Cheap leds that have ramping capability

[Blu3s94]

So I have a 125 gallon reef tank with (2) 300 watt mars aqua leds. Love the lights, don't love not being able to ramp them. I do have an apex jr. and do see that I could wire them to work with the apex but I don't think I am capable of that.

I would like to be able to ramp a cheap led up and down before the main lights go on to help the fish acclimate a little easier. They get pretty jumpy being in a basement with no natural light when the leds go full blast at once!

Does anyone know of a controller to do this without alot of involved wiring or some cheap led I could throw over a 6ft tank that could come on and ramp 0-100% before my main lights go on and then stay on after my mains go out and ramp back down?



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[five.five-six]

A little off topic but as a Halide guy, many many tanks have been run on halides for decades and didn’t need ramping.

Ramping is for the hobbiest, not for the inhabitants.

 

[Blu3s94]

A little off topic but as a Halide guy, many many tanks have been run on halides for decades and didn't need ramping.

Ramping is for the hobbiest, not for the inhabitants.

Yes I understand that. I have been without ramping for the 2 years I have been in this hobby. I just know it has more of an effect being in the basement with no natural light coming through windows and rarely lights on around the tank.

I once had a fw barracuda who would spook so bad from the lights going on he constantly ran into the glass to the point he killed himself...

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[Ron Reefman]

I think this is as inexpensive as a ramping led fixture gets. I've seen a couple that were cheaper, but they use crap 0.3 watt leds which are good for FOWLR or 12" deep tanks.

https://www.ebay.com/i/253257713077?chn=ps&dispctrl=1

 

[mcgyvr]

I've seen a couple that were cheaper, but they use crap 0.3 watt leds which are good for FOWLR or 12" deep tanks.

Which is likely all they need (want).. Just a supplemental light that can be quite dim just to avoid the drastic off --> full blast transition they are looking to avoid..

Even just those cheap LED strips (tape) can be used as long as you find one with a "sunrise" function which I'm fairly sure exists...

 

[Blu3s94]

Do you think the apex lunar simulation module would do what I am trying to accomplish? I already have an apex jr with an open aquabus...


100 bucks for the module and leds and I can control the ramping and time. But idk if it would be enough to make a difference

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[Cheapreef]

Ran one of these for a year on my Nano ramps great no need to hook to my Apex just program it.
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Newest-WIFI-Dimmable165W-LED-Aquarium-Light-Full-Spectrum-Fish-Tank-Reef-Coral/192295534807?hash=item2cc5b500d7:g:kmMAAOSwarNZqVTz

 

[ca1ore]

Ramping is for the hobbiest, not for the inhabitants.

That is certainly the conventional wisdom, however, it's also not completely accurate. Is ramping required for a successful tank: NO, of course not. But if you have the ability to ramp the LED fixture truly down to zero (most do not do that, they still cut off at a material brightness) the behavior of the fish changes quite significantly and it's really pretty cool to watch. I would certainly concede that most people might not care about that, but I always have felt that the closer you can get to the natural environment, the better. I recently swapped out my budget boxes for a trio of Radions which do a FAR better job of dimming up and down (as they should :lol.

 

[oreo57]

Snapping 500W of light into a fish tank sitting in a black room and watch the inhabitants dance....
as to unicellular organisms .. each photo-system does have some lag time as necessary enzymes/products need to accumulate..

you can argue there are no visible effects but on the chemical level there may be some.


Pretty sure if ramping halogens or halides was as cheap and easy as ramping LED's it would be more popular..

Take your car and start it.. and immediately punch the accelerator to the floor every day..tell me if it makes a difference...

Just because its alive doesn't mean its not a machine..

 

[oreo57]

Does anyone know of a controller to do this without alot of involved wiring or some cheap led I could throw over a 6ft tank that could come on and ramp 0-100% before my main lights go on and then stay on after my mains go out and ramp back down?



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Yes and no "a lot" is a personal opinion as is "cost effective"

Personally I lean to gut and replace drivers.. though matching w/ some high voltage DC out Meanwells can be problematic..

Advantage though is better drivers w/ standard wiring..
Generally fans need to be put on a separate circuit though since few come w/ a 12V dc secondary w/ adequate amperage.

All the rewiring is pretty standard..

 

[mcgyvr]

Do you think the apex lunar simulation module would do what I am trying to accomplish? I already have an apex jr with an open aquabus...


100 bucks for the module and leds and I can control the ramping and time. But idk if it would be enough to make a difference

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They look like very low current (10-20mA) indicator LEDs and there will still be a fairly drastic shift when the other lights kick on..

I'm sure that you can find something out there for under $100..

I thought I was able to dim those cheap 5050 led strip/tape lights using the android/ipad app to set time and percent and have them ramp up over time.. (been a while since I played with it)
You can pick those up for $20 or less...

and thinking out of the box(tank) just throw a table lamp down there on a timer somewhere in the room

 

[oreo57]

They look like very low current (10-20mA) indicator LEDs and there will still be a fairly drastic shift when the other lights kick on..

I'm sure that you can find something out there for under $100..

I thought I was able to dim those cheap 5050 led strip/tape lights using the android/ipad app to set time and percent and have them ramp up over time.. (been a while since I played with it)
You can pick those up for $20 or less...

and thinking out of the box(tank) just throw a table lamp down there on a timer somewhere in the room

OPP's missed the main question..

To o/p $25 (need to shop around) TC-420 will allow you to ramp almost any constant voltage strip light..

Will need a PC to program it..

a little rewiring of it and you can control Meanwwell LDD's..
http://www.tc420.net/images/TC420/TC420-High-Power-LED-Circuit.png

TC-421 is a wireless version.. About $10 more..
Crude programming but functional.

 

[mcgyvr]

yeah there you go ^^^ that little device should do the trick too with the LED strips or similar..
I think I did it just using the app and the default wifi dongle on the strip lights but that will do it for sure too..

 

[oreo57]

yeah there you go ^^^ that little device should do the trick too with the LED strips or similar..
I think I did it just using the app and the default wifi dongle on the strip lights but that will do it for sure too..

Yea, identical process..
Internally, they are alike as well.. at least w/ the few I took a look at.
ODDLY most use larger MOSFETS or are, at least, rated higher per channel.. 6A
You can still tap off the internal MOSFET gate and get 5V PWM out of it..

fun thing is you can run both LDD's and constant current strips off the same channel..
A bit more work, but simple enough..

WHAT I really,really, wish for is someone to re-program them away from the Chinese software..
People have done it in a cursory manner, but WAY above my pay grade........
Need smoother ramping ect..

 

[blasterman789]

IMO, being able to emulate a thunderstorm in Ecuador at sunset on Mars is superfluous technology that detracts from real reef keeping and drives up prices on fixtures. As mentioned above, a $5 lamp timer and off/on state halides has proven it can grow coral without issues.

However, I have no argument that a ramp up for fish can be a good thing. I used to raise african cichlids and had several breeders that would violently smash themselves against the glass when my lights would flip on. Also, older halides have their own ramp up when powered on. However, I see no need for this with corals.

 

[oreo57]

IMO, being able to emulate a thunderstorm in Ecuador at sunset on Mars is superfluous technology that detracts from real reef keeping and drives up prices on fixtures. As mentioned above, a $5 lamp timer and off/on state halides has proven it can grow coral without issues.

However, I have no argument that a ramp up for fish can be a good thing. I used to raise african cichlids and had several breeders that would violently smash themselves against the glass when my lights would flip on. Also, older halides have their own ramp up when powered on. However, I see no need for this with corals.

well yes and no. Most of that added cost is w/ a what they can charge not a what it costs and decent profit margin..

My "opinion" is every aquarium LED should have at least basic ramp up/down function..

REAL cost is MINOR in this regard..Mark-up is another story..
Aduino or other microprocessor, simple software already developed on multiple platforms and asst bits..
Don't even need "proper" drivers in many cases.

SHOULD only add no more than $100 to a light and, arguably, a LOT less..

Now what is REAL sad..
https://www.amazon.com/VIPARSPECTRA-Timer-165W-Aquarium-Dimmable/dp/B00UMXAR5S

Has a timer and for a few extra $'s and a few lines of code "could" ramp/up/down

Attention please:
- Extremely bright, do not look directly at the LED bulbs when the light is on.
- Indoor use only, not water-proof. No extra ballast is needed.
- APEX does not currently support this product.
- Can not be programmed for sunrise, sunset and moonlight.
- Does not have a shimmering/ storm effects mode setting.
- Can not be daisy chained.
- Can not set up multiple lights by one remote at the same time, have to do it separately.
- Please contact us via Amazon messge for any questions.

 

[Blu3s94]

They look like very low current (10-20mA) indicator LEDs and there will still be a fairly drastic shift when the other lights kick on..

I'm sure that you can find something out there for under $100..

I thought I was able to dim those cheap 5050 led strip/tape lights using the android/ipad app to set time and percent and have them ramp up over time.. (been a while since I played with it)
You can pick those up for $20 or less...

and thinking out of the box(tank) just throw a table lamp down there on a timer somewhere in the room

Yeah I'm thinking it will still be too drastic. I will look Into the strip leds on ebay

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[Blu3s94]

OPP's missed the main question..

To o/p $25 (need to shop around) TC-420 will allow you to ramp almost any constant voltage strip light..

Will need a PC to program it..

a little rewiring of it and you can control Meanwwell LDD's..
http://www.tc420.net/images/TC420/TC420-High-Power-LED-Circuit.png

TC-421 is a wireless version.. About $10 more..
Crude programming but functional.

Thank you, this looks like something I could do

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[blasterman789]

well yes and no. Most of that added cost is w/ a what they can charge not a what it costs and decent profit margin..

My "opinion" is every aquarium LED should have at least basic ramp up/down function..

REAL cost is MINOR in this regard..Mark-up is another story..


SHOULD only add no more than $100 to a light and, arguably, a LOT less..

A few years ago I built a basic LED retrofit for a friend's business who needed a simple indicator light on several dozen machines on his production line. For some reason the indicator 'on' circuit varied between 9-18volts, which meant regular incan bulbs would either burn out due to over voltage, or be too dim to see.
Using a standard buck driver and a red LED solved the problem. Voltage swings are buffered to simple heat, and now every machine has the same brightness LED, and they haven't needed to replace a single one.
Since this was a common problem with this machine and there were a lot of those same machines out there I thought about selling them to other plants and make a little money. When I 'rolled' the spreadsheet I would have needed to sell those things at 800-1000% markup just to break even. Not worth it.
If you've noticed it's the American designed lights with all the fancy lighting effects and smartphone controls that cost a fortune. Yeah, while a basic PWM or 1-10volt controller really doesn't incur parts cost it's not the same on the development end. Even the Chinese have trouble beating down that cost. Plus, if the controller fails then the light light fails. Just something else to break and detract from real reefkeeping.