Hello everyone! Despite being new to the forum I have been reading threads here for several months to get information for this project and finally registered for some specific advice.
Background:
-I'm planning to build a set of Custom Off road lights to go on my Jeep's roof rack.
-I decided to build them myself primarily because many sold in stores go for over $300 each.
-Also, I needed a weekend project and wanted to learn something useful along the way.
-I have a background in engineering however my resources for this project are limited.
Limitations / hurdles:
-I would like to avoid drilling any holes in my new vehicle.
-I want anyone nearby to think the sun came up when the lights turn on.
-The lights are going to be semi-permanent and fixed to my roof rack, so they must be weather proof.
-I want the size to be compact. (Think standard PIAA rally light)
-Heat management (due to the LEDs I chose) - So far my biggest hurdle.
Solutions:
-To avoid drilling holes I am going to make the lights battery powered and remote controlled.
-For the lights I got greedy and purchased 4 *100W Bridgelux Vero 29 COBs (BXRC-50C10K0-L-04) (Data sheet: PDF)
--chosen for their 5000K CCT and 10,000 lumen capacity (They nominally run at 2.1A and 36.8V or 77.2W and provide 9,720 lumens each) (combined total 308.8W)
-To weather proof the lights I have decided to use 5 separate enclosures. One for each of my 4 lights, reflectors, and heat sinks with a 5th for the driver, battery, and control board.
-In every practical application I have seen these lights used in they are high bay lights (gymnasium lights) with large bulky heat sinks made to operate vertically.
Where the project stands (26 Nov 14):
-I have purchased several components and I have done a little testing with them.
-For the remote control I went with a cheap but sturdy (solid state) option of using a Raspberry pi to control a set of relays.
--I have a rudimentary phone app that connects over Wi-Fi to control the Pi's Serial header. This provides 5v to the low side of the relay thus energizing the relay and powering the LEDs.
*In the future I intend to finish a custom App that looks nice to replace the clunky and technical Pi remote app.
--There will be a weather proofed "Arm System" switch on outside of the control enclosure to boot up the Pi. (I have seen it take 10min or more to boot up)
-To drive the lights I am currently using a bench top 12v power supply and a cheap DC to DC constant current boost converter that maxes out at 15A input.
*future plans include a 24V battery to power the system (likey this one).
24V can provide a max power through the boost converter of 360W without melting it. I only intend to use about 310W
@ 309W the 11AH battery translates to ~1Hr of run time a peak stable power assuming I have all the lights on.
-I plan to use aluminum tubing for the housing with a clear Lexan cover for durability. I will be mounting the lights and reflectors using rubber high temp gaskets to get a weather proof seal.
-I am trying to decide the best way to cool these lights. For testing I have a few small aluminum heat sinks that do an moderate job of keeping the LEDs in the range of "burn you on contact" after just a few min of power.
--I have looked high and low for a good option here but heat management is what is holding up this project at the moment.
--the heat sinks designed for the Vero 29 LED tend to be very large (Mid sized examples) and/or will not work well horizontally (here is why).
--This has led me to entertain the idea of active cooling by affixing each chip to a water block and setting up a system that utilizes a small DC pump and a radiator to cool them. Despite adding a lot of complexity this option also allows me to save a lot of space at each light and relocate the cooling surface all while keeping the system closed loop (i.e. no PC fans exposed to the elements).
Anyway, that sums up my thoughts on the project.
Please offer up your suggestions and I'll be more than willing to answer any questions you might have.
When I get the time I'll try to add some pictures, but everything is just separate components right now. I added links to what I have in most cases.
I look forward to your suggestions and thanks in advance.
Very Respectfully,
MCSNWV
Background:
-I'm planning to build a set of Custom Off road lights to go on my Jeep's roof rack.
-I decided to build them myself primarily because many sold in stores go for over $300 each.
-Also, I needed a weekend project and wanted to learn something useful along the way.
-I have a background in engineering however my resources for this project are limited.
Limitations / hurdles:
-I would like to avoid drilling any holes in my new vehicle.
-I want anyone nearby to think the sun came up when the lights turn on.
-The lights are going to be semi-permanent and fixed to my roof rack, so they must be weather proof.
-I want the size to be compact. (Think standard PIAA rally light)
-Heat management (due to the LEDs I chose) - So far my biggest hurdle.
Solutions:
-To avoid drilling holes I am going to make the lights battery powered and remote controlled.
-For the lights I got greedy and purchased 4 *100W Bridgelux Vero 29 COBs (BXRC-50C10K0-L-04) (Data sheet: PDF)
--chosen for their 5000K CCT and 10,000 lumen capacity (They nominally run at 2.1A and 36.8V or 77.2W and provide 9,720 lumens each) (combined total 308.8W)
-To weather proof the lights I have decided to use 5 separate enclosures. One for each of my 4 lights, reflectors, and heat sinks with a 5th for the driver, battery, and control board.
-In every practical application I have seen these lights used in they are high bay lights (gymnasium lights) with large bulky heat sinks made to operate vertically.
Where the project stands (26 Nov 14):
-I have purchased several components and I have done a little testing with them.
-For the remote control I went with a cheap but sturdy (solid state) option of using a Raspberry pi to control a set of relays.
--I have a rudimentary phone app that connects over Wi-Fi to control the Pi's Serial header. This provides 5v to the low side of the relay thus energizing the relay and powering the LEDs.
*In the future I intend to finish a custom App that looks nice to replace the clunky and technical Pi remote app.
--There will be a weather proofed "Arm System" switch on outside of the control enclosure to boot up the Pi. (I have seen it take 10min or more to boot up)
-To drive the lights I am currently using a bench top 12v power supply and a cheap DC to DC constant current boost converter that maxes out at 15A input.
*future plans include a 24V battery to power the system (likey this one).
24V can provide a max power through the boost converter of 360W without melting it. I only intend to use about 310W
@ 309W the 11AH battery translates to ~1Hr of run time a peak stable power assuming I have all the lights on.
-I plan to use aluminum tubing for the housing with a clear Lexan cover for durability. I will be mounting the lights and reflectors using rubber high temp gaskets to get a weather proof seal.
-I am trying to decide the best way to cool these lights. For testing I have a few small aluminum heat sinks that do an moderate job of keeping the LEDs in the range of "burn you on contact" after just a few min of power.
--I have looked high and low for a good option here but heat management is what is holding up this project at the moment.
--the heat sinks designed for the Vero 29 LED tend to be very large (Mid sized examples) and/or will not work well horizontally (here is why).
--This has led me to entertain the idea of active cooling by affixing each chip to a water block and setting up a system that utilizes a small DC pump and a radiator to cool them. Despite adding a lot of complexity this option also allows me to save a lot of space at each light and relocate the cooling surface all while keeping the system closed loop (i.e. no PC fans exposed to the elements).
Anyway, that sums up my thoughts on the project.
Please offer up your suggestions and I'll be more than willing to answer any questions you might have.
When I get the time I'll try to add some pictures, but everything is just separate components right now. I added links to what I have in most cases.
I look forward to your suggestions and thanks in advance.
Very Respectfully,
MCSNWV