(Another) DIY LED Build - Linear Design

[worldnewsmap]

Very good write up on your LEDs. Thank you for being so detailed about how to do it. I have been thinking of setting up some on a tank I have now I have a better understanding on how to do it. On a side not maybe you do not have as much heat because you have yours spaced further apart.

 

[cabezon2469]

2 questions.

1. Why is 22g so important? What would happen at 14g? (that's one question, lol)

2. Would it be worthwhile to add a CPU heatsink or 2 to the top? They are $5 at Circuit city and I wonder if there would be enough heat conducted along the aluminum to dissipate through one localized sink.

 

[katchupoy]

1. Why is 22g so important? What would happen at 14g? (that's one question, lol)

I believe the the thicker wire ie:14g the better but the question is the workability. Its too thick to solder on a very tiny solder point ie: LED. Also the wire will be to hard to bend and might give you a lot of trouble down the road.

2. Would it be worthwhile to add a CPU heatsink or 2 to the top? They are $5 at Circuit city and I wonder if there would be enough heat conducted along the aluminum to dissipate through one localized sink.

If you are going to do similar to mine, 12 LEDs on a 4 foot aluminum bar, tube, etc. I dont believe you need these CPU heatsink. A simple small clip-on electric fan will do the trick (but not needed). Or maybe those CPU fans that you can buy cheap. Maybe those fancy CPU fans that has thermal sensor to it. So it automatically run when it sense heat to a certain degree.

 

[kcress]

1. Why is 22g so important? What would happen at 14g? (that's one question, lol)

Heavy wire puts large stress on the star pads. Every thermal cycle works the pads. It also hangs on the pads. The benefit of larger wire is not there at the currents we are driving at. 22 is large in this application.

2. Would it be worthwhile to add a CPU heatsink or 2 to the top? They are $5 at Circuit city and I wonder if there would be enough heat conducted along the aluminum to dissipate through one localized sink.

The heat is only going to translate a few inches down these heatsinks so any LEDs farther than a few inches would likely not benefit.

 

[gorey]

What an awesome thread!!! Finally something I can understand!!! I have a couple questions for ya tho... I was thinking about doing something like that and attaching it to the back of my 2 bulb t5 fixture thats over my 75g. I was hoping to go with 12 leds 8 blue and 4 white. If its only going to be about 6 inchies off the water what optics do you think would work best? Also I have a blue plus and an aqua blue in there now should I keep it the same or go with just 2 blue+. Also with out the leds would 2 blue+ be better then the combo I have now?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[katchupoy]

What an awesome thread!!! Finally something I can understand!!! I have a couple questions for ya tho... I was thinking about doing something like that and attaching it to the back of my 2 bulb t5 fixture thats over my 75g. I was hoping to go with 12 leds 8 blue and 4 white. If its only going to be about 6 inchies off the water what optics do you think would work best? Also I have a blue plus and an aqua blue in there now should I keep it the same or go with just 2 blue+. Also with out the leds would 2 blue+ be better then the combo I have now?

Thanks,
Jeff

To be honest. I really like the blue of RB LEds. Its deep similar (not the same) to VHO Actinics. And playing with a lot of blue of T5's, nothing came in close. Not even the URI Actinics (which is suppose to be the same as their VHO counterpart). With that said, since we have the same 75 gallon, and I believe you are going to use the LED's as supplements. Then go with 12 RB's, 6 on the front and 6 on the back of T5's. Make it so that all your LEDs are in one mean well. Then add a fiji pink T5 and one white T5 (aquablue?). that will make it complete. Blue for growth (like radium) Fiji for red, and white for visual + growth. Optics, get the widest you can get for 6". You can do without actually but Im afraid of water splash.

Then in the future. Add another 12 LEds, 6 RB and 6 CW. and then remove your T5's.

Hope I answered your question.

 

[cabezon2469]

Heavy wire puts large stress on the star pads. Every thermal cycle works the pads. It also hangs on the pads. The benefit of larger wire is not there at the currents we are driving at. 22 is large in this application.



The heat is only going to translate a few inches down these heatsinks so any LEDs farther than a few inches would likely not benefit.

Thanks so much. The way it was put, I thought using large gauge was going to do something by nature of its conductance. I learned from my days in Car audio not to waste my time or $$ on 00g for a 100w amp.

I am planning to use the body of a 2X48" T5 light that I have. I can always add fans later. I am going to make a run of 30 3W RB leds

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

katchup...that is very well laid out and concise...next time to avoid complications and confusion with the phone jacks you should hook them up opposite...

on the RB line put the female end on the driver and the male end on the string and for the CW put the female end on the string and the male end on the driver...then "you" or the "the guy" looking after your tank while you on vacation could never accidentally plug the wrong string into the wrong driver..

anyway great post ...

 

[katchupoy]

katchup...that is very well laid out and concise...next time to avoid complications and confusion with the phone jacks you should hook them up opposite...

on the RB line put the female end on the driver and the male end on the string and for the CW put the female end on the string and the male end on the driver...then "you" or the "the guy" looking after your tank while you on vacation could never accidentally plug the wrong string into the wrong driver..

anyway great post ...

I really like your idea. Thanks

 

[kcress]

I learned from my days in Car audio not to waste my time or $$ on 00g for a 100w

Yeah. Things like Monster Cables - total waste of money..

 

[delmo]

see next

 

[delmo]

If you like to screw...

If you like to screw...

katchupoy, great thread! You have a really good way of breaking it down.
I'm currently starting my build of 24 RB XR-E, and 24 CW XP-G's. I really like Santoki's approach and have adopted a bulk from his and, like you knowledge from here. I'd like to share a simple template I built in order to make the marking/drilling process much easier for those who like to screw their LEDs down.
Damn, I'm so new to posting that I don't know how to post a pic here,
but anyways, I'll explain.
Take a credit card type card. (I used an old hotel key card) and draw perpendicular lines. (+) Then center one of your LEDs on it and mark your mounting holes and your wiring hole (if popping your wires up from underneath a heatsink)
Then with a razor knife cut away a 1/8" of the intersecting lines in each direction. This will be your view finder. and drill the 3 holes out. With the template finished, now you just mark your centers of your LEDs with + signs on your heatsink, line up your LED template, mark your holes and follow up with a center punch if so desired.

 

[daveonbass]

loved this...I'm not debating if I should just build my own leds, or still try to buy an AI unit. I may do this for he heck of it to see how/if it grows any SPS in my 36" 58g tank.

thanks for the detailed and easy to discern write up.

 

[daveonbass]

one question. Is it not possible to alternate the LEDs on each rail...ie, B, W, B, W...etc.? Or do they have to be all the same color on each rail for the proper wattage? either way I love this.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

one question. Is it not possible to alternate the LEDs on each rail...ie, B, W, B, W...etc.? Or do they have to be all the same color on each rail for the proper wattage? either way I love this.

sure they could have alternated on the same rail/heatsink, but then he would have had to fix the two rails together so there was no chance of the wires pulling free from the stars...the LED's (blue and white) have different forward voltages, so you should not wire them to the same driver in an alternating series..(ie the wires for the whites would have to jump between rails for each white LED and so forth for the blues.)

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

one more thing i noticed that i would never had known had i not read a post of Widmer's the other day...that is the interpretation of the degree rating of the optics...i believe he said the degree an optic is rated for is related to the area of focused light at its highest intensity, in other words outside of 60* in this case the LED still emits light just not at 100%....or it was something along those lines..now i cant remember or find the thread if i find it i will paste the post...just for degree clarification..

 

[bamf25]

So this setup using the 24 leds replaces how much of your lighting? I am likely getting a 125g tank 60 x 18 x 24 and was wondering how much lighting I would require? When done will you need 2 of the 24 kits, or 3?

 

[katchupoy]

katchupoy, great thread! You have a really good way of breaking it down.

Thank you Delmo.

loved this...I'm not debating if I should just build my own leds, or still try to buy an AI unit. I may do this for the heck of it to see how/if it grows any SPS in my 36" 58g tank.

thanks for the detailed and easy to discern write up.

Thank you Dave, you should try it and use it as a supplement to your current lighting. RB's are really good supplement for your blue side. I cant explain to you how happy I am with my blue's.

one question. Is it not possible to alternate the LEDs on each rail...ie, B, W, B, W...etc.? Or do they have to be all the same color on each rail for the proper wattage? either way I love this.

Dave, Of course it is possible. To be honest, I should have done it that way, thus i dont have problem like now that i only have blues on the front and not on the back.

The next question is, do you want to control the blue's seperate from the whites? Or should you just control one strip per dimmer/driver?

What Im thinking now is mixed them like you describe, but connect the two strip as one longer strip. I mean blues will still be on one driver and whites will still be in one driver but the two strip will be connected together... hmmmm a picture will be better. Let me make one.

(ie the wires for the whites would have to jump between rails for each white LED and so forth for the blues.)

Like what Nano said...

So this setup using the 24 leds replaces how much of your lighting?

I remove 4 of my T5's now. So my current setup now is.
Blue led strip (front)
T5 Blue+
T5 Fiji
White led strip (back)

I am likely getting a 125g tank 60 x 18 x 24 and was wondering how much lighting I would require? When done will you need 2 of the 24 kits, or 3?

It really depends on your coral selection. lets do the Math. Note: that this is just a guideline.

60*18 = 1080/48(2x24 leds) = 22.5 -> look below, it falls to LPS and Softies.
60*18 = 1080/72(3x24 leds) = 15 -> perfect for SPS
48*18 = 864/24(leds) = 36 -> This is what Im using right now + T5. Need to add 12 more.

The guideline:
10=Hard Core (Too Much) Light. Very Deep Tank
15=SPS (most people use)
20=LPS, Softies
25=Softies

The good thing with strips is you can keep adding until you hit what you like.

 

[bamf25]

It looks like you think to do average lighting I will need 3 sets of 24 or 72 led's. This is about what I figured. So I would probably do 3 linear strands, but do the alternating method as opposed to all blue and all white.

Do the newer 3w Cree the xp-e make a big difference, or has it not been tested. I think I saw the royal blue is now also availible in the newer model.

I see also that you used rapidled for your stuff. I know they have the 24 as well as the 36 kits, but those come with the constant output converters. Did you have them swap in the dimmables, or did you put together your own kit?

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

It looks like you think to do average lighting I will need 3 sets of 24 or 72 led's. This is about what I figured. So I would probably do 3 linear strands, but do the alternating method as opposed to all blue and all white.

Do the newer 3w Cree the xp-e make a big difference, or has it not been tested. I think I saw the royal blue is now also availible in the newer model.

I see also that you used rapidled for your stuff. I know they have the 24 as well as the 24 kits, but those come with the constant level converters. You had them swap out the dimmables, or put together your own kit?

the newer (commonly used) Cree are XP-G, and they make an incredible difference (dont think they are available in RB though)

Rapid LED has many different kits you can buy, and there are options for dimmable drivers...i am pretty sure you can also adjust the LED count as well (for instance with XPG whites and XPE rb you may want 8:16 respectively, as opposed to 12:12)