Thread: LED Spot Lights

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Instructions for building a custom housing for the round LED spotlights from http://seasonalentertainmentllc.com.
To be used as yard lighting for Christmas, Halloween, etc.

Total cost of each fixture is around $10-12 each. Assembly time is around 15-30 minutes per light fixture, assuming you have already assembled the LED lights (or bought them assembled).

These instructions assume you have purchased and assembled the round 2” LED spot lights from http://www.seasonalentertainmentllc.com and are in need of an affordable, DIY fixture to mount them in. Assemble the LED light per the provided instructions but do not connect the pig tail wires yet. Note – the pigtail wires are normally white. I painted mine green so they blend in with the grass.



The base fixture I used is the Malibu CL9 landscape spotlight (product ID: 8301-9604-01). There are probably many other fixtures that will work but I chose this one because it is sturdy all metal construction, including the stake, and the 2” LED PCB (printed circuit board) fits nicely inside. Don’t order the LT9 – they look very similar but the LT9 housing is too small to accept the PCB. The CL9 is available at Home Depot for $10 or online from many sources for as low as $8 depending on how many you buy.



The additional parts you will need for this project are:
1/4” Rubber Grommets (two per light).
2” Poly Slip Joint Washer (one per light).



The 2” slip joint washers were not very easy to find and I could not find them locally. I got mine from Crest/Good Manufacturing. Website is www.crestgood.com but you have to call to order. Phone is 800-645-1251. The part number is 165P003 and I got 25 of them for $7.75 plus S&H. I use them to protect the edges of the LED PCB and to provide spacing between the PCB and the metal CL9 housing. Other poly or rubber gaskets/o-rings can work but the inside opening must be exactly 2”. I liked these because they have a beveled edge.

The rubber grommets I used have the dimensions shown below. I got mine at the local ACE Hardware store for .59 cents each. You can probably find them cheaper in bulk online if you need a bunch.


A: - Bore Diameter: 1/4"
B: - Groove Width: 1/16”
C: - Groove Diameter: 3/8”
D: - Outside Diameter: 9/16”
E: - Overall Thickness: 1/4”

‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ must be these dimensions as this matches the dimensions of the pigtail wire and the thickness of the CL9 metal. ‘D’ can be a little smaller, like 1/2”, but I wouldn’t go any bigger than 9/16”. ‘E’ is not as critical but 1/4” works well.
To prepare the CL9 housing for the LED PCB, remove the bulb, reflective bulb shield (2 screws) and the wiring – you won’t need any of this. You might be able to sell some of this, especially the bulbs, on eBay if you want to recoup a little of your money back.

Drill two 3/8” holes in the back of the housing (pictures below). These holes are for the pigtail wires. Position the holes closest to the bottom side (stake side). Drill the holes on either side of the metal ridge that can be seen from the inside (first picture below). I first drilled a small pilot hole from the inside so that I got my position centered between the ridges. Then I widened it to 3/8” drilling from the back. Take extra care to center the holes in between the raised ridges. If the holes are too close to a ridge it makes it tough to insert the grommets.





Insert a rubber grommet into each hole then feed the pigtail wires (one male and one female) through the holes, inserting from the back. The wires should fit snuggly in the grommet. This will provide weather proofing on the back side. For now, push the wires in as far as they will go so that the stripped wire ends stick out the front.

On the underside of the CL9 housing (where the stake attaches), since we have removed the existing wiring you can fill in the wire hole with a dollop of hot glue so that moisture cannot get in through that hole.
Insert an assembled LED PCB into one of the slip joint washers. They fit perfectly but I added a touch of super glue in a couple places to be sure they stay in. The washer should be positioned so that the beveled edge is facing back into the CL9 housing. Insert the stripped ends of the pigtail wires into their respective holes in the back of the PCB and then solder them on. See picture below.




Slowly pull the pigtail wires from the back so that the PCB lowers into the housing until the poly washer seats inside the housing. It should fit snuggly but to prevent the LED light from moving around over time you can add a couple dollops of hot glue on the washer where it meets the metal housing.




Screw the lens cap on the front, attach the stake and you are finished.




To daisy chain several of these together you can order the same type waterproof wires that are used for the pigtails in lengths of 1, 3 or 6 meters from the same site as the LED Spots. Then connect one end of the chain to a 12 VDC controller/power source. The longer water proof wires are a little expensive so if you have a long run from the controller/power source to the first LED fixture, use CAT5 wire from the controller out to the yard and then a CAT5-to-pigtail adapter (sold at the same site above).

I have mine run to a CMB-16D-QC Deluxe DC Card from www.lightorama.com ($99) and I use the Light-O-Rama sequencing software to run the lights (turn on/off, change colors, fade, blink, shimmer, etc).

Prior to these I used regular yard spotlights which are single color and use a ton of electricity. These LED spots use very little energy and offer millions of color combinations so you can use the same lights for Christmas, Halloween, etc.

Great tutorial! All of my Halloween RGB lights are from Seasonal Entertainment - floods, wall washers and spots. Greg offers very good support but he does get pretty busy close to Christmas - I keep hinting to him that he needs to market more to the Halloween crowd!

I use their Rainbow Brain for full DMX control of my "Rainbow" line of lights with VSA - but the Brain will work with any LED (single color or RGB) lights to include mini spots. I have been using PVC to house my spots, your method looks much better and much much cleaner! I will definitely have to "upgrade" my spots this year!

Thanks,

Joe

Thanks Joe. I started off trying to use PVC but couldn't find an easy and economical way to create a water tight lens cover. I'd like to see how you did yours if you have any pictures.

Mike

Hey guys. I purchased 12 of the round spots a few weeks ago for use with my LOR system. My plan is to use PVC to house them. Been working on a prototype (unfortunately not yet finished). Uses a 2" cap on the back, connected to a 2" coupler by a short length of 2" pipe. The lens is inside the back end of the coupler, with the pipe pushed up against it. Sealed with PVC glue from inside and a ring of silicone on the front. The lens is some old 1/4" acrylic I had sitting around. Cut it to rough shape then "ground" it to final with a belt sander. The Rainbow Spot is held against the lens with a "split ring" cut from 2" pipe pressing it from behind. The pigtail exits the rear of the cap through a watertight cord grip. I won't be daisy-chaining so only needed one exit. The final step (Yeah, right!) will be to add a u-bar so it can be hung from a lighting grid.

Man, after typing all that, it sure sounds like Mike's approach would be a lot easier! I don't have a lot in materials, but the cost is way up there in terms of time. Looks really good, Mike. I, too, would like to see what Joe has done with teh PVC approach. And as I get mine a little more done, I'll upload some pics.

I'm doing something very similar, but using the waterproof RGB 5050 SMD lights and small DMX controllers from www.cheapdmx.com and www.holidaycoro.com.





I will be mounting the entire setup inside a Workforce Portable 250 Watt worklight from HomeDepot. The light comes with a base, clamp, and stake attachments.



Right now I am playing with Vixen and Freestyler to control the lights, but will probably purchase VSA so I can have triggers and control servos.

I went to the website to try and see if the led's are common anode or common cathode and I didn't see where it specified or if it gave you a choice during the purchase process. Anybody know?

Originally Posted by buckaneerdude

I went to the website to try and see if the led's are common anode or common cathode and I didn't see where it specified or if it gave you a choice during the purchase process. Anybody know?

The Rainbow floods and spots, plus the 5050 SMD LED modules above are all common anode.

The pdf that describes how to attach the pigtail connectors to the Rainbow Floods states that all Rainbow lights are common anode. You can tell in the picture of the 5050 LED that it is common anode.

Hmmm, with common anode, I could control these lights with a Medusa DMX board. I may have to pick up a few of these. Thanks for taking the time to read through the instructions. I just glanced through looking more for something along the line of specifications.

These instructions assume you have purchased and assembled the round 2” LED spot lights

For one who is a novice at soldering, how difficult is the 2" LED kit to put together? I assume it is clear as to where to solder the pig tail wires?

By the way, I love this design!