Hello-
I have a project in which I am seeking some technical advice. I will be building 400-500 light elements. The elements will be used outside exposed to sun, wind, snow and rain. The light elements are a 2 inch diameter sphere that will be suspended from a cable. I plan on using high brightness LEDs that would illuminate the balls. The LEDs are mounted on a small star metal clad PCB for heat dissipation (MCPCB). I think it is best that the LEDs and all connections be encapsulated or potted in some kind of UV, weather resistant and non-electrically conductive crystal clear resin or rubber within the ball. The bottom hemisphere of the ball will need to be water transparent to a slightly translucent red or blue. The top half would be clear and does not need to be illuminated.
Some of our ideas include:
1) Making a 2 part mold and pouring the first half with color, then putting the LED in and the pouring the top half with clear. Wires and suspension hook coming out of the top.
2) Buying some of those 2 piece acrylic balls. (Kind of like plastic easter eggs or toy machine balls only perfectly round.) Perhaps we can find them with transparent color and could interchange them with the clear. We could then use this as a mold and clear encapsulate LED within.
My concerns are:
1) Heat dissipation from the LED itself. We would attempt to engineer a heat sink that protrudes outside the ball.
2) Durability of potting material. Material must be UV and weather resistant, it must have to be able to handle heat from LED, must not yellow over time and be crystal clear or perhaps the colored part have some slight translucency to grab some light.
Any advise?
I have a project in which I am seeking some technical advice. I will be building 400-500 light elements. The elements will be used outside exposed to sun, wind, snow and rain. The light elements are a 2 inch diameter sphere that will be suspended from a cable. I plan on using high brightness LEDs that would illuminate the balls. The LEDs are mounted on a small star metal clad PCB for heat dissipation (MCPCB). I think it is best that the LEDs and all connections be encapsulated or potted in some kind of UV, weather resistant and non-electrically conductive crystal clear resin or rubber within the ball. The bottom hemisphere of the ball will need to be water transparent to a slightly translucent red or blue. The top half would be clear and does not need to be illuminated.
Some of our ideas include:
1) Making a 2 part mold and pouring the first half with color, then putting the LED in and the pouring the top half with clear. Wires and suspension hook coming out of the top.
2) Buying some of those 2 piece acrylic balls. (Kind of like plastic easter eggs or toy machine balls only perfectly round.) Perhaps we can find them with transparent color and could interchange them with the clear. We could then use this as a mold and clear encapsulate LED within.
My concerns are:
1) Heat dissipation from the LED itself. We would attempt to engineer a heat sink that protrudes outside the ball.
2) Durability of potting material. Material must be UV and weather resistant, it must have to be able to handle heat from LED, must not yellow over time and be crystal clear or perhaps the colored part have some slight translucency to grab some light.
Any advise?
