Maxspect Leds - The Good and the Bad? Options

[CDUB]

Hi everyone,

I am looking at purchasing one of the Maxspect 160w units for a 80L nano from Fish-Street.com. Just a heads up but these units only come in a 240v model at the moment. They run off 14x3 Watt white leds (~10,000K), 18x3 watt blue leds (~450nm) and 2x30 watt halogen/led? (~18,000K).
My system is currently using 4 retrofit T5 geismann globes, reflectors and osram ballasts, but they are in need of replacing as they were being used on an older system. The tank will be mixed - SPS, LPS and a few softies. I have been extensively looking at the Maxspect units which are made in China. These units are significantly cheaper than Pacific Sun and Eco models. There is comparitively limited information on these units and i was hoping i could get peoples thoughts on them. I have listed some important points that i would greatly appreciate some insight.

The units:




A link:
Maxspect info


Ok, here are some of my concerns

1) COOLING: Here is a picture of the aluminium heat sink used.



The units temperature is monitored to prevent overheating. There are two fans used in the 160w unit. The noise of the fans, measured at ~45db by one customer, has supposedly been rectified by changing the fan model. If so this will correct a major drawback, but i cannot find any new post regarding the new units. Does anyone know anything more about quality of the cooling method?


2) LEDS: I'm tyring to find information on the brand used. Any ideas? Here is one picture i found:



One customer commented they are not as powerful as his Cree leds, but i cant find the exact brand. They look the same, so would this mean you would most likely be able to replace them with Cree leds and thus modify the spectrum and increase the output when they are in need of changing? I also understand the lumen efficiency of 3w leds is less than 1w leds. Does this mean you are better using 1w units or are there other factors to consider eg heat output etc?

3) Can anyone shed any light on the 30w halogen/led globes (can someone clarify what they are)?

4) Life span of the leds? The manufacturer notes a worst case depreciation and replacement suggested at about every 2 years. The lifespan of other leds has been noted at up to 5years. What factors (amp, cooling, brand etc) effect this and should be considered?

5) Light spectrum - any thoughts?

Any thoughts and comments are much appreciated.

Cheers,

Cale

[imagex]

wow wonder how much they cost...

[jeremai]

60 watt Version @$168
110 watt Version @ $268
160 watt Version @ $388
180 watt Version @ $468

http://www.reefbuilders.com/2009/10/21/max...hip-live-china/

http://www.lck-led.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting/c153/index.html

[CDUB]

They are very well priced, about half the price of the aforementioned brands (though they lack many of their features eg dimming). I can get the 160w flown to Melbourne Australia from China for about $450 Aus in total.

[PIPS]

evil where art thou ?????

[imagex]

Hey i just noticed those look like the same 3w leds i got from this guy in china.. their pretty cheap but the output is similar to the crees but a tad bit lower then crees but the cost between the 2 is way way cheaper.. think i got em like 5 for 11 bucks shipped..??

[CDUB]

Thanks mate. Any idea on the brand? Do you have any stats on the output or is it a visual observation? Thanks again

[thewire]

wonder they made 120V version...

[evilc66]

The 3W LEDs look like either Edison Opto (good), or Prolight (bad). Can't tell which. The 30W white LED is made by a number of Chinese manufacturers. I'm not sold on the use of LEDs like this, and they have a much higher failure rate, and lower efficiency than smaller LEDs. It's a good looking fixture, and certainly priced nicely. Jury is still out on performance and longevity. CDUB, if you are going to get one, see if you can get access to a PAR meter so we know what the performance is going to look like. I'm sure the 30W LEDs will raise the PAR a lot, but will the blues be able to balance the color?

[CDUB]

Thanks Evil. I have written to ask if they can provide me with the brand of leds used so fingers crossed. What are the main problems with the Prolight models? Im also a little weary on the 30w components but there is only one way to find out i guess. As for the colour, a customer with the 120w actually claimed it was too purple/blue for his liking. Its a little tough to know but seeing as the 30w units are 18,000K i expect the colour to be quiet good with 54w of blue and 42w of 10,000-12,000K.

Im still trying to get as much information as i can before i purchase it but i will likely in the next few days if all seems well. I should be able to get a par meter from my local reefing society so will definitely get the readings for everyone.

Cheers

[evilc66]

Prolights are knockoffs of Luxeon LEDs. The output is really low, and the reliability isn't there.

[disaster999]

my local forum did some testing on this light comparing it to 250W MH with XM 20000k and 4x t5ho

250W mh


maxspect


t5ho


video
http://s255.photobucket.com/albums/hh125/r...nt=CIMG9914.flv

par results compared to 4xt5ho




red is maxspect, blue is t5ho

[redfishsc]

In that pic above I would assume they are using overdriven T5's or perhaps an ATI pm or sunpower to get those kinds of numbers at what appears to be 8-10" deep.



If those numbers are actual, solid data on the Maxspect, I'd say the output is great.. now it's just a matter of seeing if the longetivity of the unit is good, as Evil said.

[evilc66]

Hmm. If that 750 in the center of the tank is correct, it's going to be too much for most tanks considering it's not dimmable.

[disaster999]

more comparison pictures from another forum









lux metering
25cm


50cm



results






This post has been edited by disaster999: Nov 30 2009, 07:58 PM

[CDUB]

Thanks for taking the time to post that up Disaster. The pictures of the lux output and the par readings are very interesting, i hadnt seen those. Do you know if anyone has done any growth comparisons or trials when they were comparing the lights?


Evil wrote:

Hmm. If that 750 in the center of the tank is correct, it's going to be too much for most tanks considering it's not dimmable.

Can you expand on this Evil? Is this too high that the zooxanthellae absorbance is saturated and it is likely to cause tissue damage or expulsion?

[disaster999]

Thanks for taking the time to post that up Disaster. The pictures of the lux output and the par readings are very interesting, i hadnt seen those. Do you know if anyone has done any growth comparisons or trials when they were comparing the lights?

not many people on the forum have any long term review of the product. it was released into the market not too long ago.

[redfishsc]

Is this too high that the zooxanthellae absorbance is saturated and it is likely to cause tissue damage or expulsion?

For many corals it will be too much. I don't recall the numbers, but many corals (esp. some soft corals and bottom-dweller LPS) will be seriously photoinhibited by this.

I would assume you could lift the unit another foot or two off the tank to get the numbers more reasonable and get a better spread.

Evil predicted it precisely above when he said that the huge LED in the middle could dump a ton of PAR, and it apparently does in that one spot. Sitting higher over the tank might help spread it out a bit more.


But personally I'd like to see someone else do some PAR testing. All the numbers in the PAR test post above (comparing to the T5) look higher than what I'd expect from most T5 units, by at least 100ppfd or more.

[CDUB]

Thanks anyway Disaster.

Redfish, you dont happen to remember where the info on photosynthetic saturation levels for certain species of corals is located? I agree, a more extensive and tightly regulated PAR test is required.

I also read a post by someone who got quoted for a 110V unit so they may be available on special order. It was significantly more expensive though.

I sent off 3 emails yesterday trying to find the brand of leds used. Still no reply though, but ill post it as soon as i find out.

[CDUB]

Here is a copy of the email i received in regards to the brand of the leds

HI
Thank you for the email.
The core(clip) of led use Intematix, and encapsulation by China

2009/12/1 MARINECOLOR AQUARIUM SUPPLIES CO.,LTD./OEM Manufacturer <
admin@reefshops.com>

I am interested in the Maxspect 160w unit. Could you please tell me the
brand of leds that are used in the maxspect lights eg Prolight, Cree, Edison
Opto etc as this is vitally important.

Thanks

Can anyone tell me anything about these components?