DIY LEDs - The write-up

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Indeed, to get the best resolution you'd want to aim for that specific range. Going with straight 0-5V would leave you with a "dead spot" at each end.

fernandokng, read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_divider

Basically, you put two resistors in series from your 0-10V DC output, then "tap" a wire between them and run that to your buckpuck. The ratio of values between the two resistors determines how much the signal is cut down. You could use two equal-value resistors and split your 0-10V DC signal exactly in half, which would send 0-5V DC to the buckpuck.
 
Hey, everyone...

I've been stupid busy lately and haven't given the update I promised. I will make a new promise that I will have an update with pics this weekend. I finally get some time off before a big expo next week so I'll get you all in the know.

Without pics, I can tell you that I had an ALK issue and lost most of my super awesome blue digi and a lot of my orange/multicolor flesh digi. Too much kalkwasser I guess. I've got that in check now and haven't been dosing kalkwasser much at all. Growth is slowed quite a bit so I need to get back into that regimen. However, colors are fantastic on the corals and there has been some decent growth on most of the corals since my last update.

I'll be back this weekend!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15601069#post15601069 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by madadi
thanks, i wanted to buy the buckpucks because they are easiest to dim with pots but i also wanted the option to upgrade to a more sophisticated dimming control down the road like an Arduino board. im 90% sure it can do it with the bucks but i dont want to spend the money unless im sure. :)
Click to expand...

Yes, I know the arduino amtel atmega328 inside out. See my projects at ircombat.com for proof. I have also created several reef LED projects in the past. google 'zachtos LED' if you must.

buck puck specs - dim this by purchasing the 3021-d-exxx or 3021-d-ixxx. You pulse this on and off w/ the arduino easily by wiring one of the PWM pins (3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11) and setting the duty cycle using dimmer tutorial

here is one alternative to expensive buck pucks.led current driver , about $4 ea I'm not sure how many LEDs it can push, because it's based on the thermal reduction. You may be able to power a dozen off this thing if you use active cooling (fan)... maybe.

I personally toyed w/ the idea of making an array (using mc-e kree not the inferior luxeons/rebels), but making my array use large pulses of current and a very low duty cycle to prevent them from burning up. you would have to take thermal readings w/ an IR gun throughout the day to find the proper duty cycle and current peak so you don't destroy the array.
 
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zachto

I am all for a cheaper driver, but the one you found is surface mount. I don't mind soldering, but is there another way to handle the surface without sending to a board house?

Thanks
 
zachto

I am all for a cheaper driver, but the one you found is surface mount. I don't mind soldering, but is there another way to handle the surface without sending to a board house?

Thanks
 
The SO-8 model would not be too hard to solder, but yes it's not easy to do w/o printing a circuit board. I cringe at the though of all the soldering involved w/o printing a circuit board. (just been throught that w/ my massive laser tag project).

Make sure you just buy one arduino and two buck pucks, don't go all out at once, or you could end up losing a lot of money. Get a piece of the project working properly then scale up.

Don't expect much in the way of PAR. I already gave up on LEDs for the next few years. Even the higher end rebel bins I've measured at shows from PFO solaris only got around 400-500 at water surface (same as T5 for 5X the cost!) I am not convinced the LED spectrum is good for growing coral yet.

I still say wait 4 years on the LED technology. The cost/benefit is missing still. But for a small tank, go ahead and play around. Solid state lighting will likely take over (plasma or LED), and inductive lighting is coming back to overtake MH/HPS currently. T5 is currently the most energy efficient lighting that is affordable. The cree mc-e at nearly 300-400 lumens/watt seemed fantastic though, too bad the price is $30 each currently.
 
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thanks for the brake down zachtos, looks like i should have stuck with the electrical engineering school lol dropped out to go in the medical field

according to this pg and i hope im reading it right, the arduino has a 5v supply pin built in that you can easily hook up a PWM to dim a compatible power supply. i wonder if you can hook up that same 5v source to the power supply and program a sunset sunrise code into the arduino.

http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Smoothing

a ton of great info on that site, thanks zachtos. im going to order one for sure. the hard part will be to hook up a small screen so you can actually output what %power each led string is at!
 
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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15612586#post15612586 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by apt220
Does anyone have updated PAR results after over 3 months of use?
Click to expand...

The reason I ask is because this is probably THE most important thing that separates LEDs from T5 and MH--the ability to last for a long period of time. If it wasn't for this, I probably would have went with T5.

Thanks
 
That's a lot of reading...

I have a standard size 55G tank (48 x 13 x 18) that I would like to convert to LED. Can someone tell me what I need to get going?

  • # of LED that I need to get (want to maintain 1:1 ratio for blue/white) and where to get them for cheap (dealextreme for white but where to get blue?)
    the puckdriver or meanswell powersupply?
    the heatsink and what size? I want to make this as "two banks"
    do I need optics? would you recommend? I only have fish and SPS, no clams
 
As promised, here are some pics...

IMG_5734.jpg


IMG_5736.jpg


IMG_5739.jpg


These are current as of 8-28-09

If I were keeping up with KALK additions, I would surely have more growth.

Quite a difference from my last update...

DSC05996-2.jpg
 
Wow this thread is amazing I have looked so hard for an alternative to the very costly aqua illumination lighting system. Cutting the cost in half will be excellent, and the PAR will be close enough for the difference to not be too noticeable. Thanks so much Soundwave!
 
What size of a heatsink do I need if I am going to do 2 banks on a 55G tank? It looks like Large 2 Foot Plus (plus how many inches?) will fit the bill what is the exact length do I need?

How many LED do I need?
 
Soundwave, thanks so much for the update. Sorry to hear about the kalk problems, but the tank and the lighting still looks fantastic. I hope to put into practice your help and instructions on my LED system soon.

Cheers.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15617161#post15617161 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by milkit
Cree P4 XR-E 7090

are these the same leds people are using?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2134 has 5 packs for $17.81 with free (slow slow slow) shipping
Click to expand...


No, everyone has been using Q5 or Q4 at the least. If you want to wait R2 would also be a very good choice. I havent looked at the chart recently but I think P4 is a very low output for the XR-E series.
 
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