New SOLARIS Lights by PFO
- Thread starter MUCHO REEF
- Start date
BeachBum843
New member
The price and the low intensity of the lights is what worries me about the Solaris hood. First, the price is extremely high for what you get. The dimmer modes and programmable settings that make it seem so fancy are handled by using a cheap microcontroller to drive a DAC (probably 8 bit) that regulates the ouput level of the voltage.
Apparantly, the Solaris hoods use an older Luxeon LED to do it's lighting. There are better, stronger, more efficient LED lights on the market now from manufacturers like Cree, Inc. that can max up to 210 lumens at 1 amp (luminous flux of 176 lumens @ 1 amp) vs. the Luxeon's coming in at about 80 lumens per amp. The bulbs in the fixture are not replaceable/upgradeable to my knowledge.
Specs on the cree lights: http://www.cree.com/products/xlamp7090_xre.asp
Here's a discussion I had with some engineers about doing your own OLED (organic LED) lights on another forum:
http://www.petfish.net/forum/index.php/topic,58744.0.html
Apparantly, the Solaris hoods use an older Luxeon LED to do it's lighting. There are better, stronger, more efficient LED lights on the market now from manufacturers like Cree, Inc. that can max up to 210 lumens at 1 amp (luminous flux of 176 lumens @ 1 amp) vs. the Luxeon's coming in at about 80 lumens per amp. The bulbs in the fixture are not replaceable/upgradeable to my knowledge.
Specs on the cree lights: http://www.cree.com/products/xlamp7090_xre.asp
Here's a discussion I had with some engineers about doing your own OLED (organic LED) lights on another forum:
http://www.petfish.net/forum/index.php/topic,58744.0.html
jnb
Premium Member
if you had to find it, there are threads pointing out that pictures of the Solaris (I have the same problem with 20k 250watt MH ) appear dimmer than we see with our eyes - don't know why
And I am told and have also seen it discussed, that the Solaris is putting out more useful light to the corals than we can imagine while seeing it with our eyes - this discussion is in threads which discuss that new Solaris users need to ramp down their lighting a bit at first to let the corals adapt.
I am not saying this to sell the light - I could really care less about selling it to someone who will not be happy - its just what I have seen discussed and/or experienced - nothing is easy
QUOTE]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9492457#post9492457 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jimmy595
After seeing jnb's gallery I'm not sold. It could be the camera, but that tank seems a bit dim to me. [/QUOTE]
And I am told and have also seen it discussed, that the Solaris is putting out more useful light to the corals than we can imagine while seeing it with our eyes - this discussion is in threads which discuss that new Solaris users need to ramp down their lighting a bit at first to let the corals adapt.
I am not saying this to sell the light - I could really care less about selling it to someone who will not be happy - its just what I have seen discussed and/or experienced - nothing is easy
QUOTE]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9492457#post9492457 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jimmy595
After seeing jnb's gallery I'm not sold. It could be the camera, but that tank seems a bit dim to me. [/QUOTE]
