seems like alot of engineers on the board. im really handy but never ventured to the electrical realm on this level at least. how would you guys recommend i learn?? do you have a favorite textbook or something, i would even take a class if i knew where the hell to look. thanks in advance, this looks like a lot of fun

just this is fine
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=186982

but mainly u need to keep the LEDs cool and run them on constant current. and if your not a pro on the electrical engineering i recommend using a constant current driver to make your life easier.

^^ What he said. Also, look at the DIY builds. There is a wealth of knowledge here. I learned completely by the link above and looking at various build threads. Good luck!

yea ive gotten a couple pages thru that link its really awesome but i like to start at the basics when i learn something. there is terminology that i didnt know and i kept stopping and looking it up which is fine but i felt like maybe i was missing something

well LEDs run on current regulation. people run LEDs with voltage which is a big mistake...not only that its usually universal AC to DC converters and laptop lower supplys and what not. their ok but LED are very delicate. they need to be very stable if your planning on running them of a long time.

there are slight fluctuations with those cheap DC power supplys which will dim the hell out of the LEDs.

if u seen the chart u know that the amperage changes dramatically with a slight voltage increase or decrease.

ex. lets say a LED runs at 150mA at 3.1v. but if u increase it to 3.3v the amperage is now 780mA. with just .2volts it jumps that much.

so instead of jamming a set voltage down those wires we put in a set amperage like 350mA and it regulates the voltage at 3.2v at a steady current.

There's a lot of info out there.

Start here: http://www.madlab.org/electrnx/electrnx.html

great link working thru it now

ROFL! - dude, you mean 'armchair engineers'. Hey, present company included :-)



I have high powered light rigs running all over the place in commercial locations running fixed current plus resistors, and they work fine.I also have Xitaniums all over the place, and they work fine. If I have a 24 volt source (non current regulated) and am running 23.5 Vf worth of LEDs, it's a pretty stable. In some respects, more stable than current regulation because I don't get the transient voltgae spike at power-up.

Checked the actual current coming out of your Buck lately, or do you just believe it because that's what it says on the side?

i have 2 science degrees and a pharm minor and im having a tough time wrappin my head aroun dall this. u guys r pretty smart in my book

Is it a Phat pharm minor? Haha...

Anyways I agree that there is a lot to be learned out there. This site in particular has hosted some of the best pioneering efforts contributing to what we now use to light our tanks. I've learned a lot through reading the DIY threads (which I also can agree get pretty technical), and also asking questions and reading various technical resources on the web. So that being said you already know I'm sure that you won't become a master overnight, but by trial and error (unless you follow another DIY build exactly, but what's the fun in that?).

Good luck.

I'm an electrical engineer and so is Evil. There are at least 2 other electrical engineers that have commented heavily on LED lighting.