EvoNova

Same as the others, gotta wait for the full write up.

The light can be completely submerged underwater and still run just fine. I got tired of my grow lights constantly shorting out or rusting to hell and back. So I used rust proof metals (aluminum body, stainless steel hardware), completely sealed the strips with a silicone spray designed specifically for LED's, and (basically) potted the wiring inside the end pieces.

I underpower the light to increase efficiency but it is BRIGHT. It still blows my mind what it can do. It literally hurts to look directly at the light! I forget the PAR output reading. I got to get my meter set back up again. I pulled this from my old heatsink calculations. All of this was from the datasheet, temps and wattage were verified. However I do not have a lux meter. Strip used is the Bridgelux Edge 5000k 90 CRI. The 90 CRI has much higher far red output (along with a smoother cyan region) but they are less efficient than the 80 CRI. They can hit into the 200 L/W range.

(Read the content in the graph, don't pay attention to the shitty looking formatting haha)

Warning, the photo album has 400 photos and starts with my original attempts with LED tape and 3 Watt beads. A lot of repeat photos. But you can see some cool manufacturing techniques! This iteration starts about half way down.

EvoNova Photo Album

Interesting tidbit of information, my thumb actually became paralyzed for 9 months while injecting Lexel into the end tubes. Don't worry, I'm slight afraid of the lights, but ive regained about 90% movement and strength (Looooong Story).

Sample Photos

Designed to fit inside the wire shelves to maximize plant space.

I turned to the right, so original light is in upper left. This angle shows the 4ft version or double 2ft. Ignore the droop in the back. My calculations didn't factor in screw head height in the 2 x 2ft layout so it made the light 1/8" to long to fit. It has since been fixed. I also came up with a new way to mount it that is rather awesome. I'll detail later.

The electrical end piece completely submerged.

Raytracing Lumen distribution map. The one on the left was an alternate design.

My simulated "plants". Now the circles in the above photo make sense! This photo was actually from the alternate design. You can see why I abandoned it. It pays to simulate things before you manufacture them!!!

Finally, the Fusion 360 model I sent to the 3d Laser Tube Cutter. That thing was awesome!