# Other Aquarium Forums > Equipment and Accessories > DIY Projects >  DIY 2ft LED Lightset

## qngwn

Hey AQ,

Decided to do up a 2ft LED lightset for my tank as off the shelf LEDs are expensive, and I needed somewhere in between the higher end, and the lower end specs in terms of the number of wattage of LEDs.

Below are some specs and pictures of the LED I made.
Looks very raw and exposed with the driver hanging around.

Here are some, if not all the equipments i used:
18 X 3W 6500K LEDs (but i think i got the wrong one, seems to be 8000K-ish)
12-18 3W LED Driver (Courtesy of bro dales)
2 pin plug scavenged from spoiled electrical appliance
Thermal paster for conducting heat as well as to glue the leds to the "heatsink"
Aluminium curtain rails as heatsink
Solder wire and iron (Counrtesy of bro dales)
Wires
Heatshrink to protect the exposed wires.

Now let us let the pictures do the talking..  :Grin: 
9000 words ahead. warning! :Evil: 




















Placed the LEDs directly above the tank, sitting on the glass, but it seems too bright, as well as the danger of water splashing onto the exposed contacts of the solder and LEDs. :Flame: 

Temporarily used hot glue to cover the exposed metal parts..  :Opps: while i source for a cheap material to cover and protect the LEDs from water. :Exasperated: 
Also hanged it up higher to reduce the intensity hitting on the substrate. :Jump for joy: 





A dimmer is currently on the way to my place.. hope to install it and control the brightness.. :Grin: 
Supposed to be a total of 54W, however only measured 45W of usage.. :Shocked: 


This is the first LED light set a made.. very raw, ugly with everything exposed.. however, still a cheap way to get the light that i want, at a fraction of the off-the-shelves price.

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## AQMS

Good job.. :Well done: 
you should get that clear acrylic sheet as light cover to prevent water from hitting the led.
Is that 8020 aluminum extrusion?

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## qngwn

> Good job..
> you should get that clear acrylic sheet as light cover to prevent water from hitting the led.
> Is that 8020 aluminum extrusion?


Yup.. Water splashing is my only concern. You know where to buy cheap acrylic? 

Besides that, the aluminium curtain rail is doing well dissipating the heat.. 

Yup it is.

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## Suzerolt

Nice DIY!

One thought is to use an insulating epoxy over the electrical contacts instead of acrylic sheet.
This could be a neater solution.

http://www.performancecoatings.com.s...lating-varnish
http://www.performancecoatings.com.s...lating-varnish

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## thebaldingaquarist

Well done. It's really not as messy as you think. In fact I think it's quite elegant. Not sure about the heat dissipation though.

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## qngwn

> Nice DIY!
> 
> One thought is to use an insulating epoxy over the electrical contacts instead of acrylic sheet.
> This could be a neater solution.
> 
> http://www.performancecoatings.com.s...lating-varnish
> http://www.performancecoatings.com.s...lating-varnish


Cool stuff! But the led produces quite some amount of it, will it blur off due to the heat? 

Currently I'm using hot glue to cover the exposed contacts. The LEDs not hot enough to melt the glue yet.. 

Currently not using any fans to cool it..

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## qngwn

> Well done. It's really not as messy as you think. In fact I think it's quite elegant. Not sure about the heat dissipation though.


Heat dissipation so far so good.. Can come over have kopi and take a look.. 
I'm quite an OCD, but too lazy to make it look good. One reason being that I do not foresee myself using this led lightset for long enough to make the effort of casing it nicely worth it..

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## thebaldingaquarist

> Heat dissipation so far so good.. Can come over have kopi and take a look.. 
> I'm quite an OCD, but too lazy to make it look good. One reason being that I do not foresee myself using this led lightset for long enough to make the effort of casing it nicely worth it..


On you! Lol. After cny.

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## memzsa

Wow.. remarkable, sleek and neat.. amazed..

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## Suzerolt

> Cool stuff! But the led produces quite some amount of it, will it blur off due to the heat? 
> 
> Currently I'm using hot glue to cover the exposed contacts. The LEDs not hot enough to melt the glue yet.. 
> 
> Currently not using any fans to cool it..


I would mask out the LED portion with masking tape. Then spray over the rest of the surface (i.e. contacts only)
I think the epoxy is rated for 150degC.

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## qngwn

> Wow.. remarkable, sleek and neat.. amazed..


Thanks memzsa, it's not as difficult as it seems. 
Just connecting everything in series, and you're done. 

Looking at other people's led sets where they make the effort to do up a casing, with fans as well as knows for dimming the lights, mine is quite raw and seems very unprocessed..

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## memzsa

yeah but u got electrical whiz, something I don't have, anyway nice work, admirable attempt kudos!

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## qngwn

> I would mask out the LED portion with masking tape. Then spray over the rest of the surface (i.e. contacts only)
> I think the epoxy is rated for 150degC.


Haha Yea, that's what I will do if I get that.. 

But buying that, means I will have unused epoxy left over, and taking up space.. Parents nagging about me and my fish stuff will increase.. 
So looking for something which will not have leftovers, or cheap enough to throw away..

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## qngwn

> yeah but u got electrical whiz, something I don't have, anyway nice work, admirable attempt kudos!


Do note about the use of sms lingo, AQ promotes us to improve our English! Hence the rules. 

Not that I have the talent, but more of the reading up, and the inertia to try something I haven't done before. 
Definitely will have your first time doing something, and it might go a little wrong, just like how I burnt myself while learning to solder..

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## felix_fx2

> Do note about the use of sms lingo, AQ promotes us to improve our English! Hence the rules. 
> 
> Not that I have the talent, but more of the reading up, and the inertia to try something I haven't done before. 
> Definitely will have your first time doing something, and it might go a little wrong, just like how I burnt myself while learning to solder..


next time I screenshot a chat with one of my colleagues from overseas. let you laugh....

he does not understand all of my short form, not just with a single colleague but with many. mostly from non ASEAN countries.

Aq is not simply a Singapore site... Its quite well known... a rule with a good reason.

I don't like to go see sites that have folks posting weird slangs that make no sense to me...

Sent from GT-N7105 powered by Temasek CM11

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## dabaixiang

Hi qngwn, 

care to share where are the equipments bought from; estimated price; and more detailed writing/photo of how to do the wiring?  :Smile: 

thanks alot!

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## qngwn

> Hi qngwn, 
> 
> care to share where are the equipments bought from; estimated price; and more detailed writing/photo of how to do the wiring? 
> 
> thanks alot!
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


dabaixiang

I cannot exactly advise where I get my items from as they are a mix from leftovers from past projects, or given to me by friends. 

You should be able to find them over at sim Lim tower, from heatsink, led, drivers, as well as wires and heatshrinks.

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## angus

impressive.
Any good website to learn about the calculation of voltage/current/wattage for LED setup? 
I am thinking of adding some more LEDs to my current green element 3wx24 4ft lightset, wonder if anyone has done is before?

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## dabaixiang

Oh okay, hmm, how much would be the estimated cost of this project? Is there any particular brand of LED to take note? And how did you do the switcher? Thanks!

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## qngwn

> impressive.
> Any good website to learn about the calculation of voltage/current/wattage for LED setup? 
> I am thinking of adding some more LEDs to my current green element 3wx24 4ft lightset, wonder if anyone has done is before?


For me, I'll just get the driver according to the number of LEDs I will be using. 

This driver that I used is rated for 12 to 18 x 3W LEDs, so although I wanted to use more, putting more than the rated will cause it not to light up, while lesser than that will cause your LED to burn. 

The current green element lightset LEDs are soldered onto the chipboard and the driver might not support additional LED as usually they will use only what it is rated for. If you would want to add more LEDs, you would have to get another separate set, maybe just like what I've did here.

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## qngwn

> Oh okay, hmm, how much would be the estimated cost of this project? Is there any particular brand of LED to take note? And how did you do the switcher? Thanks!
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Estimated cost would be from 60 to 100s of dollars, depending on what type of quality of the items you are using. 

For me, I got the cheaper ones, so it's on the lower end of the range. Some have recommended to use CREE LEDs, but definitely they come at a higher price. 

What switcher are you referring to?

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## dabaixiang

I think i meant driver haha sorry newbie here

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## qngwn

> I think i meant driver haha sorry newbie here
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


The driver should be bought off the shelf. There are many different ratings for drivers depending on your needs and how many LEDs you want to "drive".

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## dabaixiang

All can find in sim lim square? Is there anything to take note when pairing LEDs and drivers?  :Smile: 

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## qngwn

> All can find in sim lim square? Is there anything to take note when pairing LEDs and drivers? 
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Sim Lim Tower, square is mainly for computer accessories and parts. Tower will have a larger selection. 

Plan how many LEDs you will want to use before getting the driver. The driver has a stated range of number of LEDs and once you have a driver, you're more or less fixed with the number of LEDs you have to use.

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## dabaixiang

I see i see. The heat sink/aluminum bars are curtain rails? And where can I find thermal plaster at?  :Smile: 

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## Dodofish

Wow this is really good! 

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## wongce

Qw, Nice diy... quite neatly done and sleek....

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## illumnae

Where did you get the curtain rails from? They are really neat! Thinking of doing up 2 sets for tank photography use

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## bennyc

Qingwen, very nice and neat. Even when you say it is a temporary set, already very goood.

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## qngwn

> I see i see. The heat sink/aluminum bars are curtain rails? And where can I find thermal plaster at? 
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Yes they are all curtain rails. 

It has sufficient heat dissipating abilities, and it'd quite thin as well.. So it won't be that heavy. You can obtain them from general hardware shops. 

I got my thermal plaster together with the LEDs, they can usually be found together. 
There are two types, one which does only the heat transfer without silicon additives and cannot be used to stick the LEDs, while the other does not so good heat transfer, but has silicon additives to help it stick to the heatsink surface. 
I'm using the one with silicon additives as I don't want to be screwing in the LEDs to the heatsink.. More work to be done. On top of that, the LEDs stuck on using the thermal plaster can be removed by brute force, and the left over silicon scraped away with a blade like how we scrape away excess silicon from the glass surfaces.

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## qngwn

> Wow this is really good! 
> 
> Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk


Thanks! You should try it out and post it here as well! 




> Qw, Nice diy... quite neatly done and sleek....


Thanks Stan, but i feel that the colour is a little bit off.. But strong enough to make my stem plants see growth every single day..

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## qngwn

> Where did you get the curtain rails from? They are really neat! Thinking of doing up 2 sets for tank photography use


You can get them from general hardware shops.. 

Yup definitely you can use it for photography use. Maybe you can hang it on a stand where you can adjust and shift it as and when, as and where you like. 




> Qingwen, very nice and neat. Even when you say it is a temporary set, already very goood.


Thanks benny! Hope to improve it should I do another one next time. But I have a feeling that I will be sticking around with curtain rails, cheap and good..

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## Ingen

You mentioned about installing a dimmer soon, look forward to seeing how its done. Wonder if it can be retrofitted to the led set off the shelves as the cheaper entry level ones do not have it.

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## limz_777

nice rail , behind can hide the wiring as well

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## illumnae

> You can get them from general hardware shops.. 
> 
> Yup definitely you can use it for photography use. Maybe you can hang it on a stand where you can adjust and shift it as and when, as and where you like.


Thanks, I'll go and ask around the hardware shops near my house. I actually already have a Maxspect Razor/Mazerra above all my tanks, but even at 100% on all channels, I still would prefer more light. Figured I could make some 2ft lights to supplement the Maxspects to give me more flexibility in taking nicer shots. Cheaper than buying many remote flashes, especially since I already have 2x 3-12 LED drivers (700mA) sitting around from a previous project I dismantled.

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## edwardchuajh

I used to get Crees from www.dx.com sku 2394. The color temperature looks close to 6500K and it's free shipping! 

Buy more than 3+ to get discounts.

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## Dodofish

> Thanks! You should try it out and post it here as well! 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Stan, but i feel that the colour is a little bit off.. But strong enough to make my stem plants see growth every single day..


Bro, I really can't do this. I used to do diy led for my modded pc chasis. Guess what I cooked? You may see my charcoal burnt (chao tar) face if I do it again.

I think if you don't want it there will be people who want to grab it. Unfortunately my CEO controls what I can do at home too, insisting a co2 cylinder almost got me death sentence!


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## AQMS

> Where did you get the curtain rails from? They are really neat! Thinking of doing up 2 sets for tank photography use


Bro, you can get a slick one at Ikea, that where i get mine to do my DIY lighting.

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## qngwn

> You mentioned about installing a dimmer soon, look forward to seeing how its done. Wonder if it can be retrofitted to the led set off the shelves as the cheaper entry level ones do not have it.


There are many dimmers for different LEDs. Mine I'm ordering is a DC12V 8A one.. Yours might not need such a high specification..

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## qngwn

> nice rail , behind can hide the wiring as well


Yes! That was what I thought so only after I got it. Initially I got it as it's readily available and kind to my wallet..

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## qngwn

> Thanks, I'll go and ask around the hardware shops near my house. I actually already have a Maxspect Razor/Mazerra above all my tanks, but even at 100% on all channels, I still would prefer more light. Figured I could make some 2ft lights to supplement the Maxspects to give me more flexibility in taking nicer shots. Cheaper than buying many remote flashes, especially since I already have 2x 3-12 LED drivers (700mA) sitting around from a previous project I dismantled.


Connecting the LEDs is quite straightforward I must say. Compared to thinking about how you are going to mount the DIY to your tank or existing lightset, which is a real headache when it comes to looking presentable and neat with no excess wires hanging about.

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## qngwn

> I used to get Crees from www.dx.com sku 2394. The color temperature looks close to 6500K and it's free shipping! 
> 
> Buy more than 3+ to get discounts.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Yes, crees are readily available everywhere nowadays. However I heard there are fakes going around, and alot are being made in China nowadays.. So I'm not sure if I'll be getting the real deal if I'm paying for that price.. 

So I went ahead with the normal cheapo LEDs which work as well. But as for reliability, that will be something that we all will be looking out for..

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## qngwn

> Bro, you can get a slick one at Ikea, that where i get mine to do my DIY lighting.


The ones at ikea look real slick and nice. But at they're more for home use, the brightness and intensity might not be sufficient depending on the requirements of the user if it's for aquarium photoshoot.. 

And they don't come that cheap too..

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## qngwn

> Bro, I really can't do this. I used to do diy led for my modded pc chasis. Guess what I cooked? You may see my charcoal burnt (chao tar) face if I do it again.
> 
> I think if you don't want it there will be people who want to grab it. Unfortunately my CEO controls what I can do at home too, insisting a co2 cylinder almost got me death sentence!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Hahaha most probably did not connect properly, causing short circuit, or excessive current causing the blow.. Important to get just enough and not over what you need.. 

I burnt a few LEDs initially as well.. Learnt my lesson after the whole led from yellow become black!

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## AQMS

> The ones at ikea look real slick and nice. But at they're more for home use, the brightness and intensity might not be sufficient depending on the requirements of the user if it's for aquarium photoshoot.. 
> 
> And they don't come that cheap too..


He!he!he! what i meant was the curtain rail at ikea is nice and slick not the led.. :Roll Eyes:

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## qngwn

> He!he!he! what i meant was the curtain rail at ikea is nice and slick not the led..


Oh oops! But is it expensive? I got 6ft of mine for $5 only.

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## AQMS

> Oh oops! But is it expensive? I got 6ft of mine for $5 only.


yes, it is a little bit pricey compare to yours. That is a good deal 6ft for $5sgd.

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## qngwn

> yes, it is a little bit pricey compare to yours. That is a good deal 6ft for $5sgd.


I guess it's just the normal price for standard curtain rails. They also helped me saw into the pieces and length I wanted too, so makes things easier for me.. 

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## thebaldingaquarist

hi qngwn,
I was at your other thread, noticed that at viewing height, the lights from the LED can be too glaring. perhaps its a good idea to add in some shades at the front and back? Maybe in the form of another railing front and back, just to block the LED bulbs.

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## qngwn

> hi qngwn,
> I was at your other thread, noticed that at viewing height, the lights from the LED can be too glaring. perhaps its a good idea to add in some shades at the front and back? Maybe in the form of another railing front and back, just to block the LED bulbs.


Haha that is for front tank shot, where I'll need to squat and bend down to take a picture.. 

Adding railing at the side will block the spread of the lightning.

Yea I'll be thinking of a way to reduce the front.. But maybe leave it be for the back.. The LEDs are creating nice ripple effects on my wall! 

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## dabaixiang

Or maybe a black tinted acrylic pasted 45 degree outwards  :Wink: 

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## thebaldingaquarist

> Or maybe a black tinted acrylic pasted 45 degree outwards 
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


will look fabulous!

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## qngwn

Replaced 14 out of the 18 bulbs with 6500K 3W LEDs.
Special thanks for bro dales for passing me the remaining LEDs from his project: DIY 3W LED

Some pictures of the driver that i'm using, as well as the thermal plaster.






Work in progress shot.
Pulled out the LEDs from the heatsink. Scrapped off the hardened thermal paste to apply the new ones for better adhesion. Turns out that the thermal paste is a silicon like material. Possible that it is silicon doped with thermal paste, for it to be a "plaster" type of compound.




Spot the difference!

Before:


After:


Can see which are the ones that i have changed..




Good thing about DIY, you can change as and when you like.. Actually have deep red LEDs, but maybe not using yet..

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## limz_777

why deep red led instead of blue ?

i see that razor maxspect configuration quite good for planted tank

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## qngwn

I wanted to try red instead of blue as I don't like the bluish tint to the water. Makes everything look funny and out of the world. But red wavelengths are not able to penetrate great depths and from studies show that the intensity of the red light drops by 50% after approx 0.5m of water. 

Thats why I decided to use all white in the end. 

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## qngwn

Attachment 40378

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## Freddyprince

Hi, mind me asking where did you purchase the dimmer from? And how much is it?

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## qngwn

I purchased the dimmer from eBay with the price of approx 8 dollars. However it does not work as the driver does not allow dimming.

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## Freddyprince

I see. Thanks alot. I am not sure if i should try. Btw how do you know that its ur transformer is restricting the dimmer function? Last time when i was at ubi led shop. I also overheard the auntie say some led will not works with dimmer. But i google around and saw alot people doing it.

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## qngwn

Most LED Drivers do not allowing dimming function as it is much more expensive to incorporate a dimming module into the driver. LED drivers that allow dimming can cost 2 to 3 times the price of a normal LED Driver.

On google, many people who DIY their LEDs are mainly reefers, where they will like to control the intensities of the acintic and whites according to the coral growth, so it is important for them to have dimming functions. Many of them are using Meanwell dimmable drivers.. approx 50 to 60 dollars here...

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## leehyeok

by the way, where can i get those 2ft light stand?

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