DIY Studio Light/ Light Box
Introduction: DIY Studio Light/ Light Box
Hey Everyone what's up.
This is my DIY Studio Light Project
Which basically is a do-it-yourself studio light that is made from a custom 3D Printed body and a custom PCB which were both provided by PCBWay.
Question
Is it better to Buy an expensive Studio Light or Make your own DIY Studio Light with custom 3D Printed parts and PCB?
Well, the goal for making this project was just that, I wanted to make a DIY Studio Light for my current "Maker Setup" as the lighting in my lab bench is not very great.
Commercially available light costs above 50$ (good ones) but why spend money on them when you can make your own Studio Light, Body can be made from a 3D Printer and the circuit can be manufactured by a PCB manufacturer.
In this Instructables, I'm gonna show you guys how I made this DIY Studio Light in few easy steps.
Let's Get started!
Supplies
These are the things that I used for this built
* LEDs (NICHIA JK3030 3V .2W LED)
* 1.5 Ohms Resistance 1206 Package
* 0.47 Ohms Resistance 1206 Package
* 100uf Capacitor
* 63uH Indictor
* SS34 Diode SMA
* DC Barrel Jack
* Custom PCB (which was provided by PCBWAY)
* Custom 3D Printed body (which was also provided by PCBWAY)
* SIC9301A led driver IC x2
* 12V DC FAN (Generic small one)
* 12V SMPS Power Supply
Step 1: Basic Structure
My goal was to make a DIY Studio Light completely from scratch to compete with existing light available in the market.
The reason for starting this project was the cost of the existing setup, Commercial Studio Light isn't exactly cheap and I need at least 2-3 Lights which would cost a lot so I made an easy-to-make Studio Light with custom PCB and 3D Printed Body.
Also, I'm using a generic FR4 PCB here. these LEDs produce a lot of heat so why I'm not using MCPCB (metalcore) instead of FR4 (fiberglass) for making a better-LED PCB that can disperse heat better than FR4 Board?
You see, I have added lots and lots of Via in this PCB, these Via will conduct heat from the top side and transfer that heat to the bottom portion which will result in Heat getting Disperse equally. Then at the backside, there's a 12V Mini DC FAN which cools down the PCB heat.
Apparently, Metal PCBs or MCPCBs are not $$$ wallet-friendly and if I have used a metal PCB in this project, I also have to use another FR4 board for LED Driver IC setup. 982
So I saved a lot by making a single PCB that contains the LEDs and Driver IC setup.
Also, the Body of this light is made from PET-G which is quite a durable plastic so overall, this DIY Studio Light can sustain heat.
Step 2: Schematic
The main schematic of this project is attached above and as you can see, it's not very complex. it contains two LED Driver IC setups both with their LOAD (LEDs) connected separately.
Their Input side is connected with each other which is the common Input VCC and GND. we will supply 12V to these two terminals to run this board.
(yes, I haven't used any Microcontroller or any Switching IC in this Circuit)
Step 3: PCB Designing
With the above Schematic, I prepared the PCB in my CAD software.
The board outlines were already designed in the Fusion360, I used its measurements as a reference to make the PCB.
I placed LEDs at the center of the board and maintained an equal distance between them, to keep things symmetrically accurate.
And as you can see, I've placed lots of Vias in this PCB. Vias cover almost 70% of this PCB and they are here for Conducting heat as well as connecting one side with another side of the board.
Anyways, after finishing the PCB, I exported its Gerber data and send it to PCBWay for samples.
I Received the PCB in 7 days which is pretty fast, and it also came with a PCB Scale which was pretty cool (I have used my beans to get that scale though)
I have to say, PCBs that I've received were great as expected, PCBWay, you guys rocks.
Check out PCBWay for getting great PCB Service for less cost!
Next is the PCB Assembly Process. 472