By popular demand, I present the real deal.

It's time to build your own! I hope these instructions are clear enough.

What you will need:

24 Cree White LEDs mounted on star boards - ~$173.00 from www.LEDsupply.com
24 Royal Blue LEDs mounted on star boards - ~$173.00 from www.LEDsupply.com
4 700mA wired buckpucks (3023-D-N-700) ~$60.00 from www.LEDsupply.com
4 1000mA wired buckpucks (3023-D-N-1000) ~$60.00 from www.LEDsupply.com
Heatsinks – more specifics on this later ~$60.00 from www.heatsinkusa.com
Power supplies – more specifics on this later ~45.00 from www.mpja.com
Arctic Alumina thermal epoxy ~$13.00 – find this in a local computer parts store or eBay
Fans for cooling ~$20.00 – find this in a local computer parts store or eBay
Aluminum project box from Radio Shack ~$3.99
Aluminum stock
Drill and tap set
Stainless machine screws – I used #6-32
16 gauge wire
Precision electronics soldering iron and solder

DISCLAIMER: This project involves both low voltage DC current and high voltage AC current. Risk of electric shock should be obvious and if you are not comfortable with basic electronics wiring, leave this to someone more experienced. As with any project like this, mileage will vary.

Feel free to make any changes or improvements to this design. My main focus is to provide you with instructions on wiring and all the parts needed for a lighting fixture that can save you tons of money and provide just as much light as halides.

I claim that this saves money. Why is that? To begin with, LEDs last for 50,000 hours. After that, they drop about 30% in brightness. How many times would you need to replace halide or PC bulbs in 50,000 hours of burn time? Also, power consumption is far less than even PC lighting for the output.

Getting Started

I have a 75 gallon tank, therefore, I needed a light fixture of 48” in length. I found some 1” angle aluminum in 4’ sections at my local hardware store. I picked up two of them along with 3’ of 1” square aluminum tube. The heatsinks that I used were 12”x8.5”. I cut the square tubing to 8.5” lengths and screwed them to each end of the aluminum angle and to the middle for further support.

NOTE* - The heatsinks can be purchased in varying lengths. Check out www.heatsinkusa.com for sizing.

The heatsinks were easily attached by drilling through and tapping them to allow for the stainless machine screws to securely attach the heatsink to the aluminum frame.



Mounting the LEDs

I studied the array of the Solaris fixtures and saw that the LEDs were in an alternating blue/white pattern. This seemed like a winning combination so I did just that. Each buckpuck can safely handle 6 LEDs. This is where I got my array of 24 LEDs in each array VS the 25 in each Solaris array. (6x4=24) I arranged the LEDs in a crisscross pattern as shown.

To attach the LEDs to the heatsink, use the Arctic Alumina heatsink epoxy. As the packaging states, the bond is PERMANENT so make sure you have the LEDs aligned before attaching them. It’s best to save the wiring job until the LEDs are mounted and the epoxy has cured.



The LEDs need to be arranged so that they can be wired in series. For example, the first LED, closest to the buckpuck driver, needs to have the negative lead facing the buckpuck direction. The positive of that LED needs to be connected to the negative of the next LED and so on until the string of 6 is complete. The positive of the last LED in the string runs back to the buckpuck.







Drivers

As I said, I used 8 buckpuck drivers that can be had at www.ledsupply.com. I used the non-dimmable versions because I didn’t care about that feature. The dimmable versions are slightly more expensive but can open up a few features. For example, you can dim each string to fit your needs. This could be helpful in the acclimation process.



This is a fairly simple setup. All of the negative leads from the buckpucks driving the BLUES will be connected and all of the positive leads will be connected. The same goes for the WHITE drivers. Each LED output from the individual buckpucks goes to an individual string of LEDs.

NOTE* - I used 700mA drivers on the BLUE and 1000mA drivers on the WHITE.

You will need a place to hide the buckpucks. An aluminum project box from Radio Shack worked perfectly for this, keeping with the all aluminum theme. The buckpucks produce no heat and can be thrown in the box indiscriminately if you wish. However, to keep the wiring (which there is a lot of) in order, the buckpucks can be epoxied to the inner walls of the project box. It would be smart to keep the 700mA on one side and the 1000mA on the other.



Drill some access holes in the box as you will need to route wiring through them. I made 4 holes in the front, all 3/8” to both run wires through and allow for the wire loom to fit securely inside the hole. On the back, drill whatever size hole you need to run the power and fans. This is where you get to be as creative as you want. I drilled holes, inserted rubber grommets and ran the wires. You can use whatever you want as the control center and make it look like whatever you wish.





Power

For power, you will need to acquire a 24V power source that can handle the load of the LEDs. I found the perfect power supply at www.mpja.com. It is a 24V 6.5A CNC power supply. You will need one for each type of LED. The BLUES get one and the WHITES get one.



NOTE* - You can use any type of 24V DV power supply you want. Just make sure that the amperage draw from the LEDs does not exceed the amperage available from the power supply. For example, running 4 strings of 6 LEDs being driven at 1000mA is a total draw of 4 amps. Using a 24V 3A power supply, will, in my experience, kill the power supply. The buckpucks can handle up to 32V but only 24 is needed for a string of 6, which is the recommended maximum number of LEDs per string.

The wiring of the power supply is rather simple as well. You will need an AC cord with a ground. If you can find a few old computer power cords, just cut the end off and wire that to the power supply.

NOTE* - ALWAYS TEST your connections before just plugging the cord into the wall!

The output of the power supply is in a simple positive/negative DC fashion. These will run to the respective positive and negative leads on the buckpucks.

Cooling

High power LEDs generate heat. It’s not a ton of heat, but the cooler they run, the longer they last. I found some 120mm fans on ebay and purchased 4 of them. Check the fan noise rating which is listed as DB. The ones I purchased were listed at 20DB. This is barely audible in a silent room. I found that when they arrived, they were larger than I thought. I only used one on each heatsink and the cooling effect is substantial. Without the fans, the heatsinks would reach a feverish forehead feeling. With them, they are cool to the touch after hours of run time.



To mount the fans, I used some flat ½” wide lengths of aluminum. They were bent to the shape of the heatsink and mounted with the same drilling and tapping method.

NOTE* - Be sure to raise the fan off the heatsink by at least ¼” to allow for air flow.



So, now you’re looking at this and thinking that the fans are 12V and the power supplies are 24V. How does this work? I had the same problem and the fix is simple. Wire them in series. The positive from one fan goes to the positive of the 24V power to the buckpucks. The negative of that fan goes to the positive of the other. That last negative goes back to the negative of the same buckpuck circuit.

The power supplies get warm, as well. I don’t know if they absolutely need cooling, but I happened to have two extra fans. I added them to the box that I mounted the power supplies in.

Optics

I am fully aware that optics will increase the output of LEDs. However, I decided not to use them because they cut down on the spread of the light. In order to use the optics, successfully, you will need to keep the LED arrays closer together and , most likely, need more LEDs to get the desired spread.

Closing

That’s really about it. You can build this exact fixture for about $600 and never have to replace any bulbs. After 11 years or so, the LEDs will lose some of their intensity. But, that’s 11 years down the road. Consider the cost of replacing bulbs in standard MH or PC fixtures over the span of 11 years. This type of lighting pays for itself over time. Your electric bill will thank you, as well.

As always, your mileage will vary. You can make whatever you want and have it look like whatever you want. The important things here are the wiring and cooling. Other than that, the canvas is yours to paint.

I hope this will help those of you interested in LED lighting but don’t want to spend the incredible prices out there for pre-manufactured LED fixtures.

Thank you for reading this and enjoy!

Here are some final pictures and PAR readings.

this is very nice diy led setting.. its looking good! can u make a guide on how to make one for a 3 gallon pico? lol if u can.. that be nice.. pm me plz

You can make one for any size tank. The important thing is using only 6 LEDs per buckpuck and having a power supply that can put out the needed amperage.

I wonder what the PAR readings would be with optics on the LEDs at the sand bed ?

Nice setup, looks like something similar to what I am planning for my 58...are you using a sand dollar for a handle on your canopy?

Sweet build, definetely gives me some ideas. If I do end up making mine I'll be using dimmable buckpucks, controlling the color would be awesome. Once cost of led components comes down I'm sure all other tank lighting will slowly disappear.

Slumph: The sand dollar is a long story. When my Grandmother passed away, it was one of the things that I got to keep. I remember it from my childhood. Now I get to see it every day and it reminds me of how short life is. Like I said, long story.

Nice write up Soundwave.

Wow.

Nice.

Awesome write up and great job, this should be stickied. Thanks!

Great project, I have been following the discussion on RC since your first post.
Do you recall what the spacing is on your LEDs and could you measure the dimensions of the rectangle if you were to cut the heat sink tight around the LEDs as mounted?
Did you pick up that project box in the store or on line at radioshack?

Jerome

Say you cut the LED's down to 6 blue and 6 white - what would that drop the total cost to?

Edit: Oh yeah, and thanks for the amazing write-up. You've made me reconsider trying this when I once thought it was beyond me to do. Props.

If you went down to two strings it would be
2x buckpucks $40
12x LEDs $75
1x Power supply $20
1x Heat sink $25
Fans, wire, screws odds and ends $25
Shipping?
You are looking at around $200 give or take.
A few of the build threads in this forum use 12 LEDs. I am planning one using 12LEDs for my pico and one using half of soundwave's set up for a biocube 29

Jerome

Nice writeup.

Doesn't look like the LEDs put out the PAR that a 150W 14K MH will.

Thanks Jerome. LED power usage on 12 LED's is how much less than a 150w MH? Also, what's the heat difference? And how much flexibility do you have with changing the color/intensity of the white and blue LED's to create different K ratings? For $200 I might seriously try this. I'm using a 150w pheonix 14k right now - I could build this LED setup for not much more than what I could sell the MH setup for.

3 W LEDs X 12 LEDs =36 Watts. If your running a good electric ballast on the MH you'll be right at 150 W, but with a magnetic ballast you may be looking at ~160-170 W.
Heat difference is HUGE!
If you have dimable buckpacks the flexibility is endless.

I'm in no way an LED expert. (NO WAY) But I have read a lot on these LED fixtures cause well... They're incredibly neat.

I'm going to have to disagree with you there Mr.Fosi. I have been able to repeatedly hit 200 PAR at 24" in water in some of my tests. It's all down to the setup. A bare emiter won't do it, I'll give you that. A properly set up array with the right optics and drive currents will match any MH setup out there.

Disagree away, I was basing my cursory assessment on the pics above so I had to guess at measurements.

What color temps were you using for those numbers?

Thanks man. Is it really that much of a power usage drop? And where do you get these dimmable buckpucks?

Man I'm such a nub.

Yes there is that much of a power drop. But with 12 LEDs you probably would have the spread of a 150 MH with a good reflector. But given that you have a 9 gallon? tank, 12 should be ok. The buckpacks I think you can pick up from LED supply. Just cost a bit more than what he used (not tooooo much, but I thought I'd note it).

I love this build. I think I might copy it (in the next couple of years. Weddings aren't cheap) for a 40 breeder, except bunch the heat sinks a bit closer to compensate for the foot drop in length, put on some 60 degree optics and use dimmable buckpucks.

Thanks for the info.

Evil - I know you told me about optics once before. What's the deal with options for optics? Anyone got a thread explaining the benefit of the different degrees of optics?

Color temps don't matter as much with LEDs, but I was running at a heavy 14K. The reason I say this is that royal blue LEDs produce almost a much PAR per watt as cool white LEDs. As a result, the measured PAR (Apogee meter) shouldn't change much with the change in color ratio. As we have discussed before though, the Apogee meters are deficient in the blue range, so the numbers are low anyway.



Optics: The quick and dirty version...

Optics increase intensity. The deeper you want to go, the tighter the optics you need. The tighter the optics, the close the spacing you will require between LEDs to maintain coverage.

60 degree optics - approximates 150W MH levels and will be good down to about 18". Need 2"-2.5" spacing for good coverage.

40 degree optics - approximates 250W MH levels and will be good down to about 24". Need 1.5"-2" spacing for good coverage.

No optics - approximates 70W MH levels and will be good down to about 14". Need 2"-3" spacing for good coverage.

Can optics be added at any time after the build? Like, could I try it without them for a while and if I think I need more intensity add optics?

yup, most just snap in and are held in place w/ a little dab of silicone

Right, but you have to plan the spacing accordingly. Putting 40 degree optics on 3" spacing is going to give lots of little spotlights.

The only real issue I am going to have is drilling and tapping the heatsink (I don't even want to attempt in Brooklyn). Anyone willing to do that step for me? I'm willing to pay.

Dhaut - drilling and tapping is an extremely simple task.




Very, VERY nice build. Always turns out nice when someone has some mad DIY skills and a desire to keep their project tidy.

Thought I'd point out that you might want to check your solder joints - that one looks like it was a little cold and might pop off on you later.




Question for Evil - aside from the slight losses from edge effects around the perimeter, is the benefit from adding tight optics more from the optics themselves, or from the optics necessitating using more LEDs for the same footprint? Think about conservation of energy, and that the energy of the individual photons is unchanged by the optics.

If I can drill with just a regular battery powered hand-held drill, then it's fine. I've just heard that a drill press is better (which I don't have, nor have room for in my tiny apartment). If I'm wrong and can do it by hand, then no problem.

I've drilled and tapped thousands of holes using hand drills - large equipment and sheets don't fit in drill presses.

Use a punch to mark the spot so your drill doesn't skate off centre, and hold the drill as steady and straight as you can. Get a proper ratcheting tap handle for doing the tapping.

I've even used the drill to do the tapping when dealing with thin sheet steel - it's not a good idea, generally - but with a large diameter, good quality 2-flute machine tap and thin material, it's low-risk. With the size of tap you'd be using, this would be a BIG mistake. Use a tap handle and do it by hand, and back it out after every 1/4 turn.

It's more about the reflection of light. Wide angles will lose a lot more light from reflection off the water past certain angles off center. Adding more LEDs into the mix only gets you so far in increasing PAR levels, even with the LEDs tightly packed together.

I saw this first hand with the 12" fixture I built. No optics, about 30 PAR at 24". 40 degree optics, about 200 PAR at the same distance. No change in drive current or spacing (which was 2").

those thick wires make it look so cool

I think I need a little help... I hope this doesn't come across as hijacking the thread. I want to try this more to add a stronger shimmer to my T5 setup. I have a 125 with a 5 foot 6 x 80w ati T5 setup and I was thinking about using the following:
12 Royal Blue Cree XR-E
12 cool white Cree XR-E
4 1000 buckpucks with the Dimmers
I was thinking about making this one long string across the front of the tank so I was going to use 4 of the 3" x 10" heatsinks
What Power supply or power supplies would I need for this from mpja.com?
Do you think this would be a good idea to set it up this way or is there a better solution?
Thanks,
Mike

http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=16854+PS

Great. Thanks for the link. I guess I would need 2 of them?
Thanks,
Mike

You don't need two. Two are only required if you want to do timer based dawn/dusk effects. You can run the entire array from one power supply if you like.

Thanks again... Will the shimmer cut through the T5's with what I am thinking about doing? Right now I have 3 of the current USA LED's which pretty much do nothing when the T5's are on, but then again there is only a total of 12 led's and they are 1 watt each. Do you think the 24 x 3 watt lights will cut through?
If this works out I might eventually change over the entire setup to LED lighting.
Thanks,
Mike

Yes, it will work. If the bare LEDs don't provide enough shimmer for you, you can always add optics to intensify the light.

Great. I just placed my order.
Thanks Again,
Mike