Renaissance said:
Do these look like the same specs as those you bought? From what I can tell, they look the same but not sure if I'm missing anything. Did you use the type that are waterproof?
http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/High-quality-infrared-850nm-940nm-led_60235168737.html
Some of the waterproof designs use silicone tubing or injection. I saw that plexiglass had a good ability to allow the light-waves through but couldn't find anything regarding silicone. Looks like silicone is used in some infrared technologies though.
Do you think a silicone sheet could be used in place of plexiglass? The reason I ask is that I was thinking that a rubber type mat with grooves topped with some kind of clear sheet (like silicone or vinyl) might provide some additional comfort.
Spec-wise, they look the same to me.
The coating is transparent silicone, and from our IR measurements when it was all done, it appears the infrared passes right thru without a problem.
If you're gonna build a bed though, I would stick with the exact kind we got. The reason is that buying stuff from China is always tricky. For example, you can buy a 30W LED floodlight cheap from China, or you can buy a more expensive one (also made in China) from Amazon. The Amazon ones seem to last longer, have fewer failures, and the specs are more truthful.
So, now that we know the ones we picked are good, I'd just pay the extra money and run with it. You really don't want to have to resolder a bunch of strips if they die. It's a rather tedious and time-consuming process. Plus, we have achieved many good results with our infrabed that uses those specific LED strips. If you're gonna build one, the added cost of those strips is probably worth it. The whole thing will still be WAAAY cheaper than a pre-made bed!
As for the surface, the strips we got are IP65, which means pretty waterproof to some extent (there are specific standards regarding submersion, being blasted with a jet of water, etc). More importantly, the silicone actually makes them a bit easier to work with since the sticky tape will come loose sometimes, but the silicone dome on top ensures that the strip won't pop up since the plexiglass holds it in place.
The reason we picked the plexiglass route is that you don't want to squish the LED strips. Sure, they bend, but they're not mechanically very strong if people are scootching around and stuff.
So, the way Pierre designed the bed is actually perfect, because it provides a very sturdy surface that protects the LEDs, holds them nicely in place, and still lets plenty of light through.
Also, you might think that laying on plexiglass is not very comfy, but it's really not too bad. And besides, you're not gonna be in there for more than 20 minutes usually. I usually do 15 minutes, and we have a little teeny cushion for your noggin. It's very easy to fall asleep in the thing, so it must be comfy enough!
Finally, the power supplies were a bit tricky to find, since they should be oversized for reliability. The ones I mentioned earlier in this thread are not available in the USA since I got them from Conrad, which doesn't ship to N. America. Lemme know if you can't find a good alternative and I'll see what I can dig up. I know there is a good alternative to Conrad in the US that's the same kind of thing, but I can't remember what it's called!
