vash028 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Anyone have any simple recommendations for a good controller for a dimmer the pots suck one of mine is not really working well and i want to be able to turn my LEDs all the way down and off if i want just a blue shot. Link to comment
kevlow Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I used them they work great but I did half strip half Stars What color combos did you use? Did you use the stars to add spectrum? Link to comment
godfathernikki Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Just made my order, can't wait! Link to comment
wrx1908 Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 What color combos did you use? Did you use the stars to add spectrum? I wanted to use all strips but they have not been in stock for some time so I just got a regular kit color combo is WW/CW/DR/TV/RB and Cyan cool effect of my LEDs Link to comment
kevlow Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I wanted to use all strips but they have not been in stock for some time so I just got a regular kitcolor combo is WW/CW/DR/TV/RB and Cyan cool effect of my LEDs Cool. thanks. Link to comment
sliceOreef Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Anyone have any simple recommendations for a good controller for a dimmer the pots suck one of mine is not really working well and i want to be able to turn my LEDs all the way down and off if i want just a blue shot. It's not exactly clear what you are looking for, but I'm guessing its a replacement potentiometer. There is currently no way to dim the maxwellan drivers with anything other than a pot. I don't like the pots included with the kit at all. I just picked up a pot from radio shack that I'm going to try. It was under $5 for a 25ohm 3 watt pot. I need to wire it in and see how it does. edit* Just finished swapping out pots and I learned something in the process. The pots are linear but the corresponding output of the drivers is not. I found a post explaining the exact outputs of the aquastyles supplied pots and the corresponding driver output. My adventure cost $5 and I gained a smoother feel but there is still the issue of incomplete dimming and linear output. Next I might try a higher ohm pot that has a logarithmic taper. Link to comment
vash028 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I gotcha i have the gold dimmers driver so. Also i think i have a bad driver i have a 72 led kit and have half blue half white and they are broken into 2 separate panels. Well on one of the panels the blues wont work the just flash on and off and never fully come on. Whats weired is they worked just fine for a week and then this happened i have checked over all my connections and there all good and i used a different pot to make sure and it didnt work. So im lost its only half of my blues the other panel all the blues work. So does this sound like a bad driver to you? Link to comment
vash028 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Don't have an extra one so guess I'm gonna have to contact them and get then to send me a new one. Link to comment
godfathernikki Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I think he means swap out the suspect driver with the one that you know already works, that way you can see if it is the driver or not. Link to comment
gwcreefer Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I think he means swap out the suspect driver with the one that you know already works, that way you can see if it is the driver or not. I'm pretty sure its the pots,they are junk...If I shake the knob on one of my pots, the brightness changes.I did change the pot to the other driver with the same thing happening to that string of lights. I tried a couple of different pots from radio shack with no luck. Hopefully someone finds a good replaement for the chinese pots. Link to comment
vash028 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Ya im gonna do that i dont want to move my drivers because they are adhesived down lol. Link to comment
vash028 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 So i tried the other driver and they worked so it is the driver for sure. Link to comment
Snaz Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I successfully installed the 14 bulb kit inside my Aquapod 12 hood. I purchased the 300mm x 180mm heatsink and the kit arrived with two extra bulbs so I installed the full 50/50 16 emitters and it looks fantastic. What an upgrade from stock PC bulbs and it only cost $105 including shipping which took 5 days to arrive. Wow. Thanks Aquastyle. Link to comment
MooseBranch Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I think I should get the 14 bulb dim kit but is that too much for a Nuvo 8? My current stock skyye light seems not to be that good. Coral colors suck in my tank. Water params are good though. 14 bulb kit for nuvo 8...yay or nay? Link to comment
troutman1384 Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 what kit should i get for a 55g? also what colors do u recommend? thanks Link to comment
AirportFF Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I currently have a 20l cycling for a mantis setup. Planning on a G. Smithii and corals in the tank. I have a BC14 nano reef currently setup with a RapidLED kit in it. What I was looking at is either the Aquastyle 24 dimmable or the 36 dimmable kit for the new setup. The lights would be mounted approx 6" above the tank in a custom hood. I guess what my questions are: 1) Would the 24 led kit be enough for the 20l using their 19.8" heatsink? 2)What color combo of leds would you recommend? The BC has 6CW and 6RB that are on separate dimmers to adjust color temp. But I would like a bit more flexibility. 3)Say for instance I used a few red or violet leds. What string would I put them on? The white or the blue? And how many to get any effect? 4)They have several white LEDs listed on the site. What are most people running? I tried to find this stuff last night. But weeding through 26 pages of stuff started to make my head hurt. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 what kit should i get for a 55g? also what colors do u recommend? thanks On my 55 I have 60 LEDs, 16x 6500k white, 16x royal blue, 16x true violet, 6x red, and 6x turquoise. The red and turquoise were not from Aquastyle, they were from LEDGroupBuy. 60 is too much with so many violets. I turned them all the way up one day and burned several SPS that were 14" away from the light. If I did it again with Bridgelux LEDs (which I'm not, I'm changing over to Philips Luxeon Rebel ES) to keep the same SPS I've got now, I would do 16x 4500k white, 16-20x royal blue (depends on what color temp you prefer in the tank), 8x violet, 4x red, 4x turquoise. I am doing Rebel ES's, next, though, so I would need only 8x white and 16x royal blue, then the exotics. I currently have a 20l cycling for a mantis setup. Planning on a G. Smithii and corals in the tank. I have a BC14 nano reef currently setup with a RapidLED kit in it.What I was looking at is either the Aquastyle 24 dimmable or the 36 dimmable kit for the new setup. The lights would be mounted approx 6" above the tank in a custom hood. I guess what my questions are: 1) Would the 24 led kit be enough for the 20l using their 19.8" heatsink? 2)What color combo of leds would you recommend? The BC has 6CW and 6RB that are on separate dimmers to adjust color temp. But I would like a bit more flexibility. 3)Say for instance I used a few red or violet leds. What string would I put them on? The white or the blue? And how many to get any effect? 4)They have several white LEDs listed on the site. What are most people running? I tried to find this stuff last night. But weeding through 26 pages of stuff started to make my head hurt. 1) I have 30x LEDs on the 4.5x15.8 heatsink, does fine. 2) Ok, your tank is 30x12x13. I would do 6x 4500k white, 6-10x royal blue (depending on what color temp you like, 1:1 4500k to royal blue with Bridgelux LEDs gets you a 12,000K look), 6x true violet, and 3x each of 660nm red and 495nm turquoise. I would get the exotics from LEDGroupBuy, though, especially the turquoise. Turquoise is 495nm, the Cyan that Ray has at Aquastyle is 490-520nm, with 495 being what you want for color pop. 3) Ideally, you'd have them on their own string. I would do one string for white, one string for blue and violet (or violet on their own driver if you want), and one string for red and turquoise. Red and turquoise can both overtake any other color, so it's best to keep them on their own dimmable circuit. Violet puts out very little visible light, so while they won't add hardly anything to the look of the water, they will make some colors pop, and they put out a tremendous amount of PAR solely in 420nm wavelength, which is the main wavelength zooxanthellae use for photosynthesis. Using these will help bring your tank from LPS & softies to full SPS capable (lighting wise). 4) A lot are running 10,000K because that is standard with the kit. General consensus now is to get 4500K as it has more of the red spectrum and doesn't give your tank an eerie white look. EDIT: Poo, I just realized he was talking about the 20 long, not the BC14. Updated my post. Link to comment
sliceOreef Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I'm pretty sure its the pots,they are junk...If I shake the knob on one of my pots, the brightness changes.I did change the pot to the other driver with the same thing happening to that string of lights. I tried a couple of different pots from radio shack with no luck. Hopefully someone finds a good replaement for the chinese pots. Which pots from the shack did you try? Check my previous post and you will see I had decent results from their 25ohm 3watt pot. The non-linear output of the driver in relation to the linear change in resistance supplied by the pots we are using is what is causing the pots to have 80% of their adjustability in the last 20% of their rotational range. Similarly, the inability of the pot to supply infinite resistance means we won't be able to completely dim the drivers. This could be overcome with an arduino controlled DIY elecronic pot device but It would cost half as much as the kits themselves. The plus side would be automated on/off and dimming for complete control of lighting cycles. Link to comment
AirportFF Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 On my 55 I have 60 LEDs, 16x 6500k white, 16x royal blue, 16x true violet, 6x red, and 6x turquoise. The red and turquoise were not from Aquastyle, they were from LEDGroupBuy. 60 is too much with so many violets. I turned them all the way up one day and burned several SPS that were 14" away from the light. If I did it again with Bridgelux LEDs (which I'm not, I'm changing over to Philips Luxeon Rebel ES) to keep the same SPS I've got now, I would do 16x 4500k white, 16-20x royal blue (depends on what color temp you prefer in the tank), 8x violet, 4x red, 4x turquoise. I am doing Rebel ES's, next, though, so I would need only 8x white and 16x royal blue, then the exotics. 1) I have 30x LEDs on the 4.5x15.8 heatsink, does fine. 2) Ok, your tank is 30x12x13. I would do 6x 4500k white, 6-10x royal blue (depending on what color temp you like, 1:1 4500k to royal blue with Bridgelux LEDs gets you a 12,000K look), 6x true violet, and 3x each of 660nm red and 495nm turquoise. I would get the exotics from LEDGroupBuy, though, especially the turquoise. Turquoise is 495nm, the Cyan that Ray has at Aquastyle is 490-520nm, with 495 being what you want for color pop. 3) Ideally, you'd have them on their own string. I would do one string for white, one string for blue and violet (or violet on their own driver if you want), and one string for red and turquoise. Red and turquoise can both overtake any other color, so it's best to keep them on their own dimmable circuit. Violet puts out very little visible light, so while they won't add hardly anything to the look of the water, they will make some colors pop, and they put out a tremendous amount of PAR solely in 420nm wavelength, which is the main wavelength zooxanthellae use for photosynthesis. Using these will help bring your tank from LPS & softies to full SPS capable (lighting wise). 4) A lot are running 10,000K because that is standard with the kit. General consensus now is to get 4500K as it has more of the red spectrum and doesn't give your tank an eerie white look. EDIT: Poo, I just realized he was talking about the 20 long, not the BC14. Updated my post. Thank you. At least I have a starting point now. Link to comment
sliceOreef Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 On my 55 I have 60 LEDs, 16x 6500k white, 16x royal blue, 16x true violet, 6x red, and 6x turquoise. The red and turquoise were not from Aquastyle, they were from LEDGroupBuy. 60 is too much with so many violets. I turned them all the way up one day and burned several SPS that were 14" away from the light. If I did it again with Bridgelux LEDs (which I'm not, I'm changing over to Philips Luxeon Rebel ES) to keep the same SPS I've got now, I would do 16x 4500k white, 16-20x royal blue (depends on what color temp you prefer in the tank), 8x violet, 4x red, 4x turquoise. I am doing Rebel ES's, next, though, so I would need only 8x white and 16x royal blue, then the exotics. 1) I have 30x LEDs on the 4.5x15.8 heatsink, does fine. 2) Ok, your tank is 30x12x13. I would do 6x 4500k white, 6-10x royal blue (depending on what color temp you like, 1:1 4500k to royal blue with Bridgelux LEDs gets you a 12,000K look), 6x true violet, and 3x each of 660nm red and 495nm turquoise. I would get the exotics from LEDGroupBuy, though, especially the turquoise. Turquoise is 495nm, the Cyan that Ray has at Aquastyle is 490-520nm, with 495 being what you want for color pop. 3) Ideally, you'd have them on their own string. I would do one string for white, one string for blue and violet (or violet on their own driver if you want), and one string for red and turquoise. Red and turquoise can both overtake any other color, so it's best to keep them on their own dimmable circuit. Violet puts out very little visible light, so while they won't add hardly anything to the look of the water, they will make some colors pop, and they put out a tremendous amount of PAR solely in 420nm wavelength, which is the main wavelength zooxanthellae use for photosynthesis. Using these will help bring your tank from LPS & softies to full SPS capable (lighting wise). 4) A lot are running 10,000K because that is standard with the kit. General consensus now is to get 4500K as it has more of the red spectrum and doesn't give your tank an eerie white look. EDIT: Poo, I just realized he was talking about the 20 long, not the BC14. Updated my post. Good advice but I would add IMO, more blues to accommodate that many reds/cyan LEDs. I think you would be fine with 2 each of the red and cyan. I would pair each red/cyan with a RB LED (no space in between LEDs) and treat them as a set of white LEDs for color purposes. Wiring them into the white circuit is possible as their resulting light output is white and you will always be able to maintain their balance in relation to each other this way. Put 10 RB (possibly 12 if you really like 20k look) on another circuit and you should be able to adjust for color balance easily without red/cyan having to be on their own driver. Adding more then 2 more TV LEDs at this point would require a third driver or an upgrade to the larger driver to accommodate the forward voltage of the additional TVs on the blue channel. Third driver gives you the ability to adjust TV separately. I did something similar and I'm very pleased with the color output but I find I have to run my blue channel harder than my white for the color I like best (20k). Reds pop, greens pop, its very nice. Link to comment
AirportFF Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 So here's what I'm thinking if I use the 36 dimmable kit 16 royal blues on their own dimmable driver on the second dimmable driver 9- 4500 whites 3- true vilolets 3- 660 red 3-cyan I'll get their 7.7" x 19.8" heatsink I know that's only 34 LEDs. Don't know where to fit the other 2 into the mix. Or on what string. How's that sound? Link to comment
sliceOreef Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 So here's what I'm thinking if I use the 36 dimmable kit 16 royal blues on their own dimmable driver on the second dimmable driver 9- 4500 whites 3- true vilolets 3- 660 red 3-cyan I'll get their 7.7" x 19.8" heatsink I know that's only 34 LEDs. Don't know where to fit the other 2 into the mix. Or on what string. How's that sound? If it was me personally I'd add 2 more royal blue so you are at a better balance without have to over-dim the white channel. If you are sure you like a whiter look then possibly 2 more TV. Link to comment
Water_man11 Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Waiting for my 24 kit to arrive. The plan is to retro fit my BC 29 hood. Will post updates. Link to comment
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