DIY LEDs - The write-up

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Great der_wille_zur_macht! I'm gonna try one of those. So how do you like those endo stars? Are they as powerful as 3 CREEs? Like you said, build it for the experience. I think there is nothing more satisfying than looking at your own DIY work and say to yourself: Damn! I made this! haha
 
Sammy,

The rebels are close to XR-E in efficiency, but not quite as bright in the absolute sense, since they run at a lower forward voltage for a given current. IMHO though, they are more or less interchangable from a design standpoint, as long as you keep that in mind and err in the right direction.
 
Dang, just found out that I had been unsubscribed to this thread. what gives! ?=[

Anyway, everyone's stuff looks good! Anyone notice extra coral growth? I noticed one coral in particular has been bleached... too much power with the 40 optics in my opinion.
 
Update on clam

Update on clam

My bleaching clam has recovered!! I had to reduce the light quite a bit and then increase it a little each few days. I also went the other way when it looked stressed. I'm 3/4 to full power now.

I had green zooanthe colonys at one time that turned brown when they lost their algae. Is there anyway to get the algae back in them? This had nothing to do with my leds lights and happend under MH.

Still very little green algae growth and ZERO of the red slime stuff.
Hair algae is still disappearing slowly thanks to my new lawnmower blenny.
 
Has anyone following this thread pulled apart a solaris and tried to run the light banks without the computer controller or power supply (which seem to be the source of a lot of their problems). I have a two bank I-5 that I picked up used and fairly inexpensive but the power supply has already failed and I haven't been impressed with the controller functions. Ideally I'd like to just convert the two banks to two seperate led lights running off a couple transformers. Before I just open it up I though I was hoping someone out there already knew something about the guts of these things.;)
 
Anyone have any slick quick disconnect setup for their power supply?

I am planning on having my power supply about 10 feet away from the hood and would like to be able to disconnect it easily for maintenance. Pictures would be useful if possible.
 
Does anyone have experience with cross braces (on acrylic tanks) interfering with the light penetration which would probably result in a shadow area under the brace? I sent an e-mail to the manufacturer asking if I could drill 1" doameter holes (3/brace) under the LED's that would be affected. Avoiding LED's over the braces would definitely result in a worse situation. Thanks, Jim
 
I think I have figured out the soluation. Change the optics to a wider lens (from 40 to 80 degrees) plus add a reflective shield to avoid light 'spilling' out of the tank, will do the trick. Jim
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15441699#post15441699 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AndyReef
Anyone have any slick quick disconnect setup for their power supply?

I am planning on having my power supply about 10 feet away from the hood and would like to be able to disconnect it easily for maintenance. Pictures would be useful if possible.

Here is the ONLY thing I could find at Radio Shack, check online for something that might work better.

IMG_1522.jpg
 
I found this plugs at Radio Shack. I used them to disconnect and connect the power supply from the drivers and the drivers from the lamp.
DSCF1233.jpg

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I'm using those molex-style connectors for all the low-voltage DC connections on my rigs, too. IMHO they are the best choice - built for the job, and nothing's exposed even when they're unplugged.
 
Home Depot has 2-wire "ballast disconnects" that work perfectly for LED strings. They come in packs of 6.

They are designed for solid core 18 Ga wire, but I was able to get 18 Ga stranded into them by tinning ( soldering ) the end of the wire and sanding a point with an emery board.

Stu
 
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