Input requested on DIY LED build

[joshlawless]

Unsatisfied with the idea of reducing my output, I've amended v.6 to replace the warm white emitters with the 3-up/tristars having warm white, neutral white, and royal blue emitters. This requires 2 more LDD-1000Hs to drive the additional strings of NW and RB, and pushes the parts list back up to $930.

Lucky # 7!

48" Heatsink ($200)
12x Luxeon M Royal Blue ($10.50)
6x Luxeon M Neutral White ($10.50)
12x 3-ups with RB, NW & WW (1000, 1000, 1000) ($11.05)
24x UV dual-core ( 1000) ($4.20)
12x 3-ups with CB, TQ, DR (1000, 1000, 700!) ($12.05)
13x LDD-1000 ($5.21) powergatellc.com
1x LDD-700 ($6.29) powergatellc.com
1x Mean Well SE-600-48 48V 600W power supply ($88.40) powergatellc.com

RB channel: 12x RB "œM" (1000mA, Vf 11.4) (need 4 LDD-1000s to drive 3 ea.) (about .78A ea.)
12x RB "œES" (1000mA, Vf 3.05) (need 1 LDD-1000 to drive all 12) (about .83A)
NW channel: 6x NW "œM" (1000mA, Vf 11.4) (need 2 LDD-1000s to drive 3 ea.) (about .78A ea.)
12x NW "œES" (1000mA, Vf 3.0) (need 1 LDD-1000 to drive all 12) (about .82A)
WW channel: 12x WW (1000mA, Vf 3.1) (need 1 LDD-1000 to drive all 12) (about .84A)
UV channel: 24x UV (1000mA, Vf3.6) (need 2 LDD-1000s to drive 12 ea.) (about .82A ea.)
CB channel: 12x CB (1000mA, Vf 3.3) (need 1 LDD-1000 to drive all 12) (about .89A)
TQ channel: 12x TQ (1000mA, Vf 2.9V) (need 1 LDD-1000 to drive all 12) (about .78A)
DR channel: 12x DR (700mA, Vf 2.0V) (need 1 LDD-700 to drive all 12) (about 0.35A)

 

[joshlawless]

Hmm, going to need a dedicated 15A circuit for the lights ...

 

[joshlawless]

So, based on some very helpful input and tips, I've moved the design towards more of a cluster approach. With the Luxeon "M" 12W LEDs and the custom "Tristar" Luxeon ES stars from Steve's LEDs, I'll be able to consolidate a lot of emitters in significantly less space than I thought.

So basically, I'll have repeating clusters throughout the tank that look, generally, like this:

In each cluster, there are:
2x Luxeon M Royal Blue 12W emitters
1x Luxeon M Neutral White (5000K) 12W emitter
4x SemiLED Dual Core True Hyperviolet 3W emitters
2x Tristars with Luxeon ES 3W Royal Blue, Neutral White (5000K) and Warm White (2700K) emitters
2x Tristars with Luxeon ES 3W Cool Blue, Turquoise, and Deep Red emitters

By rough wattage, that's

30W Royal Blue (2x12 + 2x3)
18W Neutral White (1x12 + 2x3)
6W Warm White (2x3)
12W True Violet (4x3)
6W Cool Blue (2x3)
6W Turquoise (2x3)
6W Deep Red (2x3)

for about 84W per cluster (if they were running 100% on all channels).

My plan is to have 18 such clusters in the tank, but I'm wondering if 1500 W isn't maybe too much? With the same heatsinking, I can put a more modest 12 over the tank (2 each per 24" fixture, 4 each per 48" fixture), but don't know if that would be sufficient for an SPS-heavy mixed reef with clams.

Because the tank is so high (40"), I'd like to put some of the LEDiL optics on the Luxeon M emitters, probably in the ballpark of 60 degrees or so. Steve's LEDs advertises that 60 degree optics for their custom tristars will be available "soon" -- I think it would be wise to optic down both flavors of tristar, as well. The violets I think it best to run without optics.

 

[zachts]

with everything running full blast that is probably over kill especially with optics. My personal tank experiance with LEDs stops at standard 55gal (22" tall) but to put it in perspective on my tank, 2 of you modules without any optics would be growing SPS at the bottom of the tank. I'd probaly use 3 or 4 for more even coverage and dim them.

I liked you initial concept of more LEDs than absoulutely needed to have better and more even coverage. on a shallower tank you definately would not need as many clusters and could not use optics and have good coverage.

with optics and clusters roughly 12" O.C you'll want to make sure you have the fixture high enough above the water that you get good coverage at the surface to avoid dark spots at the top of the tank. that gives you 1 cluster per sq.ft. of tank surface which should be more than enough even given your tank depth. I still think you may not need the optics and should start off without them, IMHO.

Steve's has had the "optics coming soon" on there for about 9 months now........ but it certainly won't hurt to leave the optics off those tri-stars to let all the colors blend. perhaps you only do the luxeon M optics at the start...

 

[joshlawless]

With 60 degree optics on the 12W emitters in each of the 12" spaced clusters (4/ea on the 48" heatsinks, 2/ea on the 24"), and about 8.5" above the top of the tank, this is about how the light would hit the surface of the water (with the front and side fixtures tipped in by 15 degrees):

Within a few inches of the surface, there's substantial overlap.

 

[zachts]

looks pretty good, you might have some dark spots in the upper back corners, but I think you'll get enough light bounce that it wont be too noticable if at all.

when you get to soldering up the luxeon M's I've read a few posts about people haveing a hard time soldering wires onto the pads when they are attached to the heatsink (the MCPCBs are copper evidently so very effective at wicking heat away) if you don't have a very powerfull soldering iron. So you might have to measure and attach you wires with the chips not screwed down to the heatsink. I'ts also definately easier to tin the star pads in general before mounting them to a heatsink, but you might already know all this as it sounds like you've now done a pretty good amount of homework on your build!

 

[Skinnysloth]

Yeah, the M's are difficulty to solder due to the copper base. I tinned the pads before attaching the M's to the heatsink. With tinned wires and pads, just melt the blobs together.

 

[joshlawless]

Thanks for the heads-up. I like the idea of tinning the pads better than what I had in mind, which was to try to put a thermally insulative shim between the star and the sink while soldering it. In hindsight, that seems like waaaay more work.

And happy day! Finally put a deposit down on the tank with My Reef Creations. We're under way!

 

[joshlawless]

I just can not stop with the refinements. Hopefully I'm not moving this in the wrong direction.

I'm back up to six clusters worth of lights, but spread out more evenly. I've tweaked the ratio a bit, so that now the 48" fixture has the following emitters:

12x Luxeon M Royal Blue
10x Luxeon ES Royal Blue
6x Luxeon M Neutral White 5000K
10x Luxeon ES Neutral White 5000K
15x Luxeon ES Warm White 4000K
24x SemiLED UV Dual Core
17x Luxeon ES Cool Blue
17x Luxeon ES Turquoise
12x Luxeon ES Deep Red

To accomplish this, I included 5 of a new tristar layout - warm white 4000k, turquoise and cool blue. I pulled out 2 of the previous NW/WW/RB stars to leave 10 of that pattern. Still have 12 of the blue/cyan/red stars.

If everything runs at full steam (not my intent), that would pull ~570 watts from the wall.

The wattage pulled per channel is shown below:

The layout is shown below, with the vertical column of tri-stars not recurring on the outer ends of the fixture (5 such columns, 6 sets of the other 3 columns):

How does this ratio seem?

 

[asid61]

That's what I'm talking about!
Looks insane!

 

[joshlawless]

Thanks! I'm up to v12 in my obsessive quest for the perfect layout.

This shows the front left corner of the tank, to illustrate the difference between where the pattern ends on the 24" heatsink and where it ends on the 48" heatsink.

The pattern has been tweaked a little to remove the 5000K Luxeon M, in favor of several 5000K Luxeon ES, based on Steve's LEDs confirmation that the CRI for the Luxeon M is lower.

I've also replaced half of the UVs with the Exotic 405nm models that run at 700mA.

With all fixtures considered, the wattage per LED channel (if fully driven) is:

RB 447.3
5000K 210
2700K 115.5
UV 171.36
CB 184.8
TQ 81.2
DR 19.6

Roberto at Reef Angel is making me a pair of custom dimming modules with 16 PWM channels of control, each, so I can have directional control over the tank's lighting. I want to simulate sunrise by ramping up the red channel on the East side of the tank, followed by the warm whites, and so on, and starting to ramp the same colors in a delayed fashion over the center and West side of the tank. Not really for the coral or the fishes' benefit, but more for the aesthetic of it.

 

[joshlawless]

48" fixtures underway:

 

[zachts]

those will be awesome once they are fired up! you may never need to buy another light.

Cant really tell from the pic but did you pre-tin the solder pads on the LEDs before mounting them to the heat sink? You will have a hard time soldering them if you don't, the wicks the heat away too fast with them mounted and makes tinning the pads in place difficult.

 

[joshlawless]

I know that I was supposed to, but I don't have all the soldering gear yet, and was eager to get started. I figure that I'll probably be okay, since I bought an oversized soldering hot-air rework station (this one), with a 70W iron. If I have to strip them off to get it to work (*sigh*), then that'll be the price I pay for my impatience.

 

[zachts]

I had one other thought as well on your layout, may not really matter in the long run but you might adjust your violet placement to put them on the two unused middle rails. It would help keep them a little cooler as the violet chips are the weakest link in terms of heat tolerance and the cooler they run the better. just a thought........

 

[joshlawless]

If... and only if... I have to remove everything to get the soldering to take, I can see how that would be a good idea.

 

[zachts]

I know that I was supposed to, but I don't have all the soldering gear yet, and was eager to get started. I figure that I'll probably be okay, since I bought an oversized soldering hot-air rework station (this one), with a 70W iron. If I have to strip them off to get it to work (*sigh*), then that'll be the price I pay for my impatience.

Nice, I think you'll manage with that one. I've reworked them inplace before it can be done, and I use one of these cheapo's ( http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=374-100 )it just takes longer, the M's will give you the bigest problem since the pcb is copper and will absorb more heat. It just goes alot faster when they are pre tinned.

 

[zachts]

If... and only if... I have to remove everything to get the soldering to take, I can see how that would be a good idea.

I'm not sure why I didn't think of that before, you've posted your sketchup model layouts numerous times. I guess seeing them on the actual heat sink jogged that part of my brain that does thermal engineering.

Now I need to log off and work on my own light build, thread coming soon, but it'll be more of a documentary by the time I actually post anything, LOL!