2Tall 185g - Build

[Merrell056]

Great build Bugs! I have a question for you about the mounting hardware for your LED fixture. I am building a fixture right now (meal break!) and I have been looking around for nice hanging hardware just like you have. Where did you get the braided steel wire and hardware to hang this with?

 

[bugs713]

Great build Bugs! I have a question for you about the mounting hardware for your LED fixture. I am building a fixture right now (meal break!) and I have been looking around for nice hanging hardware just like you have. Where did you get the braided steel wire and hardware to hang this with?

Thank you!
What, you mean you stopped to eat?!

Hanging kit is from RapidLED, great price and quality: http://www.rapidled.com/hanging-kits/

Good luck with your build

 

[bugs713]

Waiting on the DIM4 board before I can continue to the finale. But I finished prepping the main control box; painted the outside, mounted the 6 Mean Wells, installed two 60mm high flow fans to cool each section of the box. I also did blueprints of all the wiring and circuit boards so all would be together for easier reference in the future.

DIM4 should be here tomorrow and will test everything with it. Then will adjust the drivers and be ready to rock and roll! So, maybe by this time next week, there shall be light!

The DIM4

Main Control Box

 

[bugs713]

Delayed yet again - my package came today without the DIM4 controller.... received everything else except the controller! Oh well, dukie happens. They will not be restocked until Wednesday, so it will probably be next week before delivery.
They did answer my email quickly, so that is a good plus. Will see how long it takes before it is my impatient hands.

 

[bugs713]

The DIM4 is on the way, might receive today. If it comes in today, then I will finally have this project online this weekend. I hope it does, because my alternative plan is yard work and spark plug change in the Vette...:facepalm:

For those interested, here are some pics of the RapidLED hanging kits they sell for $10 each. These are good quality hanging kits and I will utilizing one to hang some plants in the house.:spin1:

Y-shaped Hanging Kit

4 Hook Wire Hanging Kit

 

[bugs713]

Okay, maybe this weekend....:worried2:
It was planned to get finished during the week this week, but had family visiting from Australia that left Monday, another aunt died Tuesday yesterday and today spent catching up at work. Tomorrow, I'm hoping for an uneventful end to a rather arduous week!

The time I have put into this fixture/control box is unreal, but when I'm done, I will have nothing that I wish I would have done differently and THAT is the beauty of DIY!

 

[Kalakuhan]

Waiting anxiously!!!! :bounce3:

 

[Weyrman]

Jut got back online after a few days of being out of touch in New Orleans...

Looking forward to seeing the new lights up and running!

 

[bugs713]

Spent some good hours on it today adjusting the correct currents for all drivers, but have one bad driver. It would not adjust below 1600 ma, I blew a few fuses before I realized it and luckily it was on a high amp Royal Blue string! I have another driver and will wire it in tomorrow and finish adjusting/testing.

Decided to driver the moon lights with a Mean Well dimmable nano driver instead of using the DIM4 to drive/power those 4 LED's. This will free up a channel on the DIM4 and will give me 4 separate adjustable channels:
Ch 1: Royal Blues
Ch 2: Cool/Netural Whites
Ch 3: Blue
Ch 4: UV/Red/Orange
Moon lights: 2-Red/Orange, 2-Blue

Once I swap out the bad driver, it will be ready to hang and bring on line! Unless I decide to change something yet again.....
Waiting to hot glue the optics in when all is finished.

Gettin closer!

Moon Lights:

UV & Red/Orange:

Shiver:

Main Control Box, light control side. If there is ever a fire, it will be contained within this area with little chance of anything else burning, like my house!

Nylon nuts and bolts epoxied to the walls to hold the circuit boards, also for easy removal:

My hookup board pictured earlier:

 

[Kalakuhan]

Hey, this looks too neat to be DIY!

So can you see clearly yet or do you still see spots? :fun5:

 

[bugs713]

Hey, this looks too neat to be DIY!

So can you see clearly yet or do you still see spots? :fun5:

LOL I'm watching Storage Wars on cable and I keep seeing spots on everything they were buying...:fun5: I even wore sunglasses this time, but a welding helmet would probably be more appropriate!

I had a lot of salvaged electrical parts that I put to good use on this build.
Relay 1 will be used to shut down the power to the drivers when the last string hits 0 volt; relay 2 will be used power down/up module and box fans when all LED's (except moon) cycle off.

I threw in the pic of the cat so it wouldn't look so neat and look more DIY.

 

[bugs713]

Today, got the main control box (MCB) mounted and everything swapped over from the old one. All that's left is hanging the fixture and plugging it in, which I will do tomorrow morning.

The cords on the MP40 drivers are not long enough to reach the inside of the MCB, so I had to mount them on the wall for now. The original idea is to get everything in the box and that is what I will do dammit! I will have to hunt down the correct wiring cable and extend the driver cords.
The LED's on the MP drivers are cool looking with all their purity colors...... and lot of people mount them in view of the DT, but they light up the room and distract from the tank and need to be hidden away.

I kind of feel like the night before Christmas with anticipation for morning, waiting to fire this puppy up!

Almost there!:bounce2::bounce1:

 

[Kalakuhan]

Can't wait! :bounce2: :bounce3:

 

[frogg21]

BUgs, suspense is killing us!

BUgs, suspense is killing us!

Lemme see de LEDs!! Still jealous of that metal controller box!

Please give input on whether you'd tweak your colors or quantities once you get them going.

I have Violets, Luxeon NW, Luxeon RB, Luxeon True Blue, and Cyan on order from Stevesleds to add to my Cree RB/CW fixture for the coming tank upsize.

Also, on your RKE, the Digital Aquatics people were at the Reefapalooza in CA a couple weeks ago. I picked up a RKE w/net. I'm hoping to control my PWM drivers with the MLC moon module as I have a hunch its driven by PWM signals, we'll see.

 

[bugs713]

....and then on the 86th day, there was LED light, and I saw that the light was good and I said WHOA!:eek1:

WOW, just wow!
I know you cannot eyeball correct par, but think I will be okay. This is with NO optics at all and looks brighter than the two 250w MH.

I will start them at 30% as the tank has been dark for the last 2 days.. WIll amp them up to full power over the next week or so.

Here are some quick pics, will get more up later when I have the time. Got to work on sisters Blazer, no time to play with my new toy dammit....:facepalm:

:bounce2::bounce1::celeb3:

 

[azjohnny]

i needed sunglasses to even see the 2nd pic...LOL....that is really bright ...are SPS on the horizon?

 

[bugs713]

Lemme see de LEDs!! Still jealous of that metal controller box!

Please give input on whether you'd tweak your colors or quantities once you get them going.

I have Violets, Luxeon NW, Luxeon RB, Luxeon True Blue, and Cyan on order from Stevesleds to add to my Cree RB/CW fixture for the coming tank upsize.

Also, on your RKE, the Digital Aquatics people were at the Reefapalooza in CA a couple weeks ago. I picked up a RKE w/net. I'm hoping to control my PWM drivers with the MLC moon module as I have a hunch its driven by PWM signals, we'll see.

Yes, the controller box is really nice to have. I would look for something similar to use, such as a small cabinet, locker etc. It would be much cheaper than trying to buy one of these!

Yes, I would tweak colors and/or quantity if needed. I actually wired in an extra pair of wires for an additional driver if needed.

As for using the MLC to control drivers, I don't believe that will work for 0 - 10v dimming. Do check around and verify. You will need the ALC modules for proper dimming OR get a DIM4 and control them that way as I am doing. So far, really happy with the DIM4. I will get some video up in the coming days showing the DIM4 at work.

 

[bugs713]

i needed sunglasses to even see the 2nd pic...LOL....that is really bright ...are SPS on the horizon?

I'm temporarily blind, can't see the screen. Will respond when I can see again.:artist:

 

[m-six hundred]

Looks good Phil !

 

[bugs713]

Thanks Mark!!