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Step 6Install the LED
With the lens and LED compartment cut to size and the bracket mounted, test fit the LED. Using a fine pen, mark two spots in the Endor star cutouts. You will drill holes here to allow the wires to come through from the electronics compartment. Keep the holes small to make them easy to seal after the wires are through and the LED mounted.
Note: There are six cutouts on the star, three of which need to be clear for the legs of the lens to sit in. When drilling holes for the wires, you need to pick two cutouts that are not next to each other, leaving a cutout between them for the lens legs. I did not do this, as you can see in the pics and had to drill three holes total.
Once you are satisfied with the holes, feed the appropriate wires up from the Buck Puck and electronics compartment and solder them to their corresponding pads on the Endor star. Try to keep the height of the wires low so that the lens will sit correctly, and be sure that the pads are not bridge or the wires shorted to anything, including the back metal of the Endor star. See pic.
With the wires soldered on, test the system by applying power to the Buck Puck briefly. Don't run the LED long or it will be damaged since it is isn't on a heat sink. If everything is 5 by 5, then mix up some of your conductive epoxy and epoxy the LED in place at the back of the compartment as shown. If you are using electrically conductive epoxy (higher thermal conductivity) be sure to keep the epoxy away from the top of the Endor star and the exposed wires and pads. Let the epoxy set overnight. While it is curing, you want to keep pressure on the LED star so that it stays as tight to the metal underneath as possible to improve thermal transfer. I used a rolled strip of cardboard in contact with the star outside of the LEDs and applied pressure with some rubber bands. Try not to touch or scratch the LEDs lens domes as this will impact their performance significantly due to increased internal reflection and thus heat buildup and junction temperature.
Note: There are six cutouts on the star, three of which need to be clear for the legs of the lens to sit in. When drilling holes for the wires, you need to pick two cutouts that are not next to each other, leaving a cutout between them for the lens legs. I did not do this, as you can see in the pics and had to drill three holes total.
Once you are satisfied with the holes, feed the appropriate wires up from the Buck Puck and electronics compartment and solder them to their corresponding pads on the Endor star. Try to keep the height of the wires low so that the lens will sit correctly, and be sure that the pads are not bridge or the wires shorted to anything, including the back metal of the Endor star. See pic.
With the wires soldered on, test the system by applying power to the Buck Puck briefly. Don't run the LED long or it will be damaged since it is isn't on a heat sink. If everything is 5 by 5, then mix up some of your conductive epoxy and epoxy the LED in place at the back of the compartment as shown. If you are using electrically conductive epoxy (higher thermal conductivity) be sure to keep the epoxy away from the top of the Endor star and the exposed wires and pads. Let the epoxy set overnight. While it is curing, you want to keep pressure on the LED star so that it stays as tight to the metal underneath as possible to improve thermal transfer. I used a rolled strip of cardboard in contact with the star outside of the LEDs and applied pressure with some rubber bands. Try not to touch or scratch the LEDs lens domes as this will impact their performance significantly due to increased internal reflection and thus heat buildup and junction temperature.
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Nov 14, 2008. 1:20 PM
WyoJustin
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WyoJustin
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Awesome project! Thanks.
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