DIY LEDs - The write-up

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Could you link? For the Crees I have only seen the 8 degree (made by Cree as well) and the 8.4 degree (made by Carlco).

Actually I had picked up some of the ripple medium Carlco (16 FWHM) lenses for another project and did a side-by-side comparison last night between those and these 6 degree lenses. ALL I can say is LOL @ how much cleaner the beam that the carlco produces is cast. As far as I can tell, the carlco beam was pretty much uniform throughout with ZERO artifacts and ugly spillage. What's funnier, is the beam from the carlco 16 FWHM is really not that much wider than this 6 degree lens...

I'm going to call LEDSupply today with hopes of trading these things in, wish me luck (if they're even open on the weekends...)

You are totally right - I was thinking that the 8 degree Cree brand optics were 6's.

OK..I went ahead and changed my order to 24 XP-G cool whites and 24 XR-E Royal Blues. I also changed the drivers to the D models...

The D models can be dimmed with a wall wart and a pot. Technically you want a 0-10v DC signal, so if you can get a 10v DC wall wart, and wire it up with a pot, you'll be all set. If you can't find a 10v DC wall wart, you can use a (much much more common) 12v unit and put a resistor inline to drop the voltage to a max of 10v, or use a 9v wall wart (also common) and "live" with missing out on the last 10% of output - you could make up for that by adjusting the current limit trimpot inside the unit.

Speaking of that current trimpot, I would suggest turning it ALL THE WAY DOWN to start, then building your rig and running it. Use a multimeter to measure current, and turn the pot up to your desired value, if you need more than what it's at when all the way down.

 

[kentrob11]

Can this be used to dim them?

http://www.ledlightsworld.com/rf-remote-control-led-single-color-dimmer-p-138.html

 

[kentrob11]

Or how about this...Don't need the fancy remote IMO...

http://www.superbrightleds.com/pdfs/LDB-8A.pdf

 

[widmer]

I'm guessing you would have to get the specific range of the PWM before that question could be answered. It would be awefully fun to have remote-controlled dimming for $18.50 though

 

[kentrob11]

Heck....I'd just settle for a dimmer that I didn't have to try to figure out how to build!

 

[mm95z71]

MaxSpect LED

MaxSpect LED

Just had a friend run across these. Too late for me since I finished a DIY LED about a month ago. I don't know how they are so cheep. Looks like a nice unit. Anybody have experience on how they compare to the CREE LED setups we all are building, have built, or are planning on building? I question how well they work and their reliability. Turn time on repairs/parts could be an issue since they come from China.

http://www.lck-led.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting/c153/index.html?osCsid=a011a7c9efb89d6f5ded214f4d257d9c

 

[Santoki]

I totally saw these...
I have a feeling they are built from Cree's reject bins.
Cree emitters are manufactured mostly in China, it would be very easy to find a use for the ones that did not past QC in applications such as these...
-R

 

[stugray]

"I have a feeling they are built from Cree's reject bins."

OR you can just buy from some of the other LED manufacturers for less than $2 ea. for LEDs that are almost identical to the CREEs.

I just have not tried it because both of the ones I have contacted only accept Western Union ( no credit card or paypal ).
They also make LEDs in the 15K color range.

Stu

 

[widmer]

WOW if the specs aren't fudged at all, this does seem like a GREAT deal:

http://www.lck-led.com/p701/Aluminu....html?osCsid=a011a7c9efb89d6f5ded214f4d257d9c

Led Source : 1PCS 10W High Power LED
Lumen : White 800-900, Blue 400-500
CCT : White 6000-6500K, Blue 470-475nm
Beam Angel : 120 Degree
Project Distance : 8m
Size : L115*W85*H95mm
Material of Shell : Aluminum Alloy
Weight : 2.2Kgs
Rotary Angle : Vertical (-90。C-+ 90。C)
Input Voltage : AC85-256V
IP65 Watreproof Rated

$35.00

At ~85 lumens per watt, that's quality efficiency.

 

[kentrob11]

Interesting...Is that a single LED??

 

[widmer]

Yea and that's the problem... I haven't seen any single LEDs that powerful in my websurfing that are near 85 lumens/watt

This sort of efficiency (60 lumens/watt) is all I ever have seen:

Sorry we do not allow ebay links~dc
So I wonder if that fixture is actually false advertising ahoy. Either way though, $35. Could be fun to try for a shop light...

 

[FabRight]

WOW if the specs aren't fudged at all, this does seem like a GREAT deal:

http://www.lck-led.com/p701/Aluminu....html?osCsid=a011a7c9efb89d6f5ded214f4d257d9c

Led Source : 1PCS 10W High Power LED
Lumen : White 800-900, Blue 400-500
CCT : White 6000-6500K, Blue 470-475nm
Beam Angel : 120 Degree
Project Distance : 8m
Size : L115*W85*H95mm
Material of Shell : Aluminum Alloy
Weight : 2.2Kgs
Rotary Angle : Vertical (-90。C-+ 90。C)
Input Voltage : AC85-256V
IP65 Watreproof Rated

$35.00

At ~85 lumens per watt, that's quality efficiency.

Looks like it would be a good fuge light, no?

 

[Neogenocide]

+ $33 in shipping, Your almost to $70 then.

Scott

 

[kcress]

I was just thinking $35 cheap!! Wow I should try one!

But Neogenocide has turned over the rock.. [good job BTW]

This is a common thing that's happening. Sellers low ball the price to get a buyer to think, "I'll buy it", and once the 'buy decision' is made they have an easier time justifying absurd shipping.

The other angle is that shipping and handling is taxed differently and so they almost give away the product to make money on the 'handling'. It's getting very common an epay.

Still $70 for a useful LED luminaire,(entire lamped fixture), is still low $$$.

 

[mm95z71]

MaxSpect LED

MaxSpect LED

I was actually talking about these.

http://www.lck-led.com/p662/MaxSpect-Aquarium-Led-Lighting---Wire-Hanging,-160W,-40cm/product_info.html

They come in 110w up to 180w. The 160 and 180 come with 30w LEDs. I would be concerned with putting so much light output in such a small area. I like spreading things out. Still worth checking out if you haven't already built one. A friend of mine is thinking about buying a couple. I will post his results if he does.

 

[MontyJack]

Hi der wille zur macht,

Thanks for the information's from 1/15/2010. I have gone thru all again and here is what I'm planning now.

The first plan for that 59x31x31 250g tank (it is just 10g les then yours?) was:

6x12 Cool White XR-E, 6x12 Royal Blue XR-E (144 LED total) driven by 12x MW ELN-60-48D

Now I will replace it with this:

4x14 (15?) Cool White XP-G, 6x12 Royal Blue XR-E (128 LED total) driven by 10x MW ELN-60-48D

Does this sound right? Or shut I go with the approximately same amount of LEDs and drive the Cool Whites lower? I cannot decide!? I will play with the Ampere range somewhere from 350 to 800 to get the right color mix. And then there is one more thing, can I put 15 instead of 14 led on one driver? Then there will be 49.5V on the driver. These drivers are adjustable from 43.2V up to 52.8V, so it seems to me that it shouldn't be overdriven?

Thanks Monty

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Does this sound right? Or shut I go with the approximately same amount of LEDs and drive the Cool Whites lower? I cannot decide!? I will play with the Ampere range somewhere from 350 to 800 to get the right color mix. And then there is one more thing, can I put 15 instead of 14 led on one driver? Then there will be 49.5V on the driver. These drivers are adjustable from 43.2V up to 52.8V, so it seems to me that it shouldn't be overdriven?

Thanks Monty

Assuming you're talking the R5 XP-G, which is the highest bin, then yeah that sounds right. Using the same number of cool whites and driving them lower, vs. going with the plan you have laid out, is really personal preference. Using more and driving them lower will be a little cooler and a little more efficient, but the payoff will be a long ways out, if ever. So I'd make it based on other decisions - i.e. if you were using optics and worried about getting the cones of light effect, use more LEDs at a lower drive current to spread out the light a little more.

As far as how many to drive on the ELN driver, it's hard to say, because I don't know of anyone that's used those LEDs on one yet. They're rated with a lower forward voltage, but I would still try to stay under the 48w voltage, even with that adjustment range claiming they're fine all the way up to 52.8v. Loading a driver to it's limit usually means better efficiency, but take one tiny little step too far and poof! Game over. So I'd err on the cautious side. The cost of an extra driver or two shouldn't be a big deal.

Oh, and the meanwell can really only be turned down to around 700mA. If you want a drive current below that, you'll basically have to "fake" it with the external dimming circuit.

 

[EuroReefers]

Its a verry Great Work!
:bounce1:

 

[zapuralge]

What do you guys think of these?
http://www.alleasy.ca/products/bv-strip-piranha-1x3/

I'd run 6(units)x3(rows) for white, and a set of blue and amber.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Worthless, except maybe as accent lighting or moonlighting on a small tank. Those are essentially "conventional" high brightness LEDs, not true HP (high power) LEDs. Look at the power consumption numbers - those are pulling a fraction of a watt for all three LEDs.