pcb design

justsmokedope

Well-Known Member
just thought i would add this , i have been playing around with led pcb design i struggled using eagle and other design software .but then i found a online based FREE pcb software called upverter.com i highly recommend it . there is a massive part data base and you get 3 free parts credits when you sign up so you can have any led parts made for you free its really simple to pick up too .
 

GrowLightResearch

Well-Known Member
I use Ki-Cad free open source to make strips. I just make the LED component footprint then wrote an app to place the LED footprints on the PCB. All the design files are text based so they're easy to create/edit with any programming language. I used a PHP to create the PCB.

I just input the number of LEDs, the XY location of the first LED, distance between each LED and milliseconds later the PCB is done.

The foot prints I made for the LED will accommodate both Cree XP, and OSRAM Olson SSL.
I made similar foot prints (one for each string) with the component "pins" offset from one another so the routing of the tracks was very compact. I can fit one row of four strings with mounting holes for a heatsink on a 0.35" wide strip.

There is a copper fill across the screw holes which are also connected to the thermal pad. This make a pure copper thermal path to the heatsink.

For 2.1v red I place 21 LEDs per strip for white and 2.8v blue 16, so the forward voltages workout to about the same forward voltage per string. The string Vf would be just under 45v with leaves enough headroom for a simple buck CC driver powered with 48v.

This strip has 4 strings per strip.

The red solder paste pads is where the LEDs are placed.

stripFootprints.jpg
 

justsmokedope

Well-Known Member
I was finding alot of the software hugly confusing and over complicated when i found upverter it was like a drag and drop environment and you can export or import in all the main formats . It even creats you BOM for you i created Quantum board clone realy easly and also a chilled board type board added wago terminal blocks so no soldering needed , also took only a few hours. there is a massive parts library and if a new part is made by any one it gets added to the lib so it gets better and better . if you dont want to make your own parts you ask them to make it and its done in literaly an hour or two love it
 
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