DIY LED Array build

[der_wille_zur_macht]

A big thanks to greenbean. I'm going to have to read your posts 4 or 5 more times before I feel confident to ask any questions.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Ok after reading 10 pages and getting a bad headache. QUESTION??? So if i buy a meanwell ELN-60-48D and run 12-13 LED on a single driver I can hook up a cheap $2 pot and dim that string of LED. In other word the driver will have 2 extra wires(i think it blue and white) and those 2 wires goes to the pot??
Thanks
Kenny

The meanwell drivers need an extrnal power source for the dimming circuit. So you'll need a pot, and a ~10v DC wall wart. The wiring is more or less described on the datasheet, but several people who have used these drivers have detailed it in their build threads, so it's worth a look around.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I need some help with the design of my array. I have a 48" long bow front that is 24" wide in the center and 29" deep. I keep Sps and have 3 clams on the sand bed. Will 108 LEDs be enough, how far apart should I space them if I plan going with 3 heat sinks two 15 long and one in the center 19 inches long? Will I need to use 60 degree optics to get light down to the sand bed?

That sounds like about right for the number of LEDs, though maybe a few more since the tank is deep.

I'd just space evenly as possible across the three heatsinks. Should put you in the neighborhood of ~3" between each LED.

I would skip optics, or stay pretty wide (60's at a minimum), especially if you use XR-E, which have a pretty narrow viewing angle to begin with. It would be reasonable to use optics above the clams, since they'll be so far down. (one of the benefits of LEDs - you can alter lighting in specific areas like this!)

 

[Canoe]

DWZM asked me last week if I could help shed some light (pun intended) on the color-loss issue with the corals...

... up until it becomes too high and causes damage, in which case it can slow growth and give washed out color...

...The spectrum reaching the zoox can (and usually is) highly modified from the spectrum striking the surface of the coral.

Exactly what I needed to understand saturation and bleaching. Thank you very much.

Makes it imperative for dimmable LED lighting.

Am I reading this wrong or is there also a case for slightly varying the colour spectrum every now and then (light sunny days vs. cloudy days?), or should it be left constant?

Is there a target range of PAR one wants in a tank? I.E., 30" deep tank with 250 PAR at the top and 150 PAR at the sand?

 

[Canoe]

... 48" long bow front that is 24" wide in the center and 29" deep. I keep Sps and have 3 clams on the sand bed. Will 108 LEDs be enough, how far apart should I space them if I plan going with 3 heat sinks two 15 long and one in the center 19 inches long? Will I need to use 60 degree optics to get light down to the sand bed?

Not an answer, but...

Given that we know the output intensity and angle of an LED device, surely we can calculate it's light intensity in PAR at a given distance (depth). Then with the spacing of arrays, the combined intensity. Then combining blue, white & whatever strings. It must be possible to calculate, with even spacing of devices within an array, the resulting PAR. It should even be possible to graph a resulting light intensity pattern of what the array would look like projecting onto white paper at a given distance (show hotspots or deadspots).

Anyone know any of the math?

 

[kcress]

greenbean36191; Thanks for the clarification! Most interesting!

 

[sphil876p]

Ok after reading 10 pages and getting a bad headache. QUESTION??? So if i buy a meanwell ELN-60-48D and run 12-13 LED on a single driver I can hook up a cheap $2 pot and dim that string of LED. In other word the driver will have 2 extra wires(i think it blue and white) and those 2 wires goes to the pot??
Thanks
Kenny

You got it dude....
There will also be a third leg on the pot that needs to be attached to (Negative)ground supplied by your "Wall Wart" 12v power supply....
From what I have been told so far this power supply doesnt need to supply very much amperage, but I used a 200MA supply to run two pots with sucess.

 

[sphil876p]

Not an answer, but...

Given that we know the output intensity and angle of an LED device, surely we can calculate it's light intensity in PAR at a given distance (depth). Then with the spacing of arrays, the combined intensity. Then combining blue, white & whatever strings. It must be possible to calculate, with even spacing of devices within an array, the resulting PAR. It should even be possible to graph a resulting light intensity pattern of what the array would look like projecting onto white paper at a given distance (show hotspots or deadspots).

Anyone know any of the math?

:eek1: WHAT?? Calling all Electrical Engineers.............
If we could come up with an Excel sheet that we could plug some basic array numbers/voltage, amperage etc. and output even approximate PAR values that would be awesome :bounce3:
I have just re enrolled in my local Community College, and hope to eventually become an Electrical Engineer....
This project was my motivation to get back to school, so thanks to those who brought this to the forefront in the DIY world.

 

[ssm05rsx]

:eek1: WHAT?? Calling all Electrical Engineers.............
If we could come up with an Excel sheet that we could plug some basic array numbers/voltage, amperage etc. and output even approximate PAR values that would be awesome :bounce3:
I have just re enrolled in my local Community College, and hope to eventually become an Electrical Engineer....
This project was my motivation to get back to school, so thanks to those who brought this to the forefront in the DIY world.

Sorry Electrical is not my forte, which is why I am going to Drexel for Mechanical Engineering. haha

 

[menthol]

This is an excellent thread, gives me new ideas on building/upgrading my next LED fixture.

I also like the talk about health and coloration of sps's. A friend of mine has been having problems with color loss as well with LED's. I on the other hand are all success stories to tell about the LED's lighting my 135gal. So i am anxious to hear some more about the matter.

hey wesley6610, do you have comparison photos on your sps after you turned down you LED's power?

 

[sphil876p]

This is an excellent thread, gives me new ideas on building/upgrading my next LED fixture.

I also like the talk about health and coloration of sps's. A friend of mine has been having problems with color loss as well with LED's. I on the other hand are all success stories to tell about the LED's lighting my 135gal. So i am anxious to hear some more about the matter.

hey wesley6610, do you have comparison photos on your sps after you turned down you LED's power?

Can you give us some details regarding your setup and success that you have experienced?

 

[nitjt]

How many drivers can I wire to one plug? I plan on 108 LED's on 3 arrays. Could I do three drivers per plug, each plug with it own dimmer? Would that mean six plugs total because I would need a wall wart for each dimmer?

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

How many drivers can I wire to one plug?

Depends on the circuit you're plugging in to and the rating on the materials you're using (wire for the power cord and plug.) Give us the specs on these and we can tell you.

Would that mean six plugs total because I would need a wall wart for each dimmer?

The dimming circuits are pretty low-power, it's likely you could drive them all off even the smallest wall wart you can find.

 

[nitjt]

What kind of wire would I need to use for the plug to be able to power the 3 meanwell dimmable drivers?

 

[Reef_Matrix29]

menthol please share some picks of your DIY build and the results that you have gotten.

I didn't have much better results when I turned the LEDs down to 500mA from 700mA; however, I did take photos of their recovery once I put the T5's back on the tank for just 4 days after taking the LEDs off and they have bounced back considerably!!! The only truly funny thing is that my crocea clam didn't mind the increased intensity and looks the same under the LEDs as it did the T5s, not that is a trooper for real!

This was taken 10-10-2009 @ 700mA

10-24-2009 @ 500mA

11-10-2009 under T5s....see the difference!

 

[g8gxp]

You may have to go down even further. A friend who did a similar build on a smaller tank runs at a max of 350. anything higher he said was too much. At least for his tank anyways.

 

[Reef_Matrix29]

I agree that 350mA at a good spacing of LEDs and no optics should be good! I think that after about 2 months of recovery I will test out my arrays again and see if I can maintain the corals the second time around at lower current. The pro is that the LEDs will last longer and may not need as much cooling. The con is that the tank won't "look" as bright as we are use to, so some supplementation might be necessary. To my eyes, the tank looked really dim when I adjusted it to 350 initially on a spare tank and then up to 500 as middle ground once I noticed decline in coral health.

Does your friend have any pics for you to share with their lights at 350mA?

 

[CaptiveReef]

LED Lighting

LED Lighting

I am researching a company in California, who have a full spectrum fixture for corals, they are claiming a bulb life of 50,000 hours and a power consumption of 119 watts. Here is info from this fixture.

High Power WHITE + BLUE LED Aquarium Reef corals grow light
High Power WHITE + BLUE LED Aquarium Reef corals grow light

Product Information

BENEFITS: Solid State, Cooler Running, High Efficiency, Dual Color Blended Full Spectrum LED plant lighting, This panel has no ballasts to burn out like other aquarium or plant lights. It runs at a warm temperature rather than very hot which is common with most other inefficient plant lights. This more controlled running temperature reduces water evaporation and keeps rooms with tanks and plants from getting uncomfortably hot in the summer months requiring additional air conditioning. They save electricity dual fold. This state of the art BLUE + WHITE LED panel tank and plant light is extremely energy efficient paying for itself many times over each year in electricity savings. It saves 50% to 90% in energy consumption compared to incandescent bulbs or fluorescent tubes. Wide angle projection insures uniform coverage. This specialty WHITE + BLUE LED Aquarium and grow light panel is designed to allow you to custom tailor the light spectrum for maximum growth and breeding condition.

The purity and power of this Blue + WHITE LED panel has been scientifically designed to provide large illumination coverage of 8 to 10 square feet. 14 to 16 hours per day is all that is necessary for maximum fish metabolism and Coral Reef. The typical white (metal halide) plant lights that run at high temperatures consume excessive electricity, wasting money. LEDs turn on instantly and can be turned on and off by hand each day or work well with all standard lamp timers.

These LED light panels are perfect as all year permanent Aquarium and Plant lights for Fish, Reef, Corals, Amphibians, Reptiles, Mammals, Insects and Plant tanks and benches. They are especially productive for spring vegetable and flower seedling development.

Specifications:

LED quantity: 119pcs x 1 Watt LED (71 White + 48 Blue)

LED configuration: BridgeLux 1w/LED

Color: White and Blue mixed, White: 14000K(14000-20000k),

Blue: 460nm

Dimension: 15.75" x 8.38" x 2.80" Or 400X213X71 mm

Gross weight: 11 Pounds or 5kg



2" depth - 1537 Par

12" depth - 423 Par

24" depth - 182 Par

I'll post info after the purchase.
Captive Reef

 

[Reef_Matrix29]

Sounds good, do you have any photos of this unit to share just yet? Any information about dimming ability?

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

What kind of wire would I need to use for the plug to be able to power the 3 meanwell dimmable drivers?

I'd feel comfortable with 16 gauge. A cheap source is the 99 cent extension cords available at hardware stores.

Your drivers are going to be around 60w each, so three is 180w, or around 1.5A on 120V AC at the wall.