DIY LEDs - The write-up

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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14854107#post14854107 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kcress
Thanks for that demo Aaron! 120F isn't hot for LEDs but of course your finger would probably disagree. LOL
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Of course this is with a poor measuring device, poor conduction from the back of the heat sink. I'm sure the true running temp of the lights is far higher.

I must say though, I was astounded at the heat produced by these little lights! The heat sink really soaked up the BTUs. I was laughing about how big the fixture was before... not so much now.

Thanks for looking.
Aaron
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14854486#post14854486 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Soundwave
Growth - Awesome

Coloration - Getting better by the day. The PCs just didn't give em enough light, I don't think.
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Do u put optics or this is without optics???
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14854269#post14854269 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Soundwave
I just uploaded a video so you guys can see how it looks.

Youtube sucked the life out of the video so the quality is far less than what I actually filmed. You should still get the idea, though.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqfxfqJ4QZ4
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If you click on HQ for High Quality, it is quite watchable. I liked what I saw - you did a good job and the tank looks good with your lighting.
 
PAR looks low for an SPS tank

PAR looks low for an SPS tank

PAR looks low for an SPS tank. I have seen PAR diagrams with values about 4X yours. Is this enough light for a 24" deep SPS tank?
 
You stated you used the Xr-E-Q4 LEDS and according to the site they are 100 lumens. Also on the site there are XR-E-Q5's that show they are 107 lumens, would these be brighter? I was thinking deeper water penetration.
 
As far as par for sps, nothing has died and everything is growing with great coloration. If by sps, you are speaking of acros, I can't determine that as I haven't tried. Most of my sps are montipora species and they are doing awesome under the LEDs.

Q5s are brighter but they didn't have them when I started the build. I went with q4s because of convenience I guess.
 
The video looks great!

I finally got all my supplies in to build my lighting for the nano tank. I ordered 10 white and 10 blue LEDs but havn't decided if I really need to use all of them on a 24b JBJ nano cube. I fired one of each up and good grief they are bright.
 
Hi guys, one thing I'm working on right now is optimal spread of LED, lense, and overlap. Additionally, how much do I let it "bounce" off the glass to soften any shadows and give some light to all of the tank?

Right now I'm thinking about having two sets, blue and white, where the overlap from one to the next LED of a set (i.e. white-white or blue-blue) happens around 1/3 way into the tank. My highest rock is at 1/3 and thus would not get spotlights.

Alternately, Have the overlap of a set occur at the surface of the tank and use tighter beamed lenses at the periphery of the light array to control light spilling out of the tank.

I might also have an un-lensed LED or two to throw lots of light all over to bounce off the glass.

Thoughts? Comments?

- E
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14838200#post14838200 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wuelfman
i am really looking to change my lighting in my tank
this thread is really interesting.
i am in the middle of tearing down and redoing my tank (72lx30wx24h) 225 gallon
trying to go as low watts as i can using Hydor Koralia Water Circulation Pumps.
and looking into led lights
what about these led lights?
http://www.reefbuilders.com/2009/04...rethinking-implement-aquarium-leds/#more-6339
would these be enough to light a tank my size?
thanks for any input
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I saw these today at Exotic Aquarium in Sac. Pretty impressive. They had a tank set up with SPS in it. He gave me the demo with the sunrise to sunset. I thought it was really nice. They would be great for a FO, softy or LPS tank but to be honest I don't think they would grow SPS well. They just didn't look bright enough. The price was under $250 for the fixture which held up to 8 bulbs, but the bulbs are separate and were $140 each.

In a few more years we will all have LEDs and will be laughing about the days when we had Metal Halide lights and chillers and the energy hogs they are. It will be nice to make this hobby a little more energy friendly.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14859174#post14859174 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ejmitch
Hi guys, one thing I'm working on right now is optimal spread of LED, lens, and overlap. Additionally, how much do I let it "bounce" off the glass to soften any shadows and give some light to all of the tank?
Thoughts? Comments?
Click to expand...

Me? I would hopefully have not a single photon of light hit the glass. That causes the glass to be visible. It grows algae that I then have to clean off. It reduces the contrast of what you see when looking into the tank. But that's me.

I wouldn't worry about trying to get every bit of the tank lit up either. That starts to look a little too man-made for my taste. Shadows add depth to what you're seeing, no shadows and things look like a two dimensional drawing.

I have some optics laying around and a 3W LED that came with the optics. Here are some shots of the various lenses in the factory holder mounted 'out of the box', as-it-were, to give you an example.

The LED with optics was held 36 inches from the wall the camera was held next to the LED. That's a 12 inch ruler. This is the approximate size spot you might have at the bottom of a 24" deep tank with the LEDs mounted 12" above the water. (Your mileage may vary.)

No optics - huge spread but not very bright.

1nuhzjzkh1.jpg


25 degree optics

hqxp2ek8cx.jpg


15 degree - not a lot of difference....

8vpr503v83.jpg


5 degree

616uxn9nvb.jpg
 
Somewhat off topic but perhaps all you great electronics gurus can steer me.

My partner has an LED project and lighting up a trophy display. We wired it up with a 12v wall wart, toggle switch, and 8 epoxy sealed LED units. Each unit has 2 bulbs in it. (these are supposed to be submersible but that isn't relavant to this).

My question is what would cause the power supply to get REALLY hot? I really don't know what to check. The wall wart gets too hot to touch in the center after a few seconds and I don't know what to tell him.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14860260#post14860260 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kcress
Me? I would hopefully have not a single photon of light hit the glass. That causes the glass to be visible. It grows algae that I then have to clean off. It reduces the contrast of what you see when looking into the tank. But that's me.
Click to expand...



I am fairly sure that the amount of light bouncing off of the sandbed will be MUCH more than any light that might bounce off the front glass anyways. If you want more light to bounce up, use a very white substrate and make sure its kept clean. Finer substrate will also have a higher albedo than more coarse substrate (ie sugarfine argonite will bounce more light than crushed coral).
 
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Thanks for the feedback. I was diving recently and looking at the light streaming down in a very uniform fashion. A sheet of light versus a cone.

I'm now liking the spread array with overlap in the middle and tighter beam lenses at the edges.

I recently blew a metal halide receptacle (arced between the catch and bulb, burning out both) so I have half a tank needing light sooner or later. Sound like a great time to try 50/50. :)
 
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