not so micro litepanels...homemade litepanel. at DVinfo.net

Daniel Caruso · March 4th, 2009, 10:28 AM

hello!

-couldnt find a spot to put this, i am on an a1 and always here so thought id post it here(as ill put a test shot soon too), sorry if it is moved.

so as most people are starting to film, budget is everything. i really needed a light for my cam but a 400 dollar row of led lights was not feasible. so here is my take on a litepanel micro. i used 90 led lights, circuit board to hold the leds, battery pack at back, Plexiglas for the front and the casing came from a doorbell, but princess auto as lots of random things you could make work for your light. so far the light is a good brightness, though i will say the leds i have are not as bright as the lite panel, but for an on camera light it will light up a 5 or so feet subject. for the battery life i have not yet tested, it was just finished, i will have to see how long this light will last. here are some photos of the light. hope this helps some people. all in all, it cost just over 60cdn. i have a good place to order leds, message if you like. huge thanks to my dad for the soldering and pretty much brains of it all, just my idea =].

dan

Ken Wozniak · March 4th, 2009, 11:06 AM

Looks pretty good. Make sure to post some test results (battery life, brightness, etc.) when you get them.

Have you compared brightness with and without the plexiglas front?

Chris Hurd · March 4th, 2009, 11:23 AM

Excellent post, but I'm not sure why it was made to Canon XH. Moved to Photon Management where it belongs.

Daniel Caruso · March 4th, 2009, 11:33 AM

sorry about that chris, newish here and had no idea where to put it.

but thanks guys, will do some footage tomorrow for it and maybe a runtime too. as for the plexiglass, i coudlnt find clear, this one has a slight blur, since the glass is so close to the lights, not a huge loss if any.

dan

Richard Andrewski · March 4th, 2009, 04:50 PM

Hope you used current limiting resistors and put the LEDs in series based on the voltage your using. Otherwise, they won't last too long.

Antony Meadley · October 26th, 2009, 08:41 AM

"the leds i have are not as bright as the lite panel..."

Does anyone know which LEDs are the brightest and suitable for this project?

Even better if you can post a link to an online store for them.
The brightest I know of are the Luxeons.

Sean Seah · October 26th, 2009, 11:54 PM

Super Bright LEDs ? LED Lights and Accessories

This is a great place. I used to order these RGB LEDs which you could vary the baising to control the colour of the light! Meaning you could do the full colour spectrum

Scott Nelson · October 30th, 2009, 10:57 AM

Can you post the website you got you LED's from? I did a test with some LED's from Radio Shack and they work well, I just can't afford almost $1 per led. Also, Do you have any way to dim them (If needed that is) and where did you get the mount for the shoe?

Note: 100th post!

Giroud Francois · October 30th, 2009, 04:48 PM

i found led model 5050 from china.
they give great light, good color and cost only 0.15 per unit.
I think the chinese company even sell them in array, so almost no work needed.

Gary Moses · October 31st, 2009, 05:59 AM

We seem to be at a crossroads as far as LED for lighting is concerned. The older lights are made up of many individual LEDS that are certainly better than halogen with all of its drawbacks. In the last few years, however, great improvements have been made in the LED power and brightness. Many companies are combining the newer high powered LEDs and putting them in housings that focus the light to increase the power, some even using prisms to further increase output LED flashlights are perfect examples of the use of this new technology.
You can buy high powered Cree (one of the most powerful LEDs that exist, so far) that are housed in a MR16 self contained light. They can be either AC or DC and pre-focused in 15 degree spot to as wide as 60 or 80 degree floods. In addition to being brighter, smaller and more efficient, they are much easier to make. A 500 LED fixture demands that you drill 500 holes and wiring at least 1,000 solder joints.
The LED Flashlight forums are a great place to see what's currently going on in LED lighting.
Gary

Scott Nelson · October 31st, 2009, 11:36 PM

do you have a website for them?

Gary Moses · November 4th, 2009, 11:43 AM

Who me? If so there are tons of places that sell them I would do a Google search that way you can get the best current prices. They coming down in price every time a new more powerful one is released.
Gary

Mark Boyer · November 10th, 2009, 12:16 PM

I made a similar light from a set of LED 12 volt car white flashing lights (from China). I attached 2 plug-in camera batteries on the back (similar to Litepanels) and a switch. The light power is between a Micro and a Micropro (no dimmer switch). I also used twin Lenmar Charger Adapter Plates (JVC or Canon depending on the camera). The camera batteries together are 14.4 volts and they work well on the 12 volt car flasher light. The whole set up came out similar in size to the Litpanels Mini.

My wife has since bought me for my birthday a Litepanels Micropro. I still have 4 flashing lights (to make more) and the prototype.

March 4th, 2009, 10:28 AM	#1
Daniel Caruso Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Newmarket, Ontario Posts: 90	not so micro litepanels...homemade litepanel. hello! -couldnt find a spot to put this, i am on an a1 and always here so thought id post it here(as ill put a test shot soon too), sorry if it is moved. so as most people are starting to film, budget is everything. i really needed a light for my cam but a 400 dollar row of led lights was not feasible. so here is my take on a litepanel micro. i used 90 led lights, circuit board to hold the leds, battery pack at back, Plexiglas for the front and the casing came from a doorbell, but princess auto as lots of random things you could make work for your light. so far the light is a good brightness, though i will say the leds i have are not as bright as the lite panel, but for an on camera light it will light up a 5 or so feet subject. for the battery life i have not yet tested, it was just finished, i will have to see how long this light will last. here are some photos of the light. hope this helps some people. all in all, it cost just over 60cdn. i have a good place to order leds, message if you like. huge thanks to my dad for the soldering and pretty much brains of it all, just my idea =]. dan Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Daniel Caruso; March 4th, 2009 at 11:34 AM.

March 4th, 2009, 11:06 AM	#2
Ken Wozniak Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Bend, IN Posts: 179	Looks pretty good. Make sure to post some test results (battery life, brightness, etc.) when you get them. Have you compared brightness with and without the plexiglas front? __________________ Woz

March 4th, 2009, 11:23 AM	#3
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Excellent post, but I'm not sure why it was made to Canon XH. Moved to Photon Management where it belongs. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

March 4th, 2009, 04:50 PM	#5
Richard Andrewski Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Shenzhen, China Posts: 781	Hope you used current limiting resistors and put the LEDs in series based on the voltage your using. Otherwise, they won't last too long. __________________ Richard Andrewski - Cool Lights USA - RED #114 http://www.coollights.biz

October 30th, 2009, 10:57 AM	#8
Scott Nelson Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bloomington, MN Posts: 167	Can you post the website you got you LED's from? I did a test with some LED's from Radio Shack and they work well, I just can't afford almost $1 per led. Also, Do you have any way to dim them (If needed that is) and where did you get the mount for the shoe? Note: 100th post! __________________ Canon XH-A1, Rode NTG-2 DIGITAL NOIR PRODUCTIONS

March 4th, 2009, 11:33 AM	#4
Daniel Caruso Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Newmarket, Ontario Posts: 90	sorry about that chris, newish here and had no idea where to put it. but thanks guys, will do some footage tomorrow for it and maybe a runtime too. as for the plexiglass, i coudlnt find clear, this one has a slight blur, since the glass is so close to the lights, not a huge loss if any. dan

October 26th, 2009, 08:41 AM	#6
Antony Meadley New Boot Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 14	"the leds i have are not as bright as the lite panel..." Does anyone know which LEDs are the brightest and suitable for this project? Even better if you can post a link to an online store for them. The brightest I know of are the Luxeons.

October 26th, 2009, 11:54 PM	#7
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	Super Bright LEDs ? LED Lights and Accessories This is a great place. I used to order these RGB LEDs which you could vary the baising to control the colour of the light! Meaning you could do the full colour spectrum

October 30th, 2009, 04:48 PM	#9
Giroud Francois Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: switzerland Posts: 2,133	i found led model 5050 from china. they give great light, good color and cost only 0.15 per unit. I think the chinese company even sell them in array, so almost no work needed.

October 31st, 2009, 05:59 AM	#10
Gary Moses Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 110	We seem to be at a crossroads as far as LED for lighting is concerned. The older lights are made up of many individual LEDS that are certainly better than halogen with all of its drawbacks. In the last few years, however, great improvements have been made in the LED power and brightness. Many companies are combining the newer high powered LEDs and putting them in housings that focus the light to increase the power, some even using prisms to further increase output LED flashlights are perfect examples of the use of this new technology. You can buy high powered Cree (one of the most powerful LEDs that exist, so far) that are housed in a MR16 self contained light. They can be either AC or DC and pre-focused in 15 degree spot to as wide as 60 or 80 degree floods. In addition to being brighter, smaller and more efficient, they are much easier to make. A 500 LED fixture demands that you drill 500 holes and wiring at least 1,000 solder joints. The LED Flashlight forums are a great place to see what's currently going on in LED lighting. Gary

October 31st, 2009, 11:36 PM	#11
Scott Nelson Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bloomington, MN Posts: 167	do you have a website for them? __________________ Canon XH-A1, Rode NTG-2 DIGITAL NOIR PRODUCTIONS

November 4th, 2009, 11:43 AM	#12
Gary Moses Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 110	Who me? If so there are tons of places that sell them I would do a Google search that way you can get the best current prices. They coming down in price every time a new more powerful one is released. Gary

November 10th, 2009, 12:16 PM	#13
Mark Boyer Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bothell Washington Posts: 174	Simular light I made a similar light from a set of LED 12 volt car white flashing lights (from China). I attached 2 plug-in camera batteries on the back (similar to Litepanels) and a switch. The light power is between a Micro and a Micropro (no dimmer switch). I also used twin Lenmar Charger Adapter Plates (JVC or Canon depending on the camera). The camera batteries together are 14.4 volts and they work well on the 12 volt car flasher light. The whole set up came out similar in size to the Litpanels Mini. My wife has since bought me for my birthday a Litepanels Micropro. I still have 4 flashing lights (to make more) and the prototype. Attached Thumbnails