DIY LEDs - The write-up

[jjwill_sdsu]

chris023, I posted this a few pages back that allow tilting. Maybe you can do something similiar.
Aiming LEDs

That mounting system is awesome! Would you mind disclosing where you got most of your mounting hardware?

 

[S2minute]

Leds

Leds

That mounting system is awesome! Would you mind disclosing where you got most of your mounting hardware?

LOL Fishman i think you have a fanclub growing . I`m making my own version of Fishmans setup .

 

[TheFishMan65]

jj, I PMed you the information you requested.

 

[kcress]

Now if FishMan would only animate the aiming so it sweeps across during the day.

 

[friendlyAlien]

Here, so here is teh mix I will try to make into a test-lamp:
12 CREE XP-G R5 Cool White
24 CREE XP-E Royal Blue
6 CREE XP-G Neutral White
6 CREE XP-E Blue 3W

I plan on hooking it to four ELN-60-48D

Now, the question is ... shall I write up my experience with it on this in this thread or start my own ...

 

[S2minute]

Now if FishMan would only animate the aiming so it sweeps across during the day.

Then your talken huge industrial motors and all the added heat n weight. A controller can do the same thing in a sim.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Now if FishMan would only animate the aiming so it sweeps across during the day.

This is still on my feature list for a "holy grail" fixture - getting something that moves and changes angles through the day, so you get dim, nearly horizontal shafts of light in the morning and evening, and bright vertical shafts in the middle of the day.

 

[TheFishMan65]

The tracks would not be a problem. But I can't fit the second set for the lunar cycle. Not only that my tanks runs north south

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Fish would never know that unless they have compasses. :lol:

 

[Kolognekoral]

Fish would never know that unless they have compasses. :lol:

I wouldn't rule this out. After all, many fish do find their way back to a specific spawning ground. Magnetic fields certainly play a role for many migrating sea creatures, why not for fish?

 

[S2minute]

LEDs

LEDs

Awesome, my tank runs East/West and as long as not on the floor, i`m happy :celeb1:. Fishman, i recieved those 24 U- channels today TYVM. Now that i have the right table saw blade, i`ll begin cutting them up :spin3:. Now, i go on my own quest for the "Holly Grail" in this Monty Python adventure! Motorized tracking system hummm :reading:..solar pannel companies have tracking systems for their pannels.....so an uber mini-version....:hammer::mtool:

 

[friendlyAlien]

Do you guys think I could use that tracking to have a Halo over my clown fish? Maybe if we drive the motors with Microsoft kinects!

 

[TheFishMan65]

No that is not allowed. Everyone knows that Halos have to go over Angel fish

 

[MosMike]

Then your talken huge industrial motors and all the added heat n weight.

Nope, just a couple of tiny servos can tilt the LEDs, just need to add plenty of shafts.

 

[kcress]

We all know the fish don't have compasses - they would rust too quickly. :lmao:


I think a end-to-end moving track would be a maintenance nightmare, heavy, and a hassle-exceeding-value.

But looking at FishMans structure just rotating the bars from front pointing to back would be relatively easy. Of course you could always mount the bars front to back and do the same thing across. Picture LEDs mounted on Venetian blinds.

 

[TheFishMan65]

At sunrise and sunset I would think all the light would be reflected off the surface. And anything in the side corners would miss either sunset or sunrise. Unless your fixtrue extends past the end of the tank.

 

[S2minute]

LEDs

LEDs

We all know the fish don't have compasses - they would rust too quickly. :lmao:


I think a end-to-end moving track would be a maintenance nightmare, heavy, and a hassle-exceeding-value.

But looking at FishMans structure just rotating the bars from front pointing to back would be relatively easy. Of course you could always mount the bars front to back and do the same thing across. Picture LEDs mounted on Venetian blinds.

I think mine is actually going to do just that w/o being motorized. The way i had the frame bent on the ends at 15 degrees along with the bars attached front to back. All i`ll have to do is let the controller do the sims, depending on how the led config is setup.

 

[westreef]

You guys are so creative. I just love it. Pretty soon your light setup can produce a Broadway show! And your coral and fish will perform very well under that.:thumbsup:

 

[murphreef]

haha great ideas!

angled frame work to simulate the sun passing over the water surface just like the real deal... makes sense sun doesnt hit the water straight on at a 90 degree angle all day long it sweeps across from 0 - 180 degrees

man this all just got more and more creative

 

[marc111]

OK I have read through a lot of the LED threads including this one. Most mention 40, 60 and 80 deg optics. Now for the confusion.
Carclo optics for the XPG and XRE only seem to go up to 45 deg FWHM max.

Another source is www.ledlink-optics.com. The do not rate their optics for FWHM and instead seem to do it in terms of the 10% points. IE 90% is within the "angle" boundaries. They List 40,60,80 against this standard.

A lot of people have posted that they ordered 60 or 80 deg optics from ETG.

Everyone talks as if these are varying widths of the cone of light produced. (I note in ledlinks literature they show a 40,60,80 deg curve all with the same 30 deg FWHM simply showing that the difference is the broadness of the peak and the steepness of the sides. with 90% of the light within the "width") The curves can be seen at this page on their site: http://www.ledlink-optics.com/faq.html

So here is my question: What is actually being ordered??

Is it a 60 or 80 deg FWHM from some not mentioned above vendor available through ETG or is it the ledlink 90% measurement?

Are people really getting broader cones or simply small changes in the level of the last 15% of the light distribution?

Thanks for the help,
Mark