DIY 70 watt, hundred dollar Veg lamp

I had the parts laying around and have been meaning to replace my 100w CFL panel. Although the lamp is only 500-1000 lumens more than the CFL it visibly looks much brighter.





Stats
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70W input / 60w output at about 120 LPW (130 LPW if Vero 18 version 2 is used)
Total lumens 7200/7800
Price: $100, maybe $120 with shipping and left over hardware.

I had the drivers laying around. Substitute with 1 LPC-100-1050 in series for increased efficiency and lower price: $90 +shipping

Parts
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2 Vero 18's 4000K
2 PLM-40-1050
2 Ebay 50w radial heat sinks
4 2.5m screws
2 15" strips of aluminum channel
4 1.25" #10 wood screws
4 washers
4 zip ties
some wire (18 gauge stranded)
power cord
electrical tape or shrink tubing

Tools
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2mm drill bit (for mounting emitters)
3mm drill bit (pilot holes for wood screws)
2.5m tap bit & tap handle
drill
electrical pliers
needle nose pliers
soldering iron
Phillips screwdriver

Notes
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- Apply the zip straps on each end of the driver so that the tension between them is opposite. This will prevent the driver from twisting on the frame.
-Two pliers, one loose on the zip strap and one tight above it, leveraged against one another will tighten the straps very tight.
- Use a drill to drive the wood screws into the frame. Drive them nice and tight but not too deep.
- Seems self explanatory beyond that, feel free to ask questions.

The vero 18 is such a good light.

Way better than CFL. 130 LPW at nominal current makes for a cheap efficient lamp. Very comparable to Vero 29 in the price/performance area. Not as efficient as some of the more expensive DIY lamps, but who cares?

Pepper plants to be planted outside next week.

I would really like to see some lettuce seedlings started under this light

OneHitDone said:

I would really like to see some lettuce seedlings started under this light

Click to expand...

I actually just moved a bunch of lettuce/spinach to my garden outside. All the seeds were started under ~50 watts of Vero10's. Wish I would have taken some pictures! They all sprouted in about half the time they were labeled for

ReeferDance said:

I actually just moved a bunch of lettuce/spinach to my garden outside. All the seeds were started under ~50 watts of Vero10's. Wish I would have taken some pictures! They all sprouted in about half the time they were labeled for

Click to expand...

How did they look as far as stretch?

OneHitDone said:

How did they look as far as stretch?

Click to expand...

Very little stretch, I was using a ~40 watts of T5 about 2' away and they got pretty stretchy and had to be buried in the soil quite a bit. But with the Vero's about 10" away they only got about an inch tall and were much more 'sturdy'. Weren't flopping all over the place when I was transplanting them haha.