Minimalistic multichip DIY LED build

[AMDphenomx4]

Umm, if you're using that LED rated to 250W that costs a little over $120, isn't getting two of the XM-L 8 LED stars more efficient and cost effective in the end for the white color? It just seems better unless the 100W LEDs are around $50 and can still hit 250W.

 

[Lassef]

To me, who want maximum light in a rather great depth, is not the Cree XM-L an option. The reason for this is that you can not gather it up into a single lens. For normal home aquarium can be one of the options. I myself have 5 XM-L waiting for a project I will try later.

The advantage of multi-chips is that it is possible to mix different colors in the same chip and I think we have only seen the beginning here. Pretty soon we will have excellent LED versions for freshwater aquariums and terrestrial plants, that is, it will be LED's around 630 and 660 nm together with white and blue led around 430 and 450 nm in the same chip - it's just a question of time.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[harlequinacro]

This is a great thread, kudos to Maglofster & Lassef. I've been researching and waiting for the technology to progress more before I make my complete change over on all my tanks to LED. The technology is moving very fast. Probably the reason the AI Vega is taking so long to come out. I really like these multichips, from what I'm reading, compared to putting together a bunch of cree's if I was to go DIY route. My prerequisites are Color Spectrum Variety & Color Spectrum Penetration (Depth Punch) mainly in the 400-700nm range. I found this picture that rtparty posted somewhere:

Like Lasse said, "it's just a question of time" before the multichips will have a wider variety of Color Spectrum.

 

[Lassef]

Thank you a lot for that picture:spin1:

As a reefer I´m mostly intrested of the wavelenghts below 460 and down to 400. Why? Because of the fact that mostly of red wavelenghts are allready gone away in a depth of 4 m i nature. And coralls doing good in nature in depth below 4 meters.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[maglofster]

Umm, if you're using that LED rated to 250W that costs a little over $120, isn't getting two of the XM-L 8 LED stars more efficient and cost effective in the end for the white color? It just seems better unless the 100W LEDs are around $50 and can still hit 250W.

Those are a very valid choice as well. But when it comes to the chips that cost about $125 were talking about a chip that has both 10K white and RB chips on it. It's the combination that's interesting and worth paying extra for I think. If were talking pure white, this chip for example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-100W-Wh...966?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19cedf92a6 for $50 is the one you should compare to.

 

[dnejdl]

i would love to see some big tanks like the 6 ft long and 29 deep 2 foot wide. (210 gal ) ... just woundering if to or 3 would be enough , i think i would go with the mix blue & wht chip the 100 watt one, whats your expert advise on them ? great stuff , just told the wife about this treand after i bought and setup another led system lol. I think she is looking at killing me , lol. jk .

 

[maglofster]

I will report continually from my 160 gallon tank. Right now I have started moving my SPS colonies into the tank. This will be done over a period of weeks, but so far it looks good.

 

[Landsailor]

Is anyone running these on dimmable Meanwell power supplies?

How well do they dim?

 

[007Bond]

Malglofster, post are slowing down. I hope people are still interested, I know I am. Are you running all 100W and are they all the Hybrid type on your new set up? Thanks for all the information you and Lassef have shared with us.---Rick

 

[pbradley0]

So do you all see the only advantage of these over single 3w LEDs being the cost per unit?

 

[J'canReefMan]

maglofster,

do you think 3 50w 10Ks with 4 10w royal blues would be over kill for a 30 x 22 x 20 tank?

 

[karnivorous]

are these the 100w chips you are using? if not, could you post a link for me. im going to light my 120 with 2 of them, and supplement with smaller ones for color enhancement

 

[maglofster]

Is anyone running these on dimmable Meanwell power supplies?

How well do they dim?

Yes, they dim well.

 

[maglofster]

Malglofster, post are slowing down. I hope people are still interested, I know I am. Are you running all 100W and are they all the Hybrid type on your new set up? Thanks for all the information you and Lassef have shared with us.---Rick

I'm running two hybrid's at 100W and two white 10k on 50W. So total of 300W on a 160G tank.

 

[maglofster]

So do you all see the only advantage of these over single 3w LEDs being the cost per unit?

For me it's:

Easier to build with fewer LED's
A bit more cost efficient
Smaller footprint over the tank
Hybrid chips with two or more colored chips give fantastic colors

 

[007Bond]

I'm running two hybrid's at 100W and two white 10k on 50W. So total of 300W on a 160G tank.

Maglofster, Hi
I have some more questions for you please,1- Are you now happy with your color or are you still experimenting? 2- 300W total, are you running them at their stated wattage or do you boost the current to them? 3- Why are you adding 50W White and not Blue, and why the 10,000K not 14,000K or 20,000K? 4- Is your last posting of your tank the most up date of your color rendering? Thanks sorry about all of the questions.---Rick

 

[maglofster]

Maglofster, Hi
I have some more questions for you please,1- Are you now happy with your color or are you still experimenting? 2- 300W total, are you running them at their stated wattage or do you boost the current to them? 3- Why are you adding 50W White and not Blue, and why the 10,000K not 14,000K or 20,000K? 4- Is your last posting of your tank the most up date of your color rendering? Thanks sorry about all of the questions.---Rick

Im very happy with the color. Now I just want to know that the corals are thriving in the light.

I'm running the two 100W hybrids (they can go up to 250W each) at 100W each. The reason for adding the two 50W 10Ks a couple of hours during "noon" is the give the corals a wide range of light spectrum. So I'm only running the total of 300W a couple of hours. The other times it's only the 200W hybrids that are running. I added the 10k white instead of blue because I want to have a more natural "sunlike" color during "noon". The look of about 4-5 meters down in a sunlit coral garden.

 

[A Reef Scene]

I would love to see pics of Lassefs tank.

 

[Lassef]

I´m not a SPS freak, or SPS do not like me I like urchins more than I like SPS, just now I have more than 14 different urchins in the tank.

Its difficult to get a good picture, the light is not as yellow as i looks in the pictures.

Here is some pictures from december last year (2011)

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lassef]

So do you all see the only advantage of these over single 3w LEDs being the cost per unit?

No - for my construction is the ability of penetrating down to 5 m important. I´can not do that with 3 watts chip. In my own aquarium I use 10 watt chip because I can have the degree of Kelvin I want (10 000 and 16 000)

Sincerely Lasse