Thanks!

Okay, got a 10V PSU for the DIM wires one ELN60-48P (not gonna dim for now) Now I'm scared about the mA's the driver could be set from factory. I saw the data sheet and I know where's the adjusting screw inside but I can't seem to measure mA with my multimeter. My brother has one but i believe it measures Amps, not miliamps. The lowest dial it has is 20 and it stays in 0.00 seems like i need to get a full DC thing! Crap

How are you measuring the current? You are putting the meter in series to the LEDs like you are adding another LED right? You have the positive lead in the right port too?

No, I didn't measure it with LEDs trying not to fry them. I measure directly from the wires of the meanwell and yes, positive is in its place

The driver may need a minimum load to operate. I'd hook up three LEDs and put the meter in series and see what you get. The drivers are supposed to be set to 1.2A from the factory. If you are feeling paranoid, turn SVR2 all the way counter clockwise to set it as low as it will go.

Alright, I'll try that. Does the SVR2 has an end turning counter clockwise? I turned it a few times and didn't see an end

Not good. It's only supposed to turn 270 degrees lock to lock. You may have damaged the pot and may not be able to adjust it.

Oh dammit. It doesn't even suppose to turn 360! I didn't force though. Did i? Nah don't think. Maybe I did

You wouldn't be the first to do it. You might get lucky and still have the pot work.

lol. Hopefully if the lowest setting is 950mA or so, I'm there.... even at the lowest it isn't too low.

Early in design. 20" long 10gallon. 12" wide and 14" deep. Plan on 17 total (8 White, 7 Royal Blue, 2 UV) in the following order:
W B W B W B
W U B U W
B W B W B W
White on outer rows on 1 "channel", Blue outers on 2nd "channel", Middle 5 on 3rd "channel".
I'll use 3 Buckpacks and a single Power Supply. The cooling will be with an A/C fan, so that I can time the cooling to go off a little after the lights turn off.

3 questions:
1) layout and planned configuration seem okay?
2) for my proposed 20" length, how WIDE should I order the heatsink?
3) I'm VERY curious about an X10 for sunrise/sunset control. I would use dim-able buckpucks to "tune" the temperature of the lights.

There will be many more questions, but let's start here.

TIA

Michael

Can't say much about it. Evil will come and tell you about the configuration. To me seems ok. I wouldn't care much about the UV though. I'm just gonna say about the fan, if you are going with the 24V power supply, you can get a 24V fan and just hook it along with the LEDs so the same timer that turns the light will work with the fan. Another option is just to put a multi plug on the timer and ran a 12V power supply along with the lights cause maybe most 24V fans are noisy.

As a side note, let me play devil's advocate here (no pun intended, Evil )

What if I were to use this MCE kit as a fuge light? I'd have to toss the reflector since I don't need it to throw a beam across a football field. For around $40 for the WC bin (cool white), a heatsink, and other misc stuff..... you'd have a very long lasting fuge light that, seems to me, would really fry some macroalgae.

I have a 5.5g fuge.... would one be gross overkill??

http://www.cutter.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=cut947

if you really want UV led's then i would go 18 (max for 3 pucks.. uv's will have to go with something else at 700mA) and have 2 rows of 7 and then put the UV's 4-5 inches of the center either way..(where my dashes are.. leds spaced maybe 2.5inches apart

W B W B W B W
- -
B W B W B W B


heatsink as big as you can get.. maybe 17" x 8" (roughly)

just guessing anyway

xcracer is pretty close. I'd go with two rows of eight though and ditch the UVs. With the LEDs that are currently available, they don't add that much benefit to worry about them. Eight LEDs per row will give great coverage. Space them 2" apart, and the rows 3" apart.

When it comes to driver configuration, I would so something like this:

WBWBWBWB
BWBWBWBW

13121232
21312321

This way you can use channel 3 as your dawn/dusk channel for reduced output. It's not perfect, but it should look pretty good. I staggered the LEDs on channel 3 on purpose.


One MC-E could work quite well as a fuge light. Lot's of light.

Hi,
I am trying to find a reasonable LED fixture for my 24"X24"X24" tank,

I found two relatively reasonable prices
one is

http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index....p;productId=512

which I contact the producer in China and asked their price, they want 252UDS including shipping,

and they say
"We use 1W as light source, the brand of led is Bridgelux(USA manufacturer).
one electric timer can control three part of the light, that is 42pcs-white, 42pcs-blue, 35pcs-white."

Is this Bridgelux any good ?

Or there is the

http://www.lck-led.com/p670/MaxSpect-Aquar...oduct_info.html

which is 288 + 60 (shipping)

it looks way nicer than the first one but pricier.

Please let me know which one would be better,
thanks,
Yasar

Both of those fixtures have been discussed here before recently. The first one I'm not convinced they can hit those PAR numbers with the coverage area they are claiming. The only way they can hit that PAR at that distance is with optics, and that will severely cut down the coverage.

The Maxspect unit has some potential, but not the unit you were looking at. The 110W unit doesn't include the 30W LEDs that will be responsible for getting PAR up. The 110W model uses just 3W LEDs (of unknown quality), and may not be able to provide ample light for a tank of your size. The 160W model would be better suited.

I appreciate it greatly,
Thanks,
Yasar

If it's okay, I'd like to be really sure BEFORE I buy, but purchase in steps. The first component is the heatsink. http://heatsinkusa.com/storename/heatsinku...l-10502650.aspx

May I ask if these, http://www.cree.com/products/xlamp7090_xre.asp, are the correct LEDs, and how do I get them pre-mounted on the star PCBs? (basically, I guess I would like to confirm part numbers, and just call and order).

I would like to get these in the next few weeks, then I can get drivers and PS after the holidays.

Cheers,

Michael

Heatsink looks good, and those are the right LEDs. Most of the US retailers like Nanotuners, RapidLED and LED Supply all have them pre mounted. Nothing to worry about.

Hi guys,

I've updated my schematics so here it is. For your information, I'll use an Arduino to dim the lights and to control the 2 fans attached to the heatsink. I'll also have a RTC module and a LDC display to monitor temperature and change lighting settings. I only have one 12V power supply to power the LM317 circuit (which provides 10V to both Meanwell drivers), the Arduino and the 2 fans. What do you guys think about it ? Am I good with this ? Should I add pull up resistors to the RTC module SDA and SCL lines (if so, what values ?) ? Is there anything else I should pay attention to ? Thanks !

Ok, this is it. I have been reading here for a couple of weeks and nobody has a 24gal aquapod they modified yet. So the closest i came to that was Minadin's JBJ Nano-Cube 24 DX. I believe that everything he has from his list would suit me just fine and fit perfectly in my hood. If you look at his link i plan to do pretty much the same thing on the order list. I believe that the heatsink will be perfect size and weight. Any ideas from anybody else who did some measuring and what not? and with the 24 leds it will be perfect with some 60 degree optics maybe just up front to get to the sand bed. This will be a project that will take me some time as i gather up the funds to get this going but i plan to be done by summer or late spring as i get more info and what not. Evil, i know your out there. Have you checked out the 24ap and would Minadin's set up pretty much synchronize with mine???

1K pull-ups wouldn't be a bad idea. The Atmega chips are supposed to have internal pull-ups, but most run external anyway.

Evil, add an elf hat to your av. This has nothing to do with LEDs.

Just wondering has anybody checked my first post above #1372, thankyou

I'm pretty sure someone has done an AP24 mod, but I can't find it. They are all pretty much the same. The big difference really is in the heatsink. The AP24 has a lot more room length and width wise in the hood, so you could play that to your advantage.

There is becoming less of a need for optics. Running a 24 LED array at 1000mA should be fine for most mixed reefs without optics. They can always be added/removed later if need be.

Thanks Evil. Do you think it would be better to have a 10k resistor between the Arduino and the transistors than the 1k I've drawn ? I've read this resistor protects the transistor just in case.

Either way. The whole point is to limit current, not necessarily set it to a certain value. Without the resistor (of any value), the current draw can potentially be quite high, and actually damage the controller pin, not the transistor. Using a 10K won't hurt things any if it makes you feel better.

Evil i suppose your correct on the advantage of having a slightly bigger heat sink. I wonder if that would mean adding more leds or just being able to spread them out more??? The only disadvantage i suppose would be the weight issue, and cost. But i guess it wouldnt get as hot in my tank as easily with more heatsink to dispurse the heat?

Replacing a LED

Best way to desolder it out, and then resolder it in?

Looking for a controller that i can use to gradually fade my diy leds, anyone know of any besides the apex and profilux? Also will i need any extra hardware for the interface?

You don't have to add more LEDs, but the extra heatsink size can give you a little more freedom in placement. The extra cooling capacity doesn't hurt either.


Same way it went in.



RKL/RKE with ALC module will do it also. Additional hardware will depend on the drivers used (forgive me for not remembering what you used )

My shopping list (continued):
3 of these http://ledsupply.com/03023-d-e-1000.php
8 of these http://ledsupply.com/creexre-w100.php
8 of these http://ledsupply.com/creexre-rb.php
1 of these http://heatsinkusa.com/storename/heatsinku...l-10502650.aspx
2 of these? http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=16854+PS

My next question will make you advise me to sell all the tools I own, but......
If the power supply is 6.5A, and each LED takes 1A (1000mA), don't I need one for each buckpuck? I don't want to just follow directions, I want to learn, and I'm sure to be missing something truly basic.

Second, is there a write-up on soldering and wiring these together? I'm getting pieces by reading, but a concise answer would be great.

Last, assuming this comes together, should I start my own build thread or is it not really necessary since there are already so many good ones?

Michael

Nice! the RKL is a little more in my price range, my system is running on buckpucks. If i used the ACL would i wire it before the bucks after of the power supply or replace the pot that came with the buckpuck?

Ordered all this last night.

Parts:
- 5.375" x 8" Heatsink (from heatsinkusa.com)
- (2) dimmable 1000ma BuckPucks (from ledsupply.com)
- (2) MPJA 24v @ 6.5A power supplies (from mpja.com)
- (6) Cree XR-E Q5 White (from nanotuners.com)
- (6) Cree XR-E Royal Blue (from nanotuners.com)

Etc:
- Arctic Silver thermal adhesive
- 60W solder gun
- 60/40 rosin core 0.04" solder
- White, Red, Black, Blue 22 AWG wire (willyselectronics.com)

Hope I'm not missing anything! I plan on retrofitting this into my Cadlights lamp.

Don't forget the 440 screws and Nylon washers. Drill bits, Tap, etc

You don't need one power supply for each Buckpuck. 6.5A (6500mA) is enough to run up to 6 1000mA drivers in parallel. You could run your entire array off one supply. Using two supplies allows you to turn on and off seperate groups of LEDs with timers. Based on the layout we talked about, I would put the all white and all blue drivers on one supply, and the mixed color driver on the other.

For soldering technique, there are some good Youtube videos showing the basics. Soldering to aluminum pcbs is a little harder because it pulls heat away fast. Make sure you have a high wattage iron (40W or greater).


The ALC replaces the pot basically. What you need between the ALC and the Buckpuck is a voltage divider. It's simple, but you need to convert the 0-10v output from the ALC to a more Buckpuck friendly 0-5v. This is how you do it, and it's only two resisitors.

I'm going the thermal adhesive way. That is, unless my opinion can be swayed.

Yes sir. I have the above in my plans, so thank you for that. I have a spare laptop PS that puts out 19V = 4.74A. How would I calculate the number of LEDs I can power with it? (if I choose to forgo the 3rd channel altogether for now)

Also, from the above, channel 3 has 2 blue on the left, and 2 white on the right. Is this for effect, or should it be balanced like:

13121312
21232123

I need 3 channels with 18 lights, just a question of how to split and power them. Plus I have blue, 8 bulb tube of "moonlights" from Measure Explorer that will kick on at "night", so this could get complicated (for me).

Ordering Heatsink today. I will order the LEDs and buckpucks if I can get a recommendation on the place with the best price. I see $7.49 at LEDSupply for the LEDs. (for Q4 lights). Is that reasonable?

Cheers,

Michael

That power supply is fine for what you are doing. You can run all three drivers from it if you want.

To figure out how many LEDs you can run from a power supply, take the rated voltage, subtract 2v (Buckpuck operating voltage), and divide by 3.7v. Round down and that's how many LEDs you can run.

You are right about the third channel LED possitions. They should be changed so you have a blue and white on each side. Try this

13121232
23212131

1 24V, 6.5A PS can do 6 drivers at full 1A, and each can have 6, 1A LEDs. Cool.

1 19V, 4.74A PS can do 4 drivers at full 1A, but only 4, 1A LEDs each because the buckpuck will only receive 4.74A?

What am I missing?

Michael

You are getting your volts and amps mixed up. A 19v power supply can only run 4 LEDs per driver because 3.7v*4+2=16.8v. 5 LEDs would put it to 20.5v, going over the limit.

OOOOHHHH!!!!
But at 4.74A, I can only run 4 x 1A drivers, so my array would be 4 x 4, instead of (2 x 6) + 4.

So I need to order an extra buckpuck if I want to use this PS, right?

(almost there)

Michael

Yes. But whats worth more to you? $20 for another Buckpuck that allows you to have full blue and white seperation, or $15 for a different power supply that will force you to run one driver with mixed LEDs? It's save $5, or gain full color seperation.

Alright guys, judgment day has arrived for my setup. I have a few questions if anyone could help me on these. I plan on setting this all up tomorrow.

LED's soldered already, went very well.

I still need to wire up the LM317 circuit board 10v pot for the dimmer on the Meanwell D.

Now, if you will help me on the order of operations I need to do here. I want to play things safe and be a bit on the paranoid side b/c I do not want to cook $60 worth of LED's, screw up a Meanwell, or fry my friend's multimeter.


First, to make sure that my dimmer circuit is actually putting out 0-10v, I assume I can check it while it's NOT attached to the Meanwell yet, but rather attach the input/output leads to a multimeter set to the appropriate voltage setting.... and then fiddle with the pot to see what actual voltage I am getting. Correct? Safe to plug in and attach directly to the multimeter?

What are my tolerances on this? Do I really want to see 0.0 to 10.0 or do I have a volt of wiggle room?



Second, as once I get the dimmer circuit built and confirmed that it's in voltage range, I will attach the circuit to the Meanwell dimmer leads.

Now I'd like to test the Meanwell's current output. Open Meanwell and set internal pot to lowest setting. I assume that I can attach the Multimeter--- set to current----to the Meanwell output (no LED's yet) and fiddle with the pot to see what amperage range I get, which I assume my tolerances are 0-975mA, more or less.


Is it safe to test the Meanwell this way, before it's connected to the LED's? The multimeter is a loaner from a friend (who might not be there to help me) so I'd like to not fry his multimeter.




Last, and dumbest question yet. The Meanwell leads going to the LED array---- I should connect the + lead to the + terminal on the first LED, and same for the -, right?

Are there any other kinds of test I should run?

It's safe to test by itself. With no load on the circuit, you may see slightly higher max and min voltages for some reason. Some of it may be down to the power supply used. Some have reported better voltages under load, which shouldn't be right considering it's a voltage regulator.





I don't recommend testing as an open circuit. At the very least, put one LED on the driver as a load, and test. Make sure the meter is hooked up in series to the LED, just like you were adding another LED into the string.





You got it.


Depends. If you are using thermal adhesive pads, you don't have much else to do. If you are bolting it down, make sure there are no shorts between the LED/pcb/wiring, and the heatsink. For either option, make sure you don't have exposed wire touching exposed aluminum on the pcb. making sure your wire strip lengths are as short as possible will help.

Just ordered the heatsink from heatsinkUSA, the 16 CREE LEDS from Nanotuners (thanks Chris!) and the 4, 700mA buckpucks w/ pot from LED Supply. Tomorrow I'll shop Fry's Electronics for a project box, artic silver and fan.

1) With the 19V PS, I either have to use a 12V fan, or use one that is independantly powered, right?

2) thinking of the case, I don't see many people that put anything between the water and the lights. I don't want salt build up, so can I put an acrylic sheet over the lights, or should I use glass?

Michael

1. It's a far sight easier to just power the fan from an independant power supply. The variable voltage ones are nice as you can drop the voltage to make the fan quieter.

2. Almost everyone uses a splash guard of some sorts. Acrylic is good for this, as it's easy to cut and form. As the heatsink cools, it almost always forms condensation on it. This will wreck the LEDs. The splash guard helps elliminate this.

What top end tolerance would you say I have, or do you think there is room for an extra volt or so? Not sure if this is as critical as I'm making it out to be.






Not quite sure I follow you on this--- making sure the meter is hooked in series. Are you saying put the + terminal of the meter to the - terminal of the LED, and vice versa on the other side of the LED?

Out of curiosity, would I do any damage to the mulitmeter (ie, blow a fuse) if I did that backward by mistake?





I don't think I have exposed wire touching the aluminum on the PCB, but I'm pretty sure I have some solder that's lapped over the terminals onto the PCB. Not much though. I don't know that I'd be able to solder them without that happening, lol, the terminals are so small (even with a pencil-point soldering iron). Is this an issue?

Hey Evil I finished my setup and now that its been running for about 3 hours i noticed the heatsink is very hot to the touch. I don't have a IR thermometer though, but compared to the 12 LED it feels a lot hotter than that. Obiously I have more LEDs now but the heat should be maintained the same i think. I bough This fan. Its more than you told me to go by far. How hot does a heatsink can get without damaging LEDs? Are everyone's heatsinks here running hot to the touch?