Mars Aqua Chinese LED review (Ebay)

[OllieNZ]

Sounds good! I would really appreciate it if you could try and post some detailed pictures of the process. I'm interested in doing the same but really have 0 confidence with electrical stuff so I would be very keen to see what you do and how you do it.

Will do. As I said I'm still undecided what to do from a control perspective but a couple of the guys at work have experience with the micro controllers so I'm going to pick their brains next week and see what I can come up with. Ironically it seems a micro controller will be less expensive than a dual timer set up despite being the timers being much less complex.

 

[garygonzales]

Very true. I included a video around page 11 that I show how to swap the diodes out for uv or violet led diodes. Super easy and cheaper then 5 dollars.

+1 on this i just bought some purple 420mn leds for that same purpose..to get some more florescence...but they do have uv leds as well.....

 

[firebirdude]

I know several of you have modded these to work with the Apex, but who has done with it the ReefKeeper ALC? It should be exactly the same pretty much. 0-10V. And I even found this walkthrough using some other eBay lights. The inside of my 300W MarsAqua looks identical and the little dimmer board looks identical. I know I've got everything wired up properly, as it's pretty darn easy. Short the first two pins together, pin 3 to + and pin 4 to - which run down to the lighting control module. But I can't get the ramp up/down to work properly. Using a multimeter, I can watch the voltage on the wires slowly step up voltage over whatever time period I set.... so I know the ALC is working properly. But here's the real kicker. Unplugging all the dimmer wires from the ALC causes the LEDs to default to 100% brightness. Plugging the ALC wires back in causes them to dim to their "max setting" that I've set through the ReefKeeper (be it 30%, 50%, whatever). So the dimmer wires are doing something. But yet, I'm watching the starting voltage on them at 0.12V, then up to 0.25V, then up to 0.37V, etc etc. Can it possibly be a measly 1/4V on that dimmer wire makes the LEDs look 40-50-60% of full intensity?!?! Then what the hell is the point?!?! Or do I have something screwed up??

 

[OllieNZ]

I know several of you have modded these to work with the Apex, but who has done with it the ReefKeeper ALC? It should be exactly the same pretty much. 0-10V. And I even found this walkthrough using some other eBay lights. The inside of my 300W MarsAqua looks identical and the little dimmer board looks identical. I know I've got everything wired up properly, as it's pretty darn easy. Short the first two pins together, pin 3 to + and pin 4 to - which run down to the lighting control module. But I can't get the ramp up/down to work properly. Using a multimeter, I can watch the voltage on the wires slowly step up voltage over whatever time period I set.... so I know the ALC is working properly. But here's the real kicker. Unplugging all the dimmer wires from the ALC causes the LEDs to default to 100% brightness. Plugging the ALC wires back in causes them to dim to their "max setting" that I've set through the ReefKeeper (be it 30%, 50%, whatever). So the dimmer wires are doing something. But yet, I'm watching the starting voltage on them at 0.12V, then up to 0.25V, then up to 0.37V, etc etc. Can it possibly be a measly 1/4V on that dimmer wire makes the LEDs look 40-50-60% of full intensity?!?! Then what the hell is the point?!?! Or do I have something screwed up??

Does the alc output pwm or analogue? It seems that these boxes can come with either pwm or analogue dimming, mine are analogue 0-10v and the two pins for the dimming are labelled VDM+ and VDM- on the board with the pot on it. The pwm ones I've seen have had the pins labelled PWM+ and PWM-

 

[Dartolution]

Very true. I included a video around page 11 that I show how to swap the diodes out for uv or violet led diodes. Super easy and cheaper then 5 dollars.

I saw,

I am debating on how many and which ones...
Any suggestions?

I have been thinking about replacing the green (4) and red (4) with Violet 415/420nm diodes.

Thinking about replacing some for the 10K/20K Diodes too

What I am not sure of, is how many UV diodes, where, and what channel.

I want to mimic the ratio that AI uses in the Hydra52's.
While the Hydra's don't use real "UV" they do incorporate 1 400NM diode per "puck" or 4 per fixture in the latest Hydra HD.

so in other words, 1 400nm per 13 lead's.
In a 100 diode fixture thats about 7-8 total.

Ideas?

Also, can someone give me a good link to find these diodes? What brand/quality are you using, and when you replace the existing diodes, are you using contact thermal paste between them and the board?

 

[Dartolution]

Went ahead and did an ebay order for :
(10) 20-25K LED's
(10) 395-400 nm
(10) 410-420 nm
(5) 460-465 nm

They are "no name" chinese... I hope I ordered the same ones everyone else is.

 

[firebirdude]

Does the alc output pwm or analogue? It seems that these boxes can come with either pwm or analogue dimming, mine are analogue 0-10v and the two pins for the dimming are labelled VDM+ and VDM- on the board with the pot on it. The pwm ones I've seen have had the pins labelled PWM+ and PWM-

Pretty sure the dimming boards in the fixture said VDM, but I'm not 100% on that.

 

[90tanknj]

Just bought 2Marsaqua

Just bought 2Marsaqua

I just bought 2 Marsaqua on eBay from Marshydrolast week and hoing to receive them sometimes this week. Will post as soon as I get them. Just curious how to hang them without drilling into the ceiling. Want to make some kind of a stand that rest on my 90 gallon tank.
Also anyone have an idea what angle lenses they use?

 

[OllieNZ]

Pretty sure the dimming boards in the fixture said VDM, but I'm not 100% on that.

I've just read the link and the op makes it sound like the alc outputs 0-10v pwm not 0-10v analogue in which case you need to convert the pwm signal to analogue.

 

[iced98lx]

Mine will be here Wednesday the way it looks. I'll be opening them up pretty much right away to check quality of fans and see about control options.

 

[garygonzales]

I saw,

I am debating on how many and which ones...
Any suggestions?

I have been thinking about replacing the green (4) and red (4) with Violet 415/420nm diodes.

Thinking about replacing some for the 10K/20K Diodes too


thats exactly what im going to do too...the reds and green with 420 violet and some of the warm whites with 10k..to get the yellow out....doing it this weekend

 

[fishbox]

I have had one of their 300W MarsAqua fixtures now for about a year.

While I have enjoyed this light quite a lot, I have noticed one simple thing in its design.
The total lack of UV/Violet LED.

This fixture would greatly benefit from having some UV/Violet LED's incorporated in it to be full spectrum.
This can easily be supplemented with T5 actinics, but some of the highly grade LED fixtures, like AquaIllumination for example employ the use of UV/Violet to increase fluorescence in coral.

Overall I am still happy with this purchase a year later.

Did you keep the optics on or off? What's the spread like and how far off the water do you have them? Also pics would be nice.

 

[firebirdude]

I've just read the link and the op makes it sound like the alc outputs 0-10v pwm not 0-10v analogue in which case you need to convert the pwm signal to analogue.

How does one go about that?

 

[OllieNZ]

How does one go about that?

Not 100% on the details but the gist is you use the pwm to switch a transistor fed by an additional 12v power supply and then use a capacitor to smooth the output voltage to give you an analogue signal. Try Google "0-10v analogue arduino" and there is a few circuit diagrams and how tos but while I understand that basics I couldn't say whether you can apply them directly to the alc as pwm voltage can differ (either 5v or 10v) and so can the frequency.
Sorry I can't be more helpful.

 

[OllieNZ]

My repackaging is underway

4x drivers fitted in their new home

 

[OllieNZ]

How does one go about that?

Is this the alc you have?
http://www.digitalaquatics.com/download/modules/alc/

I'm working with a practitioner in the dark arts of electronics to try come up with a solution.

 

[fishbox]

For those wanting to switch out the LEDs in this unit, check this out https://sbreeflights.com/sbox-upgrade-retro-fit-kits/6-sbox-replacement-pcb-board.html

 

[firebirdude]

Is this the alc you have?
http://www.digitalaquatics.com/download/modules/alc/

I'm working with a practitioner in the dark arts of electronics to try come up with a solution.

Yes:bigeyes:

 

[OllieNZ]

Yes:bigeyes:

Lol

I still need to do more digging on the alc but taken at face value and now with a better understanding of how the driver dims, it should be fairly simple.
If your dimmer looks like this

Then you need to unplug the cable from the dimmer and bridge the "V+: and "ON/OFF" pins. Then connect the "VDM+" pin to the 0-10v signal pin on the alc and the "VDM-" pin to the 0-10v gnd pin on the alc.

As a caution don't parallel drivers together use a separate chanel for each driver, if the voltage on the "VDM+" pin is not perfectly matched the drivers may mess with each other potentially resulting in permanent damage.

 

[rgulrich]

These might help some of you make up your mind.


MarsAqua 300W LED layout - at least as best as I can figure, based on the images available online and the one, among others, below of one of mine.




This is an "island" walk-around 300DD, with the reef running diagonally from the left rear in this image to about 2/3 of the way to the right front with a euphyllia/montipora outcropping in the right rear corner and a Paly rock the in right front corner. Two 165W Galaxy Hydro and four 300W MarsAqua, mounted on pocket door rails in the canopy. These rails allow me to "roll in/roll out" the fixtures from the canopy pretty easily for cleaning. Layout is: 165W 300W (brace) 300W 300W (brace) 300W 165W. I have six Kessils providing additional light (and dawn/dusk), with two on the outside corners at each end and two in the middle front and back facing in.

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story. I still have to work on my picture taking skills, I'm afraid.


Here's the trucks mounted on one of the fixtures. I've also moved the C14 inlet plugs to the end for easy access at the back of the canopy.


Kessils only on.


All lights on.


Bank one on (one 165W, one 300W)


Bank two on (two 300W).

Now this said, my slightly over-exposed pictures don't really do these lights justice. I've been using this array for two months now, replacing three 250W metal halide (Radiums). The corals have demonstrated marked growth in nearly all instances, with some of the expected color shifting to new pigments/photo-inhibitors such as greens and turquoise blues.

After previous experience with under-powered LEDs, much reading, and doubling down to cover the reef, I'm very satisfied so far with this purchase. I've also picked up some 405-410nm and 420-425nm Epistar LEDS to replace some of the 450nm and 12K white (too cool for my liking), but I'm leaving the couple reds and greens in place not only to appease my eyes, but for the use some of my shallow water acros might gain from them.

Cheers,
Ray