FW fugitive
New member
Optics and the LED's on stars...
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine...ium=featured+spotlight&utm_campaign=184307737
MH may be dead. It just doesn't know it yet. :bigeyes:
DIY LEDs - The write-up
- Thread starter JohnL
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Optics and the LED's on stars...
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine...ium=featured+spotlight&utm_campaign=184307737
MH may be dead. It just doesn't know it yet. :bigeyes:
widmer
Drug Enthusiast
2000 lumens @ 40 watts = 50 lumens per watt :sad1:
That's less than half as much light per electricity used as the XP-G's are doing... It's just like to 100w ebay LEDs..
widmer
Drug Enthusiast
It's all in the optics... I am getting something like 200 PAR at 5 feet from my 18x Cree XRE fixture with 8 degree optics
der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
And less than a third of what Cree's new XM platform (due out in the fall) will do: 160 lumens/watt!
DeepPirate
New member
Should I be required to treat the Aluminum frame (bar/angle) with anything to protect it from the salty air/moisture? Or anything else that may be above the tank....drivers, LEDs, etc. Should a protective shield be needed between the surface of the water and the lenses of the LED(s)?
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der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
Unless your fixture is more than, say, 18" off the water, I would definitely use a protective shield. Thin acrylic is fine. You can attach it to the face of the heatsink with tall standoffs. Clean it regularly.
Higher than that, less critical.
For wiring, drivers, etc. - just keep them out of harm's way. When you're planning cooling fan placement (especially in an enclosed hood) make sure you're not blowing "moist" air at anything important.
Higher than that, less critical.
For wiring, drivers, etc. - just keep them out of harm's way. When you're planning cooling fan placement (especially in an enclosed hood) make sure you're not blowing "moist" air at anything important.
serpentman
part time superhero
Does anyone have the exact measurements of height of the optics (when mounted to the star) from the surface they are mounted on? I am building my frame and am incorporating a tempered glass or acrylic shield and want to make sure I leave enough clearance for the optics.
MontyJack
New member
The LBF AP and the EVG AP are external devices connected to the PL dimming channel with a telephone 6p6c connector. There is one thing to consider; on one of the plugs (L1L2 or L3L4) at the PL you have two dim channels. If you plug one LGF AP or EVG AP at one of these plugs without a splitter you will lose one cannel unused.
To your question; yes you can connect an Osram Dim SA to a LBF AP and then all drivers on the Dim SA to control them. But"¦
My aim was to dim the whites and blues separately and also one chain for moonlighting. So I did it this way; I use an EVG-AP 2F. This one is using two channels from the PL (no splitter required) to operate the whites and blues separately and one EVG-AP 1F on a splitter (there I use the second channel for a Tunze pump) to operate the separate day and moonlighting chain.
The advantage of the EVG APs is they have relays on board to switch the main power to the drivers on and off. This means that in the 12 hours where the lights are off there is no power going to the drivers at all.
To do it this way is a personal choice. I did it because I think it is safer if something is switched off from the main supply and secondly and more important that I save money because here we are billed also for mW.:furious: That means also for the energy a TV, DVD, microwave, etc. is using in stand-by mod. My biggest motivation to build a LED rig was economy, so this is one more step to get it as efficient as possible.
I hope I could help you somehow
Monty
der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
Wattage ratings on LEDs is pretty meaningless, there may be dozens of products from Cree with a certain wattage. (Besides the fact that LEDs are almost never run at their "rated" wattage.) Can you give us an exact model number?
As far as I know, the XP-G is cree's most efficient product currently on the market, at ANY power level.
skippyreef
New member
Will I need to open my profilux to install this? I might need to keep asking you ten thousand questions lol
AD87
Active member
der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
No solid info yet other than the lm/watt figure quoted in the press release, but I would assume they will have optics.
MontyJack
New member
NO, if you have still free dim channels L1L2 or L3L4. As I said, you just plug it in. But if your dimming plugs are all occupied by e.g. pump controls you will need a PLM-2L4S or PLM-4L. This are extension sets to give you two L and four S channels (L=light S=switch) (switch is for dosing pumps or plug bars) or four L channels. These ones have to be installed in to the PL. But it's easy like changing a memory card in your cell phone and its plug and play. After the restart the PL identifies the new equipment by itself and you are ready to go.
Keep your questions coming!:thumbsup:
skippyreef
New member
I have nothing running on the L1 L2 so I would plug the singnal amp into that ?
MontyJack
New member
You can do that, but then you need to buy a telephone 6p6c connector a connector crimper and some 6 lead telephone cable and knowledge which lead goes were. If you like to know what signal is on which pin at the PL dim plug I can PM you this. Then you can hook it up directly and the drivers to the amplifier.
To make it easier for people like us GHL makes the LBF-AP. It comes with the cable and connectors so you just hook it up to your PL and then you connect the dimming wires from the amplifier to the terminal in the LBF-AP. The channels are already split in the LBF-AP so you can connect two amplifiers if you like.
But as I wrote before, if you hook-up the drivers with an amplifier to an LBF-APand dim them 100-0% the drivers will still be under current even if they have 0% dimming signal. So it is up to you if would like them in 24/7 duty.
Also earlier reported in this thread has been that due to interference and other influence the LEDs are not completely off by 0% dimming cycle. The ELN driver was still giving some juice to the LEDs. Maybe this will be more serious with an amplifier in the line.
I connected the EVG-AP with its own 6p6c connector (its a part of it) directly to the PL L plug , then the main power to the EVG-AP. To the EVG-AP high voltage terminal I connected the high voltage leads from the drivers and from the amplifier. I connected the Osram DIM SA amplifier dimming leads to the dimming terminal on the EVG-AP. Then the drivers dimming leads to the amplifier dimming output terminal. Look at the simplified diagram:
Attachments
Hi, its me again
Hi, its me again
OK, my first shot at my new project.
Background:
The array will consist of five heatsinks, each one measures 8" x 14" and weighs about 10 pounds
The reason for the MCEs is to overcome a 1/2" thick piece of glass, that becomes calcified, that sits across the top center of the tank used by Oceanic as a brace.
Any suggestions or criticisms would be most welcome as this is an expensive project.
Mike
Hi, its me again
OK, my first shot at my new project.
Background:
- My tank is 72l X 18w X 28d, it is a FW African Chiclid tank, no plants.
- My goal is a well lit nice shimmer effect.
- I dont particularly care if the back rock wall is not well lit
- I am replacing two 96w PC daylight bulbs
Cheap camera, tank is not washed out as in this pic
The array will consist of five heatsinks, each one measures 8" x 14" and weighs about 10 pounds
- The white stars are coolwhite XPGs
- The blue stars are blue XPEs
- The red stars are coolwhite MCEs
The reason for the MCEs is to overcome a 1/2" thick piece of glass, that becomes calcified, that sits across the top center of the tank used by Oceanic as a brace.
Any suggestions or criticisms would be most welcome as this is an expensive project.
Mike
widmer
Drug Enthusiast
MikePetro, it's nice to see a freshwater person here interested in LED. I've visited some FW forums to see what discussion is going on at them, and many of them seem to be severely outdated or limited in knowledge. I guess not everyone can be as lucky as RC to have some serious tech gurus.
Anyway to answer your question:
I believe your four outer panels are probably great. As the XPGs are more powerful than the xpes you're going to have something like a 4:1 ratio of cool white light to blue light going out.
But if it were me, I would drop the MCEs. They run less efficiently, cost more money, product lots more heat, have different driving current limits, and are bound to produce different light effect. Whether that effect be some sort of potential spotlighting, or a slightly different kelvin color that starts to bother you over time, who knows.
Plus, while an MCE driven at full current puts out ~750 lumens, the two XPGs driven at 1000 mA will put out ~700 lumens. Not much of a difference, and if you wanted to, you could actually drive the XPGs at 1500 mA to squeeze over 900 lumens out of two of them.
So if it were me, I would make all panels the same as what the outer panels are, and I would just scrub the glass brace a couple times a year with vinegar
Anyway to answer your question:
I believe your four outer panels are probably great. As the XPGs are more powerful than the xpes you're going to have something like a 4:1 ratio of cool white light to blue light going out.
But if it were me, I would drop the MCEs. They run less efficiently, cost more money, product lots more heat, have different driving current limits, and are bound to produce different light effect. Whether that effect be some sort of potential spotlighting, or a slightly different kelvin color that starts to bother you over time, who knows.
Plus, while an MCE driven at full current puts out ~750 lumens, the two XPGs driven at 1000 mA will put out ~700 lumens. Not much of a difference, and if you wanted to, you could actually drive the XPGs at 1500 mA to squeeze over 900 lumens out of two of them.
So if it were me, I would make all panels the same as what the outer panels are, and I would just scrub the glass brace a couple times a year with vinegar
OK, thanks for the input, points well taken. I need to fight the whole "more power" syndrome.
How about this then?
I added the 4th blue to center panel because there is also a black plastic rail dead center front to back on the tank to hold the glass covers, so an LED placed dead center would be partially blocked. That coupled with that 1/2" piece of glass I think would waste a centered LED. Do you think it would change the kelvin enough to notice? A slight highlighting in the middle might even be desirable as long as it wasn't spotlighting.
Mike
MontyJack
New member
Hi MikePetro,
This is a nice tank!!!:thumbsup:
I was doing FW for years, Africa and South America to. The South America more as a Holland type one. A lot of plants and less fish and light intensive. Than I was tank les for years and now I just jumped in to salt water.
I think a lot of FW people don't go the LED way because there is not this energy demanding lighting necessary and this way no need to conceder a more efficient and cheaper alternative.
You are right; the investment in an LED rig is expensive. The upfront costs of an LED project are maybe three times higher than a conventional build, but then it will pay back. Der Wille Zur Macht and others did the math multiple times earlier in this thread for others. But after all I think also in your build you will get the costs back after a while. Just count what it costs to drive your present lighting and how much it will cost to drive that last LED plan you posted here. Then divide it by time and see if it's economical. My personal opinion and just a feeling is that you will have still too much LEDs=light and then = algae. But as I said"¦ just a feeling"¦
Good luck with your build
Monty
This is a nice tank!!!:thumbsup:
I was doing FW for years, Africa and South America to. The South America more as a Holland type one. A lot of plants and less fish and light intensive. Than I was tank les for years and now I just jumped in to salt water.
I think a lot of FW people don't go the LED way because there is not this energy demanding lighting necessary and this way no need to conceder a more efficient and cheaper alternative.
You are right; the investment in an LED rig is expensive. The upfront costs of an LED project are maybe three times higher than a conventional build, but then it will pay back. Der Wille Zur Macht and others did the math multiple times earlier in this thread for others. But after all I think also in your build you will get the costs back after a while. Just count what it costs to drive your present lighting and how much it will cost to drive that last LED plan you posted here. Then divide it by time and see if it's economical. My personal opinion and just a feeling is that you will have still too much LEDs=light and then = algae. But as I said"¦ just a feeling"¦
Good luck with your build
Monty
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