evilc66 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 You guys have been calling for this for a long time, and I've been trying to come up with a good way to do this, and I think I have the answer. It's simple, it's not that pretty (at least for now), but it does the job nicely. I'll get into the details in a second, but here are some pictures: Baseline comparison picture. This is a 150W Sunpod over my BC14 with a Phoenix 14K. Same camera settings (all in manual mode) with the LEDs on. The difference is far more noticable in real life. Royal blue LEDs are painfully hard to photograph, which you will see in the next picture. LEDs only. The fluorescence on the corals with just these on is crazy. It's hard to tell, but take a look to the left to the bright orange Bam-Bams. Ask anyone who has an LED setup and they will tell you how rediculous the fluorescence is with royal blue LEDs. So how does this all work? First off, the Sunpod is 100% stock with zero modifications needed. Stock moonlights are still in place, and nothing is cut/hacked/ground/boogered up to get these mounted. So, more pictures Here you can see it mounted to the Sunpod. The unit slides into the track for the mounting legs. This works beautifully because you can add as many units as you like for longer Sunpods, or add them to the back side of the Sunpod for wider tanks. There are two screws that allow you to change the angle that the unit sits at, this can give you more coverage with a single unit if you wish. The driver is integral to the unit, and is adjustable. It will vary the current from 900mA to about 100mA, giving you a pretty good range of adjustment. Please excuse the messy epoxy job. It was my first time working with this encapsulating epoxy. You can see here that it adds virtually no extra width to the fixture. Here is a rundown of the specs: 3x Cree XR-E royal blue LEDs 80 degree Cree optics Integrated adjustable constant current driver. 12v power supply with 6ft cord. $60 each These will be available on the group buy if anyone is interested. Let me know what you think Link to comment
dirtwheelsfl Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 do you think this would work on the sunDIAL as well? i believe they have the same style mounting track, correct me if im wrong Link to comment
fiction101 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Any chance you could do a video shoot of it over your tank? Link to comment
reeftankguy Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Very NICE! Gotta love those RB's Thanks for the show Evil! Link to comment
subielover Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Absolutely awesome job. Are you selling these? I have been trying to figure out a way to add actinics to my 70 watt sunpod over my BC14, but this would be much cooler, and I love that you can adjust them. If you are selling them, put me at the top of the list. Great great great job! Link to comment
d'Espresso Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 yes evilc66!!! i have a sunpod 150mh and this is just what i been looking for. NOW this is a hard choice to pick out... Should i get this for my sunpod or should i get your led fixture for my 3 gallon picotope? or both? hmm.. it will save me on shipping if i get both huh? lol "You're just evil as evil.. ahaha" Nice Work. Thanks you! -dave Link to comment
spanko Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 WOW WOW AND WOWZEERS!!!!!!!!!! Okay how do I get one, I am not 10 miles from you probably!!!!! Link to comment
evilc66 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 These will be available on the group buy if anyone is interested. Group buy starts April 20th Link to comment
ermartin Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 JUST SAW THIS ^^^^^^ WHEN WHEN WHEN I need 4 of them I'm a group buy by myself. quantity discount ? Link to comment
Mr. Fosi Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I like it but I don't like the $60 price tag that much... How do the parts' prices break down? Also, when you say "group buy" do you mean a group buy for the materials and then each person assembles their own or will they come put together? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 Pardon the horrible quality, and me clearing my throat at the end. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 I like it but I don't like the $60 price tag that much... How do the parts' prices break down? Also, when you say "group buy" do you mean a group buy for the materials and then each person assembles their own or will they come put together? Well, it's $60 for a Current Powerbrite unit, you need to figure out how to mount it, it's not adjustable, and it's under powered. 28W PC retro from Ballastwise is almost $70. 24" T5 retro from Hellolights is $96. How is this so bad? The unit comes complete and tested. Thats the only way I can guarantee that it will work in the long run. Link to comment
skh Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Evil - that's a beauty! In terms of PAR (or whatever the correct measure is for light intensity) how does this compare to, say, a 28W PC actinic setup? Link to comment
reefdan Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 quantity discount ? i would obviously need two. any price break on the pair? EDIT: also, would a pair require two separate power supplies (seems like it) Link to comment
evilc66 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 I'll do $5 off each fixture when you buy more than one. They will be seperate power supplies right now. I'm working on making them linkable like the Powerbrites, but not for this version. Link to comment
spanko Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 You know I am in for one. What is the next step??? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 Next step is waiting for the group buy on monday. Link to comment
MiddReef Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Very tempting....thank you for developing this! Only question: Is there a cover or case that will protect the LED/wiring from any splash, or am I just misunderstanding the design? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 All electrical connections will be covered in epoxy so there will be no chance of corrosion. Evil - that's a beauty! In terms of PAR (or whatever the correct measure is for light intensity) how does this compare to, say, a 28W PC actinic setup? Peak PAR is at 110 at 13" (to my sandbed). This number is lower than real world PAR values, as these meters always measure low on the blue spectrum. I don't know how that compares to a 28W PC retro. Link to comment
trakmasterrs Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 sweet, add me to the group buy! in for one side note, does it come in black? Link to comment
Mini_GBR Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Yep, sign me up!!!. Have you tested the look with a White LED in teh center, or is this not possible b/c of the driver. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 If I can get enough of them on order, I will get them annodized black. I have to see as to how many that will require to get that done cheaply per unit. It's very expensive in small volume. Link to comment
fsu1dolfan Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 If I can get enough of them on order, I will get them annodized black. I have to see as to how many that will require to get that done cheaply per unit. It's very expensive in small volume. Very much impressed with this....actinics have been something i have wanted with my sunpod for a long time!! I also dig the idea of an annodized black look for sure! I will be back on Monday couple of questions: 1) This is a basic mount and plug and play....so if i hook it up to a timer outlet everything is good? 2) Is $60 shipped? 3) What size tank was it displayed on....i have a 29 bioCube and i want to know if one on the front of the sunpod is enough coverage....from the pics (if its a 29 cube) then i think so? Thanks Evil....you are the LED man! Link to comment
evilc66 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 1. Totally plug and play. Mount it, hook it to a timer and go. 2. $10 flat rate shipping anywhere in the continental US. 3. It's demo'd on a BC14. I would recommend two for a BC29. A single one barely covers all of a BC14 front to back. Link to comment
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