Quantum boards (by themselves) appear to be on sale right now, so I will make the decision today based on what is said to me here and purchase the parts for my light.
Thank you both so much for your guidance, I'm incredibly grateful!

Click to expand...

1- I'd go for the strips, since they're much less expensive. Also give me the choice of building my lights whatever way i want, check out this library for an example:

https://sites.google.com/site/growboxguy/lights/led-strips

2- The quantum boards are always a good investment, it's probably the best standalone light you can buy considering the spectrum, spread etc... just a little on the pricey side for my own liking.

you're to the point now where you will have a great light either way!

1. strips will save you some money but will be more work. quantum boards, when attached to the HLG heatsinks, are ready to hang. i've never built a light with strips but i've seen people do amazing things with them on this site. you really cannot go wrong.
2. quantum boards 288 v2 are a solid investment. there are also lots of threads on here demonstrative of what they can do.

30-40 watts per square foot of strips or qbs. you can't go wrong man!

Thanks so much this has granted me some confidence! The Led Strips link helped shed a lot of light on the process of building it, I am still looking through it and have not yet gone beyond the first page.

With the led strip build I notice it mentioned that I needed to buy L shaped aluminum to build a mounting base/heatsink.

When that was written did you mean a mountain base OR a heatsink, or is the mounting base also functioning as a heatsink, or are they two different things that can be used together (mounting base AND a heatsink). The link I am going through appears to build a LED without heat sinks (quote it from review section of the link " The assembly is significantly lighter without the additional heat sinks which makes installation and height adjustment easier."), but doesn't elaborate on it's decision or how to put a heatsink together or the alternative -- maybe someone here could shed some light on this for me when it comes to diy led strips.

With the link you linked me am I looking at the heatsink / mounting base and simply oblivious to it?

Are there any detailed instructions w/pictures targeting the heatsink topic specifically for led strip diys -- this is currently the one major aspect with the diy build that I'm blurry on.

The heatsink part is the only thing holding me back because I'm imagining in my head the passive heatsinks with the many pins and picturing myself having to carve up aluminium and put in manual pins to build my own heat sink -- I'm thinking that since you said it was easy and cheap that that's probably not the method for this one .

One other question I have about the two different options, how long do led strip builds last compared to the quantum boards?

Invierno said:

Thanks so much this has granted me some confidence! The Led Strips link helped shed a lot of light on the process of building it, I am still looking through it and have not yet gone beyond the first page.

With the led strip build I notice it mentioned that I needed to buy L shaped aluminum to build a mounting base/heatsink.

When that was written did you mean a mountain base OR a heatsink, or is the mounting base also functioning as a heatsink, or are they two different things that can be used together (mounting base AND a heatsink). The link I am going through appears to build a LED without heat sinks (quote it from review section of the link " The assembly is significantly lighter without the additional heat sinks which makes installation and height adjustment easier."), but doesn't elaborate on it's decision or how to put a heatsink together or the alternative -- maybe someone here could shed some light on this for me when it comes to diy led strips.

With the link you linked me am I looking at the heatsink / mounting base and simply oblivious to it?

Are there any detailed instructions w/pictures targeting the heatsink topic specifically for led strip diys -- this is currently the one major aspect with the diy build that I'm blurry on.

The heatsink part is the only thing holding me back because I'm imagining in my head the passive heatsinks with the many pins and picturing myself having to carve up aluminium and put in manual pins to build my own heat sink -- I'm thinking that since you said it was easy and cheap that that's probably not the method for this one .

One other question I have about the two different options, how long do led strip builds last compared to the quantum boards?

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At least for Bridgelux strips Gen 2, those don't need cooling unless driven at more than 1.05 amps, and the L shaped aluminum works as a heatsink and a mount at the same time.

Invierno said:

One other question I have about the two different options, how long do led strip builds last compared to the quantum boards?

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They should last about the same.

All you have to do is Glue the strips with thermal glue to the the Aluminum, And then find a way to make the aluminum pieces hold each other using screws and nuts. You don't necessarily need to get an aluminum piece for every strip, but enough to make a solid structure and to hold the strips.

I'm not very illustrative today, but hopefully you can understand this drawing



TO the last image, i just added 2 small aluminum bars across the center to support the middle strip from bending, And hold it better, i also screwed the power supply to those aluminum bars