DIY LEDs - The write-up

[adova]

I think I need a multimeter lesson if someone has a sec.

I just hooked up my driver and connected it to a single LED and blew it. If I am correct, I forgot that I need to adjust the Meanwell to reduce the current to 1 amp from 1.3. However, I am not sure how to read the current from the MW. I can see the 48v, but nothing for the current.

Then, I am noticing that the cheap ($20) multimeter that I have says a max read of 200 mA if I am understanding it correctly.

Any help is appreciated before I go through more LEDs....

 

[F35-Joint Strike Fighter]

edited

 

[adova]

Ahh - a self-modifiying range multimeter up to 10 Amps did the trick. I was able to dial everything down to 48v and 1A. So, just to check, I should be able to hook up to a single LED safey at this point, correct?

 

[adova]

Also - what temperature would you recommend soldering at for this application? I have read somewhere around 330-350c - sound good?

 

[ti-christ]

URGENT: Please help

URGENT: Please help

Hello

I really need help to decide which LED I should buy. I have to place an order tomorrow:

I have accessed to the following LED from my electronic distributor. It has to following parts in stock.

#1: XPG: XPGWHT-L1-0000-00G51, the Group code=R4 and the BIN= 0D

#2: XPE: XPEROY-L1-0000-00901, the Group code=15 and DWL Group=D3 (dominant wavelenght is between 450-455 nm)

#3: XPE: XPEROY-L1-0000-00901, the Group code=15 and DWL Group=D4 (dominant wavelenght is between 455-460 nm)

#4: XPE: XPEROY-L1-0000-00901, the Group code=15 and DWL Group=D5 (dominant wavelenght is between 460-465 nm)

I am planning to buy the #1 and one of the #2, #3 or #4.

Question #1:
Is the #1 a good choice for the Cool White, I know that the intensity (lm) is lower than the R5 but the BIN 0D is right on the black body line and it's very high in kelvin (higher than the 1A) ?
Is 0D better than 1A?
Is 0D more blue than 1A?

Question #2:
Which XPE should I use?
Is it better to go with the lower wavelength (450-455 nm) or with the higher wavelenght (460-465nm)?
Or it does not matter?

Questions #3:
Using these LEDs, what will be the perfect ratio to emulate a 14k - 20k MH bulb ?

Question #4:
Is the Royal-Blue LEDs required only for esthetic purpose or the coral needs them to grow?
If I have a frags tank? Do I need to any Royal Blue LEDs?

I apologize for my english because it's my second language. If my questions are unclear, I will be glad to explain it again.

Your answer will be very helpful and I have to be sure that I am buying the right stuff because I have to buy a minimum of 250 each (250 CoolWhite and 250 Royal blue). Therefore, I have to be sure that they will perfect!!!

Finally, is anybody used the LIDEL lens? They have a 48-degree lens that can be mounted on XPG/XPE.

Also, I will have some LED left after my project. Is there anybody in Canada (I do not know if I can ship easily in USA) that can be interested to buy my left-over LEDs?

Thank you very much for your feedback

Chris

 

[MuckTown]

Has anyone done any test with LED spacing? Is there a standard?

I am using the CPU cooler heatsink method with six LEDs and it is running cool. But the LEDs are very close to one another. Could there be any benefit or drawback to having them so close?

 

[sfsuphysics]

Benefit: Stronger light Since there are 6 LEDs close together

Drawback: you'll have that "cone of light" rather that dispersed all over the tank. It is very easy to bleach corals due to the tight wavelength spectrum of some of the LEDs out there.

 

[MuckTown]

sfsuphysics: The thought is to build 12-14 light sources and spread them evenly around the tank. The tank is 150g with about 18" to the bottom.

I guess I will have to be careful not to bleach. My thought is to use dimming.

 

[tahiriqbal]

Hello

I really need help to decide which LED I should buy. I have to place an order tomorrow:

I have accessed to the following LED from my electronic distributor. It has to following parts in stock.

#1: XPG: XPGWHT-L1-0000-00G51, the Group code=R4 and the BIN= 0D

Above BIN looks fine and at the right node. You be only loosing very few lumens and price is pretty good too. I personally think we should add some lower kelvin LEDs as well as higher kelvin LEDs to get some warm light coming though the lighting fixture.

#2: XPE: XPEROY-L1-0000-00901, the Group code=15 and DWL Group=D3 (dominant wavelenght is between 450-455 nm)

#3: XPE: XPEROY-L1-0000-00901, the Group code=15 and DWL Group=D4 (dominant wavelenght is between 455-460 nm)

For the royal blues, dominant wavelength is between 450-465nm. Its the mW output you should be concerned about when looking at these LEDs for performance.

I am planning to buy the #1 and one of the #2, #3 or #4.

Question #1:
Is the #1 a good choice for the Cool White, I know that the intensity (lm) is lower than the R5 but the BIN 0D is right on the black body line and it's very high in kelvin (higher than the 1A) ?
Is 0D better than 1A?
Is 0D more blue than 1A?

Why not....see above comments

Question #2:
Which XPE should I use?
Is it better to go with the lower wavelength (450-455 nm) or with the higher wavelenght (460-465nm)?
Or it does not matter?

See above comments

Questions #3:
Using these LEDs, what will be the perfect ratio to emulate a 14k - 20k MH bulb ?

I would say it all depends on if you are going to involve a dimmer controller as this could emulate whatever looks you want. I think some people would say 2:1 white to blue and some people would say 1:1 equally, proof is in the pudding.

Question #4:
Is the Royal-Blue LEDs required only for esthetic purpose or the coral needs them to grow?
If I have a frags tank? Do I need to any Royal Blue LEDs?

Royal blue does help in coral growth to certain extent and makes your coral colour pops a lot more. I hope this helps.
I apologize for my english because it's my second language. If my questions are unclear, I will be glad to explain it again.

Your answer will be very helpful and I have to be sure that I am buying the right stuff because I have to buy a minimum of 250 each (250 CoolWhite and 250 Royal blue). Therefore, I have to be sure that they will perfect!!!

Finally, is anybody used the LIDEL lens? They have a 48-degree lens that can be mounted on XPG/XPE.

Also, I will have some LED left after my project. Is there anybody in Canada (I do not know if I can ship easily in USA) that can be interested to buy my left-over LEDs?

Thank you very much for your feedback

Chris

 

[Reefer08]

Bad idea. LEDs and T5 lamps inherently spread light in a very different manner. T5 reflectors are designed for T5 lamps. If you mount an LED in the manner you're describing, only a VERY VERY VERY small percentage of the light will even hit the T5 reflector, which means it won't have the chance to do much for you. Plus, T5 reflectors are expensive when compared to getting a suitable number of cheap optics, which WILL do a lot for you in terms of directing light.

There is no need to use a reflector other than if you want to use optics specifically for the LEDs to reshape their inherent beam. With these LEDs light is emitted only in the direction it is mounted. According to Cree's data sheet, whites emit a cone of light approximately 90° wide, and royal blues approximately 100° wide. T5s emit light 360° around the tube therefore the need to redirect any misdirected light in the appropriate direction with a reflector. With these LEDs all of the light should already be aimed in the right general direction, that's why many people don't even opt for optics!
Tim

Oops too slow of me...

Thanks for the clarification and response

 

[kcress]

Ahh - a self-modifiying range multimeter up to 10 Amps did the trick. I was able to dial everything down to 48v and 1A. So, just to check, I should be able to hook up to a single LED safey at this point, correct?

??? Depends. Most drivers won't work for only a couple of LEDs they may cook them. So a single one? No.

 

[kcress]

Also - what temperature would you recommend soldering at for this application? I have read somewhere around 330-350c - sound good?

Sound good? No. You want H O T. Think 420C.

 

[adova]

Thanks kcress!

 

[Lemeshianos]

I was looking at:
http://cutter.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=cut964

They have a 7 up(not the soft drink )
The 7 up is 4 x XPG Cool White and 3 x XPE Royal Blue on a 40mm Dia Metal Core PCB

I am thinking of getting 5 of these.
So here are my questions:
Will this be ok for a 70g?
What driver would I need?
Any suggestion for a heatsink?
How close to the water can I place them and are the optics an essential?

Or a more general question:

What do I need to build my own DIY LEDs for a 70gallon?

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

sfsuphysics: The thought is to build 12-14 light sources and spread them evenly around the tank. The tank is 150g with about 18" to the bottom.

I guess I will have to be careful not to bleach. My thought is to use dimming.

Don't abandon your approach! I love the creativity. I've done this on a few smaller builds and it worked very well. You have to be careful of bleaching with any LED rig, I wouldn't worry too much.

Having several stronger point sources instead of an even "matrix" of LEDs covering the tank from edge to edge can create some interesting effects - shadows and so on. Definitely not for everyone but it can be a really cool effect.

 

[jjackson]

Here is my buddies DIY led project...
He is currently making one for me

 

[kcress]

Looks great! Got a close up of the board?

 

[jjackson]

I dont, it is my buddies design he had the boards made...

 

[skippyreef]

Getting rdy to wire the first pendent. I ended up with 5 rows of 14 LEDs on 24-8.5 inch heat sink. Going to use this one for a higher light effect. The rest of the rigs will be spaced 3 inch between rows instead of 1.5 inches. These will be right at 250 LEDs over the tank. Thinking of doing some area with a
2:1 royal blue to creat an illusion of deeper
water

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I was looking at:
http://cutter.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=cut964

They have a 7 up(not the soft drink )
The 7 up is 4 x XPG Cool White and 3 x XPE Royal Blue on a 40mm Dia Metal Core PCB

I am thinking of getting 5 of these.
So here are my questions:
Will this be ok for a 70g?
What driver would I need?
Any suggestion for a heatsink?
How close to the water can I place them and are the optics an essential?

Or a more general question:

What do I need to build my own DIY LEDs for a 70gallon?

Those 7-up MCPCBs strike me as the wrong ratio - I'd rather see them with more royals and fewer cool whites. Also, 7 is a weird number to drive. Buckpucks do 6 LEDs each, meanwells do 12 - 13 LEDs each - so with 7 per MCPCB, you're going to have some weird wiring to do.

5 * 7 = 35 total LEDs - which is probably somewhat in the right range for a 70g, depending on how much light you wanted - it'll definitely be on the low side compared to many LED rigs, but then again many LED rigs are rather intense.

Getting rdy to wire the first pendent. I ended up with 5 rows of 14 LEDs on 24-8.5 inch heat sink. Going to use this one for a higher light effect. The rest of the rigs will be spaced 3 inch between rows instead of 1.5 inches. These will be right at 250 LEDs over the tank. Thinking of doing some area with a
2:1 royal blue to creat an illusion of deeper
water

Sounds good! Remind us again how big your tank is? 250 LEDs - it must be HUGE. Makes me kinda sad. I thought my 360g was going to be the biggest LED-lit tank yet.