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Disclaimer
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The purpose of the DIY information is to help out others, but unfortunately, it seems I need to protect myself in the process.
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Parts:
__Radio Shack perf board(Model: 276-159 Catalog #: 276-159)$2.29
__100 red LED's, look for red LED nm to narrow down to bulk LED's, or go to Experimenter's Discount Store ($8.00 eBay)
__50 pack of 82 Ohm 1/4 watt resistors($3.25 eBay)Resistorsplus
__12V DC, 1A Transformer 12V/1000mA AC-to-DC Power Adapter Model: 273-1776 Catalog #: 273-1776($17.99 or scrounge a free one)
Project Enclosure3x2x1" Model: 270-1801 Catalog #: 270-1801($2.25)
Scrounged Parts
__CD Spindle
__Coat Hanger
Total "Off the Shelf" cost with extra parts left over $38.78 or less for two grow lights
Left over: 30 LED's plus 36 82 Ohm resistors (with no "Oops factor"). Better to have the parts around for future projects, though.
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Back of the board. Note one resistor on the back. I started putting them here, then realized I didn't have to: the LED's in use here have a 20 degree viewing angle, so the resistors wouldn't cast any shadows.
DIY's aren't always pretty.
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Starting on the left side of the front of the board, skip the first row, insert the LED's with the positive side (longer leg) to the right.
Turn the board over, and bend the leg closest to the edge out to the right.
Add a second LED next to the first.
Turn the board over, bend the leg closest to the first positive leg (the one that should be sticking straight up from the first LED you installed) flat against the board, then 3/4 of the way around the first LED's positive leg.
Clip the leg you just bent around the first positive leg so there's approx. 2mm that sticks beyond the positive leg, and wrap the short leg around the long one.
Once this is done, clip the long positive leg to about 2mm and bend it down. It should reach the next row of holes which we won't be using anyway.
then skip one hole so the LED's will fit. You can put up to three in a row tightly without having them lean, but that's all. Be sure they're flat on the board
On the back of the board, the LED's + side is to the left.
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A primitive rendering
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Here's a primitive rendering of the idea. My Graphics chops are limited due to time, available programs and $.
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Closeup of the legs. Going from right to left, you see the (-)leg of the first LED, followed by the (+) leg that was sticking up (now bent down), the (-) leg of the second LED wrapped around the first (+) leg, etc. The leads are pressed very close to the bottom of the board using a carbide scribe. I use this because it's handy and effective: I can press and bend leads to quite close tolerances (a pin vise and a thick needle will work quite effectively as well).
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Finished array in case
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The finished array in a "project box" from Radio Shack. Note only one screw holding it in (upper left), due to the proximity of the other LED's to the upper right. Ah, the hack. Glue would also hold it in, but the snug fit holds it well enough for prototype #1.
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Light Output: Patient...
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Depending on how careful you are, your light will either come out a nice tight circle (all the LED's flat against the board)...
Visit Gardenhacker
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...or hurried.
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...or "hurried" (LED's close to the board, but not completely flat). There's a lip on the bottom of a lot of LED's that can raise the LED up if it's not carefully pressed on the board. Once two LED's are set on the board, the third one is usually the one that get's cock-eyed. By sliding the third LED half way into the board and then bending the LED's legs away from the LED that's already on the board while holding the LED as upright as you can, you can have it "seat" itself properly.
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Snugging an LED in
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Put the LED into the proper part of the board, minding the polarity. Holding the top straight, move the top to the right to bend the legs to the left at about a 60 degree angle. this will bend it close to the underside of the LED, and it should "snug" right up against the last LED you put in. Only works for a couple of LED's before you have to skip a hole.
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The "McGuyvered" LED Grow Light!
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Using a coat hanger, an old LED Spindle and some defunct CD's for weight, it's ready to start growing things! Total height is about 18". Future posts will include a special step-by-step for the coat hanger arm (using no screws!).
Hope to also incorporate the wire through the spindle so it's more professional.
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Two Headed McGuyver
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Adding a second light and stuffing the wire into the same stand creates my "Two-Headed McGuyver Grow-Light". Behind it is the "grow box" - a black shade to minimize other light from infiltrating. May add some foil on the inside for reflecting the light. This box is not sealed, the top is open.
One thing I noticed was that the LCD's from Hong Kong were getting hot, and one of them wasn't lighting. After correcting a short, I find that they're still getting hotter than the ones from the US, which are barely warm. It may be the power supply (both 12V 1A), but I also noticed that when I turn them off, LED's on the Hong Kong grow light still show some voltage (barely glowing for about 15 seconds).
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Day 1
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Day 1
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Day 1, no flash - seeds planted
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Day 4
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Day 4
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Day 4. First 4 rows are lettuce, last 2 rows are spinach.
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Too much RED!
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Day 7
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Too tall! Seedlings (as I had read and didn't adjust for) need more blue than red, so I'm pulling out the big guns, er - leds... at least the three I have left.
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3 10mm LED's from LCK-LED added
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Day 7 - cont.
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After miscalculating, I lost six of these very bright 10MM leds (rated at 13 lumens - 13000mcd, 80 degree focal length). Should have been 10 Ohm resistors, went for 5. Light Emiiting Friodes? Nasty smell should have given it away.
They're running very cool, and I also added foil to the box that's surrounding the plants.
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2007 - Growlight 2nd attempt
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Using the same grow-lights as before, this time (after some research), I'm putting them very close to the plants (these unlucky "volunteers" were started in regular light). We'll see how they do.
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One Week later...
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After a week, they're still growing! Moved the led's up when they touched them, and they're still about the same, though I think the blue one is a little taller. Hmmm.
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Three Weeks Later...
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On 4-22-07, they're all looking about the same, but growing! We'll see how they do over the coming weeks. These were started under normal light then transferred here, there's nothing blocking one light from spilling over onto the other plants, so it's not a "controlled" environment - it's a home environment.
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Five Weeks Later...
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At about three watts for all three, I'd say they work, and alot more efficently than fluorescent bulbs, though you do have to treat them slightly differently: you have to get the REAL closte to the plant (there's no heat so this is not a problem), and they're focused onto a small area, so a redesign would probably yield better results.
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Other Possibilities
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1/23/08 - Other possiblilities for affordable grow-lights: Solutionsgrowlights.com have some screw in bulbs that look pretty decent at $35US (as of 1/23/08), and there's a company called home grown lights.com that makes a real nice kit, for those of us who know which end of a soldering iron to hold (I'm getting faster better at this).
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