LEDBrick Project - DIY pendant w/ pucks
- Thread starter theatrus
- Start date
PilotMaximus
Member
Following closely. This really is DIY at the next level. Or Wizardry. Still not sure which yet. Great job.
Clearly, this is what happens when wizards DIY stuff.
Looks like Rapid LED has a new multi-chip they are launching - Corona. 38 LED's, 5 different channels - seems interesting. Complete in the box / off the shelf - not sold separate (had asked, they said maybe later). Seems like a lot of LED's in a small form factor.
•16 CREE XT-E royal blue LEDs
•10 CREE XP-G2 cool whtie LEDs
•4 SemiLEDs Violet UV LEDs + 4 SemiLEDs Hyper Violet LEDs
•2 CREE XP-E Photo Red LEDs
•2 CREE XP-E2 Green LEDs
•2 royal blue moonlights
•16 CREE XT-E royal blue LEDs
•10 CREE XP-G2 cool whtie LEDs
•4 SemiLEDs Violet UV LEDs + 4 SemiLEDs Hyper Violet LEDs
•2 CREE XP-E Photo Red LEDs
•2 CREE XP-E2 Green LEDs
•2 royal blue moonlights
theatrus
100-mile-commuter
Curious why they're still pushing cool whites.
Of all the white LEDs the very high CRI Luxeon C 6500k is very interesting.
My original build (still running well) uses cool whites and PC Amber. I've been running a lot more PC Amber in the mix than the cool white. (PC Amber is the neutral/warm white phosphor with nearly zero blue leaking through. It balances the look of a blue heavy tank nicely, as would a 2700k/4000K LED)
Also, I'm currently out of the 4 channel boards. More in several weeks!
Of all the white LEDs the very high CRI Luxeon C 6500k is very interesting.
My original build (still running well) uses cool whites and PC Amber. I've been running a lot more PC Amber in the mix than the cool white. (PC Amber is the neutral/warm white phosphor with nearly zero blue leaking through. It balances the look of a blue heavy tank nicely, as would a 2700k/4000K LED)
Also, I'm currently out of the 4 channel boards. More in several weeks!
theatrus
100-mile-commuter
I'm in strong favor of using Cyan over Green - cyan gives you coverage at ~500nm which is absent in pretty much all white LEDs.
I really like the specs on the new Phillips fixture - they also jammed it full of a variety of Luxeon Z ~420nm chips of various spectral bins to give broad coverage. Sadly I'm not buying them in enough quantity to reasonably do that just yet.
I really like the specs on the new Phillips fixture - they also jammed it full of a variety of Luxeon Z ~420nm chips of various spectral bins to give broad coverage. Sadly I'm not buying them in enough quantity to reasonably do that just yet.
theatrus
100-mile-commuter
Driver is not quite ready, needs some minor tweaks. I'm out of PCB assemblies for the LED boards right now, probably be a few weeks before my larger order arrives.
theatrus
100-mile-commuter
Should be fine. I can't tell from the image, but are the thermal center pads connected "direct" to the polygon and not through thermal reliefs? Also, Eagle does have a free angle mode track route to avoid the odd angles, but that's just aesthetics (wont make a difference electrically here).
You'll want some mounting holes or edge indents (like star boards) as well. Since your spacing looks bigger you could even drop one in the center.
yes thermal pad direct to the polygon pour, i was thinking about how i wanted to do the mounting holes, but i wasn't sure exactly where to put them, i plan on using the heatsink usa round i suppose i could drill and tap the center.
theatrus
100-mile-commuter
Interesting - what you doing to it now?
Tim
Going to shrink it to a two channel version so I can pendant-mount it, and adjust some of the thermal inefficiencies on it (larger inductor).
theatrus
100-mile-commuter
Eep, somehow missed this message before I went away for a bit. I'll take some measurements tonight to confirm.
theatrus
100-mile-commuter
A project micro-update:
- I got more 4 channel Luxeon Z PCBs in. If there is interest, PM me. Always happy to customize spectrum and load-outs as well.
- I traded a number of emails with folks over the break, and one theme that kept on coming up was strip-mounted LEDs (like an unfinished Build My LED outfit). I'm looking into how to make this economical and what lengths to make (4-6" segments?), but I think with a few footprints this is an easy to string together (Luxeon C, Z, Rebel, maybe Osram and Cree). I'm trying to get a reel of the 90+CRI Luxeon C 5700k white to play with as well, which would be a great fit for this form factor (though 10+ week lead times currently). Some of this work is also inspired by the Phillips CoralCare fixture and its LED mix, just in a DIY form (though they must get super fantastic pricing on the Luxeon UV LEDs
).
- Working on the drivers again, building a micro driver for a small pendant plug-and-play solution.
- Spent some time polishing off the stepper driver for my doser pump: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2569444
- Working on my micro-spectrometer project on the backburner. Long lead times on the parts is slowing it down a bit, but I had a neat idea to do coral color-grading (illuminate using known light sources, look for fluorescence)
- I got more 4 channel Luxeon Z PCBs in. If there is interest, PM me. Always happy to customize spectrum and load-outs as well.
- I traded a number of emails with folks over the break, and one theme that kept on coming up was strip-mounted LEDs (like an unfinished Build My LED outfit). I'm looking into how to make this economical and what lengths to make (4-6" segments?), but I think with a few footprints this is an easy to string together (Luxeon C, Z, Rebel, maybe Osram and Cree). I'm trying to get a reel of the 90+CRI Luxeon C 5700k white to play with as well, which would be a great fit for this form factor (though 10+ week lead times currently). Some of this work is also inspired by the Phillips CoralCare fixture and its LED mix, just in a DIY form (though they must get super fantastic pricing on the Luxeon UV LEDs
).- Working on the drivers again, building a micro driver for a small pendant plug-and-play solution.
- Spent some time polishing off the stepper driver for my doser pump: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2569444
- Working on my micro-spectrometer project on the backburner. Long lead times on the parts is slowing it down a bit, but I had a neat idea to do coral color-grading (illuminate using known light sources, look for fluorescence)
4-6" Segments sound good. I'm sure most people would buy 12/24/36" strips on a heatsink. The Generic RapidLED strips come to mind
- These mini Array LED's which are found in Kessil and Giesemann Vervve should pack a wider punch in a limited space -- A couple of these (if they're found in the spectrum of your choice) would probably be amazing for supplemental lighting with the dispersion optics you showed a few pages back.
- With a wider choice of LED options and Especially with your dispersion optic, that could really cut down the shadowing and 'dead backside' for SPS guys. Basically, the stuff you're doing could directly compete with ReefBrite, except with your dispersion optic and adjustable LED spectrum choices you could surpass them.
- Another little kit could be a 4-5" strip with 3 LED's on it used for dead spots behind SPS, or between LED fixtures (Like if you have Radion's 12" apart) again, with those optics (or whatever it's called) it could be a real killer.
- PAR people are looking for from supplemental lights is probably in the 200 range spaced evenly in the first 8" of the tank I'm guessing? Doesn't need to be strong enough to nuke, but something to light up that backside of SPS would be absolutely amazing.
- These mini Array LED's which are found in Kessil and Giesemann Vervve should pack a wider punch in a limited space -- A couple of these (if they're found in the spectrum of your choice) would probably be amazing for supplemental lighting with the dispersion optics you showed a few pages back.
- With a wider choice of LED options and Especially with your dispersion optic, that could really cut down the shadowing and 'dead backside' for SPS guys. Basically, the stuff you're doing could directly compete with ReefBrite, except with your dispersion optic and adjustable LED spectrum choices you could surpass them.
- Another little kit could be a 4-5" strip with 3 LED's on it used for dead spots behind SPS, or between LED fixtures (Like if you have Radion's 12" apart) again, with those optics (or whatever it's called) it could be a real killer.
- PAR people are looking for from supplemental lights is probably in the 200 range spaced evenly in the first 8" of the tank I'm guessing? Doesn't need to be strong enough to nuke, but something to light up that backside of SPS would be absolutely amazing.
