Its been a while since the last exciting episode covered in LED Grow Lap – Part 2. In this jam packed edition I went over to my Dad’s place (since I have a distinct lack of tools in my apartment) and we fitted the LED’s I had constructed into a halogen desk lamp I got from the bargain shop down the road.
I got a halogen desk lamp because it was 12V and I assumed DC – However it turns out that these things only have a very simple power supply in them just changes the voltage but maintains an AC current. For LEDs being diodes, this is a Bad Thing. So the plan to use the power supply in the lamp was discarded – instead I would continue to use my 12V DC 4amp regulated power brick I got last time.
So the task was to take the LED’s with the new heat sink and fit them into the lamp somehow. This was done by cutting the dome of the lamp into a kind of a T-Shape and slotting it into the heat-sink. It was then fixed to the apex of the lamp dome with a screw, washers and a spacer.
Thanks to Dad’s help and large selection of tools I have to say it turned out much better than I had hoped:
Being only 12 watts, I don’t know yet if it will be bright enough to grow any little plants with – but at least its now time to find out :)
Stay tuned for the next exciting episode where I go to the Hydroponics Shop (if there are any left after the government crack-down) to get the final nutrient–rich ingredients for this project while not being arrested.