Custom designed Video Light Project

[spuddevans]

So this project is a little different, I needed wanted some more video lights, so I thought to myself "how hard can it be to design and custom build my own video light?"...... Well, I'm now in the process of finding out how hard it is!!!

I ordered 1000 95% CRI LEDs (only came to about £15) from Digikey and set about the project!

I like to complicate things slightly. So I want to design a modular system that uses a single custom designed PCB, but that can have many copies of that custom designed PCB in one enclosure to make a bigger "panel-style" LED video light, or just one or two of them for a smaller light.

Also to complicate things further, I want the ability to choose either 12v or 18v power (without wasting a lot of power in a big dropper resistor for 18v) so that I can use an 18v LION powertool battery to power a portable version of the light.

In this 1st part  I go over some of the scope of the project, then make a crude prototype to test out how hot these LEDs get at the desired current and film that with a thermal camera.

In this next part I use some free PCB design software (altium circuitmaker) to make a schematic, then to lay out a PCB, before generating the files needed to upload to a PCB manufacturer. Then I go through the options offered by one manufacturer before I finally order the PCB's

I ordered the PCB's and a stencil and they came from China in just 10 days, next part will be assembling a PCB

Thanks for watching
Tim

[spuddevans]

Here's the next installment.

In this video we take a good look at the PCB's themselves, and also a look at the solder-paste stencil that I also ordered as I've got about 30 of these to make up.
Then we'll see one way to temporarily attach the PCB to the stencil in order to apply the solder-paste.

In this video we begin by applying the solder-paste, then the stencil is removed so that the LED's and current-limiting resistors can be placed on their respective locations. Then using a hot air soldering station we reflow each component. We finish with a visual inspection of the assembled PCB.

Thanks for watching,
Tim

[krv3000]

 

[Brass_Machine]

 

Very nice!

[spuddevans]

Thanks Bob & Eric 

Been working on the 3d models for the case, not much to show yet, bit of trial and error with making adjustments and re-printing, would make for an even more boring video, so I've not been filming it.

I'm trying to make a system of case-parts based around a single part which is the main case/diffuser, with a number of different parts which can either connect several cases together to make a bigger light, some with threaded holes for tripod-style mounting, and I've even had a crazy idea for also making a mount that has a Makita LXT 18v L-ION battery slot for mobile use.

But all of this 3d modelling takes me a while as I'm still learning the in's-and-out's of Fusion360 

Tim

[spuddevans]

Well I haven't given up on this (yet  ), just had a busy month and a lot of prototypes being made/re-made/re-made again......

Finally got some progress to show, here are the latest updates.

So we start off by comparing the PCB we finished in Part 2 with one of my old video lights. I have 3d-printed a bunch of parts to make a Panel-type video light measuring about 240mm high by about 380mm wide. This will contain 6 of the PCB's that were shown in the last video. This video we show the parts and how they fit together.

Then we assemble the parts and glue them together with some slightly-dodgy superglue (took ages to set)

Then it was simply a case of wiring the modules together and then testing it out by comparing the LUX output of it to my previous video lights.

There will be further parts to come, but not for a while, feeling the call to get back to some other projects 1st!!!

Thanks for watching
Tim