Widmer's LED Projection System

[widmer]

It looks great! However, would you take two (or more) pictures for me? Take a picture of your corals and then post again in a month (more if you like). There has been a lot of talk about whether the lighting is correct. I think it is and will eventually go this route. BUT there have been very few before and after pictures.

Thanks - Did I say Fabulous

Thanks for your kind words and suggestion. As much as I appreciate growth shots, this is something I am going to have to leave to someone who's doing a better job with the husbandry than I have been doing. Something tells me that growth shots in my case wouldn't do justice to the LEDs :spin1:

 

[widmer]

congratulations !

very nice to know that building a LED array doesnt require you to be a rocket scientist i really like the look of your fixture. i bet something like that would look very good on a long tank. one day i will undertake a similar project. keep up the good work

To further drive the point home, it may be useful to know that I'm into pharmaceuticals, not anything like engineering etc. And the build took place 100% in my kitchen and living room. Just ask my girlfriend, she'll give you a colorful description :lolspin:

 

[widmer]

WOW, that is very nicely done. How it turned out to how it's put together. My question is, how do you know with LED's how many you need for a certain tank? Anybody develop a rule of thumb for them yet? I think the cree's have multiple versions on different voltage, so it would of course depend on the one you bought.

Again, very nice job.

Thanks for your support.

der_wille has a very well-refined answer to your question. He can be found most likely in Soundwave's thread.

 

[widmer]

Looks great. What are the dimensions of your tank? Would you say the dimmable driver for the blue leds was a necessity, or do you think it would be alright to have the blues at 100% all the time and use a dimmable driver for just the whites?

It's a 12x12x24 glasscages rimless 15g. Good estimation on your part; if I were to do it over I would simply have the blues on a constant current. I would actually also probably have done 12 of the royal blues and 6 cool whites. But I'm a 17k kind of guy...

 

[widmer]

Most excellent work. You just helped me my make up my mind for my next project. I also like idea of being able to angle them. I don't have as high of ceilings as you do, but I'm definitely going to put them as high as I can get them.

Scott

Thanks, and it's great to have you on board. I look forward to seeing your results.

 

[widmer]

Widmer,

I've been reading your posts on the DIY thread for sometime and it is nice to see your finished work. You have created a piece of art!

One question, I noticed the flatscreen in the background and wonder if the led fixture affects the viewing of the television?

I've been very preoccupied with what's artistic for a long time now, so I appreciate your comments. Sometimes I like to pretend that I'm the norwegian T Amano :lolspin:

The fixture has zero effect on the television enjoyment, but then again, neither did the T5HO I previously had on there...

Are you suggesting I find a way to remotely point this thing at the TV when my better half has gossip girl on?

 

[sammy113]

Damn that looks great! I like how high the fixture is and yet with 8 deg lenses have an incredible amount of light over that tank. Any chances that you can get some PAR numbers down the tank?

 

[Eel-byte]

Great job! Seeing all these diy led builds is starting to inspire me.

 

[Esquare]

Well done widmer! I just recently finished a very modest led experiment for my fuge and can agree that the quality of light is amazing.

 

[HndMafia]

I've been very preoccupied with what's artistic for a long time now, so I appreciate your comments. Sometimes I like to pretend that I'm the norwegian T Amano :lolspin:

The fixture has zero effect on the television enjoyment, but then again, neither did the T5HO I previously had on there...

Are you suggesting I find a way to remotely point this thing at the TV when my better half has gossip girl on?

Now that's an interesting idea!

I have wanted to try the open top look on my 210, but was worried about light spillage affecting my viewing of the tv. If I leave the canopy doors open the t5s hit me right in the eyes....you are giving me inspiration

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

WOW, that is very nicely done. How it turned out to how it's put together. My question is, how do you know with LED's how many you need for a certain tank? Anybody develop a rule of thumb for them yet? I think the cree's have multiple versions on different voltage, so it would of course depend on the one you bought.

Again, very nice job.

Without detracting from widmer's excellent build and thread, it would probably be prudent to ask general LED questions in Soundwave's big thread, so we can keep them all in the same place.

I have wanted to try the open top look on my 210, but was worried about light spillage affecting my viewing of the tv. If I leave the canopy doors open the t5s hit me right in the eyes....you are giving me inspiration

LEDs are a CLEAR CHOICE in applications like this. Optics - plus, at the very worst - little "barn door" shades - will pretty much bring light spill down to ZERO. Check out this image widmer posted in another thread:

T5 and MH will NEVER touch that sort of focus with the reflectors and fixtures we typically use in the hobby!

there have been very few before and after pictures.

Soundwave posted a bunch of his tank over several months, though by today's LED standards his fixture is a hair on the "dim" side - and they're rather buried in his thread at this point. I know two or three other users posted several months' of growth but of course those are buried, too. Seeing tanks in person that have been LED-lit for months or longer, I can tell you that the typical approaches in this forum DO indeed work. Widmer's fixture is the first (that I know of) to make use of very tight optics, so that's a variable, but overall the approach is definitely valid.

 

[widmer]

Damn that looks great! I like how high the fixture is and yet with 8 deg lenses have an incredible amount of light over that tank. Any chances that you can get some PAR numbers down the tank?

I would be more than happy to measure the PAR if anyone wants to lend out their PAR meter. USPS shipping would only be a few dollars...

 

[Santoki]

Looks awesome Widmer.
I too like that industrial look. It looks more "professional" than the commercial units in my mind...
Like previously mentioned, it would be great if you can get your hands on a PAR meter and see what that bad boy is outputting in the tank...
-Robert

 

[widmer]

Thanks Santoki - I still haven't figured out how you conceal those wires on your fixtures. I know you drill through the base to feed them in through the back, but how on earth are they connecting up with the stars??

 

[widmer]

der_wille- thanks for bringing that pic over, if I had remembered I would have put it in my OP here.

Caption: This was a picture I took after I laid the LED fixture upside down on an ottoman and pointed it upward, so that the light was traveling ~6 feet before hitting the ceiling. The hot spot is roughly a little more than two feet by a little more than a foot if I remember correctly...

Also, thanks for looking out to keep this thread on topic, but I really could care less what direction it goes. However, for the purpose of not having resources all over the place, it would indeed make sense if the general questions are directed to Soundwave's thread where so many general questions and answers already exist...

 

[widmer]

Optics - plus, at the very worst - little "barn door" shades - will pretty much bring light spill down to ZERO.

I was actually giving this a little more consideration last night, and I was thinking maybe I will try slicing up some PVC tubes to fit right over the optics and insert onto the heatsink. They could extend past the optics to a very precise degree which does not block the primary beam, but does absorb any and all spillage. And maybe brushing the insides of them flat black even.

But then again...the spill is so minimal that it's pretty low on my list of priorities...

 

[onecoder]

Widmer this looks great. Now I know I will convert my BC14 over to LED. Thanks so much and a very nice pice of work.

Art it is.

 

[widmer]

Again, thanks for all your guys' comments. It really makes me glad I took the time to do the writeup. Go make one this weekend, it's guaranteed to save you money in bulb replacement costs alone, no matter what fixture you're running right now.

 

[laverda]

widmer Nice write up and execution. I would never have thought you could get that much light into a tank from that distance without a ton of spill over. If you want to change the look of your fixture a little you could change the acrylic to a piece of tinted or painted acrylic.

 

[DFason]

Any luck with the local and the PAR meter? Would love to see what the 8 degree optics are pushing that high.
-Dave