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LED retrofit adventure!


Marteen

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Hey guys I have been doing a lot of researching and planning and have got what I think is a good grasp on the LED subject. I'm currently planning on modding out this 24" Orbit fixture I just got to fit on my BC29 and using LED lights instead of the PC currently in the fixture. I'll be posting all of my steps and mistakes along the way so please join me in a little adventure and we'll see where it takes us.

 

Oh and for those who can't wait to see the end product wait 4 months before you read beyond this line.

 

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Alright here goes for everyone who stayed tune. Here is my equipment list (with links and prices) so far tell me what you think:

 

Current Orbit USA PC fixture (used): $75

24.75"x8.25"x4.5" (fan included! score!)

 

12x Cree XR-E Q5 rated at 1000mA: $6.76

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2394

 

10x Cree XR-E Royal Blue rated at 1000mA: $8.49

http://www.ledsupply.com/creexre-rb.php

 

2x 3w UV LED 410nm: $8.16

http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1690

 

Optics

I need some help picking these out guys. Should I go with:

These lenses say they give a divergence of 25 deg.

http://www.cutter.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=cut846

These lenses say they give a divergence of 41 x 10.4 deg.

http://www.cutter.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=cut691

 

4x BuckPuck 1000mA: $17.99

http://www.ledsupply.com/03023-d-e-1000p.php

 

2x 36v Power Supply: $18.95 (adjustable to 32v)

http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=13657+PS

 

Aluminum Heatsink (I will probably go with a 18"x5.375" heat sink for this)

http://heatsinkusa.com

 

An updated parts list will be out soon...ish? :P

 

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Alright so that is my part list if you guys can give me any feedback on these items such as I picked the wrong ones for whatever reason or I'm getting totally hosed on the prices for these that would be a great help.

 

I plan on drilling and tapping all the holes for the various LED's once I get the heat sink and screw mounting them using artic silver as the conductor between the LED's and the heat sink. I'm also going to have to cut down the Orbit fixture about 4" because right now it is way too big for my fixture. I'll post pics of my cutting and reassembly once I start it.

 

I plan on running 6 LEDs for each BuckPuck and have the blues and UV LEDs run on the same Power supply and the Whites on a seperate power supply, so I can use timers to simulate sunset and sundown.

 

 

Anyways that's enough for now any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Sounds like you have a good plan. The only thing I would change would be the optics if you want to save a few bucks. The Cree optics (which are on the second page on the Cutter optics page) are only $2 and have more options for angle. I would suggest a 30 degree unit.

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  • 1 month later...

So my LEDs have all arrived from DX safe and sound in their little bubble wrap coffins. I'll probably order the buckpucks and PS this weekend or next once I get some funds in. Then I just have to wait for Chris to get back to me about my heatsink.

 

I also still need to order my optics. I think I'll go with the 40 degree optics for the cree XR-E lamps.

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Order a set of 60 degree optics too. The 40s might be a bit too much, depending on what you are looking to do. After a little testing yesterday, I hit 200 PAR @ 24" with 40 degree optics. At 18"-19" on your sandbed, you could easily see mid 300's. A 60 degree optic will tame that a little.

 

Get optics from ETG Tech, and get the Cree ones. They are a slip fit over the LED and don't require adhesive. They do 8, 25, 40, 60, and 80 degree optics.

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Hey Evil, what is your spacing on those LEDs...I'm contemplating an array for my 58 gallon oceanic (21" deep) This project is a ways down the line, but never to early to start researching :)

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The spacing on my 12" fixture is 2" side to side, and 1" front to back. It's too tight for a larger tank, but works well in the smaller tanks. I didn't bother to measure the illuminated area when I did the test, but I would have to say it was about 18"x9"

 

If I get adventurous this weekend, I'll run another test an take some better numbers.

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Order a set of 60 degree optics too. The 40s might be a bit too much, depending on what you are looking to do. After a little testing yesterday, I hit 200 PAR @ 24" with 40 degree optics. At 18"-19" on your sandbed, you could easily see mid 300's. A 60 degree optic will tame that a little.

 

Get optics from ETG Tech, and get the Cree ones. They are a slip fit over the LED and don't require adhesive. They do 8, 25, 40, 60, and 80 degree optics.

 

 

Oomph! 300 PAR would probably fry my rics! I'll put in for some 60's I'll just use the 40's for the sandbed areas. I'll need to figure out the pattern later today. That does give me hope for having a clam in this tank though! I'll have to take out some LR to fit it though. I think I may pick up a few 80's just in case the top of my rock gets too much spotlighting I can always mix and match since I don't have to glue the optics on.

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hey marteen!i hahe a 30'sumpod can i put led's on my fixture?

we gotta talk about these led's soon!now start soldering,lol.

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Oomph! 300 PAR would probably fry my rics! I'll put in for some 60's I'll just use the 40's for the sandbed areas. I'll need to figure out the pattern later today. That does give me hope for having a clam in this tank though! I'll have to take out some LR to fit it though. I think I may pick up a few 80's just in case the top of my rock gets too much spotlighting I can always mix and match since I don't have to glue the optics on.

 

You don't have to run the array at full tilt. Thats why we get dimmable drivers :)

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Those are them. Call ETG Tech. They had all sizes in stock when I called them Tuesday.

 

Don't be silly. TURN UP THE JUICE!!

 

Dude, I hit 500 PAR at 14" with those optics.

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hey marteen!i hahe a 30'sumpod can i put led's on my fixture?

we gotta talk about these led's soon!now start soldering,lol.

 

Who needs a sunpod! :) You could definitely supplement your sunpod with some blue LEDs. It would probably be a pretty easy mod I bet we could get it to fit right in the fixture too. I'll start soldering soon. Still need to order my UVs and my buckpucks.

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Anything designed for a Luxeon K2 or a SSC P4. I don't usually run optics on those just so you can get the best spread out of them.

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Hey Evil what are you putting your power supply into? I was thinking a ABS plastic project box but I don't know how hot these things run. Do they need ventilation? Should I go with aluminum? Or do they not need a box at all? I saw that MPJA offered project boxes on their site and thought I should just get the whole shebang at the same time. Is anyone else putting their PS into a box or hiding it in any way?

 

Also do the PS you recommend come with female ends for the output or do you just splice a cord in?

 

I suppose I could mount it inside my cabinet but I'd hate for water to get to it somehow and blow my tank up.

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I don't put the power supply in anything. Just get it out of the way. It needs ventilation if you put it in an enclosure.

 

These power supplies have screw clamp terminals. You can just insert the wire under the clamp and go, or you can get fork terminals from the hardware store for a better fit. Like this:

 

3KG17.JPG

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ah thanks evil! I think I will just mount them in my cabinet then. I already have a spot picked out. I think I may have some of those forked connectors leftover from another project. Now I just have to wait for chris to finish drilling my HS it should be done very soon.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well I've got my buckpucks and all my LEDs. Power supply should be coming in a few weeks. I'm still waiting on the heatsink from Chris but he's working hard on it so no rush, I still need to get a soldering iron and wire anyways. I've also go to cut my 24" satellite fixture into a 20" satellite fixture as well. I'll post pics of that as a step by step if anyone is interested.

 

These buckpucks are TINY! I mean so small I was afraid I'd lose them if I took my eye off them. Very nice.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've got most of the parts so far, I'm waiting on another shipment from Kai Domain as well as my heatsink from Chris over at Nanotuners. They've been a bit busy with the whole PFO thing but I hope to see it before my final shipment comes in, which may be in a few weeks.

 

I do still need a few misc parts but nothing that can't be obtained locally.

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