Question on fabricating custom aluminum pcb

[Aqualund]

Hey all.

I will be opening a LFS here within the next few months and I aim to do all of the lighting myself. To this end, I would like to design my own aluminum pcb board to make this easier and less skilled so I can get help on the soldering. so I have a lot of questions.

1. what program do I use to design this board. and what format does it need to be in to submit for fabrication?
2. Are there minimum requirements for the thickness of the circuits printed on the board to be used for say...1000mA leds? Actually, im sure there is...What are the guidelines?
3. what company is the best for this purpose?

If anyone is willing to take the time to design this board to my specifications so that I can submit it for fabrication I will send you a free set of lights once everything is built!

[ReddyW]

Go skim this thread:

Meanwell LDD driver: for those who want to dim to 0 using Arduino (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2222702)

There's a couple of folks in there who can help.

Here's a post about Metal Core Printed Circuit Boards (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=21818229&postcount=3).

Cutter in Australia might have something like you want. Here's a 4 up board:
http://www.cutter.com.au/products.php?cat=Leds+on+24mm+Round+MCPCB

[Aqualund]

Thanks man, yeah I have that arduino thread pretty much memorized. I was hoping maybe asid or o2 or the like would see this and chime in. If not I can always message them I guess.

I guess I should point out that Im trying to get anywhere from 12-18 leds on each board, with 3 to 4 channels for each spectrum I want to cover. that way I can control each tank for different families of coral based on whatever spectral plot I want to make.

[ReddyW]

How many are you planning on making? There's probably more people who would be interested in something similar.

People can reflow the LEDs to the board in a toaster oven with an Arduino controller.

See if you can get everyone to put their heads together and make something great.

[Aqualund]

Oh I see what you're saying...I guess because of the fact that cree doesnt make UV lights I was already set on just using the bridgelux leds and soldering them on there. Although I wouldnt be opposed to doing it like you said...I would just need a source on the UV leds for the reflow method.

I will be making a lot. But yeah it would all be arduino controlled...so if people want to contribute and we can get it going that'd be great. I'd like to have them programmable so that you select the coral family and the arduino sets the led array to the proper color temperature for that coral family.

[ReddyW]

I'd like to have them programmable so that you select the coral family and the arduino sets the led array to the proper color temperature for that coral family.

I like this idea. The Jarduino would be a good open source solution for this. Also, you could reprogram a Storm or StormX from Coralux. Ben from Coralux does custom Arduino programming, MeepNand does too.

I think Steve's sells their UVs and other LEDs without the star board.

[zachts]

I'd be interested also in what comes out of this thread, as I've pondered the same question almost daily but have found no source to make a MCPCB in suitable quantities at a reasonable price for just a few boards. That said most comercial units in the street and home lighting industry do not use MCPCBs at all in their designs just a solid copper pour on the bottom of the board with thermal vias for each led for heat transfer, ITEAD I believe could do this, but I've never inquired as to the cost. Luxeon and cree both have pad designs available for their chips using this method and it would work for the bridglux hand solderable types as well.

StevesLEDs could likely reflow everything professionally for you if you send them the boards and used LEDs they stock or send them the chips you want to use. They also stock very good violet LEDs in the hand solderable type, Which I've used for replacements. But I still need to give it a month or two on my testing rig to see if the Version 2.0 solved the lense burn in problems of past violets of this type from them.

[zachts]

I think Steve's sells their UVs and other LEDs without the star board.

They do, I've used a few in the past as replacements for glued down chips that burnt out.

[Aqualund]

bump.

In response to using the small led chips with just one lens over all of them...I would prefer a method in which I could change the lenses for each led individually.

[zachts]

bump.

In response to using the small led chips with just one lens over all of them...I would prefer a method in which I could change the lenses for each led individually.

Well for that your cheapest and simplest option is going to be using the standard star chips. use a t-slot heatsink and be done with it. Cant get much simpler. You could get them slightly closer using a custom pcb but not enough to matter with individual lenses.

[Aqualund]

Yeah that's not what I want. I want to reduce the need for the wiring, and just be able to solder the leds to an aluminum pcb with 3-4 different channels...then just hook up the wires with a jack on the pcb.

You'd be surprised how much it matters, as I am currently using exactly what you described on my home dt...and no individual color of led is ever more than 4" away from it's similar partner...and I have 100 leds total over my 90 gallon tank. The problem is that I have so many individual sps pieces so closely packed in the tank that literally any one of my sps could look better or worse by moving it an inch right or left in the tank...because of the mix of light reaching it...so Im disappointed to say the least.

I am not looking forward to redoing it to get them even closer and wiring 100+ leds...let alone the 10,000+ leds I would be doing for the store, I gladly would like to avoid that nightmare if at all possible lol :)

[pwreef]

When it comes to this kind of custom PCB the design is not easy, but there is someone who already did this for us. You just have to pay. :-) I have a light based on a previous version of this assembly.

[mcgyvr]

Depending on what you are trying to do you don't need a metal clad PCB..
Typical FR4 boards can be used. Thermal vias and proper thermally conductive/electrically isolated interface material and a good heatsink may be sufficient enough..
You can easily get into the sub 10 degC/W thermal resistances with a properly designed FR4 board/thermal vias..
Add a sub 5 deg C/W heatsink and you are only looking at a maybe a 45-50 deg C rise over ambient without even bringing forced convection into the picture (for 3W leds)..

Sticking with and FR4 based design can help keep costs considerably lower than a metal clad solution/high minimum volume orders,etc... BUT failure to design it properly can lead to a big hot mess..

But to answer your questions with my software recommendations
1- Diptrace (free..hands down the easiest to learn IMO and as powerful as 90% of the programs out there) and Gerber format (RS-274X)
2- Yes there are numerous "trace width" calculators out there
3- Company for what? PCB fabrication? There are TONS out there that can do that.. China will be your cheapest option by far though if you don't mind the wait and can find a company that can communicate with you.. (fastline is the first I came across)

[Aqualund]

When it comes to this kind of custom PCB the design is not easy, but there is someone who already did this for us. You just have to pay. :-) I have a light based on a previous version of this assembly.

Thx man! But I don't think I like that...even though it is awesome :)

mcgyver...thanks so much for the awesome info man :)