Minimalistic multichip DIY LED build

Summer, Thanks for the input. I hope you will post some further info on your build along with Maglofster so we can compare some notes for a better understanding what you guys are doing. Maglofster gave me a link to where he is buying his leds from, and they have some dimmable drivers. In all it looks a lot cheaper than single 3w leds for a build.
 
Interesting thread. I have a similar (or maybe the exact same) multichip 50W LED that I thought about using about a year ago. I stuck it on a simple CPU cooler and tried it out with a small peltier cooler as well. I decided to ditch the idea though. Heat builds up on these boards very very quickly, even with a good cooler, and kills the efficacy of the module super fast. It's also not as efficient per watt at its best as most of the smaller LEDs like a Cree XP-G or even an XP-E. It does save space and is cheaper, but not nearly as power efficient.

I was able to dim mine using a simple 24V PWM dimmer from ebay. Works well, but I would bet the dimmer isn't that great and doesn't produce a good sine wave.

Ecoxotic's LED Cannon is an example of using this.
 
I ordered a 50 watt 10000k chip. At the time I had 36 3 watt single leds over my 65 gallon tank. I removed 12 led out of the original set up and replaced them with the 50 watt multi chip. My par value went up from round 300 at 3" deep to about 700 at the same depth. So I decided to order 2 20 watt 20000K chips to put on both sides of the 50 watt chip. The light out put of the 50 watt was crazy. I lite up a 27x15' room like it was day time. I'm still waiting for the 2 20 watt chips to come in, they should be here next week. I'm using a cpu heat sink and fan to cool the 50 chips and it does a great job.
 
Anyone find a dimmable driver that can be controlled by the APEX? I just bought one with the intension of going leds , so I would like to find the right driver for it.
 
Ok. I've been catching up on thread. Was about to do a redo/ add-on to my DIY 3w LEDS, but this is making me have second thoughts! I could accomplish my goal with adding a couple 50w blue multichips. Keep info flowing! Need the DIY for dummies post!

Any specs on chips like voltage and wavelenghts?
 
I have used that exact model of driver, it has worked well for me. It's not dimmable and you need to attatch your own wall plug (grounded). I have not used the chip but it looks like it would work very well!
 
mcclandy said:
how big are some of those chips? would they fit in the makersled housing? http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/makersled/makersled-diy-high-power-led-fixtures-0
How much of a heatsink is needed for one of those bad boys? Would makersled be enough space and heat sink?
Click to expand...

The actual chip is about 4,5 cm x 4,5 cm. The metal board it's mounted on is a bit larger though.

I have some doubts about using a makersled for this application (although it looks great!!) because ideally you want a heatsink large enough to cover the whole underside of the chip and I think the "channels" in the markersled would mess things up. I hope you understand what I mean.
 
Last edited:
Maglofster:
Hi, I have been reading about Peliter Coolers, as another poster had stated he had tried.
What do you think of something like this as a heatsink, would it cool enough, for one of these chips? Your thoughts.---Rick

High quality Peltier cooling module made by Melcor Corporation. It features a 1 3/16" sq. peltier module mounted to a 2 1/4" sq black anodized heat sink. It has 4 metal clamps that would allow it to be mounted to a circuit board and pressed to the module against the CPU. Can operate from 6VDC @ 1.5 amps to provide a nice cold surface. Cold surface has copper metal surface. Module has color coded leads and connector for power hookup. Brand New!

G2201B.jpg
 
Do you have any more data on this model? I think it might be a little on the weak side for anything over 50W though.
 
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