How to make a super bright LED light panel (for video work etc)

Here's how to make a super-bright LED light panel. It's equivalent to a 1000w incandescent light bulb, and it's super useful for video work as it has a daylight colour temperature and doesn't use PWM for dimming. There are 900 individual LEDs in this panel, which is why it's so bright.

Parts links:

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LED Strips required:

Here's a list of parts:
(you can purchase from either eBay or Amazon)

STEP-DOWN VOLTAGE REGULATOR

The following are better sourced from your own local hardware store:

a sheet of 6mm MDF

a sheet of 18mm MDF

2x aluminium tubes or wooden dowels

a switch

magnet wire

6.8k resistor

small & medium wood screws

a sheet of plexiglass.

12 awg wire

a small fan

How to make a shard light:

How to make a graphics card quieter:

How to make a battery protection circuit:

If you attempt this project you do so at your own risk. I assume no responsibility for any injuries or damages caused to people or property during its construction or use.

If you are under 18, a responsible adult must be present when using power tools.

I have taken care in making sure the information in this video is accurate. However,I am unable to provide any warranty concerning the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the video.

OFFICIAL LINKS:

[CrypticBTR]

As a video editor myself, I have mad respect for your work with tracking the dimensions of the pieces. It makes the instructions all the more clear, and makes the video, overall, more professional.

[Nerdforge]

I love the project! I made a panel inspired by this, but i used arduino and PWM dimming. It's interesting, the PWM is visible when dimmed, but if one uses the full output the PWM wont be visible on film. The only perk being that the one I made does not require a fan. The downside obviously being that you can't dim it on film. Thanks for the inspiration, your vids are invaluable when I need some creative stimulation :)

[MrSusanjtr]

i love the way his voice sound... it make me feel like everything is fine and relax, easy. lol

[marklechon]

I have to praise how generous you are in sharing your knowledge. I also would like to say how good your videos are. I love how you explain in detail the projects you do and the clever editing you put in.

I want to do this but I would like to do a smaller version. I have no experience in electronics whatsoever but I'm eager to have a go.

Thanks again and can't wait for your future content.

[lifewater]

I went ahead and built my own following these instructions. As someone who knows nothing about electronics I needed the help of two others to break down some of the stuff left out here, but the result is a very bright LED panel for not a lot of money.

Somethings I noticed:

It truely is bright.... like hurt your eyes bright. I recommend picking up some sort of light diffusion sheet, or have a plan to use this indirectly.

This thing gets HOT. I was testing the limits of this panel, and after 30 minutes the LED's start the seperate from the glue and wood. After an hour the leds are quite hot to the touch. I really have no idea how to go about fixing that in version 2, maybe aluminum panel as a heatsink? Be sure to glue these down with wood glue or something similar, otherwise they are going to come off most likely during prologed use.

Also the part where he explains using resistors with the 5v fan, dont bother with this approach. I attempted this and the resistors get insanely hot, no matter how you configure them. I purchased a BEC (Battery Eliminator Circuit), frequently used in RC cars/planes. This is far more efficient, and does not create any additional heat. Well worth the small cost.

Overall I recommend trying this if your thinking about it. Great project, thank you for the tutorial!

Dude... this is awesome for people who live up north and lack sun light for whole monts.

[vidm]

Looks like Ryan connoly mentioning this video on fb and twitter has made it quite popular. Finally your videos get the attention they deserve!

[powerbatterychannel]

Hello, I have even no patience to watch this video till the end, - hope, it's the best solution! I'm now working at the similar project, but, most probably, you have already made the universal solution both for indoor and outdoor usage. Great!!!

[Mageziii]

I watch your videos just for fun even though im not going to build them, they are just awesome

[lightforall]

WOW. I may wind up making this my summer project! It really doesn't look very complicated, and the style of video instructions are really rather straightforward. THANKS!

[PeterScargill]

A couple of comments if I may...

1. Excellent video, well presented.
2. The LEDs will get too hot - you've not used anything to dissipate the heat - this will shorten their lives - so as before but aluminium back!! Trust me - I've shortened the lives of many a LED.
3. Finally just a thought... you mentioned colour filters for studio work - RGB (12v) LEDS and you could get any colour you want at the cost of a SLIGHT loss of precision and a slight increase in cost.

[arthercasillas]

Im impressed/ its clean and still leaves enough exposed so you can see the inner workings. I like it.

[FelixBoehme]

Just finished my v1 of this. Really bright – even though I started off with just 1 LED strip. I'm gonna be using it as a sort of virtual window to light up my living room while the sun is on the wrong side of the building. Really cool. Thanks for the tutorial! I've never done any electrical work and this was a great way to try my hands. Thanks again!

[SirRelith]

It's... BEAUTIFUL!!!

This would have made filming in the woods so much easier! We had to run several long stingers from my house.

This is definitely on my to make list

Cheers!

[LaGaspa]

There must be a group of viewers whose sole purpose in life is to leave negative ratings on great videos!! THIS IS A GREAT VIDEO, purposeful and will developed content! Thank you!

[gavincurtis]

This is perfect for book reading at Starbucks.

[KDBAW]

This is a remarkable light box! It could be used for many different applications! It would be a great addition in a workshop, a garage or a reloading room! The amount of light that it gives off is super. If you needed it to work on a vehicle at night! it is perfect!! GREAT JOB and GREAT VIDEO!!! THANKS!!

[AvantiMorocha]

Thank for the tutorial. It looks a little complicated, but I'll ask my husband to try to make it :)

[movingpictureproduction]

you are killing it! motion tracking text...building amazing ring lights, and dim-able LED's... You are like a budget film maker's dream come true. your content is the best I have ever seen. I just found you today, and you have already helped me so much. brilliant job!!!

[harrystech]

Just made my own mini Light Panel, thank you for this video, amazing work as per usual.