Led diy?
 

I was just on the Lowel site and saw this ridiculous fancy LED flashlight that sells for $700.00 at B&H.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/searc...op+Nav-Search=

It occurred to me that not so many years ago a lot of guys were building DIY light kits with Home Depot work lights. Now that LEDs are becoming common in all kinds of fixtures does anyone have DIY ideas for them yet?

I have three Lowel kits, I still use them and I have no plans to upgrade soon. They worked well a long time ago and they still do. But if there is LED panels out there without the high cost of photo labels I might consider a couple of uses for them? I am not going to pay $700.00 for a fancy flashlight.....

Kind Regards,

Steve

Re: Led diy?
 

While this particular example might be consider overpriced by some (myself included), the units you get at Home Depot are generally unsuitable to color photography and video because of their low CRI. The companies who go to the trouble and expense of producing a high quality, high CRI light have higher production costs, and probably more rejects than a company making worklights and flashlights. If you get lucky with a work light, then you dodged a bullet. Otherwise, you're probably throwing money down the drain.

Re: LED DIY?
 

Your probably right. The old Home Depot kits some guys built had powerful tungsten lamps so it was not an issue. The search I did before my post found the cheap LEDs to be around 4000K and i"m sure a low CRI.

I'm not much of a DIY guy anyway. All of my gear is the good stuff but I thought I would ask. I have so much invested in all of my Lowel kits converting to an all LED kit is not a high priority. It is a if it works don't fix it thing.

Thanks,

Steve

PS I'm still not going to buy a $700.00 flashlight. Thats what made me wonder if someone had the cheap answer out there;-)

Re: Led diy?
 

I am building this one right now. It rolls up and it's flexible!

I also built his previous light panels, they worked as advertised. The project above is just as bright, but uses half the amount of power as this older one.

Re: Led diy?
 

I tried to build this one too. When finished looked OK. But now looks trash. Some of the edges of LED strips have come undone and now looks crap. Still works but looks crap. I think the next one (as I bought extra) I will use a thin piece of plywood.

Re: Led diy?
 

I have made quite a few LED lights but I have always used discrete components! OK, admittedly you do need to have some basic soldering skills but the rest is pretty easy and you can make whatever size you want. An old camcorder battery charger makes an ideal "battery holder too" Just strip out the charging components and you can have a de-mountable battery!

You do need to find a site that will allow you to layout your required number of LED's and it will also calculate the resistors required for them to work correctly and whether you need to connect them is series or parallel or both to make battery drain optimal

You can buy bags of LED's in either 3mm or 5mm very cheap on eBay too.

Re: Led diy?
 

I've been making my own led video lights for some time and have made custom units for many videographers up in Canada. Led component costs can be expensive and the failure rate is high especially in the prototype stage. Learning by mistakes and eventually getting it right. Led technology is getting better in efficiency and power output or lumens per watt specs. I can not sell or promote my lights here but I can give you a short list of my preferred parts sourcing. Ledsupply, Cutter electronics ( Australia ), Taskled drivers, Allelectronics surplus, and most important wealth of led info: Candle Power Forums. All these sources are top notch in service and parts quality. My choice of leds are Cree XHP50 , optics from Carlco and H6CC drivers from Taskled. Good luck in your builds.

Re: Led diy?
 

Has anyone used a battery pack for their DIY lights?

Re: Led diy?
 

Battery pack of choice depends on how long you wish to power tem up for. On long run duration a li-ion type pack like Anton Bauer 14.4 volt Dionic ENG types work extremely well but are pricey and require dedicated chargers. The Sony NPF-970 L series at 7.2 Volts are industry standard for compactness but one must be sure that the leds can run at those voltages. Battery Space has a huge selection of batteries with or without chargers. I buy from them and have a huge selection of quality products. Li-ion work best but also the NIMH types are good too. You need to know your operating voltage, very important or poof and smoke.

Re: Led diy?
 

A few battery plate options that I used before to power the lights. These are the battery adapters for the Sony L series. Also shown is a small sample of custom lights I made in the past.

Re: Led diy?
 

Thank you Arthur. Any idea which might work well with these lights

Thanks

Re: Led diy?
 

well, it all depends on how you will use the lights. If you have a wall AC source like 110 VAC then a Meanwell LED power brick is fine ( this is ONLY if the led strips DO NOT have a led driver built into them) like here: http://ca.mouser.com/new/meanwell/me...powersupplies/ , but if you need to power them by battery then there are many options like the battery size which in turn also depends on how long you need them powered up for. You need to know first if the led strips you are using have their own LED drivers built on the strip to provide proper voltage to the LEDs. If not then you must look at the spec sheets and obtain voltage/current info on them in order to choose a proper powering option. Not easy and if chosen wrong the potential to burn out some less is great. If the led strips have their own led drivers built on them, then the spec sheet will also say what power input source ( usually 8 to 18 Volts DC) is required. Polarity of the wiring is crucial as if connected wrong they either do not work at all or the led drivers built in the strips may fry, depending on the design of the drivers if they have a reverse polarity protection or not. Leds or led strips are very finicky on their feed voltage source. Too little input voltage and they won't work at all. Too much and possibly poof. A battery powered light has many advantages over a wall socket wired one. You can have both options as well because the leds always need DC (Direct Current) Voltage to operate. A wall AC to DC adapter make it a wall powered unit and once the adapter is off then it is replaced with a battery. DC voltage and polarity is what is paramount. In the video above, the LED driver is EXTERNAL of the strips and also contains the dimming function control. If you are using those exact strips then yes, you will need an external driver. Some strip led types have tha driver built in along the strips but the dimming function is lost. Check and re-check wiring before turning on the unit. Have you considered the time/cost/effort and the possibility of mistake ?

Re: Led diy?
 

Thank you!

Re: Led diy?
 

Kathy might be a bit big but I have mine connected to a 12v battery. Similar to this. Lucas 12V 7AH AGM/GEL Rechargeable Battery FLYMO CT250X STRIMMER BATTERY | eBay

Re: Led diy?
 

Thanks Donald. Yeah these are a bit big. I'm wondering if this would work:
Battery Back Pack Plate Adapter For Sony V-shoe V-Mount V-Lock Battery External@ | eBay

together with this

Battery Back Pack Plate Adapter For Sony V-shoe V-Mount V-Lock Battery External@ | eBay

of course I still need batteries.

Re: Led diy?
 

Donald, sorry to sidetrack but what did you use for the backing for your lights? Faux leather?

Re: Led diy?
 

Those battery plates are used to mount V lock professional ENG type 14.4 VDC batteries to power up various devices like Pro video cameras as well as pro lighting equipment. You will find that the batteries are usually the lithium ion ones that are very expensive and need dedicated chargers for them. Do not be surprised if one battery and charger cost well over $600 dollars, and that is for the generic brands. An Anton Bauer charger alone is minimum $700 and their cheapest battery is around $500. Unless, of course money is no object, check out B & H photo and see. The lead acid battery types are much more cost effective and giving the same amp hour run time. Like a 12 volt DC lead acid with 7 amp draw is effectively a 84 watt hour battery. That 84 watt hour can power a 20 watt consumption light for about 4 hours give or take a few minutes, Also to remember that if the led driver needs a minimum voltage of say 10 volts to operate properly, then a battery that runs down in time to less that 10 volts will cause the led driver to be out of it;s regulation zone and will shut down or flicker the led. No harm there but that's when a higher capacity battery comes in handy or using extra fresh batteries. Batteries are always rated in either watts hour or watts per hour and also volts and amperage ( current rating ). A battery that just says 9 volts is meaningless. Lead acid types are the easiest and cheapest to run and the chargers are a dime a dozen. Their drawbacks are weight and longevity. Lithium ion ones are light, small size but need a special charger made for them. NIMH ones are good too fitting in between the lead types and Li-ions but are less expensive than the Li-ions. Then we had, and thankfully disappeared Nickel Cadmiums. For a light that you have, I would go for a Li-ion type but with the Sony L series like the NPF-969 or 970. There are rated for around 60 watt hours and if your light draws 30 watts then they can power for around 2 hours. Dimming led just a wee bit can save a lot of battery juice.

Re: Led diy?
 

Yes Faux leather. Looked god after I finished but the edges started to lift in the led strips after rolling, unrolling a few times. I also wired mine for the 12v. Live and learn. Maybe should just buy the real thing as it could work out cheaper after a few trial and errors. But it's still fun to try.

Re: Led diy?
 

How about this instead? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...tery_Pack.html

Re: Led diy?
 

But the real thing is so expensive!
I wonder if you could stitch the edges instead of glueing them.
Did you get faux leather online. I just looked online and it's hard to figure out how thick/thin the material is.

Re: Led diy?
 

That will work only if your light project needs that particular 7.4 VDC voltage. It is same with the Sony L series. It's the voltage that matters. If your led light requires 12 volts or more then those 7.4 volt batteries simply won't power it up. Again you need to look up the led strip specifications. In my experience they always seem to want 12 volts DC. There are many batteries out there that can do 12 volts DC as the lead acid brick ones. The led driver control box with the dimmer as in the video probably has an input DC voltage range like 12 to 18 volts or something like "operating input DC voltage 9-12 VDC" You need to know for sure before going battery hunting. That input voltage is very important to know. Don.t take chances or else you will blow the circuitry. Like I said, led are very finicky about their feed voltage. You need the proper led driver and voltage for them to operate properly.

Re: Led diy?
 

Thank you. Yes, I need 12v.

Re: Led diy?
 

Donald, do you think corner protectors like this would help?

Re: Led diy?
 

Yes would help with the corners. But I would still worry about the edges of the individual led strips peeling away.

Re: Led diy?
 

Would stitching help instead of glueing?

Re: Led diy?
 

Where do you guys get a power socket for these? Also can you use 20v AC adapter instead of 19V?

Re: Led diy?
 

Hi Kathy, Did you get that kit with the electronic boards ( drivers) and the dimming switches included as shown in the video ? If not, what are you using as the circuit to drive the led ? You will find all the sockets needed and accessories including power supplies here. This is where I purchase all my stuff .
All Electronics | Electronic and Electro-Mechanical Parts and Supplies at Discount Prices

The socket you are referring to is probably this one, it is commonly available in 2 millimetre sizes as 2.1 mm male and 2.5mm male. see here if it's 2.5 mm : 2.5mm DC Power | All Electronics Corp.

and here if your supply fitting is 2.1 mm : 2.1mm DC Power | All Electronics Corp.

You can also search for DC power connector.

I highly doubt that you can use AC current as input to any leds or led driver. They are only designed to accept DC (direct current). Perhaps you mean an AC 110 volt to DC 20 volt adapter ???

Where did you see you needed that 19 or 20 volt ???

Re: Led diy?
 

Arthur,
I'm not sure what kit you are referring to but I did get the dimming switches shown in the video.

In the video @ min 12:35

I'm attaching images of the AC adapter that I was planning to use. Will this work? Also, I'm not sure the socket I need is 2.5mm. I think it's bigger. It looks like lenovo is using some nonstandard size.

Re: Led diy?
 

You can easily find male and female connectors on eBay that will work. If you buy a few you could use them on other projects.

Re: Led diy?
 

Thank you, I'll look

Re: Led diy?
 

Has anyone tried using variable color temperature LED strips, such as these https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...led-3528/1451/

Any problems with that?

Re: Led diy?
 

Variable color temperature LEDs sounds like a great idea, but there is no specs for it on its color accuracy. Then looking at the controller, it doesn't say how it's controlling it...variable voltage? Or pulse width modulation? If it's PWM, its supposedly better to be above 10K cycles in order to eliminate visible flicker on video. By looking at the specs alone (or lack of,) I can't tell if it'll work for video.

Re: Led diy?
 

Kathy, that connector is for laptop use. Although it supplies 19 volts DC you must also know the lower and upper voltage range of the led module or driver input range. Too high and you will smoke it, too low and the lights won't work, polarity mistake and poof more smoke perhaps. The dimming switches are connected to the drivers. One for the cool white leds and the other for the warm whites. The dimmers are connected directly with the driver boards ( the electronics that feed the led their proper dose of DC voltage). Like I said before, led are very particular about the voltage and MUST be within their operating range. The led drivers make sure of that ONLY IF THE FEED DC IN VOLTAGE IS WITHIN THE DRIVER'S INPUT RANGE. What does the spec sheet ( if you got one) say about the DC voltage input range ??
Also on that link to superbrightleds, if you follow the small print you will see it also needs the recommended driver ( not the remote) that accepts 5 to 24 volt DC as input ( the black lead as negative and red lead as positive) https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...schannel/3048/

You just cannot throw any value of DC voltage in. In that case a 12 volt or even a 7.4 volt DC camcorder battery will work as if falls WITHIN the DC input voltage range (5-24) of the recommended driver.
That laptop AC to DC power adapter you have shown can also be hard wired to the driver iF YOU KNOW WHICH WIRE IS + AND WHICH WIRE IS - after cutting off the end. Usually the centre pin is the + and the other is the -. A voltmeter will easily determine that. In many cases, as usual, the positive is the centre yellow or red shielded wire and the negative is the surrounding multi stranded silver shield. But do make sure with a DC voltmeter though.

Re: Led diy?
 

Come to think about it Kathy, wouldn't it be cost effective to get an on-camera led light that accepts batteries too and is dimmable with variable color temperature. Easy to diffuse as most come with a clip on diffuser ? But if you already started your project.........

Re: Led diy?
 

Arthur,
I bought everything exactly the same the guy specifies in the video. That SHOULD work as it worked for him. Yes, the connector is for laptop use, it's exactly what the guy uses in the video. I'm not throwing just any voltage at it. It is 19 volts, since this is a bicolor panel each color temp strip receives under 12v which is less than what is required, that way the lights won't run too hot but still be bright enough.
I won't be using a battery pack with the first lights I build, I will leave for the next project.
As for the variable color temp LED strips, I think I will pass on that too as reading the reviews it seems that the changing of color temp can be only done in big increments and that might be of a concern for video work. I'll stick with the LEDs the guy used in the video.

On camera LED, you mean one that fits in a hotshoe?

Re: Led diy?
 

Hey there Kathy, sounds like Arthur is trying to discourage you for whatever reason by suggesting you buy an on camera light. I don't understand the point of that as I too hope to start a similar project soon. I have been waiting on some high CRI strips and a controller that is being developed through a group buy on Reduser. I have been wanting to do this for a few years now since I first saw a crew doing stills with some lightgear panels on the set of Magic City. Let us know how your project is going.

Re: Led diy?
 

Yeah, I'm not sure why on camera light would even be recommended as a substitute, obviously it's a completely different thing.

I'm still waiting for my LED strips to show up. I'm hoping they will arrive by the end of the month.

Re: Led diy?
 

I have seen many use an on-camera light for diffused light quality such as portraiture and table top commercial/catalog video or photo work. Just because it is labeled as a camera top light doesn't mean it has to be mounted on a camera. One can easily mount it on a tripod with swivel head and use whatever diffusion material needed in the front. Most already include a diffuser that either clips in place at the front or if it is too small can always be put in a soft box or small umbrella. The issue I have seen with strip lights is that 1- their color rendering index or CRI is not up there in the +90 CRI index and 2- Once you got that perfect mix of balancing both cool and warm led going, dimming to a higher or lower value will require a color re-balancement again every time you need to dim/brighten the unit. In many camera-top lights once you set the required color temperature using one knob you can dim or brighten at will without affecting the color. I am not talking about discouraging, I just wanted to offer a possible alternative. I have designed and built many on and off camera professional led lights and most of my on-camera units went eventually to be used on a tripod ( off-camera) with a scrim/diffuser at the front. God luck with your project and if you need technical advice just let me know.

Re: Led diy?
 

LED lights are great until you start to defuse them. (especially the small ones) You preferably need powerful ones so the light can get through the defuser. Those frosted perspex ones ore so close to the LEDs they only reduce the amount of light that gets through. I mean look at a proper light box it spreads the light from the source the bare light about 9 inches to the white defuser anything over 2 feet and because its more powerful shines brighter through the defuser.

The LED roll seems a good idea as you could make it as big as you want. Thus acting as a defuser.

Re: Led diy?
 

Hi,

I'm almost done building my light BUT I'm having a really hard time finding a 4 conductor either 18 or 20 AWG black (ideally pretty flexible) cable. Anyone has any clue where one might find such cable?

Thanks
Kathy