LEDBrick - DIY LED Pendant with Pucks

[dantimdad]

The problem is you lose some control when you go to mass production and have to make sacrifices and end up with a product just like everyone else.

I am glass he's not really going *mass* production.

 

[User1]

For some scale of mass (where its super niche, but exists in quantity > 1). I'm trying to target cases of large systems or canopy retrofits where I think it fits nicely in. Current capacity to handle lots of mechanical design is not there

I'm not sure what the market is for DIY but one thing I do know is that it is something that really isn't in place. Most DIY will pick a puck here, a driver there, and then a form of power supply. Then forget they needed a wall wart for fans. There are some really good people that pay attention to detail and have it all nice and neat but I think the rest of the masses with regards to DIY like piecing it together and saving money but don't have those artistic skills of neatness. Wires can become a mess not to mention shorting hazard. So I see something like this has a way to reduce returns for the seller but also helping the DIY person in a true do it yourself fashion where they just connect pieces together like a model or puzzle.

 

[User1]

The problem is you lose some control when you go to mass production and have to make sacrifices and end up with a product just like everyone else.

I am glass he's not really going *mass* production.

Yeah - will be to the DIY crowd - although I'm not sure how many are left. Looking at the new Kessil I still struggle with paying 500 bucks for a single light.

 

[dantimdad]

It's an insane price to pay when you would need two for my cube according to what I read. And that is without a controller or mounts.

 

[theatrus]

I'm not sure what the market is for DIY but one thing I do know is that it is something that really isn't in place. Most DIY will pick a puck here, a driver there, and then a form of power supply. Then forget they needed a wall wart for fans. There are some really good people that pay attention to detail and have it all nice and neat but I think the rest of the masses with regards to DIY like piecing it together and saving money but don't have those artistic skills of neatness. Wires can become a mess not to mention shorting hazard. So I see something like this has a way to reduce returns for the seller but also helping the DIY person in a true do it yourself fashion where they just connect pieces together like a model or puzzle.

Effectively this. Its a puzzle, the pieces are composable and you're making active choices in what you want to use or not, and how you want it to set up. Its not plug and play or sell-at-a-distributor products for a seamless out of the box experience. This is a hobby, and some of us are gear geeks and like to do various levels of tinkering with that. Entering the shrinkwrap market is a ton of marketing work, and the cost needs to be hammered into the ground to be sustainable (but not the price, everyone in the chain is taking their cut).

The market is tiny (and honestly not super self sustaining), but its the type of product I want, and it turns out I'm not entirely alone

 

[Steven Garland]

Once again I guess I should have re-worded that differently. Basically,if someone wants it they can buy it. Its not gonna be just for your use,or is it ?

 

[theatrus]

Once again I guess I should have re-worded that differently. Basically,if someone wants it they can buy it. Its not gonna be just for your use,or is it ?

Not just my use

 

[User1]

Once again I guess I should have re-worded that differently. Basically,if someone wants it they can buy it. Its not gonna be just for your use,or is it ?

Has my niece likes to remind me...sharing is caring. Just teasing.

 

[theatrus]

Should be getting the PCB samples today (after some customs hiccups, along with customs hiccups on reels of the Luxeon C RBs - its like the government isn't getting paid or something)

 

[Steven Garland]

Hell yeah !!! Hopefully they don't do to you what they did to me !!! Keep us posted.

 

[theatrus]

Time to start toasting some up soon.

 

[Steven Garland]

That looks incredible !!!

 

[User1]

Time to start toasting some up soon.

Not sure of the final layout color / spectrum wise but.... I have room for two to dial in the 8 Acrostars I have They will be in the middle so a wide lens and nice spectrum (including lime on its own channel or mixed with uv/white) could be promising. I have open Apex channels also.

 

[theatrus]

Not sure of the final layout color / spectrum wise but.... I have room for two to dial in the 8 Acrostars I have They will be in the middle so a wide lens and nice spectrum (including lime on its own channel or mixed with uv/white) could be promising. I have open Apex channels also.

No set colors - happy to send some testing units your way in whatever you want. Including Lime.

 

[Steven Garland]

Shoot add me to the trial ans error tests !!!!

 

[theatrus]

Final channel config:

Ch1: 5x Luxeon C
Ch2: 5x 3535 (SemiLED, Viosys, Cree XP)
Ch3: 4x Luxeon C
Ch4: 3x Luxeon C

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

(This is my summary of a project I did over the past ~ year, in condensed form, for others to be inspired by across the reef forum community. I'm also actively working on new components, LED emitters, and drivers, but the first series of posts is on the original version).

It all started with this concept - a squareish shaped LED "brick" in a pendant form. The mechanics were based around a 4.6in HeatsinkUSA serrated stock, and an 80mm fan.

The LED arrangement I started with was this:

The pads and suggested LEDs are:
4 Rebel UV emitters (these are very expensive, but more efficient than the popular Chinese SemiLEDs emitters. They however do not have a primary optic - more on this later)
6 Cree XP-G(2) White emitters (or any Cree XP package)
6 Cree XP-E Blue emitters (or any Cree XP package)
6 Osram Oslon Squre Deep Blue emitters
4 Osram SSL Hyper-Red
4 Phillips Rebel PC-Amber
4 Phillips Rebel Cyan
4 Cree XP-E Green (or any XP)

Why so many LEDs? Lower currents, higher efficiency, and future flexibility. Remember, this is not a build-cost efficient fixture

A downside to the large emitter count is the inability to provide secondary-optics, focusing the light tighter than 120 degrees from the primary optic. The emitters are simply too close together to use most commercially available lenses, which feature large footprints. I intend to run these pendents very close to the water, which would not need the use of an optic. My later designs use a reflector with very dense LED arrangements.

Also integral to the board is a Microchip MCP9808 I2C temperature sensor. The sensors ground pad is brought out to one of the mounting screws, in an effort to get a good thermal path.

All connectors to the board are a series of Molex PicoLock blade-style high current flat wire-to-board connectors.

You are everywhere!

 

[dantimdad]

So, have you setup the ones we talked about yet?

 

[theatrus]

So, have you setup the ones we talked about yet?

Thats the first off the press. Doing some setup work to be able to push the RB+Mint model

 

[Steven Garland]

;Wideyed