DIY LEDs - The write-up

[Frode]

correction on last post

I calculated for my Meanwell ELN 60-48:
14 XP-G at 1,3 A / 3,4 Vf / 61,9 Watt / 5838 lumen
15 XM-T6 at 1,3 A / 3,05 Vf / 59,5 Watt / 7350 Lumen (note, 1 led more!)

Your comments made me realize I hadn't set my goals proparly.

The lighting for my 48"x 24"x 24" tank is now a 6 x T5 39 Watt and a DIY LED with 32 CREE XR-E (505/505 cw/rb) at 700 mA, 60 degree lenses.

First: I want to adjust my T5 fixture so I don't need the extra DIY LED fixture. It is to crowded on top of my tank now.
This means I need a lot of light (PAR) extra with replacing T5 for LED's.
So I want ot upgrade the LED's and I need optics. This puts the XP-G in favor, because I can get good optics for those, and I haven't seen any for the XM-L yet.

Second: I don't want to spend to much money on the adjustments (otherwise I would buy 4 Maxspect Mazzara units ).
This means I use what I have in stock; 2 x meanwell ELN 60-48 P and 10 XP-G and start form there.


Question now is; will 14 XP-G cw and 14 XP-E rb at 1000 mA with 80 degree optics replace 32 XR-E and 2 39 watt T5.

When I calculate with the specs from Cree (only have those for the cw at hand);
16 XR-E cw at 700 mA would give a total of 2996 lumen
14 XP-G cw at 1000 mA would give a total of 4865 lumen

I don't know what the T5 puts out, but I think I will be fine with the XP-G/E at 1000 mA. I don't need the XM-L.

About the colour. I Think I'll go for the 50/50 cw/rb mix XP-G/XP-E.
I have the 4 T5 to play with the total spectrum, but I wan't to be close to a good light colour with the LED's alone. Because I want them to be able to burn them independent without looking at a strange lit tank.

 

[sammy113]

Finally have my new lamp over the tank

 

[widmer]

Sammy - Nice enclosure. More shots plz?

 

[sammy113]

Sammy - Nice enclosure. More shots plz?

These were posted earlier in this thread

Here are the guts

 

[mseepman]

Awesome as usual for your stuff...is there a little build thread on this light specifically? How do you like the grouping for coloration and blending versus traditional rows?

 

[kcress]

Exceptional Sammy!

You're using 66% RB and 33% W?

What drivers?

What hanger thingy is that and where'd you get it?

 

[sammy113]

Thanks guys. No build thread just yet. Will start one now that the tank started cycling.

I really like the clusters like that. I'm having what some people call "disco ball effect" but it doesnt really bother me. At least the spectrum blend is good for me. Im planing in adding some true violet 420nm LEDs but dont know if replacing some of the RB or just drill some holes in the center and add 4 or 6 of them in another driver

Kcress, I'm using 2:1 ratio. 22 RB, 2 Blue & 12 NW. The two in the center are used as moonlights driven at 350ma (not so moonlights but i use them an hour before and after the main comes in. Drivers are meanwell ELN60-48P controlled with Typhon by DWZM

The hangers are from rapidled

 

[tahiriqbal]

Great stuff Sammy, keep it coming. How much contact is there between the heatsink main face and the white thick acrylic sheet?

Tahir

 

[sammy113]

The acrylic makes contact in the edges. the central part is not in direct contact with it. Here a picture of the inside of the acrylic cover

 

[tahiriqbal]

Thanks a million and by the way very nice work.

Tahir

 

[TheFishMan65]

Frode if you use near equal counts of XP-G and XM-L the XMs will be cheaper to run.

will 14 XP-G cw and 14 XP-E rb at 1000 mA with 80 degree optics replace 32 XR-E and 2 39 watt T5.

If the XR-E don't have optics maybe, but I doubt it. A 39 watt T5 needs aabout 4 1/3 LEDs to replace it.

 

[Frode]

...
If the XR-E don't have optics maybe, but I doubt it. A 39 watt T5 needs aabout 4 1/3 LEDs to replace it.

Fishman,

With the lack of optics I was refering to the XM-L.
I have 60 degrees optics on my XR-E at this moment.

About the # of LED's to replace a 39 W T5, are you sure about that? What type of LED's (current, optics?)
Cause I can light my tank with 8 x 39 T5 ...but I can't imagine that just 35 LED's would be enough...but then again, I never saw any other LED burning than XR-E at 700 mA :hmm2:

 

[Vannpytt]

Building LED fixtures for my 180 gallon. I only have 2 "islands" with rock formation I need to light for growing SPS. (The tank is ~23" deep to the sand)

I have:
60 Cool White Cree XP-G R5 LEDs
60 Royal Blue Cree XP-E LEDs

120 x 60 degree optics

1 x 8.460" Wide x 28" Long aluminium heatsink
1 x 8.460" Wide x 22" Long aluminium heatsink
(Fin Height: 1", Base: .300)

How close or how much space needs to be between the LEDs to get a decent spread/good par even at 3/4th down?

The rapidled staff said 100ish LEDs would suffice, so I got 120. I'm going to run them at .750A.

Thanks for any help.

 

[TheFishMan65]

Frode, I read a while back that watt of LED = 3 watts of T5. I have read some other posts that seemed to agree that this is a reasonable formula. Also lots of information equating 72 watts of LEDs to 250 watts of MH.

 

[TheFishMan65]

Vannpyrr, I am not familiar with those optics, but I expect that 2 - 3 inches apart and 2 inches above the tank would get you good coverage.

 

[Frode]

Frode, I read a while back that watt of LED = 3 watts of T5. I have read some other posts that seemed to agree that this is a reasonable formula. Also lots of information equating 72 watts of LEDs to 250 watts of MH.

You are making me believe that I can exchange all my 6 x 39 Watt T5 with the 14 XP-G and 14 XP-E running at 1A. Now that would be nice :dance:

 

[Cantgrowdidly]

Frode, I do not think thats possible. I have a 36 Cree DIY setup 16 CW the rest RB. IMO they won't outdo 6 t5 4 at best. I played with 4 T5 and the 36 Crees and they compare pretty closely with my eye as the meter.

 

[Frode]

Cantgrowdidly, I don't know...

When I made my DIY LED (may 2010) with 32 XR-E (20w, 12 RB) at 700mA (2,5 Watt per LED) I did some comparising by taking foto's at fixed apparture, ISO and shutter time settings.
I then concluded that T5 and Cree XR-E about the same light per Watt.

Here are the old pictures:

32 CREE XR-E LED:

2 x 39 Watt T5

4 x 39 watt T5

I don't know if the optics where allready on the LED's when I made those pics???
The optics make a lot of difference; look at this picture were I measured the lumen without (left) and with 60 degree optics (right):

Plus 3 x higher intensity! But only a small spot...

Well, back to the 28 XP-G/XP-E. At 1000 mA these will put out twice the amount of light of an XR-E at 700 mA.
So...if they will replace 4 or 6 T5 39 Watt...I think I'll need a PAR-meter to be sure of that.


And is a reefer...as you can see on the older pictures, I was fighting a red cotton algae plage at that time. And I won!

This is my tank nowdays: lighting 6 x 39 watt T5 and 80 Watt LED (32 XR-E at 700mA):

 

[TheFishMan65]

Cantgrowdidly, You really can't use your eyes as a comparison. They eye needs about a 50% difference in light before it registers that A is darker than B.

I will try and do some looking later to see if I can confirm LEDs vs T5.

 

[TheFishMan65]

Here is an interesting read. They sell all kinds of lights so I think it is impartial, but read it for yourself.
T5

as a broad generalization only requiring 2 to 4 watts per gallon for more shallow planted/reef applications depending upon tank depth and other factors

LEDs

as little as .6 watt per gallon for high light planted aquariums and .8 watt per gallon for Reef

There are some qualifier in the text. I also think I found the 3:1 watt ratio somewhere else.