So @bill1 why did you start this thread ? If your not going to share with us ??? Just wondering bro 
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I second that questionā¦would like to see the homemade lightā:tired_face:
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40 years of experience in growing makes a differenceš
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I cut and pasted an answer I gave to another member and am posting it here as it is relevant to this threadās title, and I included the original link below as well.
HYDRO-How's Your Math? - #72 by MacGyverStoner
Well that depends on what the label of 10 watts means. This is the reason we ask for actual watts used when it comes to LEDs.
The short answer is no, probably.
Most LEDs are labeled at maximum wattage they can tolerate before they burn out. Better LED companies might give you that number for their entire system, but will also tell you how much the unit actually consumes, and how many watts it would cover when compared to, or equivalent to, a HID light.
I have to mention a caveat when talking about equivalent watts. A lot of lights off a regular or hardware store shelf, when they say equivalent watts, they are referring to your average incandescent bulb, and a watt of household incandescent lighting is not at all equal to a HID watt. Again, especially with fluorescent lights, this is why we ask for actual watts consumed by the light, as most fluorescent light are compared to the household incadecent watts they would be equivalent too.
So back to LEDs, when you are buying individual LED diodes or COBs, usually the wattage mentioned is reffering to max wattage the diode or COB can take, max, before burning out. Now actually running the LED at max usually dramatically shortens their lifespan, and actually is a waste of energy, as most LEDs are much more efficient in the amount of light they put out compared to the watts they use at a much lower wattage than their max.
Generally this wattage is near half, to maybe near 2/3rd, the total max wattage rating.
This is why often most LED systems actually only use about half the wattage of their labeled name, which is usually based on that max number.
And so, if your are building and choosing the LED driver yourself, more than likely youād use one around 500-600 watts.
If it is a pre-assembled model that uses said LED COBs, you can get the actual wattage used usually from the manufacturer.
If you want a pretty good detailed tutorial that will help you build this LED system with COBs you are thinking about buying, check out the videos from this guy and his youtube cohorts:
BTW, his name is āgrowmau5ā, and it is pronounced Grow Mouseā as if the 5 were a letter S. Just an FYI 
happy growing,
MacG
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Being a newbie suxs, but I will get it eventuallyā¦ Iām currently putting my grow equipment together, buying a little at a timeā¦ Til I get the stuff to do it right I hopeā¦ Thanks for the input all help is welcomeā¦
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I am seeing on the internet this is turning in to a popular thing to do. Cheaper by far also
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I use LED panels for side lights.
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Iām new here sorry if I pissed off some people I have been reading smart people on here put out home made light as thought food Ill stay out just read
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Hey @bill1 no one is pissed off. We just wanted to see what your light looked like. Basically the deal is that without pics, it didnāt happen. I like to tinker, make stuff out of nothing and recycle so your post immediately caught my attention. If you donāt want to post a pic or whatever, thatās up to you I guess, but thatās how we all learn.
I think thatās all any of us were saying. Peace Bro. 
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I for one bro was just messing around with you if you took it the wrong way I apologize
As @bob31 said most of us like to build or repurpose stuff and customize to our liking and like bob your heading caught my eye
Still not sure whatās up here but I ment no disrespect
Itās your thread bro and Iāll respect it
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Not to worry, my whole setup is slapped together with stuff I found in thrift stores and the good ole Home Depot. Total investment for my stealth closet, about $45.00.
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can someone help me please. im going to make an indoor room and need led grow lights. my question is how do you tell if they plug in. do most of them plug in?
@fwn54 you can get several different kinds. One type replaces a light bulb and another type would be a plug in. What you want, actually is to figure out your budget, then the size of your grow area and then how many plants. There are formulas to use to calculate the amount of watts needed. I would recommend you start your own topic on this.
Welcome to the ILGM forums.
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Yes most are plug in
Your looking for 50 watts per square foot of grow space
Use actual watts draw for your calculations
Most led mfg will list this in description
Example 300 watt light draws 147 actual watts
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Mine plug into 110. Just check for the voltage.
All of the of the light panels Iāve researched will operate with voltages any where from 90 to 220volts just plugging them in I would think they would give you the proper power cord for area / country you live in