akindbro4u
New member
what bin xpg is everyone using?
DIY LEDs - The write-up
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akindbro4u
New member
that's my top four in that order
akindbro4u
New member
not at all. BTW when is the split? Also any answer to my question would be great before it gets lost in the voting.. lol
HeneryH
Henery Hawk
I'm using the following which is simply based of what I thought was the prevailing wisdom here...
XPGWHT-L1-1A0-R5-0-01
XPEROY-L1-D40-16-0-01
I looked up all the codes in the Cree spec sheet and they all seemed to make sense.
akindbro4u
New member
still using stars, or have we switched to the squares,
der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
My approach is to get the most efficient brightness bin possible (R5 right now).
For color bin, I'd stay on the BBL and choose warm or cool based on personal preference and mixture with other LEDs.
For instance, right now Cutter has R5 brightness bin in 1A, 1B, and 1C. 1A is right on the BBL but it's more expensive by 25 cents per LED. 1B and 1C aren't really that far off, so I'd pick based on whether I wanted a hair warmer or cooler. They're both above the line which means a tiny green/yellow tint.
Regarding who's the "expert." I don't really think there is (or needs to be) a single source of knowledge on the subject. MH and T5 are both basically fully developed technologies, in that not much is changing about their fundamental capabilities or application to reef lighting. Meanwhile, LEDs are developing faster than most of us care to realize; hence it's fitting that their application is described in a rambling discussion instead of a finished treatise or singe person's standard approach. In other words, the minute one of us says "this is the way to do it" they're wrong, because someone else has come up with a better method or a new LED has been released. Better that we focus on discussing what each of us has discovered at this point in time.
I'm flattered to get "votes" but really I think the perception is just because I talk too much because this stuff really excites me. :lol: There are many people who know far more about this stuff than I do but post much less.
For color bin, I'd stay on the BBL and choose warm or cool based on personal preference and mixture with other LEDs.
For instance, right now Cutter has R5 brightness bin in 1A, 1B, and 1C. 1A is right on the BBL but it's more expensive by 25 cents per LED. 1B and 1C aren't really that far off, so I'd pick based on whether I wanted a hair warmer or cooler. They're both above the line which means a tiny green/yellow tint.
Regarding who's the "expert." I don't really think there is (or needs to be) a single source of knowledge on the subject. MH and T5 are both basically fully developed technologies, in that not much is changing about their fundamental capabilities or application to reef lighting. Meanwhile, LEDs are developing faster than most of us care to realize; hence it's fitting that their application is described in a rambling discussion instead of a finished treatise or singe person's standard approach. In other words, the minute one of us says "this is the way to do it" they're wrong, because someone else has come up with a better method or a new LED has been released. Better that we focus on discussing what each of us has discovered at this point in time.
I'm flattered to get "votes" but really I think the perception is just because I talk too much because this stuff really excites me. :lol: There are many people who know far more about this stuff than I do but post much less.
When I am looking to the XP-G datasheet, I can see the brightness from R2 to R5. But where did you see the color bin 1A, 1B or 1C ?!? Where are you taking your information.
Thank you
akindbro4u
New member
ok that answers that. gluing is out of the question so that leaves stars. Next question. what optics to get from cutter. everything I saw was around $5-6
HeneryH
Henery Hawk
That is why I went square and the $1.20 optics.
May I ask... Why is glue out of the question?
akindbro4u
New member
I want to be able to change my configuration, as my tank changes. Spotlighting...etc.
ReefEnabler
Premium Member
FWIW I don't think the thermal epoxy is as permenant as some make it out to be.
I accidentally elbowed one of the optics off my LEDs and managed to smash in the acrylic dome on the emitter itself while I was at it, so I had to remove that LED and replace it (it had shorted closed due to smashing).
I used an adjustable wrench and fit it right up against the star and heatsink, and the star came clean off with one good twist. Most of the epoxy stuck to the star, and the little that was left on the heatsink came off easily with a blade. Then I just epoxy'd a new star there; the whole repair was done in a few minutes, then left for ~1hr to cure before firing back up.
I didn't alter the mix ratio from 1:1 and I did clean all parts with isopropyl alcohol. And I tested the temp of all my stars using a thermocouple and the starbase is the same temp as the heatsink so theres no reason to suspect a weak bond to start with (although it IS possibly my bonding job was less than perfect but still plenty good enough for thermal conductivity).
In the past I tried removing a Luxeon with a regular wrench (not adjustable), and ended up just mangling the hell out of the star. So using an adjustable wrench that fits snug will make a big difference.
I accidentally elbowed one of the optics off my LEDs and managed to smash in the acrylic dome on the emitter itself while I was at it, so I had to remove that LED and replace it (it had shorted closed due to smashing).
I used an adjustable wrench and fit it right up against the star and heatsink, and the star came clean off with one good twist. Most of the epoxy stuck to the star, and the little that was left on the heatsink came off easily with a blade. Then I just epoxy'd a new star there; the whole repair was done in a few minutes, then left for ~1hr to cure before firing back up.
I didn't alter the mix ratio from 1:1 and I did clean all parts with isopropyl alcohol. And I tested the temp of all my stars using a thermocouple and the starbase is the same temp as the heatsink so theres no reason to suspect a weak bond to start with (although it IS possibly my bonding job was less than perfect but still plenty good enough for thermal conductivity).
In the past I tried removing a Luxeon with a regular wrench (not adjustable), and ended up just mangling the hell out of the star. So using an adjustable wrench that fits snug will make a big difference.
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akindbro4u
New member
thats good to know. I was under the impression, however that the adhesive gets stronger over time. How long were your leds mounted?
ReefEnabler
Premium Member
Good point. Only been a few weeks so far. I guess maybe thats not enough time?
laverda
Well-known member
From the binning spec
That is clear as mud to me. I see the A1 and A2 are close to 6500K, but what does the rest of it mean. What do CCx and CCy stand for?
Der
What is BBL? When you say above the line, I assume you mean the dashed curved line. What does the line signify?
TheFishMan65
New member
Well I got all set to test out the heat sink capabilities and my scre at too long. They bottom out on one of the inside cooling fins. I guess I will get shorter screws tomorrow and try again.
dnahas
Premium Member
I was looking over at candlepowerforums and stumbled this vendor, upon
http://www.psiextrusions.com/heat.html
They have some nice profiles to choose from and the prices seem reasonable.
The bad news:
Profiles 3.5 inches wide and smaller have a 40-pound minimum order. Profiles larger than 3.5 inches have a minimum order of 150 pounds.
That is more than most of us need, but the good news is they are local to me. If anyone finds some they want to order I will call them to see if they will let local pickup without the 40lb min order. PM me and we'll see if we can work something out.
http://www.psiextrusions.com/heat.html
They have some nice profiles to choose from and the prices seem reasonable.
The bad news:
Profiles 3.5 inches wide and smaller have a 40-pound minimum order. Profiles larger than 3.5 inches have a minimum order of 150 pounds.
That is more than most of us need, but the good news is they are local to me. If anyone finds some they want to order I will call them to see if they will let local pickup without the 40lb min order. PM me and we'll see if we can work something out.
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