My LED On-Camera Light

[esnabez]

Finally finished my second project and I'm pretty happy with the results...

The design is mostly based on the information found here:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=18059

45 LED's running off of a 6 volt AA battery pack or wall wart. Either one plugs into the coaxial power jack on the back.

I decided to keep the battery pack off the light so that it wouldn't add extra weight when using the camera handheld. I just pop the battery pack in my pocket when shooting. It could just as easily be mounted to the light, camera, or tripod.

The knob on the back is a dimmer. The range is from full brightness down to about 10% or so.

I opted for warm white LED's because the light isn't powerful enough to use outdoors, so no need for daylight-balanced.

The Velcro around the edges allows me to attach my LumiQuest Softbox if I want more diffusion...

LED's - http://buy-leds-online.com/530.html

--WARM WHITE LED 530MWO4C
--Wavelength(nm)=2500~3500K
--Vf(Typ) = 2.8 Vf(Max) = 3.4 lv(at 20ma)
--mcd = 6000~12000
--Half intensity angle = 24°~30°

Project Box (4" X 2" X 1") - Radio Shack - 270-1802

4AA Battery Holder w/ Switch - Radio Shack - 270-0409

Size M Panel-Mount Coaxial Power Jack - Radio Shack - 274-1582

Size M Coaxial DC Power Plug - Radio Shack - 274-1569

33 Ohm Resistors - Radio Shack - 271-1104

250 Ohm 5 Watt Pot - www.digikey.com - CT2155-ND

Blue Insert Control Knob - Radio Shack - 274-403

Metal Shoe Mount - www.markertek.com - DELV-CM

[PeterC]

Nice job! How did you make the dimmer?

[esnabez]

Thank you. The dimmer is just the 250 ohm pot wired in series between the battery pack and the LED's. It varies the current and therefore the brightness.

[argonaut]

Very nice work!
Can you post some footage to see the light working?!
I'm planning to mount to UFO 60 LED lights together .

Regards

[esnabez]

Thanks so much! Yeah, I really wanted to post some video. I've been extra busy at work lately, but I'll try to get a little something up as soon as I can... Good luck with your light project!!!

[badjo]

Please post video a video!

[redrabbit]

That's awesome dude, how much did all that set you back?

[esnabez]

Thanks redrabbit! Parts cost was roughly 60 to 70 bucks. I could've just bought an off-the-shelf light for less, but the challenge/fun of making it myself was key...

And badjo: I promise to have some video up by the end of the weekend!

[badjo]

Thanks!

Didn't thought it would cost as much as 60-70 bucks! But hey, you got a lot of fun out of it I guess.

[nimrodel50]

Good job, how are the leds connected, are they on paralel or serie.

Thanks.

[esnabez]

They're wired in parallel. Here's the basic layout...

[ovisopa]

anyone knows where can I buy, or what tipe of led has the HV30? as I find it much more brighter than the normal LEDs.

[esnabez]

I don't know the exact specs of the built-in LED, but it seems to be a 5mm white LED similar to the ones I used in my project. They're usually referred to as "ultra bright" or "super bright". You should be able to find them for sale on the internet or eBay. Or (even easier) just buy a cheap LED flashlight and strip it for parts!

[ovisopa]

did you tried to compare the light of one led you used with the one built-in ? I'm just curios if the brightness is similar. 10x anyway for the tip with the flashlight.

[esnabez]

Now you've got me curious. I will try comparing a single one of my LED's to the HV's built-in, and let you know the results. Give me the weekend though, as I have to first keep my promise of posting video of my light in action...

[ovisopa]

yeah .. you should definetly keep your promise we all wait that video

[nimrodel50]

thanks for the layout.

[esnabez]

Finally... Here's a short (30 seconds) video of my light in use. Shot with my HV30 and Raynox 6600. Auto White Balance and no color correction in post.

The room was completely dark except for a small amount of street light leaking through the blinds. I start with the dimmer turned all the way down and I slowly turn it up to full brightness...

[ame="http://www.vimeo.com/3845026"]DIY LED On-Camera Light on Vimeo[/ame]

[esnabez]

and for ovisopa... here are frame grabs comparing the brightness of the HV's built-in LED, versus a single one of the LED's I used for my light.

Built-in on the left, my LED on the right...

[CycleWriter]

Watched the video. That's actually pretty impressive. I think if the LED mounting base had a slight curvature you could fix the problem of dark edges. I'd like to see a clip of a person in an interview format to see how the skin tones are rendered. Good 1st effort.

[esnabez]

Thanks for the encouragement!

Curving the base is a really good idea. Actually, since the LED's aren't flush to the circuit board, I might just be able to bend them into a better position.

I'll see if I can get an "interview" clip up. Although, between work and my 3-month-old son, my free time is at a minimum these days!

Thanks again for your input...

[badjo]

Amazing! This would do perfect filming skateboarding or bmx bike riding on close ups.

[tiberghv]

what about the board you attach the leds on ? where did you get it from ?

[esnabez]

The board was made from a spare piece of stripboard prototyping board I had lying around. I cut it to size using the project box's metal cover as a template. I spray painted it white to make it more reflective. Here's a photo of the inside...

[drapeama]

Just found that...could be my next DIY project.