Minimalistic multichip DIY LED build

Need Help In DIY Build

Need Help In DIY Build

Tons of info here in this thread. I am wanting to build a LED setup. I currently run 2 - 250 MH and 2 Super Actinics on a 100G tank.

Dimensions is 60" x 20" x 18"
Top of Water line to top of sand bed is roughly 16 1/2 to 17"
Top of inside of my canopy to waterline is 10" I can cut a hole in the top of canopy to achieve a full 10" if needed then trim around those holes where the heatsinks would stick out.

Now what I like is Blue Lighting in the AM first off the a hour later my Metal Halides come on. the in the Evening the MH goes off first then the super actinics.
One thing I currently do not have is moonlighting I would like a nice royal blue at night.

With that said to achieve that and replace what I already have

AND if it was you building this what would you exactly use.

What heatsink, what LED's and how many. Also forgot to mention I want them to be able to be dimmed with my APEX if possible. I just got this tank running a couple weeks ago and it was a used tank. SO far only thing I have used is lighting which is OLD, tank, stand and canopy. I built my own sump/refugium drilled my holes for the bulkheads ect.

I currently have about 150# of mixed lived and dry marco rocks in the tank. And this week since my levels are all in check I moved 2 clowns, a snowflake, 2 BTA's and a lawmower blenny from my 29g biocube. I have several puling xenias from my live rock scavenged from my bio cube, I plan to grow SPS, LPS some mushrooms and some other things so I want these to have adequate and proper lighting.

Hope this is enough detail what I want to do and hope you can help with suggestions and places to order maybe links if you have them. Feel free to PM me if you can post a link... I was about to replace both MH Bulbs and Super Actnics but figure the price of those bulbs at the LFS I should be able to buy several items needed for a DIY LED Build...

Thank You Very Much Guys......
 
blackthunda77 said:
for those of you guys running your leds on a controller. What driver are you using? do i need to get one thats labeled dimmable? I have an apex controller and id love to test out my 20watt blue chip on my controller to adjust the intensity. Can someone explain this to me? These are the pieces i purchased and im pretty sure i cant dim this driver on my apex correct? If not which driver would you guys recommend for me to be able to do this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/22077327295...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_2064wt_1139

http://www.ebay.com/itm/27083150819...NX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_3254wt_905

http://www.ebay.com/itm/27086587693...NX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_1606wt_905

advice is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...


You're right, you can not dim with the specified driver. It is difficult to find any good driver, but if you look at your chip specification it says that Forward voltage is 10 - 11 V and the proposed power is 1000 to 2100 mA. The following driver LPF-25D-12 have the specifications for Constant Current Region 6.6-12 V and provides 2100 mA in the area. It would be a good fit but is at max what your chip can handle. I would probably have chosen LPF-25D-15 instead. Constant Current Region is 8.25-15V at a current of 1.67 A. In the first case, you get about 21 watts and the second case about 17 watts. Both drivers can use the 1-10 V signal to dim and as I understand a Apex controller use such a control signal.

However, I have not tested this configuration, but believe that it works.

If you want to connect more chip to the same driver you ought to connect them in a serie. Find a driver that gives the prefered current and have a constant current region there the sum of your chip´s FV fit in. An example - you want to have two of this chips in a serie - find a driver thats give around 2000 mA and the constant current region include 20 - 22 V. LPF-40D-24 as an example

Sincerely Lasse
 
chandiel said:
hi.. does anyone know the result (in my tank with 100cm x 50cm x 50cm dimension) if i use :

5pc
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5pc-10Watt-...764?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43b17194f4

and

5pc
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-10W-Ac...721?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d27e5799

in design like lassef like picture o attach.

are this design was good enough to replace my 2x39W T5 ? most in my tank was LPS.

please help me..

also if i use a 2x50W dimmable driver for each series LED (5xwhite and 5xblue) will it work ?
Click to expand...

Generally - 100 watt LED replaces more than enough 2 * 39 watt T5. My choice would be however five pieces of 16 000 K white and 5 pieces of RB with different wavelengths (445 and 455 nm). I would use the lenses, at least to the white and put the chips in two rows of each color separately.

It is difficult to find a perfect drive for 5 * 10 watts. If you go down a little from the maximum current of 1000 mA thera are some including the HLG-40H-54B, which would give about 80% of the effect (about 40 watts)

Sincerely Lasse
 
Lassef said:
Generally - 100 watt LED replaces more than enough 2 * 39 watt T5. My choice would be however five pieces of 16 000 K white and 5 pieces of RB with different wavelengths (445 and 455 nm). I would use the lenses, at least to the white and put the chips in two rows of each color separately.

It is difficult to find a perfect drive for 5 * 10 watts. If you go down a little from the maximum current of 1000 mA thera are some including the HLG-40H-54B, which would give about 80% of the effect (about 40 watts)

Sincerely Lasse
Click to expand...

thanks lasse..what lens do you prefer to use ? are 60 or 90 degres ?
 
chandiel said:
thanks lasse..what lens do you prefer to use ? are 60 or 90 degres ?
Click to expand...

Depends on. Near the shortsides of the aquarium I prefer 60 degres - in the middle with your deepth probably 90 degre will be great. But there is no must, but its good if you get the light there it should be (inside the aquarium) and not on the glass.

Sincerely Lasse
 
Lassef said:
Depends on. Near the shortsides of the aquarium I prefer 60 degres - in the middle with your deepth probably 90 degre will be great. But there is no must, but its good if you get the light there it should be (inside the aquarium) and not on the glass.

Sincerely Lasse
Click to expand...

thanks you Lasse.
so..you means to separately 5white LED in 1 rows and the other 5blue led in 1 rows ? about the driver,can i use 50W driver if each row i build the led in series ?
if yes,then i need 2 long heatsink like what you build in picture.can you tell me please,where you get the heatsink ?
 
Lassef i cone du another build fore diffrent tank 48x24x20 inch i was think two pendants each vith 1-50w multy chip , 2-10w 10k , 2-10w 16k , 4-10w RB, should i need add any UV led vhot you think thanks for respond.
 
ronreef said:
This is DIY. Saving cash is part of the satisfaction. Flexibiltiy is a big part of it too. For me, power output more than makes up any shortcomings even if the build cost was equivalent to a Kessil. It's not for everyone. Part of the attraction of the multichip LED light point source is to get away from having to wire up multiple smaller 3W LEDs. To quote someone who's built mutliple 3W fixtures, "And so much less annoying then the 3watt builds (I've built 5 or so 3w fixtures and they get annoying)."

Like I said, it's not for everyone.
Click to expand...

no I get it, saving cash is great, I just thought it would be more of a cash savings.
 
chandiel said:
thanks you Lasse.
so..you means to separately 5white LED in 1 rows and the other 5blue led in 1 rows ? about the driver,can i use 50W driver if each row i build the led in series ?
if yes,then i need 2 long heatsink like what you build in picture.can you tell me please,where you get the heatsink ?
Click to expand...

Power LED´s shall be connected in series - its easier that way. If you use the driver I mentioned - yes you can take the 5 whites in series to one of the drivers and the 5 blues in the other chain.

The heatsink i got from Ebay (somewhere) The other construction (arround the heatsink) I found at my job, it is two covers from a cable duct. Use your imagination :)

Sincerely Lasse
 
blesk said:
Lassef i cone du another build fore diffrent tank 48x24x20 inch i was think two pendants each vith 1-50w multy chip , 2-10w 10k , 2-10w 16k , 4-10w RB, should i need add any UV led vhot you think thanks for respond.
Click to expand...

If you with UV mean 405 - 420 nm, mayby its a good idea to have 1 pcs 420 nm to each pendant. The problem is that they are expansive but there is normaly possible to run them arround 20 watt. If I should built a pendant like that, I probaly should replace the 4*10 watts RB with one 420 nm 20 watts and one 445 nm 20 watts. The blue in 50 watts multichip is normally 455 nm. In this way - you have the whole blue photosyntetic active spectra in your pendant

Sincerely Lasse.
 
ronreef said:
That's a pretty deep tank. I'd start with a 60W (10000K/445-447 royal blue) hybrid for each section of the tank. Then supplement with a few more multichip LEDs to get each section up around 100W total.
Click to expand...

Ok, thank you
I'll buy those leds:
60w
Which lensens do I need?
60 degree?

For the other leds, I can buy those?
20w?

For the 3 x 60w, I need those drivers?
http://www.rapidled.com/mean-well-hlg-185-42b-dimmable-driver/
They are expensive, Maybe there are other drivers I can use?

For the heatsinks, I found this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221063805414
When I use 3 of this with active cooling, I think its ok

Thanks for the help!
 
The Kessil gooseneck can be loaded down with about 737 grams (1.61 lbs) of weight before the arm gives.
 
Last edited:
Attached multichip.
 

Attachments

  • 20120722_090511.jpg
    20120722_090511.jpg
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Here is a google sketch of a standard 125 with LED's hung at 27" above tank base or 6" above water line.

ledlights.jpg


The larger cones are 90 degree optics and the smaller cones are 60 degree optics.

How concerned should I be about the light only having a 12 inch diameter at the water surface? Even smaller with the 60 degree optics.
 
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