DIY Outdoor LED
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So I was wondering about installing some LED lights on the front porch and I thought that perhaps some of you guys may have some input and prior experience with this.
What I have is a 45W 12V DC power supply so that is basically the budget I have to work with. I also use this to power MySensors units around the same area. My main motivation for doing this is to get the most out of this power supply and I bought a slightly beefier model in anticipation of powering these LEDs. My other motivator is cost of course. Commercial lights are ridiculously priced, are often designed to be sunk into the surface instead of mounted externally and they are no better than your average Ebay LED since replacing the "bulb" requires soldering in a new SMD LED. Or they are just set too high, eating up too many watts, run on 230V AC or use old LED tech with low lumens/watt.
What I want is a series of LEDs run at 1-2W that can be spread out and cover the entire front of the house. I saw all those CREE LEDs on Ebay soldered to metal-core printed circuit boards (MCPCB) and thought that could be a great way to fix the problem on a budget. Either that or buy the MCPCB and SMD LED separately. There are also borosilicate wide-angle lenses that may be suitable as a casing. All the lights will be mounted in the ceiling and will be reasonably well protected against the element already. If I can find a reliable design that looks nice I might add dozens of lights around the house as well as in the garden.
Any particular model or brand of LED to look for? I want as many lumens / watt as possible obviously, and it would have to be at lets say 600-700mA / LED no more. I noticed most LEDs seems to performs their best lumens/watt at low amp inputs so at least that is fortunate. It would have to be a warm white light and a high CRI. Particularly the latter seems to be the catch with many Ebay LEDs, at least the pre-soldered ones. They never mention CRI so I figure that they'd have to be the worst of the bunch, no better than 65 or 70. But perhaps it doesn't matter for the purpose?
Haven't considered a driver yet or how exactly to interface these with MySensors (whether simply an on/off proposition or a dimmer controller). I do know I will have these lights work in conjunction with one or more motions detectors as well as my Raspberry Camera that covers the front of the house.
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Can't really help, but I am interested in what you end up with..
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So I was wondering about installing some LED lights on the front porch and I thought that perhaps some of you guys may have some input and prior experience with this.
What I have is a 45W 12V DC power supply so that is basically the budget I have to work with. I also use this to power MySensors units around the same area. My main motivation for doing this is to get the most out of this power supply and I bought a slightly beefier model in anticipation of powering these LEDs. My other motivator is cost of course. Commercial lights are ridiculously priced, are often designed to be sunk into the surface instead of mounted externally and they are no better than your average Ebay LED since replacing the "bulb" requires soldering in a new SMD LED. Or they are just set too high, eating up too many watts, run on 230V AC or use old LED tech with low lumens/watt.
What I want is a series of LEDs run at 1-2W that can be spread out and cover the entire front of the house. I saw all those CREE LEDs on Ebay soldered to metal-core printed circuit boards (MCPCB) and thought that could be a great way to fix the problem on a budget. Either that or buy the MCPCB and SMD LED separately. There are also borosilicate wide-angle lenses that may be suitable as a casing. All the lights will be mounted in the ceiling and will be reasonably well protected against the element already. If I can find a reliable design that looks nice I might add dozens of lights around the house as well as in the garden.
Any particular model or brand of LED to look for? I want as many lumens / watt as possible obviously, and it would have to be at lets say 600-700mA / LED no more. I noticed most LEDs seems to performs their best lumens/watt at low amp inputs so at least that is fortunate. It would have to be a warm white light and a high CRI. Particularly the latter seems to be the catch with many Ebay LEDs, at least the pre-soldered ones. They never mention CRI so I figure that they'd have to be the worst of the bunch, no better than 65 or 70. But perhaps it doesn't matter for the purpose?
Haven't considered a driver yet or how exactly to interface these with MySensors (whether simply an on/off proposition or a dimmer controller). I do know I will have these lights work in conjunction with one or more motions detectors as well as my Raspberry Camera that covers the front of the house.
@bjornhallberg I'm new to the forum and just got my Arduino today (still waiting for the other parts to arrive for my project), so I can't yet explain how to write any code, however I understand the following:
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1 - The design of your circuit has little to do with the sensor you use to operate them, thus you can decide on which LEDs to buy based on power consumption only (and maybe the capability to dim with burning).
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2.- Then you can build your circuitry and plug it in normally to the power source.
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3.- After you know the circuit works properly, THEN you bring the sensors.
Basically you would use these sensors to control when the lights turn on/off, and that can be done in a variety of ways and with an array of different sensors.
In my case, for example, I'm trying to open/close a circuit based on proximity, pretty much what you want, but I plan on doing so using a bluetooth module for the Arduino that pings my phone to see if its around, given the phone is found, the Arduino would emit voltage in a pin and that should (I still have no idea, but somehow) open the circuit and stop it from functioning, given the phone is out of reach, the voltage is stopped, and the circuit goes back to operating normally.
In your case I don't think this would be a good approach because you want it to work whenever someone comes close, so maybe PIR sensors, or pressure plates, or IR sensor in the walkway or any other sensor you can use to identify someone's around.
I would recommend you go and complete steps 1 and 2 and then come back with an idea of how you want to interact with your new circuit and the folks here will help you out on which sensors are better suited for you.
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@bjornhallberg I'm new to the forum and just got my Arduino today (still waiting for the other parts to arrive for my project), so I can't yet explain how to write any code, however I understand the following:
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1 - The design of your circuit has little to do with the sensor you use to operate them, thus you can decide on which LEDs to buy based on power consumption only (and maybe the capability to dim with burning).
-
2.- Then you can build your circuitry and plug it in normally to the power source.
-
3.- After you know the circuit works properly, THEN you bring the sensors.
Basically you would use these sensors to control when the lights turn on/off, and that can be done in a variety of ways and with an array of different sensors.
In my case, for example, I'm trying to open/close a circuit based on proximity, pretty much what you want, but I plan on doing so using a bluetooth module for the Arduino that pings my phone to see if its around, given the phone is found, the Arduino would emit voltage in a pin and that should (I still have no idea, but somehow) open the circuit and stop it from functioning, given the phone is out of reach, the voltage is stopped, and the circuit goes back to operating normally.
In your case I don't think this would be a good approach because you want it to work whenever someone comes close, so maybe PIR sensors, or pressure plates, or IR sensor in the walkway or any other sensor you can use to identify someone's around.
I would recommend you go and complete steps 1 and 2 and then come back with an idea of how you want to interact with your new circuit and the folks here will help you out on which sensors are better suited for you.
@PedroC88 Yes, you're right, but this project only works if I can find good, cheap LEDs in the first place, and some clever and seemly way to mount them. I'm not even close to an actual circuit, drivers or the sensor network. I have some bad experiences buying LEDs of different sorts on Ebay and the esthetics are very important. Not to mention that things don't fail after a couple of weeks. The actual electronics will have to come later.
I guess what I'm looking for right now:
- A specific recommendation for LED (i.e. "CREE XM-L" or whatever)
- Whether buying them from Ebay is reliable or a recipe for disaster (i.e. are the LEDs genuine and is the CRI any good).
- Some way to mount the LEDs in the ceiling (a case), and disperse the light that doesn't look horrible (including whether you'd need more of a heat sink).
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@PedroC88 Yes, you're right, but this project only works if I can find good, cheap LEDs in the first place, and some clever and seemly way to mount them. I'm not even close to an actual circuit, drivers or the sensor network. I have some bad experiences buying LEDs of different sorts on Ebay and the esthetics are very important. Not to mention that things don't fail after a couple of weeks. The actual electronics will have to come later.
I guess what I'm looking for right now:
- A specific recommendation for LED (i.e. "CREE XM-L" or whatever)
- Whether buying them from Ebay is reliable or a recipe for disaster (i.e. are the LEDs genuine and is the CRI any good).
- Some way to mount the LEDs in the ceiling (a case), and disperse the light that doesn't look horrible (including whether you'd need more of a heat sink).
@bjornhallberg said:
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In that case I don't think this the right place, as the site is mostly intended to help you controlling sensors and actuators using (mainly) Arduinos. The only thing I can tell you is that buying through ebay (though I prefer Amazon) is usually reliable, provided you can return the purchased, defective item within 30 days of purchase. In my case, since I live outside U.S., that's usually an inconvenience due to local taxes.
When you're done with that, if you still need help with automating the operation of your LEDs array, let us know.
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I'd recommend to buy all leds that you plan to use in a single shot because leds will have slightly different colors even when buying quality ones. If you have a look in the datasheets of e.g. osram leds you see that there are more than 20 different colors (shades of white). If you buy 1000 of leds you are able to choose exaxtly matching colors. But we as normal people are dependent on the distributor. That means you should get closely matching colors if you buy your leds in a single shot... at least the ones you will see at the same time.
best regards -
They never mention CRI so I figure that they'd have to be the worst of the bunch, no better than 65 or 70. But perhaps it doesn't matter for the purpose?
I think a good CRI is important for the kitchen, with a low CRI you have the chance that food does not look that attractive anymore. A low CRI most of the times translates in poor red colors but I think that is not soon a problem for the front of the house.
For much more background see A close look at the Color Rendering Index (CRI, or Ra).
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I have done something like this on my shed, to light up the pathway running beside the it.
I bought 20 1W LED's on aliexpress http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-10x-1W-High-Brightness-LED-Flood-Light-Lamp-Bulb-90-100Lm-Warm-White-3-2/32223688453.html (they can be found cheaper a piece if you buy more)
Only diffence is, that I get the 12v power from a car battery, but it's still 12v. (battery charged by solarcells) The 4 serial connected LED's used to light the pathway connects to 12v via a relayswitch controlled by a arduino mini pro. Which again is controllede via openhab MQTT.
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I am trying to do something similar but I plan to embed controller in each one of these nodes along with motion and ambient light sensor.
So far the most cost effective seems to be to take one of these and modify it for 12V and add mySensor circuit to it.
How do I power MYS board with 12V?
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I am trying to do something similar but I plan to embed controller in each one of these nodes along with motion and ambient light sensor.
So far the most cost effective seems to be to take one of these and modify it for 12V and add mySensor circuit to it.
How do I power MYS board with 12V?
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So, the LEDs I ordered from Ebay got lost in shipping. What are the odds. Happened maybe two times out of 250 Ebay orders. I've been refunded of course but I now doubt I will continue down this track. Thinking of going back to 230V and relays instead + some cheap fixtures from IKEA.
@activemind Not a bad idea with the flood light housing, seeing as it is so difficult to find outdoor housings. I just hope they used stainless screws and bolts.
The Arduino Pro Mini could theoretically accept 12V on the RAW pin. If that is a good idea and a long term solution I don't know. Buck converters are pretty cheap and have worked with the Pro Mini and Radio Module when I've tested them. But I'm sure if I had looked at them using an oscilloscope I would feel different.
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I have a few nodes of Pro Minis that I power with 12VDC on the RAW pin. Have not had any trouble so far but I use high quality 12VDC power supplies that do not exceed that 12V. Exceeding 12VDC will burn the regulator on your Pro Mini. To be safe you could always add another regulator between the 12V supply and the raw pin.
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@bjornhallberg - I looked at Ikea stuff but its too hard to modify. I did have 2 of the flood lights come in...they are 110V version, plan on disassembing one tonite. I will the pics up.
What I am thinking is take these housing and modify the LED if need be and stick one of these MySensor circuit in there. I think all can be done for < $20.
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@korttoma - Good to know that 12V should be fine because as I posted above, I plan on using the above housing and modify it for 12V DC operation. I have a server grade high amp 12V DC power supply that I plan on using for all these lights and it would be good if I could use the same 12V for powering mySensor node as the LEDs.
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I can't say the same as @korttoma --- I burned some pro minis (in fact, cheap clones) by applying 12V at RAW pin. I think the on-board regulator of my clones has 12V as absolute maximum. And I had to learn it in the hard way... ;-)
After i to put a 78L05 between 12V and Arduino's VCC pin (as well as a 78L33 between 12V and radio), everything worked pretty well.
Home Assistant / Vera Plus UI7
ESP8266 GW + mySensors 2.3.2
Alexa / Google Home -
I can't say the same as @korttoma --- I burned some pro minis (in fact, cheap clones) by applying 12V at RAW pin. I think the on-board regulator of my clones has 12V as absolute maximum. And I had to learn it in the hard way... ;-)
After i to put a 78L05 between 12V and Arduino's VCC pin (as well as a 78L33 between 12V and radio), everything worked pretty well.
@rvendrame yeah, that is how I would recommend to do also. An additional regulators are worth it, just to be safe.
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Bringing back and old thread from the dead as I have some time now to spend on this.
Did some more research on Amazon and ended up ordering these LED lights
Planning on using MYS board to control these.
http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/207/my-sensorboard-mys-1-0beta
I have 2 questions:
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These are 12V and MyS board can take 12V input too. So I can power them off using the same 12V wire. Shall I use a relay to control these lights ? Couldnt find the current draw but I plan on measuring it once I get them in.
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Should I try to embed the myS board in the light case or look into an external waterproof plastic box? These are going to be outdoors.
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Bringing back and old thread from the dead as I have some time now to spend on this.
Did some more research on Amazon and ended up ordering these LED lights
Planning on using MYS board to control these.
http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/207/my-sensorboard-mys-1-0beta
I have 2 questions:
-
These are 12V and MyS board can take 12V input too. So I can power them off using the same 12V wire. Shall I use a relay to control these lights ? Couldnt find the current draw but I plan on measuring it once I get them in.
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Should I try to embed the myS board in the light case or look into an external waterproof plastic box? These are going to be outdoors.
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@activemind said:
- These are 12V and MyS board can take 12V input too. So I can power them off using the same 12V wire. Shall I use a relay to control these lights ? Couldnt find the current draw but I plan on measuring it once I get them in.
They are rated for 5W. 12V/5W=2,4A
Edit: NO, 5W/12V=0.42A. My bad.
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Bringing back and old thread from the dead as I have some time now to spend on this.
Did some more research on Amazon and ended up ordering these LED lights
Planning on using MYS board to control these.
http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/207/my-sensorboard-mys-1-0beta
I have 2 questions:
-
These are 12V and MyS board can take 12V input too. So I can power them off using the same 12V wire. Shall I use a relay to control these lights ? Couldnt find the current draw but I plan on measuring it once I get them in.
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Should I try to embed the myS board in the light case or look into an external waterproof plastic box? These are going to be outdoors.
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@activemind said:
- Should I try to embed the myS board in the light case or look into an external waterproof plastic box? These are going to be outdoors.
The case seems to be made if aluminum. That will probably block radio signals. So if you're planning to use radio, go for a plastic box.
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Thanks for the feeback. You make good points. I will plan for an external waterproof box for all mysensors circuitry.
Does using a FET sound good or shall I use a relay?
Something like this should be pretty inexpensive..
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Or something like this would be better:
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