DIY LED Array build

Made some progress on the clip lamp........

Corners cut off of heatsink so it would fit into the fixture, and stars mounted to the sink........

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40220688@N05/3732905764/" title="PICTa by sphil876, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2505/3732905764_90968b7697.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="PICTa" /></a>

I removed the standard light socket leaving the original wires to run to the buckpuck....

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40220688@N05/3732906036/" title="PICTb by sphil876, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2569/3732906036_39b76f3270.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="PICTb" /></a>

The sink and fan assembly fits into the fixture, but I am not sure how I will hold it in place yet.....

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40220688@N05/3732108113/" title="PICTc by sphil876, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2566/3732108113_bfb14a8746.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="PICTc" /></a>

Should have delivery of the buckpuck by the middle of next week :)
 
Thermal Tape

Thermal Tape

I just wanted to let you all know that the thermal tape is holding up just fine. In fact they seem to be held on tighter now than when I first did it. Thus don't be afraid to use it rather than drilling or glueing.
 
I'm using both in my build.

Since different LED will run at different voltages and pull different amounts of current, IMHO the best way to talk about which one is "brightest" is in terms of lumens per watt. The Cree are actually a few lumens/watt more efficient, in the highest bins, but it's more or less a tossup. The Rebels are small enough that you can fit three of them on a single star, which is nice - and a major reason why I'm using them.

Depending on how and where you buy them, cost is a wash. If you buy the 3-up Rebels from LED supply, you are paying a bit over $5 for each emitter. If you buy single XR-Es mounted on stars from deal extreme or other similar vendors, it's about the same cost per emitter.

So IMHO it's personal preference. I think the main reason why so many people are using the XR-Es is because they are available from more sources, and were (for whatever reason) used by the first three or four "pioneers" in reef LED lighting. Ironically, I'm pretty sure that most of the commercial fixtures are using Rebels.
 
der_wille_zur_macht, Thanks for the reply. I was just curious why everyone was still using the CREE LEDs. It just seems to me that the REBELs are a better deal. I will be starting my project soon and I am going to use the REBELs.

What size tank do you have and how many LEDs do you have? I'm still trying to decide what I will need. I have a 40 gallon long the dimensions are 48" long x 16" tall x 12" wide.
 
My tank is going to be a 16" x 16" footprint, and likely either 12" or 14" deep. I will have 12 cool white rebels, 6 blue rebels, and 6 royal blue XR-Es. I will be running at lower current than most do - probably 500 mA. This will give me longer life, more efficiency, and the ability to jam a bunch of them into small fixtures that don't cool well, compared to running them at 1000mA.

You may have seen me post this in the other LED threads, but I've roughly compiled some stats on the different builds people are doing. Most people have around 10 - 20 square inches per LED, closer to 10 for more intensity or deeper tanks, and closer to 20 for less intensity and shallower tanks. And of course, wether or not you us optics will factor in to the choice, too. This is assuming 700 - 1000 mA current, and Rebels or XR-Es. Your 48 * 12 surface area would put you at 30 - 40 LEDs, following this rule of thumb. Keep in mind that this is something that I made up and I really don't have much of a basis to go on, so seek other opinions!

As far as rebels vs XR-E I really think it's a tossup, depending on someone's personal preferences and requirements (i.e. I wanted to pack a bunch in a small space, so the Rebels were a no-brainer. For the average install, it's not much of a difference, since they are about the same efficiency and about the same price, depending on where/how you buy them.)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15377029#post15377029 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Spudzeric
I've been looking at many different DIY LED projects, but I don't understand why everyone is using the CREE LEDs http://ledsupply.com/creexre.php when you can use the Lexon Rebel LEDs http://ledsupply.com/endorstar.php. The Lexon Rebel LEDs are much brighter and in the long run they are cheaper. Can someone please explain.
Click to expand...

Hello, to emphasize what der_wille_zur_macht has said, I am inexperienced with electronics, and am following what I have seen demonstrated to be effective by other reefers here and at other forums. If you do use the rebels, it would be good for you to post your build thread so we can see them in action. If what you build proves to be more cost effective and easily built I am sure others will begin using the more effective products. That is what DIY is all about for me building, tweeking, tinkering and improving. :D
 
RC posting gurus, I got some pics of my trip to World Wide Corals this weekend and would like to ask a couple of questions regarding posting. I did ask the owner if I could take the pics and post, he consented..... Can I post regarding my experience with this vendor? They are not a sponsor, and I do not see a forum that appears to be appropriate for this type of post....
So can I post this here, or would posting in the Reef Discussion be more appropriate?
Thanks guys....
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15380107#post15380107 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sphil876p
Hello, to emphasize what der_wille_zur_macht has said, I am inexperienced with electronics, and am following what I have seen demonstrated to be effective by other reefers here and at other forums. If you do use the rebels, it would be good for you to post your build thread so we can see them in action. If what you build proves to be more cost effective and easily built I am sure others will begin using the more effective products. That is what DIY is all about for me building, tweeking, tinkering and improving. :D
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help. When I start my build I will try to keep everyone up to date with my purchases and costs.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15385975#post15385975 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sphil876p
RC posting gurus, I got some pics of my trip to World Wide Corals this weekend and would like to ask a couple of questions regarding posting. I did ask the owner if I could take the pics and post, he consented..... Can I post regarding my experience with this vendor? They are not a sponsor, and I do not see a forum that appears to be appropriate for this type of post....
So can I post this here, or would posting in the Reef Discussion be more appropriate?
Thanks guys....
Click to expand...

:confused:
 
isn't there a saying.. something about asking permission is harder than asking for forgiveness or something... :)
 
If you are unsure of anything related to rules or customs on the forums, the best thing to do is go start a new thread in the Feedback & Questions forum. The people who should be answering this sort of question (mods and admins) won't see it in here.
 
sphil876p; Why are you asking that question in this thread at all? You are hijacking your own thread for something unrelated to the thread!

But since I'm on the subject your question really isn't too clear.

If you were posting some pictures in here of your LEDs lighting some new coral, which you got from store X, and wanted to add that you had a great experience there, there would be no problem with that.

But if you said you got all this coral at store x but that store X sucked and that the clerk Freddy Kruger was an SOB *&^%%$, then that would probably be a bad idea.

Further more, if you just start a post and essentially do a store review on it, that would not be acceptable. You would be expected to post that in one of the Selling, Trading and Transaction Feedback Forums. Perhaps the vendor feedback forum.

RC's response also hinges on your site history. If you are a first time poster who shows up with a glowing review of a store, or vendor, you will be assumed to be a shill of that particular store trying to garner attention for that store. (advertising) You will be thumped on the head for that.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15389849#post15389849 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by apt220
isn't there a saying.. something about asking permission is harder than asking for forgiveness or something... :)
Click to expand...

Better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.
 
Thanks guys. I will just keep it to the pics of the corals I picked up which are now being acclimated to my LED lighting. Now if only I could figure out how to get some decent pics of the corals under the LEDs.....:(
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15391486#post15391486 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jdrabek
Better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.
Click to expand...

I always knew it as "It's easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission." It seems to be clearer that way.
 
Does anyone have a formula or rule to go by in terms of lumens? I've been running LED's on my tank but I'm not confident that the output will be enough. I have been able to grow tons of hair algae (new tank) and one of my mushrooms is dividing, but I don't want to venture into any real corals until I know that they can survive in there. The LEDs that I bought only had lumen/Watt ratings.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15391689#post15391689 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sphil876p
Thanks guys. I will just keep it to the pics of the corals I picked up which are now being acclimated to my LED lighting. Now if only I could figure out how to get some decent pics of the corals under the LEDs.....:(
Click to expand...

Pictures are always good. :D Of course, I'm also interested in how well they will do under the LEDs.
 
Got some pics of the new corals I picked up this weekend........
Been under the LEDs for 48hrs :D

Acropora somethingorother :confused:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40220688@N05/3743827911/" title="PICT0408 by sphil876, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2601/3743827911_f2bd605a2f.jpg" width="500" height="463" alt="PICT0408" /></a>

Acropora somethingorother :confused:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40220688@N05/3743828281/" title="PICT0404 by sphil876, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3743828281_c6900b9c55.jpg" width="500" height="431" alt="PICT0404" /></a>
 
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