Aquastyleonline.com LED questions.
- Thread starter RotaryGeek
- Start date
If you used 25 Ohm pots, you should see no dimming at all. If that driver is like Meanwell or Inventronics 25 Ohm = full current. Have you measured the output current range when you move your rheostat to the two extreme positions? The driver control input has nothing to do with LEDs or their ratings. The actual LED current should not be flowing through a rheostat of any kind. The two wires you connect to the pot from that driver are used to vary the control signal. With most LED drivers like Meanwell or Inventronics you need to use 10KOhm pot so that you can vary the control voltage 0-10 Volts. Has anyone seen a data sheet for these Maxwellen drivers that specify which control options are available?
Well I think i am finally going for the led push here. I stumbled upon aquastyleonline months back and have been trying to find more information on bridgelux leds and the drivers they use. So far it seems as though most of the products they are using are actually fairly good units for the money. Not quite meanwell/cree but still doing quite well. My plan is for a 90g 18" deep tank, it will mostly be a softie/lps tank so I think the 72 led kit will do it. I'm planning on 4 c channel strips spaced about 5-6" apart with 18 on each. Going with a total of 32white and 40blue to help give a slightly more blue tint hopefully end up around a 12-14k color. So I'll have to keep this thread updated once I buy and build everything.
milkman55
New member
I understand the Meanwell are 0-10v. Not sure on the Maxwellen was I do not have a data sheet. I do know the 25 Ohm pots I installed vary the brightness from virtually off to full brightness. Seems like the last 25% of the movement on the dial gives the most change in brightness. I will pickup a 10 Ohm pot just to see the difference.
00Warpig00
New member
I'd love to know more about the maxwellen drivers myself. have found very little via google about them. Surprising really. It would be PERFECT for my build if they worked with either potentiometer OR 0-10v controllable, but I have gotten the impression so far that they are only manually dimmable (meaning you need to hook up a pot. and vary the resistance by the knob) and NOT voltage controlled (via a controller). Also would be great if the continuously dim to 0% as opposed to cutting off all light at <10%. These are the only two details holding me back from pulling the trigger on my build.
Nick
Nick
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cet98
"feed ur reef...feed it!"
your impression is correct...the Maxwellen dimmable drivers available at AquaStyle are only dimmable via a pot and not compatible with an aquarium controller...that is the reason I ordered my AquaStyle kit without any drivers (as I was able to purchase a couple locally for $20 ea) and instead opted for one of the black anodized heatsinks...
FWIW, you are not bound to purchase only what is stated in the kits online...as I mentioned, I worked with Ray via emails for a week or so and customized my 36 LED kit to my specific choices, including replacing the drivers with the heatsink...
also, I am currently putting my fixture together now and since you and I are "neighbors", you are welcomed to stop by and check them out prior to ordering if you'd like
I have had my kit running for a little over a month now and what a difference in heat issues alone. I'm a constant 80 degrees. I only used the 12k LEDS and kept my t5 actinics. From the clam to the anemone, things are doing well. I do have a blasto that is bleaching on the sandbed but that may be something else. I recommend the kits. I'm running the 36 kit on my 75g. Is it enough? maybe, maybe not but I have plenty of space to add more and will most likely go with blues and get rid of my t5 bulbs.
here's a pic
here's a pic
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hobbzz
How do I change this?
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2096273
The par numbers from this thread are making me second guess the 48 kit. I responded to Ray on Friday and still haven't even gotten a price on the 48. I tank I'm going to email him again for a price on a 60 kit.
The par numbers from this thread are making me second guess the 48 kit. I responded to Ray on Friday and still haven't even gotten a price on the 48. I tank I'm going to email him again for a price on a 60 kit.
MADtanks
Stix Anyone?
Will you be doing 1 heatsink? their biggest one is the 16X7ish one.... i thin i remember you saying you were going witha 40BDR? if so i think that 2 smaller heatsinks with 24 on each will be more than what you need. The tank is not really tall, so you go with 80* optics on 2 smaller heatsinks like 12X7 X 2 of them. Spaced out evenly with 80* optics you will probably still bleach your corals lol.
hobbzz
How do I change this?
Yeah a 40 breeder. I'm using u channel, and no optics to start. I'm shooting for the par of a 400w radium. Leds will be in a grid 10" x 20" to get the best coverage and blending. Probably 3-4 inches off the water. If I decide to use optics it'll be 80* about 12-18 off the water. The recommendations for the spacing and grid/optics was from rapidled before I was considering the aquastyle lol.
But with the guy in that last post barely getting 400w halide par, with 36 more powerful crees, and only covering a 12 x 24 area I'd rather have too many than too little. The royal blue and regular blue bridgelux's are only putting out 20 lumens/watt and they will make up almost 50% of the led mix. I've been having a hard time finding numbers for the blue crees for comparison.
It still all depends on the price which I'm waiting on. If crees are only another $50-$100, they've been proven to last for years and I'd probaly play it safe and go with them. The aquastyle's would have to be at most, 50-60% of the cost of a cree kit, preferably less of course. I don't have good luck with stuff, so I always try to play it safe. I'm not all about the best of the best. My powerheads are maxijets with mods and I run an octopus skimmer, not a bubble king. But I make sure to get reliable parts that perform well, and always try to go with products that have lots of reviews. Never a brand new thing that's been tested by a small handfull of people.
But with the guy in that last post barely getting 400w halide par, with 36 more powerful crees, and only covering a 12 x 24 area I'd rather have too many than too little. The royal blue and regular blue bridgelux's are only putting out 20 lumens/watt and they will make up almost 50% of the led mix. I've been having a hard time finding numbers for the blue crees for comparison.
It still all depends on the price which I'm waiting on. If crees are only another $50-$100, they've been proven to last for years and I'd probaly play it safe and go with them. The aquastyle's would have to be at most, 50-60% of the cost of a cree kit, preferably less of course. I don't have good luck with stuff, so I always try to play it safe. I'm not all about the best of the best. My powerheads are maxijets with mods and I run an octopus skimmer, not a bubble king. But I make sure to get reliable parts that perform well, and always try to go with products that have lots of reviews. Never a brand new thing that's been tested by a small handfull of people.
cet98
"feed ur reef...feed it!"
not sure I understand your concern here regarding the par readings...as per post #23 (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=19565146&postcount=23) it appears that 16" below the water line (the depth of your 40 gal breeder) the OP is getting a par reading of approx. 500...if the Bridgelux only offered 1/2 that, say 250 at the sandbed, how would that be not good enough?....
I have SPS growing under a cheap 4 bulb T5 unit with a par reading of under 300 at the top of my tank...
hobbzz
How do I change this?
He is using 60 degree optics and the coverage is only a 12 x 24 area (288 square inches). My tank is 36 x 18 (648 square inches). My leds will be much more spread out and run without optics to start, therefore they'll have less par. Since I'd only be guessing at the par levels, I'd like to play it safe and have too much light and be able to turn it down, rather than not have enough.
cet98
"feed ur reef...feed it!"
understood....
you would also be running 12 more LEDs (48 vs his 36) and in the least you can utilize some 80* optics to help increase your par values vs no optics at all...
FWIW, I also had not read anything to indicate whether or not he is running his LEDs at 100% or if they were being dimmed to any degree...forgive me if I missed that somewhere...
you would also be running 12 more LEDs (48 vs his 36) and in the least you can utilize some 80* optics to help increase your par values vs no optics at all...
FWIW, I also had not read anything to indicate whether or not he is running his LEDs at 100% or if they were being dimmed to any degree...forgive me if I missed that somewhere...
hobbzz
How do I change this?
No problem. Since both the aquastyle's and crees come with optics, I was going to get the 80's in case I wanted to use them. I don't want to be able to see the leds when I'm sitting on the couch though, so I don't really want to raise the fixture. He was running the blues at 700ma and the whites at 1250ma. It all comes down to start up costs though. I don't care if I'd be using an additional 12 or even 36 watts going with more bridgelux, if the're significantly cheaper, I'll use them. Just waiting on Ray to get back to me with the quotes.
00Warpig00
New member
your impression is correct...the Maxwellen dimmable drivers available at AquaStyle are only dimmable via a pot and not compatible with an aquarium controller...that is the reason I ordered my AquaStyle kit without any drivers (as I was able to purchase a couple locally for $20 ea) and instead opted for one of the black anodized heatsinks...
FWIW, you are not bound to purchase only what is stated in the kits online...as I mentioned, I worked with Ray via emails for a week or so and customized my 36 LED kit to my specific choices, including replacing the drivers with the heatsink...
also, I am currently putting my fixture together now and since you and I are "neighbors", you are welcomed to stop by and check them out prior to ordering if you'd like
Thanks for the confirmation cet on the Maxwellen drivers. I received an e-mail quote from Ray today and went back at him asking for pricing both with the MeanWell drivers in place of the maxwellen drivers and also with no drivers. So I can source my own if needed. Thanks for the invite to take a look, I'm going to try to get all my questions answered short order and place my order ASAP. I might be interested in taking a look anyway, also if you would like help it may be beneficial for us both. Back before computers and the internet were invented, lol you know back in the early 90's
before I got into the IT field, in the early 90's I was a Sony Certified 8mm Camcorder Technician. Don't do much electronics at home these days but I do have meter and Iron, and will travel. In my thread about the LED's dimming below 10% der_wille_zur_macht said...
So it looks like the bridgelux LED's are linearly dimmable down to 0 light and the <10% cutoff is driver specific. Now to find a driver that dims to 0% light. Rumor is the MeanWells cut off at 10%. anyone know if the Inventronics or any other brand LED drivers dim all the way to 0% light output?
Nick
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