chromex
Active Member
So, first thank you to the community for sharing the love and the information. I've learned so much from all of you, especially @Growmau5 (You rock man!)
I posted this in another thread in grow room setup, so forgive me if you've seen this already. I just figured if I relocate the discussion here, more people might have the same question.
I'm a total newb when I comes to LED and to DIY fixtures. I'm getting ready to build my first DIY COB setup. I've researched the following question and can't find the answer. Here's the question...
1. Is "grounding" the frame necessary?
2. If "grounding" is necessary, exactly how do I do this?
I'm planning on building a frame out of Aluminum angle to hold the heatsinks and COBs. I want to do whatever I can to minimize electrical shock.
I've also googled "how to ground computer case", "how to ground fixture", "how to ground frame" and also can't seem to find a straightforward answer that is applicable to a DIY COB light fixture.
I understand that grounding is necessary when working with electrical appliances to minimize shock. I also understand that by "grounding" the appliance, risk of shock is mitigated by directing the electrical current to the ground, i.e. "EARTH" instead of your body.
I'm guessing that the answer/solution is so easy it's almost common sense which is why I can't find a step by step guide on how to do it. I don't necessarily want to be spoon fed the information, but when people say, "just connect the fixture to the ground" and it makes no sense to me, I'm sure it makes no sense to some others as well.
So to all the electrical nerds out there, is this necessary? If so, how do we do it so we can all minimize risks in our spaces? Can someone please post step by step instructions that an electrical luddite could understand? Pictures would be awesome.
I'm not asking how to connect LEDs to the driver, nor am I asking how to mount the heatsinks to the frame. I specifically want to know if grounding the actual aluminum frame is necessary for safety and if so, exactly how would you explain to someone with minimal electrical knowledge and of electrical terms how to accomplish that?
This is my guess if someone can verify...
on the power cord, that plugs into the wall, there is a positive, negative and a ground. When I connect the plug to the LED driver, I connect each wire on the driver to the corresponding wire on the plug. Is it as easy as attaching a wire via screw directly to the frame and connecting it to the ground wire on the plug/power cord?
In the attached picture, you'll see the frame made of aluminum angle holding the heatsinks. Do you just drill a hole in the aluminum angle, connect a wire to it, then connect that wire to the ground wire coming off the wall plug attached to the AC input on the driver?...Forgive me if what I just proposed is the dumbest thing you've ever heard, but that's my guess. For all I know that will expose me to more risk, which is why I pose the question here.
Please answer this question electrical gods! I beg of thee! (or any nerds out there that know the answer, thats cool too...)
I posted this in another thread in grow room setup, so forgive me if you've seen this already. I just figured if I relocate the discussion here, more people might have the same question.
I'm a total newb when I comes to LED and to DIY fixtures. I'm getting ready to build my first DIY COB setup. I've researched the following question and can't find the answer. Here's the question...
1. Is "grounding" the frame necessary?
2. If "grounding" is necessary, exactly how do I do this?
I'm planning on building a frame out of Aluminum angle to hold the heatsinks and COBs. I want to do whatever I can to minimize electrical shock.
I've also googled "how to ground computer case", "how to ground fixture", "how to ground frame" and also can't seem to find a straightforward answer that is applicable to a DIY COB light fixture.
I understand that grounding is necessary when working with electrical appliances to minimize shock. I also understand that by "grounding" the appliance, risk of shock is mitigated by directing the electrical current to the ground, i.e. "EARTH" instead of your body.
I'm guessing that the answer/solution is so easy it's almost common sense which is why I can't find a step by step guide on how to do it. I don't necessarily want to be spoon fed the information, but when people say, "just connect the fixture to the ground" and it makes no sense to me, I'm sure it makes no sense to some others as well.
So to all the electrical nerds out there, is this necessary? If so, how do we do it so we can all minimize risks in our spaces? Can someone please post step by step instructions that an electrical luddite could understand? Pictures would be awesome.
I'm not asking how to connect LEDs to the driver, nor am I asking how to mount the heatsinks to the frame. I specifically want to know if grounding the actual aluminum frame is necessary for safety and if so, exactly how would you explain to someone with minimal electrical knowledge and of electrical terms how to accomplish that?
This is my guess if someone can verify...
on the power cord, that plugs into the wall, there is a positive, negative and a ground. When I connect the plug to the LED driver, I connect each wire on the driver to the corresponding wire on the plug. Is it as easy as attaching a wire via screw directly to the frame and connecting it to the ground wire on the plug/power cord?
In the attached picture, you'll see the frame made of aluminum angle holding the heatsinks. Do you just drill a hole in the aluminum angle, connect a wire to it, then connect that wire to the ground wire coming off the wall plug attached to the AC input on the driver?...Forgive me if what I just proposed is the dumbest thing you've ever heard, but that's my guess. For all I know that will expose me to more risk, which is why I pose the question here.
Please answer this question electrical gods! I beg of thee! (or any nerds out there that know the answer, thats cool too...)
