Minimalistic multichip DIY LED build

[Lassef]

This 36v driver set excludes the use of(28v) red chips unfortunately.

Good point but there is a solution to this also - but I do not know if he will built in that in the first release. I´m not against using red LED but for reef purpose I think its needless (to avoid someone having a heart attack, I must emphasize that this opinion is based mostly on biological criteria ). For freshwater (and teristial plants) - when it is another question. Problem with red is that it dominate very much and has to be at a very low intensity if you want to look at the aquarium. But a set of 10 660 and ten 630 to a planted FW tank (or your terestial plants) - perfect!

Sincerely Lasse

 

[mr.wilson]

Good point but there is a solution to this also - but I do not know if he will built in that in the first release. I´m not against using red LED but for reef purpose I think its needless (to avoid someone having a heart attack, I must emphasize that this opinion is based mostly on biological criteria ). For freshwater (and teristial plants) - when it is another question. Problem with red is that it dominate very much and has to be at a very low intensity if you want to look at the aquarium. But a set of 10 660 and ten 630 to a planted FW tank (or your terestial plants) - perfect!

Sincerely Lasse

While I agree that sufficient red light is present in most 14k white chips, you always have someone who insists that you need more of it. I'm using one row of red light and it's dimmed down to almost nothing. It's too bad they don't mix into the other rows so you could just add 2 or 3.

From a commercial standpoint you need to provide all of the colours in the palette so the end user can dim it down to what they like. From a practical standpoint, the multichip should come with the best lighting mix for coral growth and colouration and the end user should stay out of the kitchen, but what's practical about reefkeepers and DIY

 

[TropTrea]

@ TopTrea: He refers to a the driver solution to a guy here in Sweden is developing for this 5 channel multichip. A solution that is quite small which means that you can insert it into the pendant directly and let the fan that cools the chip also cooling the driver card. This means that you only need one cable for 36 V input to the pendant. But the solution is still under development.


Sincerely Lasse

This still does make a lot a sense to me. You have to have some device changing your 110 to 220 Volt AC power to 36 Volt input for your driver. Now if this is a five channel driver which is driving one multi chip and you only have the one 36 Volt supply going to the pendent then there is no control of the 5 channels with the exception of the possibility of pot adjustment within the driver.

The other thing that confuses me on this is why use a chip with 5 seperate channels (for different colors) when you do not want to adjust them seperatly. There are multi chips that do have more than one color LED's and yet only one channel. Usualy the multi channel ones are designed for displays that change colors, or put into a matrix to allow the changing of advertising on the sign.

 

[Lassef]

I have several posts tried to explain that the power LED's using drivers that deliver a constant current and therefore vary voltages for the load. The load is determined by the chip forward voltage - the voltage of which must be achieved over an LED for it to carry current. In a daisy chain FV is the sum of each included LED´s FV

This PCB is being developed by a Swedish aquarist. When it is fully developed is uncertain and it will be tested carefully

This board consists of five separate drivers that can be controlled individually by either a control card (with separate time channels) or from an aquarium computer (PWM). Each driver will be able to provide between 0 - 1400 mA which will be held in a range from about 30 V to 36 V. The card should be supplied with a voltage as close to the combined forward voltage of each channel. Max 36 V. Each channel has its own driver and control the intensity of each channel separately via PWM.

This card will also be supplied with 12 V for fans, temperature measurement and PWM control of fans.

With this PCB is not only the intensity that can be controlled in each channel, but also the feed current.

The end result is like this, but with five drivers and a maximum of 36 V, 1400 mA.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[hillscp]

Finally got everything wired. I hope to get these over my tank tomorrow. This is my propeller head bench.

Still gotta wire up the fans and come up with a good way to mount the POT and DC power connectors for the 10V dimmer and 12vfan power supplies.

 

[joeogio]

@hillscp what type of lenses are you using? what kelvin of leds? and what heatsinks?

i really like the look and spread of your setup

 

[TropTrea]

This thread is why I became a member on Reef Central and this is my first post. Im starting my first reef tank. Ive had fresh water but never saltwater. Im going to order 2 50w 10000k with 90 degree lenses and 2 20w 420nm with no lenses for a 65 gallon. Ive done a lot of research on lighting and this thread is just blowing my mind. I cant wait to have a budget led setup that is this good.

You stated "2 50 Watt 10,000K" which is basicly 100 Watts of white light
Then you stated "2 20 Watt of 420nm" which is basicly 40 Watts of Blue
This gives you a ratio of 2.5 watts of white to 1 watt of Blue. This is okay for a fresh water tank but not for a salt water tank.

Most people run between 1 watt of white to 1'5 to 3 watts of blue. I personly run even a little more blues that the 1 to 3 ratio.

 

[TropTrea]

With this PCB is not only the intensity that can be controlled in each channel, but also the feed current.

The end result is like this, but with five drivers and a maximum of 36 V, 1400 mA.

Sincerely Lasse

So you will have 5 channels will the total of the 5 channels = 36 V and 1400mA for a total of 50.4 Watts as Steves does. Or will each individual driver be able to put this out for a total of 200 watts?

I can see see something like this with a combination of Blue, Royal Blue, 5,000K and 20,000K LED's which allows the individual to precisely dial in the light they desire. However if they already know what they want it would be simpler to kust balance out the initial selection of LED's.

 

[hillscp]

@joeogio

The LED's came from an ebay seller. They are EPISTAR 60W Actinic Blue Hybrid 45mil LED Panels. 30 chips 10000K + 30 chips 445-447nm Royal Blue.

The lenses are 90 degree lenses that came from the same ebay seller.

The synchs are Arctic Accelero L2 Plus.

The power supplies are Meanwell HLG-80H-36B's and I am dimming them with a 10V wall wart hooked up to a 10K pot. I plan to use my controller later.

I don't know if I'll use the lenses yet. I'm going to play with them over th tank tomorrow. I like the reflectors that came with them. The are oblong and they reflect the light wide. If I don't use the lenses I'll be looking for some round glass to stick to them.

Thr picture looks a lot more blue than in person. To me they look pretty white. I might supplement them with some 20W RB's later.

HTH

Scott

 

[joeogio]

@hillscp thanks for the reply, im liking the look of those hybrid chips can wait to see how they do on your tank keep us updated

 

[Screener]

Did I read the Acrc tortured English right? the hybrid multichip for the sanDiego reef group buy will have a copper backing plate. This is a good thing right? Better than aluminum??? Would we have to use a heatsink with a copper chip pad to prevent dissimilar metal corrosion in our moist environments. Not having experience with this can anyone enlighten?

 

[Ldog1988]

Hello love this thread, have build a fixture my self.
I got

Ch.1 100w 20000k (on 10.00 off 20.00)

Ch.2 15w 455nm
15w 470nm (on 08.00 off 22.00)
and
Ch.3 2w 455nm moon light (on 21.00 off 09.00)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDIFOd2nXa8&feature=player_embedded

Was thinking of getting a Meen Well driver HLG 100H 36B so i can dim the
100w whit my Profilux.

Sincerely Dan
Norway

 

[Lassef]

Did I read the Acrc tortured English right? the hybrid multichip for the sanDiego reef group buy will have a copper backing plate. This is a good thing right? Better than aluminum??? Would we have to use a heatsink with a copper chip pad to prevent dissimilar metal corrosion in our moist environments. Not having experience with this can anyone enlighten?

I have no problem with the opposite (copper at the heatsink - aluminium att my chip´s) for 1.5 years. However - I´m going to isolate all copper parts from humid air as much as possible - just to be sure nothing going down to the water or that any Galvanic cell appears.

Copper is better than aluminium according to heat transfer.

@Ldog1988: You have to be logged in at "Saltvannsforum" to see your pictures. Please leave a link to your thread at Saltvannsforum. I understand Norwegian so I want to read.

@TropTrea

So you will have 5 channels will the total of the 5 channels = 36 V and 1400mA for a total of 50.4 Watts as Steves does. Or will each individual driver be able to put this out for a total of 200 watts?

I can see see something like this with a combination of Blue, Royal Blue, 5,000K and 20,000K LED's which allows the individual to precisely dial in the light they desire. However if they already know what they want it would be simpler to kust balance out the initial selection of LED's.

Yes, each driver will be able to put out max 36 V and 1400 mA
Yes, this will be max 50.4 W/channel
Yes, It will be 252 W max for the whole chip
Yes, we are able to understand "New Math" here in Sweden
Yes, it is named 100 watts chip, but every invidual LED is of the 45 mil size. This means that you can, if you want, put out 700 mA to each invidual LED. Two strings parallell gives max 1400 mA
Yes, it will be a lot of heat
Yes, you need a very good cooler
Yes, it shortering the life span
No, I do not recommend to run at 1400 mA. I myself's gonna run with max 1000 mA
No - I have probably not taking with all the objections

You stated "2 50 Watt 10,000K" which is basicly 100 Watts of white light
Then you stated "2 20 Watt of 420nm" which is basicly 40 Watts of Blue
This gives you a ratio of 2.5 watts of white to 1 watt of Blue. This is okay for a fresh water tank but not for a salt water tank.

Most people run between 1 watt of white to 1'5 to 3 watts of blue. I personly run even a little more blues that the 1 to 3 ratio.

I´ll try again. I have experiences with this type of chip, multichip, for more than 1.5 year. I have tested many different combination. If you work with high Kelvin chips from the vendor I use at Ebay (AC-RC) you do not need the ratio 2RB/1white. I my self use the ratio 2white/1RB.

But in this case when CanadaChop use 420 nm I will give you right because this wavelenght is so close the human eyes perception that most people see it very weak. If CanadaChop take with some 445 and 455 nm blue also at ratio 1:1 (in watt - white/blue) would be fine, especially if he have a dimming feature

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lassef]

I could not edit my post but I want to add this. It is a normal day at Lasse´s reef. I have the ratio of multichip 2 white (10 -16 000K) to 1 RB (455 nm).

Sincerely Lasse

 

[tronyony]

Ok, got my initial build done. As Lasse pointed out it would be blue and it is. Not horrible but still a little too blue. I have a question though, can I parallel 1 or 2 20W chips from one of my drivers(HLG-80H-48B) that already has 4 20W chips in series to add some more white? Here are some pics. I'll post more of the build when I get them from my buddy.


Thanks,
Tony

 

[tronyony]

It is bluer in the pics than in person. Photos taken from my iphone.

 

[Lassef]

Ok, got my initial build done. As Lasse pointed out it would be blue and it is. Not horrible but still a little too blue. I have a question though, can I parallel 1 or 2 20W chips from one of my drivers(HLG-80H-48B) that already has 4 20W chips in series to add some more white? Here are some pics. I'll post more of the build when I get them from my buddy.


Thanks,
Tony

Nope, but measure the voltage between + and - on your drivers when you are running them for full (no dim!) come back with the voltage and I´ll see if I have a solution.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[tronyony]

Some more

 

[tronyony]

Last ones for now.


Thanks,
Tony

 

[tronyony]

Nope, but measure the voltage between + and - on your drivers when you are running them for full (no dim!) come back with the voltage and I´ll see if I have a solution.

Sincerely Lasse

Will do, stand by.