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DIY GU10 Fixture


fote03

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I build this fixture a couple months ago and have been meaning to post a build thread but just never got around to it! Big thanks to TinyGaint for share his experience with these sweet little bulbs!

 

ebay dealer info abt the bulbs (HK-led)

led.jpg

GU10 3W White Energy Saving Bulb

Colors: Cool White

Shell material: Aluminum, zinc metal alloy

Input voltage: 85-265V AC with reversed polarity protect

Output power: 3.0W

Beam angle: 30degrees

Reflector efficiency: 90%

Light source: 3 x 1W high power LED

LED input current: 900mA

Color Temperature: 6000-7000K

Body temperature: <60°C

LED working temperature: <65°C

 

Here is how they came in. I ordered extra in case of any problems.

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Sockets for the bulbs. Order a couple extra i had some come in broken!

gu10.jpg

 

I bought a used Current Sunpod 80w PC Fixture to gut and retro fit the leds into for a clean look.

 

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Took it apart. Which is harder than you think. But nothing some PB Blaster couldn't handle!

 

Guts

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The greatest part about these leds besides being cheap is that i can swap them really easily. Just twist one out and replace it. I'm planning on starting with a 2B.1W ratio to start and see how it does and how i like it. The old Blue in the middle is going to be a moon light that runs all the time.

 

B W B---B W B

------- B -------

B W B---B W B

 

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The fixture came with one fan but I'm going to wire up a second one. So I will have one pushing and the other pulling the air out.

 

So i took an old reflector and cut it to size to use are the base to attach my socket to which will attach to inside the sunpod housing.

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Drew and measured out the layout onto the base and drilled the holes for the wires.

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Test fit.

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Glued the sockets to the base using JB-weld.

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Glued is dry and ready to wire up. (24hrs later)

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Wired up.

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I split up the bulbs with three different plugs so i can control the light cycle. The single blue in the middle is on one plug acting like a moon light. The white bulbs are on one plug and than the rest of the blue blubs are on a plug.

 

Single moon light

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All blue.

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Blue and white.

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I white looks kinda yellow but when i hold it higher off the water it blends and looks good!

 

I have been running this fixture on a 29gal Bio Cube for 5-6 months and really like it. Hanging it about 10-12" above the water level is abt perfect with the 30D lenses. The single moon light bulbs is WAY over kill i took it out after abt 2 months. I never actually added the fans into the fixture and havent had any problems. I will get some pictures tonight when i get home.

 

Total build cost less than $100.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Looks really good. Does it have that spotlight effect in person? Guess thats because it is so low to the tank. Going to be doing this soon also. Good luck with your next build.

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i bet he could back it off another 4-5" and get a really nice blend.

 

Looks great though! looks like the corals are doing well too!

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When the water is clear there is very little spot lighting but i just cleaned the pump and the glass...so it looked kinda bad. But Tiny is right abt 10" and even with 30D optics there is no spot lighting. I just haven't build new legs for the fixture!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Coral growth is great. Here is a picture from this past weekend. The acans have grown a lot in the past couple weeks and the color just keeps getting better!

 

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  • 8 months later...

removing some of the lenses really increases the blend/spread.

especially for the 'moonlight' for instance

 

but it has a pretty big hit on the light intensity

it takes a few seconds to remove the 3 screws on the face of the lamp, dump the lenses out, then put the lamp back into the socket. just fyi.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 4 months later...

Had a couple leds burn out and didnt have replacement on hand so i had to move everything over to another tank. Not sure if im going to rebuild the fixture or build a new one with 10w chips.

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