PRIMARY LED lit Custom glass tank

[zachtos]

my 2nd smaller 600mA 24VDC psupply give 29V when connected to the LEDs. Likely due to the load being too small and it was a cheap non-regulated supply.

 

[gussy]

Can you guys post some schematics? Haven't done any wiring since engineering school.

Thanks!

 

[zachtos]

volt --|>|----|>|----|>|----|>|----|>|----|>|----/\/\/\/---- ground

+24 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 R1 -24Vdc

*capacitor between ground and power for stability

 

[cutsupremetrib]

aww the kitty looks exactly like mine his name is... Turkey lol

 

[djacob]

That cat must be HUGE next to that 100 gallon tank


hehehehhehehe

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6479340#post6479340 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zachtos

Full tank w/ 1-13WPC bulb

 

[gussy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6480211#post6480211 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zachtos
volt --|>|----|>|----|>|----|>|----|>|----|>|----/\/\/\/---- ground

+24 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 R1 -24Vdc

*capacitor between ground and power for stability

Great thanks!

When you are done, could you post more pictures of how you attach the LED the board and the wiring.

 

[zachtos]

tonite i wired up the first 50 10mm so called 80,000mcd LEDs. They look like crap. checkerboard pattern and washed out white w/ heavy yellow ring. I think they require MUCH MUCH more current than the "data sheet" says. If you can call it that. I need a lux meter. I also need to know what the true voltage/current needs of these lights are. I keep adding more and more current to my test protoboard trying to pop the lights. the data sheets says 30mA max but I'm running at 50mA now (they brightend up a bit and resemble 10,000K more now)

tempted to call project off and resign due to lying besthongkong bastards.

I'll post pix later tomorrow nite unless I get too angry.

 

[fppf]

The spec is the spec.
Any more current will greatly shorten the life of the LED.

 

[Hurdicuss]

A friend of mine used that same great stuff on his back wall that he also dusted with sand in his 20L reef. No problems with anything leeching out or anything like that. However, after having it set up for about a year now it is starting to peel off the wall. Just a FYI, and good luck with the project!

 

[zachtos]

These 10mm LEDs are garbage. I'm going to throw them out and order 350 white 40,000mcd LEDs, and 50 blue 460nm 11,000mcd LEDs for about $60. They have a viewing angle of 24degrees opposed to the 12degrees offered by the 10mm whites, which I think is the real problem.

my greatstuff isn't directly on the glass, it is applied to a piece of acrylic and siliconed onto the glass false back wall. greatstuff was squirted into the sides/base to seal up the gaps.

 

[zachtos]

Ideas in progress here for scaling up to a large tank w/ loads of 5mm LEDs.

42562 3/16" x 24" x 48" 3/16" Hole Dia. 5/16" Centers Staggered Rows PP Perforated Sheet

or

42558 Perforated Sheet 24" x 48" 3/16" Thick 3/16" Hole Dia. 5/16" Centers Staggered Rows

that is the size of a freaking 90 gallon aquarium. pre drilled holes!!! 4.76mm though. I emailed USPLASTICS asking if they could make them 5mm or not. As is I estimate 16 holes/in^2!!! that would allow us to make our arrays as dense as we want and save TONS and TONS and TONS of time!

If they can't make larger holes for us, I wonder if the LEDs would still fit if it was .24mm too small? Or maybe a quick twirl of a filing bit on a dremel or maybe just redrill each hole (that shouldnt take too long at all). Maybe heat the material w/ a heat gun then quickly drop a bunch of LEDs in while its fairly maleable? (I think the heat gun would damage other LEDs though)

PVC cost $40 and the polystuff cost $20!!! I would PAY that much just to get those hours of my life while drilling BACK!!!

any ideas?!

 

[easttn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6491277#post6491277 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zachtos
These 10mm LEDs are garbage. I'm going to throw them out and order 350 white 40,000mcd LEDs, and 50 blue 460nm 11,000mcd LEDs for about $60. They have a viewing angle of 24degrees opposed to the 12degrees offered by the 10mm whites, which I think is the real problem.

my greatstuff isn't directly on the glass, it is applied to a piece of acrylic and siliconed onto the glass false back wall. greatstuff was squirted into the sides/base to seal up the gaps.

If you want LED lighting:
http://www.lumileds.com/products/family.cfm?familyId=2
I have a couple of configurations, but it is only for accent lighting on my 180. You must use a metal clad PCB to pull heat from the LED slug if you use the 3-5W LEDs. All other LEDs in the world are not reef friendly - check the specs.

IMO these are only good for moonlight or party time:
http://www.futureelectronics.com/promos/Lumileds/tables/PgmIC/MCP_PIC12F675_AN1.pdf
PS - Future is the sole distributor of LumiLed in the US as far as I know.

 

[areze]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6491277#post6491277 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zachtos
These 10mm LEDs are garbage. I'm going to throw them out and order 350 white 40,000mcd LEDs, and 50 blue 460nm 11,000mcd LEDs for about $60. They have a viewing angle of 24degrees opposed to the 12degrees offered by the 10mm whites, which I think is the real problem.

my greatstuff isn't directly on the glass, it is applied to a piece of acrylic and siliconed onto the glass false back wall. greatstuff was squirted into the sides/base to seal up the gaps.

you realize that 40,000 MCD at 12degrees is the same as 20,000 at 24 degrees, making the 10mm LEDs almost 5x as bright. a 2xwider output just means each point at the bottom will be lit by twice as many LEDs with each having half the intensity. same difference. except that higher up in the tank, on LR and such the light might not spread enough and you'll see spots.

as for the larger sheets for larger tanks, sounds good, but for 1. I think the LED density is far underestimated for such a deep tank, and secondly, getting a converter capable of driving that many amps is quite expensive. more than most MH ballasts in fact.

 

[fppf]

Na, you can make a supply to drive your LED's in series for cheap if you know how. I just made a supply for a fellow reefcentral member last night so he can dim his moon lights with X10.

I just think the LED's will not give you the spectrum you want and its going to take a LOT to get the intensity. To solve the spot issue don't shine them into the tank directly, bounce them up off a reflector first and that will help diffuse the light. Of course doing so will require even more LED's to cover the loss of intensity.

 

[zachtos]

I used a 24Vdc psupply that could easily drive about 200 LEDs for $10. A 90 gallon tank would need about 4-5000 LEDs it would cost about $1500 to light it w/ LEDs w/ psupplies included... that is alot of work though. I figured up to 80 man hours. But it would save about $15/mo electricity and $400/year bulbs.

 

[easttn]

I don't think LEDs come higher than 5500K in white, thats way to the yellow for primary lighting for my taste. Blue is 470nm, spot on for moolight.

 

[areze]

a combo of blue and 5500k white will do the job though.

not sure about the 90g tank, 4-5000 might do the trick, Im curious about this 24v dc suppy for 10$ though, 24v at atleast .75amps? I suppose its possible. but needing 25 of them... I suppose still possible.

I dont think we are quite there yet. and if we are, we arent economical yet. I wish we were, I toy with LEDs alot(though with cars where available amps generally arent a concern) and in the past Ive gotten LEDs as cheap as 60$ for 1000 white LEDs. but they werent these new 30,000mcd, just maybe 12000. I went so far as to make a test array of 250 LEDs. but my powersource was unable to light them up, and I couldnt waste another 250leds trying a different circuit. just after doing 250 though, 80 hours is optomistic.

 

[speakeraddict]

I looked into having a company manufacture a 1000 led mixed array for me that would run off of 12v at 1 amp. I wanted them to use at least 12000 mcd.

They said if I ordered 500 of them it would run me $300 each. In reality that is not bad for a first order, but, you would have have about 5 or 6 of them to do softies in a 75. If they could get the cost down to under $100 each then it might work.

Still yet, I think what is going to have to happen is someone is going to have to develop an easy to implement and reliable 10 watter for this to be really feasable on a tank bigger than 10 gallons.

speakeraddict

 

[Goneracin]

how about using a 12 volt power supply for a powersource. a small 10-20 amp would do 4-5000 wouldn't it?

 

[speakeraddict]

easily.

speakeraddict