vincent843
New member
Cesar, I heard that the mean well runs very hot ( cook an egg), What is your thought?
Vincent
Vincent
(Another) DIY LED Build - Linear Design
- Thread starter katchupoy
- Start date
TheFishMan65
New member
I think I would go 4x18 but I am not sure it really matters. Will you have more coral toward the side (3x might be better) or toward the front (4x probably better)
katchupoy
New member
Not really. All three of them are packed in a plastic shoe box + 9 volts power supply + Arduino. You can just feel its warm but not hot or warm enough to get worried.
katchupoy
New member
Do you mean linear/rail approach? I dont know how are you going to fit 24 in one rail.
My suggestion... do it 6x12... I believe that you cannot put more on a 48" strip without worrying of overheating, but.... you can always put more rails, and really close to one another. 1/2" air gap between rails will suffice.... That would be an awesome sight... 6x12... also loof for a narrowe optics since you are going to squeeze all those light in there...
Its going to look like T5's.
If you really want 3x24, then thats going to be 1.5" spacing between LEDs. Im worried about the heat. Maybe a way bigger C-Channel. Maybe 2"x2"??? Or maybe look for heatsink here???
Also look for the "higher voltage" version of mean well... so you dont have 6 meanwells. But be very careful, anything beyond 48 volts DC can do major shock or even kill.
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I won't know for a couple weeks yet at the earliest. I'm waiting for a group buy I'm participating in for the LEDs and drivers to be finalized. As soon as that's done then the order will go through and I'll have to wait on shipping. I need to start getting my canopy prepped and start on the mounting system still.
Shadow Optik
New member
Thanks Katchupoy! You have helped me understand my questions instead of just answering them! I appreciate your help with this confusing field. I am still looking into the 48 LED system. I did not even consider if I upgrade my tank, I can use the same lights! Your Optic rendition is awesome, does it represent the optics true to scale? If I am going to be hanging the fixtures 6" from my tank I will probably need to use 65 degree optics. What has everyone been doing on the LED spacing? I will be using the block heat sink approach because of the middle support on the top of my tank.
katchupoy
New member
Shadow,
I also have a support in the middle thats why I have a 9" gap in the middle between leds in my previous diagrams. The one I drew for you have 3" spacing between LEDs. But thats of course using the linear approach.
In your case, you can probably go closer since you will be using massive heat sink. Two by 24 will be very nice setup. Its going to be like MH setup where you have two source of light over your tank. You will have high intensity area and also low intensity areas. Very good specially we all have different corals that need diff intensity of light.
With regards to spacing then you are on the mercy of your heatsink block. You should see Taqpol's build... He did the same.
I also have a support in the middle thats why I have a 9" gap in the middle between leds in my previous diagrams. The one I drew for you have 3" spacing between LEDs. But thats of course using the linear approach.
In your case, you can probably go closer since you will be using massive heat sink. Two by 24 will be very nice setup. Its going to be like MH setup where you have two source of light over your tank. You will have high intensity area and also low intensity areas. Very good specially we all have different corals that need diff intensity of light.
With regards to spacing then you are on the mercy of your heatsink block. You should see Taqpol's build... He did the same.
steevareno2002
New member
great job! Do you happen to know the PAR reading vs. the old T5 setup?
Where and how are you mounting the box and the wires?
--adam
katchupoy
New member
dukeap said:
Dukeap,
Its called "follow me" command.
For those people who want to try/play with SketchUp, its free...
You can download it here. Google Sketchup
For video tutorial, click here...
Trust me, my 10 year old daughter learned it with one seating... and that was 5 years ago.... now she's an expert... Im bet you can do too....
Question? ask me.. I can help.
And for the model Im using/created with 120 Gallon tank complete with LED lights, optics and light spread... You can download it here.
katchupoy
New member
Unfortunately, I dont have a PAR meter. I just based it on some build here with PAR readings. So what Im claiming here can all be squat!!! un-scientific...
But lets put it this way. Here is a previous comparison of my T5 setup against 24 LEDs build.
T5 (264 watts)
LED (72 watts)
And based on this picture, the T5 I used to have, is way darker than the LEDs. I can only assume??? that its brighter? thus more PAR? than the old rig.
Remember that the LEDs used here were 24 emitters 1:1 ratio. Now im using 36, 2:1 ratio... (Im a blue person)
katchupoy
New member
they are just inside the tank cabinet. I will take a better pic later tonight...
What a mess...
TheFishMan65
New member
You'll never get a split Bwahahaha. At least I don't think so. The upgrade made them unneeded as I understand it.
And Congratulations! I voted first thing this morning.
And Congratulations! I voted first thing this morning.
Mr.Mcgibblets
New member
Mr.Mcgibblets, Is this your only lights? or its just a supplement. the reason I ask is, you are on the low side. Maybe fish only tank?
Anyways, here is the SU that you asked for.
I just ordered an additional 36 leds for a total of 72. I am now working on the final design and I wanted to know if you are happy with the solid rows of color. If you had it to do over again would you alternate color within each row? Also I was planning on installing the lights inside a canopy but that will move the led's about 6 inches above the water line. With 6 rows of twelve led's do you think I will have adequate coverage for the entire tank?
austin93
Don't Panic!
Great setup and very innovative idea with the linear setup. I do have a quick question for you as I am setting up a similar system. I currently have a 150 w/ 48"wX30"dX24"h sps reef with 2 250 radiums on m80 ballasts. I would like to make a transition to led either fully or half a##ed. I am thinking that maybe I could use the 2 bulb t5 setup I have in the basement as a little extra kicker with a few rows of leds instead of my MH. Could you estimate how many t5's would be the equivalent of 1 row of leds? Would it be an even match? I would probably need at least 8 if not 10 rows of t5 to cover my tank so I am trying to get a handle on this situation. Thank you and again great work on your tank and the lighting.
