Welcome back to DIY Perspective.
In this video, I will be making this absolute
beast of a studio-quality light.
It is made from four high CRI LEDs, it has
a temperature-controlled active cooling system,
brightness, and ON/OFF control.
And you can adjust it not only on the light
but also with remote control.
So, if you like to make something similar,
stay tuned as I will cover the step-by-step
process of making it as quickly and as detailed
as possible.
For this project, I used four Cree CMA 1825
LEDs.
One chip is rated at 61W max and has a high
CRI (Color Rendering Index) of 97, as it is
from the Premium Color (fidelity) lineup.
As CRI consists of the average value of the
different colors, you want to make sure that
a manufacturer specifies the R9 or strong
red value, as it is probably the most important
color of the spectrum.
Also, it is very hard to recreate it for LEDs
and the low value of it can be hidden by the
CRI average.
I took the 4000K color temperature LED variant
as it gives that slightly warm feel without
sacrificing too much illumination.
To cool them I chose one big aluminum heatsink
of 300mm width.
To mount the LEDs – four solderless holders,
they are more expensive, but wiring them is
very easy.
As the heatsink is relatively small to passive
cool LEDs, I need to actively cool them with
three 80mm fans.
Three fan grills are also a good idea if you
like your fingers without cuts.
To control the fans depending on the heatsink
temperature I used a fan speed controller,
which increases fan speed gradually with a
temperature.
More about it and set up later.
To power the controller, I need a small 12V
power supply.
And to power the LEDs, I need a constant current
driver with dimming support.
On this one, I can control the dimming function
with a potentiometer, 10V PWM signal, or 1-10V
input voltage (for more information on how
to choose a power supply check my DIY BASICS
video).
To remotely control the brightness of the
LEDs I will use a dimmer that has dimming
support by the previously mentioned voltage
method.
It is a basic remote-controlled dimmer that
is rated at 1.5 Amps MAX.
Dimmers like these usually have AC IN and
OUT, this lets dimmer to cut the power off
when you press the button.
And 0-10V voltage signal lets you control
the LED driver, which changes the brightness
accordingly.
And finally, if you want to mount the light
on a tripod, you will need one of these adapters.
So, the first step I took, I marked the spots
where bolts for the LED holders will be.
Punching a drill start point is always a good
idea.
And having a drill press or a good drill guide,
will help you to make perfectly spaced holes.
With all that done, now I need to tap them.
I just used a drill with a regular M3 size
tap bit.
Cleaning the other side from the semi-loose
chips will ensure that none of them come loose
and tangle or short circuit electronic components.
After a quick test fit, everything looks perfect.
So now I started to mount the LEDs.
Make sure you put them correctly, there are
markings for positive and negative contacts.
I cleaned the surface with 99% isopropyl alcohol
and applied a very thin layer of high quality
and long durability thermal compound.
With LEDs secured in place this starting to
get a proper high-power lighting look.
At this point I wanted to test it so, I cut
some wires which can handle at least 3A and
200V, and connected LEDs in series.
When connecting this way voltage is multiplied.
In my case, this constant current power supply
will deliver 1.4A, and at that current LED
voltage will be around 38V.
So 38V multiplied by 4 is 152V.
And this is time for a disclaimer, as we reach
such high voltages, improper handling can
lead to a fatal injury.
So if you don’t have the required knowledge
and experience, please don’t mess with it!
And if you are qualified for messing with
it, you should check my video guide on how
to choose a power supply and why constant
current is the way to go for the LEDs.
As it is so hard to explain it well with a
few words.
So with all that out of the way, we can go
back to the build.
I drilled and tapped two holes for the mounting
of the heatsink.
I also made two more holes – one for the
temperature sensor and another for the ground
wire.
I drilled more holes on the bigger holder,
that previously attached brackets of the heatsink
would fit here.
With all these right angles connected I marked
spots where the power supply will be secured.
With more drilling and more bolting everything
in place, I had a very rigid construction.
At this point, I needed to figure out how
to configure the fan temperature controller.
So, I mounted the fan grills and connected
everything for a testing session.
The printed instructions look quite intimidating,
I can tell you that for sure!
Also, translations are quite bad and are hard
to understand.
So this is hopefully quicker and more clear
version to get you started.
When you short press the button you enter
the mode where you can set the minimum fan
speed (the middle red LED rapidly blinks).
By pressing once the same button, you increase
the minimal fan speed.
And by pressing two times quickly you decrease
it.
Wait 20 seconds till the LED stops flashing
and the setting will be saved.
To set the desired minimum temperature at
which fans will spin at your previously set
minimum speed, you need to long-press the
button until you see slow blinking one or
few LEDs.
Like before, if you short press - you increase
and if you quickly press two times - you decrease
the value.
Now you look at the table and to the blinking
LEDs on the controller and match the pattern.
For example, if I want a 40C degrees, I match
that only the first and the second LED would
flash.
Now long-press the button and settings are
saved and you now automatically entered the
mode of maximum temperature where fans will
spin at a full speed.
To select the value is the same as the step
before, but keep in mind that this value will
add up to the previously set minimum degree
value.
If I previously set 40C degrees as the minimum
and now I select the 10C degrees as maximum,
this means that at 50C degrees fans will spin
at full speed.
And anything in between 40 and 50C degrees,
the controller will adjust the speed gradually
from set minimum to maximum.
And the final option let you turn off fans
completely if the temperature is 2 or 5 degrees
lower than the minimum degree value you have
set (by default this option is turned off).
To do that, turn off controller, unplug fans,
press and hold the button.
Now power on the controller while still holding
the button.
After few seconds you see quick double blinking
LEDs.
Now you select the desired option.
If I want 5 seconds, which is option number
3, I press the button until the third LED
is blinking.
Long press the button to save, and this is
all you need to know to fully set up this
controller.
After all this decryption of how it works,
I cut pieces for the light’s outer shell.
By using my made old and trusty plastic bending
tool, I formed the sheets into the right dimension
parts.
Then I cut out few templates to check where
I need to cut out holes on the cover.
I previously tested and find out that to make
the holes in the right position, the best
way is to first make tiny holes and only then
drill with a forstner bit.
This is because the middle tip of the bit
doesn’t provide much cutting.
This is fine on wood as it is a soft material.
But as plastic is hard compared to wood, you
need to press way too hard.
Meanwhile, with a small hole cutting pressure
feels more like on wood.
To connect the cover to the frame and the
other covering part, I made few holes and
right-angle brackets with threaded rivets.
It’s a long alignment process, but if you
take the time, usually everything will fit
perfectly.
Next, I soldered LED wires to the power supply’s
output DC wires and made custom brackets to
hold the fans together and to hold them to
the frame.
At this point, I realized that heatsink became
automatically grounded as I secured it with
metal right angles to the power supply.
This meant that I just need to secure the
thermal sensor from the controller.
I additionally made tiny holes in the dimmer’s
frame that hot air could get out, as I will
be utilizing 2/3 of its max power.
Hopefully, it will run cooler and work longer.
To connect everything, it might seem it is
hard, but actually, it is pretty easy.
AC input wires go to the AC IN on the dimmer.
And AC wires from two power supplies go to
AC OUT.
To enable dimming support, DIM wires from
the LED’s power supply goes to the 0-10V
OUT connectors on the dimmer.
The OUTPUT wires from the constant current
power supply to the LEDs and 12V to the controller.
Don’t forget to hook all fans and we are
done.
As I started this project a long time ago,
I now finally own a 3D printer, which lets
me make parts while I work on other things.
If you still don’t have one, trust me, as
it will change your life!
This adapter is printed from a PETG filament
and the controller just clicks in place and
will be secured from outside with two screws.
While few more things are printing, I can
work on making the sturdy bracket for the
light.
I made it from a 4mm thick construction metal
strip.
You can easily bend it with a basic setup
like this.
Of course, the first test what bending angle
you are getting and calculate where you need
to bend accordingly, to get the right size
part.
And with 3 coats of paint, this looks just
perfect!
Meanwhile, printing finished, and I can heat
the parts and press in the locknuts.
Before the final assembly, I additionally
trimmed the wires and zip-tied them that putting
everything into the frame wouldn’t be a
huge pain.
Now not much left, I attached the ground wire
to the LED’s power supply and AC IN on the
dimmer.
To prevent the cable from pulling out – few
zip ties.
A little bit of struggle to put everything
in place, but after a few tries – success.
Let’s not forget bolts and spacers where
needed.
If you struggle to screw on a lock nut from
a wrong side of it, first just screw on as
you should.
A bolt will make the grooves and it will be
easy to screw on from the other side.
Finally, I can add washers then the holder,
then washers again and tighten with previously
made knobs.
It holds firmly in place.
What’s left is to add the dimming knob and
adapter to mount on a regular light stand.
And it’s done!
This is definitely the longest and most expensive
project I have made so far.
For me, do it yourself is about making something
my way and learning from the process.
If I can make something cheaper than I can
buy, then it’s cool, but it is not always
the case.
This time however I saved a perceptible amount
of money because these studio-quality lights
are so niche and they can charge insane amounts
of money for it.
Try making high CRI lighting solutions yourself.
When you compare it and see how richer and
natural colors can look you will never want
to go back.
It doesn’t need to be a 200W overkill like
this, but it needs to be high-quality LEDs
from a trusted reseller.
If you want quality never buy those low CRI
no-name LEDs from China.
It also doesn’t need to be specifically
Cree brand LEDs, use anything you like, just
make sure there are detailed datasheets with
in-depth specification to get all the needed
information.
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miss the future content.
That’s all from me and I will see you next
time!
