bigdaddybo
New member
Hi guys. Any problems with salt water evaporation on the LEDS????? Or how are they being potected?
DIY LEDs - The write-up
- Thread starter JohnL
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rcgates
Premium Member
I have a sheet of acrylic/plexiglass under my LEDs to protect them from the water/salt
wld1783
Premium Member
I like the LED Seal.
We coated a Cree LED and put it into a glass of salt water at the MidWest Frag Swap and it lasted 25 Hours 42 Minutes driven at 700 mA with a BuckPuck.
One interesting note: The heat from the LED caused calcium carbonate to precipitate out of the water column.
I really cant comment on if there were people betting on how long it would last.
Bill
Hello all,
I have spent the last 2 weeks going through this thread and started my plan off of the design that Soundwave originally posted and the way it has evolved as I have read the thread. I am getting ready to jump off the deep end and replace my current system with a new 300 (96x30x25) and I want to go to LEDS on startup.
My current plan is to run 8 - 10x20 modules over the tank with 18 cool white(Cree XR-E Q5) and 18 royal blues (Cree XR-E) on each. Based on the data sheets both of these LEDS have a forward voltage of 3.5 V @ 1000mA.
I calculated that I have 2880 square inches and from this thread I have gathered one LED for 10 square inches works out to 288 LEDs for the project and my plan matches this.
Heat sinks will be from heat sink USA (10x 20) with a large cooling fan centered on the back of the heat sink.
Each Module will be powered by 3 ELN-60-48D Mean Well constant current power supplies resulting in the following series strings
String A will be 12 Cool White
String B will be 12 Royal Blues
String C will be 6 Cool Whites and 6 Royal Blues
I was looking to use 60 degree optics and suspend them between 12 and 15 inches above the tank.
The plans for this tank are to be a mixed reef with everything from SPS to low light items and I plan to accommodate each by dimming the zones on the tank to keep everyone happy.
I have a few questions
• Any major problems with what I plan to do.
• I have heard of problems running the Royal Blues at 1000mA. Is there any truth to this statement?
• With the optic and LED combination do I have enough to support SPS?
• I am planning to be able to dim in the future. Can this feature be bypassed or will they require a 10 V input from the start?
I would love to hear recommendations from experienced individuals because I want to do this once and get it right. I know the wife will not allow a second try lol.
I have spent the last 2 weeks going through this thread and started my plan off of the design that Soundwave originally posted and the way it has evolved as I have read the thread. I am getting ready to jump off the deep end and replace my current system with a new 300 (96x30x25) and I want to go to LEDS on startup.
My current plan is to run 8 - 10x20 modules over the tank with 18 cool white(Cree XR-E Q5) and 18 royal blues (Cree XR-E) on each. Based on the data sheets both of these LEDS have a forward voltage of 3.5 V @ 1000mA.
I calculated that I have 2880 square inches and from this thread I have gathered one LED for 10 square inches works out to 288 LEDs for the project and my plan matches this.
Heat sinks will be from heat sink USA (10x 20) with a large cooling fan centered on the back of the heat sink.
Each Module will be powered by 3 ELN-60-48D Mean Well constant current power supplies resulting in the following series strings
String A will be 12 Cool White
String B will be 12 Royal Blues
String C will be 6 Cool Whites and 6 Royal Blues
I was looking to use 60 degree optics and suspend them between 12 and 15 inches above the tank.
The plans for this tank are to be a mixed reef with everything from SPS to low light items and I plan to accommodate each by dimming the zones on the tank to keep everyone happy.
I have a few questions
• Any major problems with what I plan to do.
• I have heard of problems running the Royal Blues at 1000mA. Is there any truth to this statement?
• With the optic and LED combination do I have enough to support SPS?
• I am planning to be able to dim in the future. Can this feature be bypassed or will they require a 10 V input from the start?
I would love to hear recommendations from experienced individuals because I want to do this once and get it right. I know the wife will not allow a second try lol.
kcress
New member
Flanc;
A couple of things.
1) 10sqin has given away to 15.
2) Really large builds that have large heatsinks become mechanically challenging due to the crazy weights that result. Fixtures that weigh more than a hundred pounds are - frankly - hazards. They would benefit from going to aluminum U-channel instead.
3) When you use ELN60-48s for single strings you are throwing away money every second they are ON. If you have 2 or 3 that isn't a big concern, but when you get up to about 5 that starts being wasteful and something else should be considered. -> A) Paralleling strings and running them with more powerful current drivers is one option. This option takes a little more detail and can be a problem with large builds made up of a bunch of smaller fixtures. Which brings up B) which would be the use of one of the excellent DIY controllers described in the "sticky thread of the month, 'LED driver for reef lighting'. You power the system with one or more large DC switching supplies and then control your various strings via the DIY current controllers.
A couple of things.
1) 10sqin has given away to 15.
2) Really large builds that have large heatsinks become mechanically challenging due to the crazy weights that result. Fixtures that weigh more than a hundred pounds are - frankly - hazards. They would benefit from going to aluminum U-channel instead.
3) When you use ELN60-48s for single strings you are throwing away money every second they are ON. If you have 2 or 3 that isn't a big concern, but when you get up to about 5 that starts being wasteful and something else should be considered. -> A) Paralleling strings and running them with more powerful current drivers is one option. This option takes a little more detail and can be a problem with large builds made up of a bunch of smaller fixtures. Which brings up B) which would be the use of one of the excellent DIY controllers described in the "sticky thread of the month, 'LED driver for reef lighting'. You power the system with one or more large DC switching supplies and then control your various strings via the DIY current controllers.
widmer
Drug Enthusiast
Can you comment on how they compare in efficiency to the DIY drivers, buck pucks etc?
I mean, the data sheet says they are like 80something percent efficient... :hammer:
vthondaboi
Premium Member
Advice on new build...
72x30x27 - roughly 250G
minimalist aquascaping, so most of the rock probably won't reach more than 2/3s of the way up
1)I was thinking of 144 LEDs using 6 - 4" x 16" heat sinks, which equates to 24 LEDs per heat sink. I'd like to use 6 - 4" x 23" but was afraid of the extra weight, would this even be an issue?
2)Color - I'd like the color to look similar to a 400W Radium, what bulb combination would you suggest to achieve this?
3)Brightness and spotlighting - I'd like to avoid the fixture being too bright and bleaching things out as I've heard LEDs can do. I'm trying to keep it simple so I was planning on using non-dimmable Meanwells, unless something else simple is suggested. The fixture will hang ~6-8" from the water's surface and using 80-60 degree optics. Will this give me enough light without being too much? I'll be keeping SPS around the 12" water depth with lots of LPS below that.
Thanks in advance!
72x30x27 - roughly 250G
minimalist aquascaping, so most of the rock probably won't reach more than 2/3s of the way up
1)I was thinking of 144 LEDs using 6 - 4" x 16" heat sinks, which equates to 24 LEDs per heat sink. I'd like to use 6 - 4" x 23" but was afraid of the extra weight, would this even be an issue?
2)Color - I'd like the color to look similar to a 400W Radium, what bulb combination would you suggest to achieve this?
3)Brightness and spotlighting - I'd like to avoid the fixture being too bright and bleaching things out as I've heard LEDs can do. I'm trying to keep it simple so I was planning on using non-dimmable Meanwells, unless something else simple is suggested. The fixture will hang ~6-8" from the water's surface and using 80-60 degree optics. Will this give me enough light without being too much? I'll be keeping SPS around the 12" water depth with lots of LPS below that.
Thanks in advance!
vthondaboi
im currently in the middle of doing a build similar to yours. 144 LEDs on 72in tank
some information on my build is http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1939739&page=3
you probably should look at going dimmable drivers just because you might kick your self later if you dont, sunrise/sunset is always good! most people will tell you to go less drivers as you go to the bigger builds. So that means you gota pickup some big bad boy drivers (HLG-240H-54B) and go parallel strings which will save you money in the long run (my thread has a wiring diagram on how im doing mine).
im currently in the middle of doing a build similar to yours. 144 LEDs on 72in tank
some information on my build is http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1939739&page=3
you probably should look at going dimmable drivers just because you might kick your self later if you dont, sunrise/sunset is always good! most people will tell you to go less drivers as you go to the bigger builds. So that means you gota pickup some big bad boy drivers (HLG-240H-54B) and go parallel strings which will save you money in the long run (my thread has a wiring diagram on how im doing mine).
SpacedCowboy
New member
Have you seen my last build? For my next build, I'm going even more hardcore. It's going to be great. I'm looking for 24-36 of them.
I got my lenses from http://satistronics.com - they have a 5-degree lens for $0.30 but it's glue-on not snap-on if that's important to you
I've bought some for around the edges of my tank (when I get around to lighting it, after it's been plumbed, after the stand has been finished, etc.
) At that price it's not a huge gamble to take ...Here's a small picture showing what they look like:
widmer
Drug Enthusiast
Spaced cowboy - Thanks, but I would imagine they are incompatible with the XP-E and XP-G dies, as they appear to have been made for the XR-E (and other LEDs with a similar die to that). My concern is that 1) the XP series has a much flatter die and thus a lot of the light would be blocked by the connecting edge of the reflector and 2) the parabolic angle of the reflector is optimized for an LED which emits light at a more narrow angle from the get-go, so with the crazy wide angle of the XP-E, I would be getting something more like 20 degrees with that lens.
I hope you're enjoying them though, that's an excellent deal.
I hope you're enjoying them though, that's an excellent deal.
Thanks for the info, Kcress, Widmer, Fishman, et all. Panel values - Check.
I talked to Anna at ETG last Monday. She was going to get back to me to get my Visa number to charge the order, but I've not heard anything yet.
Is a week a long time for ETG to get back to someone?
Hope fully I'll have the parts to do a test fixture next weekend.
Thanks,
Randy
I talked to Anna at ETG last Monday. She was going to get back to me to get my Visa number to charge the order, but I've not heard anything yet.
Is a week a long time for ETG to get back to someone?
Hope fully I'll have the parts to do a test fixture next weekend.
Thanks,
Randy
TheFishMan65
New member
No a week is not long. If I understand it they ship the LEDs out to a soldering house on Mondays and get them back later (IIRC Friday). Anna does not get the payment until she has finished products in hand and is ready to ship. Just in case there is a problem.
S2minute
New member
Leds
Leds
He is fixated on Moding lamps,(reading),...fans, anything really :idea: Which is actually pretty cool IMHO
Leds
Have you seen my last build? For my next build, I'm going even more hardcore
He is fixated on Moding lamps,(reading),...fans, anything really :idea: Which is actually pretty cool IMHO
Reefobsession
New member
I have a could of questions for my setup. First I will present my plan.
My tank is a 93 gallon 30"X30"X24" tall tank.
I will be building a canopy so once I have my LED's mounted to the top o fmy cnaopy they will be 14" from the water surface.
Tank is mostly SPS with some zoas and LPS.
My plan is to go with 60 LEDS.
I am going to go with 5 Drilled and Tapped 4.25" x 9" Heat Sink for 12 LEDs.
I figure that more heat sinks will giveme the capapability to go with more coverage options.
On each unit I will have
8 Royal Blue Cree XR-E 3W LEDs
2 cool white Cree XP-G R5 3W LEDs
2 warm whites CREE XR-E 3W LED
Each LED will have 60 degree optics. And each unit will be dimable.
So a total of:
40 Royal Blue Cree XR-E 3W LEDs
10 cool white Cree XP-G R5 3W LEDs
10 warm whites CREE XR-E 3W LEDs
I will add a fan above each heatsink to draw in cool air from the outside and will have the canopy vented in the back.
Project total cost from Rapid LED is a little over $700
Throw in the wood for the canopy: $50
Fans: $40-$50
$800 to $850 project... Not bad
Questions:
1. Do you think that I have selected the right ratio of royal blues and whites? I'm going for at least a 20K look.
2. Do you think that the heatsinks will get to hot to be moned directly to the top of my canopy?
3. Do you think that I will produce enough light and a good color spectrum with this setup?
4. Anyone use the reef keeper lite to dim their LED's? If so can you tell me how it works? Do I even need to get dimable drivers? Or can I manioulate that with just the reef keper lite?
ANy other suggestions?
My tank is a 93 gallon 30"X30"X24" tall tank.
I will be building a canopy so once I have my LED's mounted to the top o fmy cnaopy they will be 14" from the water surface.
Tank is mostly SPS with some zoas and LPS.
My plan is to go with 60 LEDS.
I am going to go with 5 Drilled and Tapped 4.25" x 9" Heat Sink for 12 LEDs.
I figure that more heat sinks will giveme the capapability to go with more coverage options.
On each unit I will have
8 Royal Blue Cree XR-E 3W LEDs
2 cool white Cree XP-G R5 3W LEDs
2 warm whites CREE XR-E 3W LED
Each LED will have 60 degree optics. And each unit will be dimable.
So a total of:
40 Royal Blue Cree XR-E 3W LEDs
10 cool white Cree XP-G R5 3W LEDs
10 warm whites CREE XR-E 3W LEDs
I will add a fan above each heatsink to draw in cool air from the outside and will have the canopy vented in the back.
Project total cost from Rapid LED is a little over $700
Throw in the wood for the canopy: $50
Fans: $40-$50
$800 to $850 project... Not bad
Questions:
1. Do you think that I have selected the right ratio of royal blues and whites? I'm going for at least a 20K look.
2. Do you think that the heatsinks will get to hot to be moned directly to the top of my canopy?
3. Do you think that I will produce enough light and a good color spectrum with this setup?
4. Anyone use the reef keeper lite to dim their LED's? If so can you tell me how it works? Do I even need to get dimable drivers? Or can I manioulate that with just the reef keper lite?
ANy other suggestions?
TheFishMan65
New member
1) IMHO the ratio is probably good. But why that mix? Why not warm white XP-G rather than XR-Es? Also if you go XP-E then everyone would use the same lenses (XP-G and XP-E use the same lenses) Or go all XR-E. Just a thought.
2) I would leave a gap, but if you get the airflow down the fins you should be OK.
3) I think the light is good, but if not one more panel would probably be easy to add.
4) No, No, No but I recommend dimmable, good one
2) I would leave a gap, but if you get the airflow down the fins you should be OK.
3) I think the light is good, but if not one more panel would probably be easy to add.
4) No, No, No but I recommend dimmable, good one
rcgates
Premium Member
I use 6-32, I have seen others use 4-40.
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