Homemade SYSLITE DUO

Stephenfranks

Member
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
29
Please don't flame me, I had half an hour out from looking after young children. This is a cheap alternative to a Syslite Duo, not a replica! I really had to work quick and get it painted ready for work tomorrow.

For years I have used the small site lights that have a fluorescent type tube inside (kind of like a square snake?). They are definitely lame. I thought about a Syslite KAL 2 and still might get one one day. The light I wanted was the SL Duo, but at £300 approx it was just too much.

A quick check on Amazon review showed that Viugreum seem to make good quality LED floodlights at a budget price point. I ordered 2 x 50w Daylight floods for £15 each. A quick check of the Sys 4 floor size and height and I was on my way cutting some scrap plywood and a handle. The only issue I had was siting the lights on the plywood (closer you move in the lights clash and I needed to keep away from the edges to allow easy systainer loading. The connections were mad in a 20a junction box, and the incoming flex cable tied to the board as a cable grip for safety.

I know it is mildly crude compared to many projects on here, but as I said it was just a half hour job nothing more. It is perfect for my my kind of work, it will go on the floor, hung off a screw on a stud or on a window board. I have never used tripods.

Lumen wise it is 2 x 6000 lumens = 12,000 lumens which blows the syslite out of the park.

Cost:

Lights £30
Plywood FREE (Scrap)
Paint FREE (already had)
High Quality Rubber 1.5mm Flex cable x 5m £4ish (I bought a 50m roll to rewire lots of tools)
Plug FREE (used)
TOTAL £34

That is a big saving!

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oh and 12,000 lumens is seriously bright. If you look at the light it makes you see lines afterwards! Very trippy.
 
I like that, kind of fancy something like it myself but need it to be on site voltage instead of full fat mains.

No way on earth am I forking out a hundred or more notes on a site light.
 
That is really neat - gonna copy.

The Syslite Duo (I have one - very nice but as you say £££) is IP55 rated so ok for using outside, although I haven’t done so.  Do you know if your light units are weatherproof and if so, one could use a weatherproof junction box etc.

Thanks for posting.

Cheers

 
Just had a quick look:

Syslite Duo
- 112w
- IP55
- 8000Lm
- 5000K
- 10,000hrs L70

Viugreum 50w (x2)
- IP65
- 12000Lm
- 6000-6500K
- “average life” 30,000hrs

So the Viugreum would be worth wiring up with weatherproof wiring.

The colour temperature is softer on the Syslite - will be interesting to compare.  I have just ordered 2 of the Viugreums and will knock something up.  Probably aiming to use it for spray painting illumination principally.

Cheers

 
I should have used a weatherproof JB, didnt think of that!

Easy mod, and as you say as the floods are IP anyway should be good to go outside.

S.
 
To anyone thinking of copying, I'm not sure if the floods should be enclosed like a syslite duo. I purposely left it open as I'm worried about heat and fire being a plywood unit.
 
Wow thats 2 takers, I thought I would get jibes not praise! The reason I chose Viugreum is that it gets very good reviews (mostly from US). You guys do some random fishing with lights! Look it up on Youtube!!!
 
I like it. I never really thought much about lumens before to be honest and looking up the specs on my portable light (a Milwaukee) it tops out at 2,200 (for $122 on Amazon right now). Granted it can run on battery.

How hard would it be to wire this dual, battery and line voltage?
 
Great idea. Tanos. I'll do something similar that folds or dimantles to fit in a systainer.
 
Congratulations Steve.  I think it's fantastic that you've made a superior "replica" of the silly, overpriced original for mere pennies on the pound!  An inspiration!
 
I think you came up with a great solution. I’ve got a syslight-duo, but I hate using it when I’m spraying paint because it’s so expensive and I don’t want to ruin it.

I’ve got a POS led light from Home Depot. Maybe I’ll remove the garbage lights that came with it and come up with a Frankenstein unit like yours.

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Pnw painter said:
I think you came up with a great solution. I’ve got a syslight-duo, but I hate using it when I’m spraying paint because it’s so expensive and I don’t want to ruin it.

I’ve got a POS led light from Home Depot. Maybe I’ll remove the garbage lights that came with it and come up with a Frankenstein unit like yours.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You could cover the light in clear wrap or opaque press-n-seal while painting.

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I’ve thought about that, but I’m worried overheating because it would restrict the airflow. The overspray is a fine mist and over time I’m also worried about paint building up inside the light.

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Thanks for the idea Stephen , I've bought two just deciding what I'm doing with them. Screwfix do a tripod for two lights I might get one of them. I used one light today on a kitchen fit and even with just one the brightness is great.
 
I have now bought six of these Viugreum LED lights from Amazon and replaced all the halogen worklights I had (hmm, hadn’t realise I had that many). 

At 50w vs 500w and higher light levels, they are much more efficient and safer than the halogen lights (was it one of those that caused the Windsor Castle fire?). The LED units are also neater.

I retained the switch and wiring box on the existing lights and butchered the old aluminium casings to retain the fixing points (easier than making new brackets).

Here are some pictures - thanks for finding the product.

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Can anyone recommend a good junction box, switch and cord that's waterproof and/or IP65 rated? I bought two of the Viugreum LED light, but I'm not sure how I should wire them.

If it's not obvious, I'm pretty clueless when it comes to electrical work.
 
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