How To Make A Super Bright LED Light Panel (Battery Powered) 

Ever wonder why some comments are higher up the list than others? One BIG factor is how often you click the "like" button for that persons videos. So, take a split second out of your very busy day and mash that button! It shows you really appreciate the time, money and effort that we put into making videos like this :)

For us guys just starting out on RU-vid, videos like this save us tons of time and we absolutely appreciate your advice and experience. Well speaking for myself, I do. Thanks.

I have been wanting to make a light like this. Thanks John

This is a perfect idea for a light table for hand drawn animation, architectural drawing, or even looking at x-rays if you want. Awesome build, thanks for showing us.

The days we went to school and Shop class building that techno dancing light, here we are again doing the same thing all over again 40 years later, for me. Great job. enjoyed the how to straight forward and simple to follow thank you for bringing back high school memories.

Have been wanting to do something like this for a while now.....Will need to step down the voltage for the batteries I would like to try and use. Thanks John!

You have many talents John, always a joy to watch your videos!

That is neat. Educational, informative and easy on the eyes. As always, a pleasure to view your hard work and effort that you put into producing a quality video for our viewing pleasure. Thank you Sir.

Pretty awesome arrangement you got there! Very nice video gear project!

I love these videos. Serious skills, great ideas, creativity and humour. Wonderful.

excellent work, well explained

A really 'Bright' and useful idea for sure, John! Well done!

Excellent thanks. I think I will have a go at making a few of these for filming. brilliant

You are some sort of fantastical genius. I absolutely love your setup. I wont be making this light any time soon but I will be watching your video again and again

Great idea, almost bought a video led set a few weeks back for a small fortune your idea is much better

Every thing about this is very neat. I really like how you can leave the battery in place while charging it.

For folks wanting to try this, here's what I've learned when monkeying around with these LED light strips over the past year: - They come in all sorts of colors - even changing colors. Knock yourself out. - These are sold in 5-meter strips for around $7-15 USD, depending on which particular kind you want. Lots of varieties. Some are even water proof. - Regardless of the brand, I've never got the adhesive to work well., I just use hot glue every few inches as needed. - You can cut the strips into lengths of your choice, but the smallest increment is 3" or so. - If you want eye-pleasing white, do NOT get "cool white" (sometimes called "bright white"). It's got a garish blue tint to it that will grate on your nerves after a while. Get "warm white". It's closer to incandescent light, and feels more natural. - Last time I bought some, 5050 was not the brightest. I think it was 3528. But those numbers refer to the size of the LED module on each strip, and are not always a direct correlation to the lumens. - They require 12v. If you use more, you will burn them out. If you use less, you won't like it. - They require 1amp for every 5' or so. If you plan on lighting up the entire 15 foot strip, plan on a 5amp power supply. (Laptop chargers work well for this, but make sure it's a 12v charger. Universal laptop chargers from eBay work well, and they're ~10USD) - If you want to dim them, don't bother trying to reduce the voltage. you won't like the results. Instead, use a special dimmer switch that is made for it. They're about $1. You'll even find some on eBay included as a kit. Some kits even have wireless remotes. VERY CHEAP - Instead of painting the background white, you can glue down tin foil and then glue the LED strips on top of it. Watch the solder so you won't short it out. Have fun!

Thanks, John. That was nicely explained. I am going to use your diffuser idea when I make mine!

Looks great John!! 👊🏻

That's awesome John!

wow that was really brighter than I thought it would be. very cool

Beautiful work!

Great job John, really like the idea.

Smooth workmanship.

This is another one of those projects I plan on getting around too. Yours came out great! 🤓

that's a cool project, it turned out great, I'd love to try this myself! I've done a couple of very similar projects but smaller, I found that I gained a lot of light using aluminium foil glued as a backing.

Great work, John. I always learn something.

Great stuff as always John.

Great project John, and well explained ,mate Cheers Mike

Super cool. I would have never thought of something like this.

Enjoyed the project. Thanks.

Very gool John. Love the set up. That is thinking and very intuitive.

This is exactly what I was looking for. Bless you!

Nice work, awesome 🤘😎🤘

A few years ago I brought LED shop lights from the big box store $$$ in a hurry to get proper light in my shop. I just added two more of these to complete two rows of lights. I did that just to keep what I had already done uniform. I going to build some of these as a shop/overhead light on the other side of my shop and a camera light as well. Great idea and a fraction of the price!

nice project John thank you for this

very cool set up!

Very cool and bright!

Really great video equipment John!

I love it that You make everything of wood or plywood except the battery and leds ;). Greetings from Tenerife island

Excellent as always brother.

I have all kinds of those leds I might just copy you build John. Great job as always

awesome addition!!!

Ingenious!

Nice build.

Wow that's so cool!

Clever stuff mate 👍🏻

Nice build! 👍👍

Thank you for sharing us your knowledge dude, great video

Very nice job!

Quite a while ago I was involved in building some similar light (at least for the purpose), and the major difference we he was putting on top of the LEDs (before the diffusor layer) a thin sheet of shiny polished aluminum (where there were cutouts for the LEDs). This way it was noticeable brighter and also had a slightly improved CRI.

Cool trick for cutting the strips vs trying to cut with scissors. I've also found the sticky only lasts long enough to hold while the silicone glue I add is drying. Def back up with some glue or fasteners.

You Sir, are AWESOME.. THank You so much!!!

Great project! Very neat cuts:-)

Congratulations. Very cool.

God I'm so envious of that gantry

Very Nice. Thanks

Looks good man

Nice job!

Vintage 2x4! I will definitely be using that. It's all perspective: I used to just be considered cheap, but now I'm a "maker!"

thank you for sharing your amazing work, you have a new subscriber, greetings from Mexico

John, I like that you don't get into the 'how to build minutia' with these. Most of us subscribed to your channel have a basic understanding of woodworking. Your concepts & designs are what shine through, and they are great!

Thank you John! Nice idea! i must do for me :)

Nice. All you need now is a monitor and perhaps a teleprompter to attach to your gantry. Okay perhaps you don't need it but it'd make it way cool looking.

Pretty cool!

Very cool idea, John ;)

Great video

A great option. I have in the shop are like that. Lighting comfortable. For the video a like!

EXCELLENT!

Sweet job 👍

Not to make "light" of your light weight light panel, but I do believe it sheds the light on the subject lightly. A nice, light touch for your filming and light needs. It's no "light weight" by any means regarding the light it produces. You might think I'm making "light" of your project, but I am not by any means. It should serve your light needs for many episodes to come. :)

Bravo. great video. thanks for sharing.

Looks great. Always hard to get consistent lighting.

Good work. From my experience with LED strips I suggest you to give under the LED strips some piece of aluminum as a heat sink.

Nice build a toggle switch between the battery and box might be a good addition thanks for the video

simply super

ficou muito bom.. parabéns..

Loved it

super cool

Very nice, John Heisz

Am I the only one that finds this so calming and fun to watch

Liked it...very neat & does it's job & you have good skills too.👍

Awesome!

i want to make something this!, but as a table top for a club scene that i'm shooting in my movie! this video is EXCELLENT!

DAMNNNNNNNNN GOOD JOB!!

Hi, John. Could you give us the link for the LEDs you got for this project? Thanks!

Now THAT's a bright idea!

Hi,could one of these help with wood carving in poor lighting?great video by the way

That's too funny! I built a very similar a few months back, but the light was not bright enough and I noticed flickering when I played back the video. Nice one, John!

Nice!

I'm looking to do something similar, but for ceiling lamps instead and I wasn't sure of how to run the LED strips. I think I know now. Thanks!

Amazing

Pretty cool. I think I'll make my own light.

I have LED stripes with the self-adhesive backs that I put under my kitchen cabinets. If you light the LEDs before you stick them on a surface the glue heats up a bit allowing them to stick better. (knocking on wood) I haven't had any issues with the strips not sticking.

If it helps there is a primer used for pre sticking down peel and stick floor tiles. It helps bind peel and stick vary well to plywoods.

cool video, haha i install these strips for hotels. these lights are awesome to use and can look cool in the room

I did something similar but used a 12V power source off of ebay. I used 2 " PVC quartered as the backing with no cover as it was to be high like a ceiling light. I also found that backing was worthless and epoxied over the strip about every 6". I did something similar for under cabinet lighting but used that water proof silicon covered type LED's and after a few months they began to dim out in several places. I think the silicon coating is reacting with the copper somehow. My latest LED project was dismantling the GE LED bulbs that are $10 for a set of three and made those low profile to put inside of a fluorescent housing to replace the florescents. Retrofitting most of the house and workplace with LEDs. Instant on is nice an using a watt meter proved the savings is about 60% over florescents.

genius award. :)

Awesome idea sir! Preparing making my own just like you did!! But, please, can you tell me what camera are you using? I remember a video you showed it but i was not able to find it! Thank you.

Wow, great one. I should have paid more attention in wood shop.