cubanazo83
In Memoriam
Hi Mr. Wilson thanks for your reply, quick question if I use a 20w multichip, only one would be ok or do I need something else? Thanks
Minimalistic multichip DIY LED build
- Thread starter maglofster
- Start date
Hi Mr. Wilson thanks for your reply, quick question if I use a 20w multichip, only one would be ok or do I need something else? Thanks
Sorry it's called flexpvc - my bad there. They have the SDR26 spec 5" PVC pipe, but even though it's thinwall it's still 1/4" thick.
Those connectors I listed have pins available that fit 18gauge wire. I will admit, some 18 gauge works better than others, and be sure to order extra pins / sockets, you will ruin some.
Mehdi_ir00
New member
Thank for your replying Lassef.
Skinnysloth
New member
Lots of great information here. I'm in the process of replacing my T5 light fixture with a DIY led fixture. Just got my first set of 50w 452-455nm royal blue leds in today and was curious as to who was the manufacturer. Anyone know who makes these? They don't look like Epistar or Epileds.
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Saltygobie
New member
So I am wondering we're to buy 120 volt drivers for multi chip LEDs?
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
What are you planning on doing with all those violet chips? I tried a three channel chip with 96w 14k white, 96w royal blue & blue and 52w violet (420nm). It was way too violet and made the tank look pink.
Of course it is largely personal taste, but 10% violet is what I would go with. I have also found that corals fluoresce at night better under royal blue and blue with a little violet to get different colours to pop. Again, this works out to be 4:1, blue:UV.
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mr.wilson
.Registered Member
I don't have any experience with 20w multi chips, but 20w of PAR 38 LED is more than enough for your 12 gallon tank so it should be adequate. You probably want a dawn and dusk blue colour, so a second royal blue, blue and UV chip would be an asset. The more simple solution is a mixed chip with several colours in it (blue, royal blue, violet & white). Some vendors call these "hybrid chips".
Due to the low clearance, you will not be able to use or need optical lenses, but you will need some sort of splash guard. The 120˚ lenses are low profile and may fit.
The other concern is the structural integrity of the black plastic lid that came with your tank. It may not be able to withstand the heat radiating upwards from the chip. It appears to be vented with several fans so that may not be an issue.
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
For anyone looking at the Zalman 8900 CPU cooler, here are some ideas for a housing. I made a few100w prototype fixtures using an earlier model that is very similar, but they discontinued it, so I decided to go with a more flexible design that doesn't rely on manufacturers whim.
It's basically a set of rings and disks that hold everything together and keep your fingers and water away from the fan. The top is a solid disk with a series of rings that fit into the profile of the unique heat sink shape. The bottom rings are smaller and can be used to hold the chip and lens in place. I had an aluminum chip & lens holder made. The one in the picture is a little bulky, but it was an early prototype. I used copper pipe and threaded rods to space the rings out and hold them together. You have to leave some room at the top for the fan to intake air, or it gets noisy.
Here is an early prototype that I didn't finish...
Here are two design drawings...
It's basically a set of rings and disks that hold everything together and keep your fingers and water away from the fan. The top is a solid disk with a series of rings that fit into the profile of the unique heat sink shape. The bottom rings are smaller and can be used to hold the chip and lens in place. I had an aluminum chip & lens holder made. The one in the picture is a little bulky, but it was an early prototype. I used copper pipe and threaded rods to space the rings out and hold them together. You have to leave some room at the top for the fan to intake air, or it gets noisy.
Here is an early prototype that I didn't finish...
Here are two design drawings...
bobfish4black
New member
actually i wasn't planning to use all violet but was more if that ten 10w chips of that size would work with which driver from the list that i had provided.
what my set up will be is 4x50w chips on one string and 10 10w chips on another driver, using a mix of colors
Ebay link(s) removed~dc
thanks for any replies
what my set up will be is 4x50w chips on one string and 10 10w chips on another driver, using a mix of colors
Ebay link(s) removed~dc
thanks for any replies
Last edited by a moderator:
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
Okay, that makes more sense. The red chip runs at a lower voltage so it should be on its own driver. Red chips are very dominant so this will let you independently dim it to what you like without affecting the other colours.
I use 12w Inventronics drivers to power a row of 10 chips in a 100w multichip, but they have a dimmable 10w driver that would work for you. http://www.inventronics-co.com/uploads/2012_10_913408.pdf
I would run the red chip with no optics as it is hard to get one chip to cover the whole tank evenly. This is why I put all the colours in one multichip.
bobfish4black
New member
i was only planning to use 3 of each color except for the uv, which I will use one with no lens, the driver I was looking at is in this group, but was wondering which of the 120's I should use to cover the amps of the bulbs as they max at 1050 each
http://www.trcelectronics.com/Meanwe...g-b.shtml#120w list to chose from.
http://www.trcelectronics.com/Meanwe...g-b.shtml#120w list to chose from.
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
I like to group all of the blues and UV together on one driver and use separate drivers for red & white chips. The wiring and control gets complicated when you use more than thee drivers.
Again, don't let my personal preference discourage you, but if you use three 10w red chips they will need to be dimmed down quite a bit. Violet and red are sympathetic colours (look similar to the human eye), so your tank can become pink if you use too many red & UV. Even royal blue has a violet look and some whites have a fair amount of red if certain phosphors are used.
The 120 lens you picked is pretty wide so it will help mix the colours.
Your link doesn't work for me.
Lassef
Member
Lots of great information here. I'm in the process of replacing my T5 light fixture with a DIY led fixture. Just got my first set of 50w 452-455nm royal blue leds in today and was curious as to who was the manufacturer. Anyone know who makes these? They don't look like Epistar or Epileds.
Do you have a link to the vendor?
Sincerely Lasse
bobfish4black
New member
You can see link in previous post on this page
Skinnysloth
New member
Don't want to violate any rules here by linking off site, but I got them off ebay. The specs are as follow:
50Watt HIGH POWER LED
Emitted Color
Royal Blue
Chip size
36mil
Forward Voltage
32-36V
Forward Current
1750mA
Luminous Flux
1500LM
Wave Length
452.5-455
View Angle
About 140 degree
To clarify, I knew these were not Epistar or Epiled (they were not advertise as such) because of the price I paid for them. But for $20 each, I was willing to gamble and see how they work out.
Just curious as to who made them.
50Watt HIGH POWER LED
Emitted Color
Royal Blue
Chip size
36mil
Forward Voltage
32-36V
Forward Current
1750mA
Luminous Flux
1500LM
Wave Length
452.5-455
View Angle
About 140 degree
To clarify, I knew these were not Epistar or Epiled (they were not advertise as such) because of the price I paid for them. But for $20 each, I was willing to gamble and see how they work out.
Just curious as to who made them.
Lassef
Member
@ Cubanazo83
Its difficult to mount anything in a thin canopy. A method I have used with 10 and 20 watts chip is to use a square tube. Place the square tube across the hood with its ends at the air intakes on each side. On the upper side of the square tube (in the middle), you make a square hole so you can put a fan there. The fan will blow air through the tube and out through the hood side. You might have to do an air intake on the the hood top. You can put 2 pcs square tubes (50 mm * 25 mm) in your hood and have two pieces of 20 watts per tube.
The picture shows the general idea - even if this tube is larger.
I would perhaps work with 6 pieces (3 per tube) 10 watts in this case. 2 x 445, 2 x 455 and 2 x 16,000 K white. Possibly replacing one of the blue with a 420 nm. They are only 20 watts but you can run them so they provide 10 watts.
I would also invest in dimmable drivers
The LEDs I use are of the "20W 420nm UV LED Panel", "10W 16000K High Power 800LM LED Lamp Blub for Aquarium", "New 40mil 10W 450nm-452nm Royal Blue LED Panel for Aquarium".
Should you decide to remove your hood, I think two of these would fit nicely over your tank "85-265V 18W Actinic Blue LED E27 Spot Light"
This lamp uses the same configuration as the dream chip.
Color Configuration:
Sincerely Lasse
Its difficult to mount anything in a thin canopy. A method I have used with 10 and 20 watts chip is to use a square tube. Place the square tube across the hood with its ends at the air intakes on each side. On the upper side of the square tube (in the middle), you make a square hole so you can put a fan there. The fan will blow air through the tube and out through the hood side. You might have to do an air intake on the the hood top. You can put 2 pcs square tubes (50 mm * 25 mm) in your hood and have two pieces of 20 watts per tube.
The picture shows the general idea - even if this tube is larger.
I would perhaps work with 6 pieces (3 per tube) 10 watts in this case. 2 x 445, 2 x 455 and 2 x 16,000 K white. Possibly replacing one of the blue with a 420 nm. They are only 20 watts but you can run them so they provide 10 watts.
I would also invest in dimmable drivers
The LEDs I use are of the "20W 420nm UV LED Panel", "10W 16000K High Power 800LM LED Lamp Blub for Aquarium", "New 40mil 10W 450nm-452nm Royal Blue LED Panel for Aquarium".
Should you decide to remove your hood, I think two of these would fit nicely over your tank "85-265V 18W Actinic Blue LED E27 Spot Light"
This lamp uses the same configuration as the dream chip.
Color Configuration:
- EPILEDS 45mil 10000K x 3
- EPILEDS 45mil 15000K x 3
- EPISTAR 45mil 6500K x 3
- EPILEDS 45mil 455nm x 3
- EPILEDS 45mil 445nm x 3
- EPILEDS 45mil 430nm x 1
- EPILEDS 45mil 420nm x 2
- away 30cm: 1802
- away 50cm: 843
- away 70cm: 443
- away 90cm: 206
Sincerely Lasse
Landsailor
New member
The Pro-Crimp frame is cheap, so that must be a new die set or something.
I've bought more 571-584951 crimpers than I can count for $158. Based on that alone, I would change to the TE Series 1 CPC. My shop has used 20K+ of those contacts in thousands of connectors on life rated equipment. http://www.mouser.com/catalogviewer...t=571-584951&catalogculture=en-US&catalog=645
Barring buying proper crimping equipment, I would look into using what we collectively call "Phoenix connectors" but are actually "pluggable terminal blocks".
http://www.mouser.com/Connectors/Terminal-Blocks/Pluggable-Terminal-Blocks/_/N-7rqe3/
hello ive been following this thread for some tim and thought i would bring you guys up to speed on my build http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gRCYS-Db_Q
i havent tested what i have finished so far but i plan to start testing these soon, i have a complete build thread for these as well here on rc http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2209681
i havent tested what i have finished so far but i plan to start testing these soon, i have a complete build thread for these as well here on rc http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2209681
Landsailor, Thanks for the input. Here are the connectors from Mouser I'm looking at. http://www.mouser.com/catalog/catalogusd/645/2589.pdf I'm looking at the 16 pin although as of now I only need 14...10 for the Dream Chip 2 for the cooler fan and 2 for thermal switches. + 2 spare. Without that 158 dollar tool, looks like I'll be soldering the lugs as tomservo has stated. I might have access to a crimping tool in the near future, sure would make thing a little easier.---Rick
