Minimalistic multichip DIY LED build

maglofster said:
Okay! This is the situation: My GF is visiting her parents and I have the house to myself. Just got my LED stuff from Hong Kong. So I'm chillin' with a beer, some LED's and a Soldering iron. :)

This is the result so far:


The LED is mounted and i have soldered the DC connections.


The lens is mounted.


Let there be light!


This is one 100W blue/white multichip. I can only guess that my neighbours are wondering what the hell I'm cooking.. ;)
Click to expand...

I'd really like to see how maglofster has these VGA coolers mounted over his tank. Any pics. I tentatively plan to buy Arctic VGA coolers. Was wondering how he did his.
 
Me too. I can't imagine a way to suspend those coolers without looking very ghetto. At least the VGA coolers are not so tall, but still a big challenge.
 
You could just get 2 pieces of sheetmetal and the sandwich the coolers between that and the suspend that, you could also then mount your drivers and dimmers right on the sheetmetal

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
 
Tickle said:
You could just get 2 pieces of sheetmetal and the sandwich the coolers between that and the suspend that, you could also then mount your drivers and dimmers right on the sheetmetal
Click to expand...

Wouldn't the coolers be loose between the 2 pieces of sheet metal?

Any way to not use a PC/VGA cooler ? Would a 50W multichip overheat if attached directly to a long piece of aluminum heat-sink like people are doing with the single chip LED ? Then we could mount a series of large fans (>= 120mm) on the top of the heat-sink.
 
makutaku said:
Wouldn't the coolers be loose between the 2 pieces of sheet metal?

Any way to not use a PC/VGA cooler ? Would a 50W multichip overheat if attached directly to a long piece of aluminum heat-sink like people are doing with the single chip LED ? Then we could mount a series of large fans (>= 120mm) on the top of the heat-sink.
Click to expand...

It was just a thought, however you do it is up to you, jb weld, tech screws,rivets. As for the second question I have 5 10 Watt chips on a 24" piece of aluminum heatsink and I can only run them up to 50%. Anything any higher and it's just cooking. I use 2 80mm fans and they can't keep up. I'm gonna try a kit from makersLED.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
 
I just used the wire to figure out how high I want them over the tank. I am building a full hood for the tank now. Its going to be 15" tall.
 
Tickle said:
It was just a thought, however you do it is up to you, jb weld, tech screws,rivets. As for the second question I have 5 10 Watt chips on a 24" piece of aluminum heatsink and I can only run them up to 50%. Anything any higher and it's just cooking. I use 2 80mm fans and they can't keep up. I'm gonna try a kit from makersLED.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

I do not really understand what you are doing to get this result.

I have a 300 mm square tubes of aluminum (dimensions: 300 * 80 * 40 * 3 mm -> 11.8 * 3.15 * 1.6 * 0.12 inches) There I have two pieces of 10 watts Royal Blue, 2 x 10 watt white 16 000 K and 1 piece 20 watts red (660 nm). I run them at 0.96 A (white and RB) and 1.65 A for the red. FV = 19:45, 19.2 and 6.67 V. This gives a total of around 48 W. I have a 80 mm fan running at 8 V and the temperature of the heatsink is around 34 degrees Celsius (93 F). If I have the fan at 12 V, the temperature is around 30 C (86 F)


crayfish1.jpg crayfish2.jpg temp.jpg​

Some have asked what happens if you mix different chip. In this case, I have mixed 455 nm RB, 16 000 K white and 660 nm red. The photos in next post show red, white, blue and all of it together.

Sincerely Lasse
 
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makutaku said:
Wouldn't the coolers be loose between the 2 pieces of sheet metal?

Any way to not use a PC/VGA cooler ? Would a 50W multichip overheat if attached directly to a long piece of aluminum heat-sink like people are doing with the single chip LED ? Then we could mount a series of large fans (>= 120mm) on the top of the heat-sink.
Click to expand...

See my previous post.

Of course it's fine to do so as well. If you use a heat sink with fins - make sure to get a cap above the fins and with inlets for fans. Also make sure that the fans cover the entire width of the heat sink. The air should blow along the fins and out through the short sides of the heatsink.

Sincerely Lasse
 
JoshuAcOOk said:
could this driver handle three of these?
http://www.rapidled.com/mean-well-lpc-35-700-constant-current-driver/
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-10Watt-High-Power-LED-Bulb-10W-Royal-Blue-Led-Lamp-F-/320929975114?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab8eacb4a#ht_3515wt_1127
Click to expand...

Yes but you will run them at 700 mA which will only give arround 7 watt each.

Probably you can run 5 of this type of LED chip with that driver and 700 mA because my experience says that FV would be 9 rather than 10 V at so low current. 4 go anyway and then you measure whether you can bring in a fifth or not. Total FV of all 5 shall not exceed 48 V with this driver


Sincerely Lasse
 
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Lassef said:
"10 watt" RB and white, "20 watt" red. For the moment I run RB at 9.5 W, white the same and red at 11 watt.

This setup is not for corals - it is a test for a refugium with macroalgae

Sincerely Lasse
Click to expand...

ehmmm it is use for chaeto?? i think chaeto much better run with 6500K/10.000K. It grow faster under this led. I have tested with this led, but not under red or RB led.
 
Ok here is me build thank you Lessef for oll the help i use 24x3w RB , 24x3w 20k , 24x3w uv, 2x10w 10k, 2x10w 16k , 2x50w hybrid running around 70% off full power right now everthing is controll true typhone arudio controler and runn vith meanweel 60x48p drivers corals love it and is look like 14 k mh phoenix bulbs both beter and chaeper.
2012-06-23105906.jpg

2012-06-23105947.jpg

2012-06-23150449.jpg

2012-06-23150545.jpg

2012-06-23194439.jpg

2012-06-23194458.jpg


Big thank you tu Lessef .
 
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Lassef said:
Yes but you will run them at 700 mA which will only give arround 7 watt each.

Probably you can run 5 of this type of LED chip with that driver and 700 mA because my experience says that FV would be 9 rather than 10 V at so low current. 4 go anyway and then you measure whether you can bring in a fifth or not. Total FV of all 5 shall not exceed 48 V with this driver


Sincerely Lasse
Click to expand...

if i did the 4 chips, would they all be running at 700mA? and could these four at this power light up a 29 biocube? would 1 1000mA (1A) driver with an input voltage of 12v-14v work bettr with this led?

how many of the 10 watt chips (blue and white) do i need to light a 29 biocube?
 
Last edited:
letter2no said:
ehmmm it is use for chaeto?? i think chaeto much better run with 6500K/10.000K. It grow faster under this led. I have tested with this led, but not under red or RB led.
Click to expand...
Look at post 1082 and you will understand why I test with this wavelenghts. 6500 K and 10 000 K (LED) has a strong blue peak and contain also the red wavelenghts. Red wavelenghts is not (I think) essential for corals but for macroalga and freshwater plants which live in the upper part of the water column the red area is probably essential. (water is effective to filter out the red aera - at deep below 3-4 meters mostly of the red wavelenghts is allready gone.) With red macroalgae (thats reflect red) its probably very important with the blue wavelenghts.

Okey - I can take, as an example - 75 - 90 watts of 6500 and 10 000 K lightsources to get enough of the blue and red wavelenghts or I can take 40 - 50 watt of the right wavelenghts to do the same thing.

Sincerely Lasse
 
JoshuAcOOk said:
if i did the 4 chips, would they all be running at 700mA? and could these four at this power light up a 29 biocube? would 1 1000mA (1A) driver with an input voltage of 12v-14v work bettr with this led?

how many of the 10 watt chips (blue and white) do i need to light a 29 biocube?
Click to expand...

With Power LED´s you have to calculate with a power source that deliver a constant current and therefore vary the voltage. To use the advantage of a constant current you connect the LED i a daisy chain (serie connection)) - when all chip will have the current that the driver deliver. Every driver has a voltage aera in which it can withstand the actuall constan current - a constant current region. In your case the constan current region is 9 - 48 V.

If we have a constant current - how do we calculate the relevant voltage. In this case we have to look at the specifications of the LED chip for something named FV or Forward Voltage. This is the voltage the chip need to light up. In your case the specification says 9-12V Why its say 9-12 is because the FV will vary slight according to the present current. Lower FV if you have a low current (with limitations) and the highest FV when you run the chip at the chip´s max current. Let us assume that you have 1000 mA - the responding FV probably is arround 10 - 12 V. To know exact you have to connect and meassure. When you have the FV from a single chipp you just multiply tha voltage with the number of chip you have in your daisy chain and compare with the drivers specifications according to its constant current region. In yor case I calculate (at 700 mA) that you have a FV in a single chip arround 9 V - 5 chip - total FV = 45. Constant current region 9 - 48 V. Ye - its work. But if the FV at 700 mA is arround 10 V - it does not work with 5 chip but 1 to 4 chip work.

I hope you understand my way of trying to explain this - it's not so easy to do it in a language that one is not born into.

If you want to run them at 1000 mA and use 4 - look for a driver ther the constant current region include 48 V.

By myself - I have a RedSeaMax 130. Just now I run it with much LED power. In the front I have 4 pc of 10 watts white (10 - 16 000 K) at 900 mA(ap 36 W). In the middle I have 5 Cree XLM - 4 with lense - 1 without at 2000mA (ap 30 W) . 4 pc 20 watt blue (1 - 445, 1-455, 1-402 and 1 420 nm) The two RB at 1800 mA (36 W) - 2 UV at 1400 mA (28W) and in the back 4 pc of 10 watt (2 - 1600K and 2 pc of RB 455 nm) - at 900 mA (36 W) This is much -166 watt but the construction of the hood cause a lot of light not going down to the aquarium. If you do a good construction and use lenses I think that you should manage with 5 pc 20 watts or 10 pc of 10 watts and use the dim option if it is to much.

Sincerely Lasse
 
blesk said:
Ok here is me build thank you Lessef for oll the help i use 24x3w RB , 24x3w 20k , 24x3w uv, 2x10w 10k, 2x10w 16k , 2x50w hybrid running around 70% off full power right now everthing is controll true typhone arudio controler and runn vith meanweel 60x48p drivers corals love it and is look like 14 k mh phoenix bulbs both beter and chaeper.

Big thank you tu Lessef .
Click to expand...

Impressive construction and I'm glad I could help you. Thank you for the thanks :)

Sincerely Lasse
 
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