DIY LED Array build

[der_wille_zur_macht]

When I was first looking at LED prices, the discount from going with DX wasn't as large as it is now, so I avoided them - but they've dropped prices recently and now they seem to be a clear choice for the cool whites at least. Do they sell proper bins of the blues yet? Last time I checked (a few months ago, I hate searching on their site so I rarely do it) they didn't.

 

[SpacedCowboy]

Do they sell proper bins of the blues yet? Last time I checked (a few months ago, I hate searching on their site so I rarely do it) they didn't.

I hate searching on their site too. They have some blues that they don't describe properly, but the price was good on them too ($3.33 each), so I ordered 6 to see what one string looked like

The link to the ones I ordered is http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1775 - I suspect these aren't top-notch ones (or they'd be marked as such) but it was worth the gamble

Simon

 

[sphil876p]

Found something interesting at a local Lowes yesterday....

All but the smallest size have standard screw in medium bases....
The color temperature is not what we use(3000k), and these are lower wattage LEDs, but we must be able to do something with this......

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I'm guessing it's low-efficiency LEDs compared to what we're using. Or at least lower bins. At that point, it's a cool toy to play with on a small tank, but will cost more in the long run than DIY'ing.

The real trick would be hacking some known-good LEDs into those enclosures.

 

[sphil876p]

I'm guessing it's low-efficiency LEDs compared to what we're using. Or at least lower bins. At that point, it's a cool toy to play with on a small tank, but will cost more in the long run than DIY'ing.

The real trick would be hacking some known-good LEDs into those enclosures.

That is what I was thinking. I am wondering if there is a way to use the existing driver circuit, and just use 1 less LED on the circuit to drive the 3.3 watt per we currently use.

 

[james3370]

i think the high-end LEDs are what evill66 over on nano-reef.com has started producing w/ nanotuners/nanocustoms (same company BTW)

http://www.nanocustoms.com/index.php?cPath=30

http://www.nanotuners.com/index.php?cPath=74&osCsid=on58qgbe92b821hmk8qi3jf3n7

nanotuners also looks to be another good source for the LEDs, optics & meanwells (although they only show the "d" model for dimming)

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

i think the high-end LEDs are what evill66 over on nano-reef.com has started producing w/ nanotuners/nanocustoms (same company BTW)

http://www.nanocustoms.com/index.php?cPath=30

http://www.nanotuners.com/index.php?cPath=74&osCsid=on58qgbe92b821hmk8qi3jf3n7

nanotuners also looks to be another good source for the LEDs, optics & meanwells (although they only show the "d" model for dimming)

The nano sites are definitely fine sources in small quantities, but once you hit big-tank counts, other places are cheaper due to the volume discounts.

And not to discredit Evil's PAR 38 fixture there, but though he mentioned "XR-E" in one of the threads I saw, there was no mention of a bin. Still, they're probably nice fixtures if you don't have the gumption to DIY. At $120 for 5 LEDs, it's about twice the price you could DIY it for.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

That is what I was thinking. I am wondering if there is a way to use the existing driver circuit, and just use 1 less LED on the circuit to drive the 3.3 watt per we currently use.

You'd probably want to use the same LED count - the driver is set to a certain current, not a certain wattage. So, using a similar total voltage drop (i.e. same count of HP-LEDs) you'd end up with a similar wattage. LEDs aren't really something you can specify a certain wattage for - they'll operate over a huge range. When you DO see a wattage for a raw LED, it usually corresponds to either max current, or "typical" current - but there's no real standard there either. When you see a wattage figure for a finished product, it's specifying the wattage that product was designed to run at, not the wattage of the LEDs themselves.

Swapping in known-efficient LEDs would probably make the fixture better in lots of ways - less heat, since you're turning more energy into light and wasting less.

Though, when all is said and done, by the time you swapped LEDs into that fixture, you could probably just build one of the clip-lamp nano fixtures as in my thread, for less money. And you could build it to whatever enclosure you wanted instead of being constrained to the lamp format of those things.

 

[Altpers0na]

Found something interesting at a local Lowes yesterday....

when i first saw that pic, i thought, wth? $10 per led? then i saw they were standard screw in sockets. now im interested.

might have to hit lowes saturday. maybe i'll have a gift card to burn...

its a shame they dont have em in royal blue. that would be a sure sell for me. maybe i'll put some magic marker blue over one of the leds.

 

[Altpers0na]

those lowes bulbs are feit

 

[Altpers0na]

i checked the feit catalog. all the leds are 3k.

 

[Chicago]

Taggin along. On a 500 gal fowlr I wonder how much money could be saved by replacing 4 400 watt mh.
My electric bill is out of control.

 

[ivang]

Eagle is all I've ever used (on Windows and a Mac) though only on a minimal hobbyist level. The UI is a little cumbersome and has a rather proprietary feel to it, but it's pretty customizable as far as hotkeys, etc. I'll second the suggestion about SparkFun's libraries, too.

I've been using Eagle for years. Once you understand how to use it, it is pretty straight forward. I've been designing satellite electronics with Eagle.

Ivan

 

[chriscobb]

I've been reading thought I was understanding alittle but now I'm confused...I want to build and LED unit for my new setup and I was looking at the wired buck puck from ledsupply.

Wired Buck Puck 3023-D-E w/pot.....says it will run 18 1w led?
1000Ma

Can someone explain how you determine exactly how many led can be run safely on a puck? I know you have to know the forward voltage for the LED which is 3.7 if running at 1000Ma. Any help in understanding would be greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[chriscobb]

Another stupid question I have is that I've been looking at different places on the led and 1 place I see that the Q5 list them as 1W and another site I see them listed as 3W? Do they make it in both wattages?

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Taggin along. On a 500 gal fowlr I wonder how much money could be saved by replacing 4 400 watt mh.
My electric bill is out of control.

On a FOWLR you could go pretty low on LED count - four 400w MH sounds like a TON of light for a FOWLR! I bet you could get by with 300w of LEDs. 75% less electricity, and no lamp replacement costs.

I've been reading thought I was understanding alittle but now I'm confused...I want to build and LED unit for my new setup and I was looking at the wired buck puck from ledsupply.

Wired Buck Puck 3023-D-E w/pot.....says it will run 18 1w led?
1000Ma

Can someone explain how you determine exactly how many led can be run safely on a puck? I know you have to know the forward voltage for the LED which is 3.7 if running at 1000Ma. Any help in understanding would be greatly appreciated!!!!

A buckpuck can run 6 LEDs wired in series. That's the limit, and that's how you want to use them. The higher-count circuits in the datasheet are all making use of parallel strings of serial LEDs, which you really don't want to fool with.

Another stupid question I have is that I've been looking at different places on the led and 1 place I see that the Q5 list them as 1W and another site I see them listed as 3W? Do they make it in both wattages?

Forget about wattage ratings on the LEDs. LEDs can be driven at a VERY wide range of wattages. Some places quote the "test" wattage that the specs are listed at in the datasheet, other places quote the "max" wattage. It really makes no difference - you want to focus on getting the correct model and bin of LED, then driving it at an appropriate current. Wattage is really a result of what you build with LEDs, not a deciding factor in the design - if that makes sense.

 

[chriscobb]

So DWZM your telling me that only 6 leds per puck? I thought I've seen and read that you could go at least 12??? 6 just seems low.

 

[chriscobb]

What is the difference between the ELN-60-48D and the ELN-60-48P. I've heard or read people have problems with dimming the P model?

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

So DWZM your telling me that only 6 leds per puck?

Yep.

I thought I've seen and read that you could go at least 12??? 6 just seems low.

You're probably thinking of meanwell drivers; a completely different beast.

What is the difference between the ELN-60-48D and the ELN-60-48P. I've heard or read people have problems with dimming the P model?

The "D" model takes a 0-10v analog DC signal for dimming. The "P" model takes a 10v (max) PWM signal. So it really just depends on how you intend to control them. The D model is probably easier for people with no control infrastructure in place, since you can control it with a wall wart and a pot, if you're careful. The P model makes sense if you have a controller that can produce a PWM signal.

 

[chriscobb]

Thanks....sorry for the confusion.....I'm tossing the drivers around in my head.....I have a pretty big area to light, and the Meanwell's seem to be a better choice in my thinking........Still in the build stages on my setup and planning on using the new Apex as a controller, so from what I've read then the "P" model of the Meanwell would work with the Apex correct?