Need help with a build for my 150 gallon mixed reef tank.

[timelam]

So I am thinking about using 6 - 5.2 Lumia's is this going to be over kill or just right for a 72 inch long 150 gallon system?

[jedimasterben]

What are the full dimensions? Probably not overkill.

[timelam]

72 x 18 x 28 inches

[jedimasterben]

Six of them isn't overkill at that height.

[timelam]

Ben,

 

Would you run optics?

 

What power supply am I going to need to run these?

[jedimasterben]

You might need lenses. I would borrow a PAR meter and do some tests to see if they're necessary.

 

They use around 75w with all channels at 100% (three channels at 700mA, the other two at 1000mA), so if you want to use the LEDgroupbuy power supplies, you'd need one 500w (to run 5x of them) and one 180w supply (to run the remaining).

 

I would, however, consider higher quality power supplies. The Meanwell HLG series are higher cost, but are much higher quality. You'd need two HLG-320H-48A, or three HLG-185H-48A.

[timelam]

OK, I don't understand this whole power supply to driver connection thing 100%. If I plan on running 3 different heatshinks with 3 different LDD driver boards (2 Lumia per heatshink and per LDD driver board), can I use 1 power supply or would I need 3 separate power supplies?

 

I also plan on controlling the 3 driver boards from an Storm-X controller. Will this be possible?

[timelam]

So I have seen a few setups, but they all have single power supplies.

 

How would I hook up 2 power supplies if I am running 3 ldd boards?

[donb]

So I have seen a few setups, but they all have single power supplies.

 

How would I hook up 2 power supplies if I am running 3 ldd boards?

 

Each 5.2 draws ~70W, times 2 that is 140W per pair. Somehow you need to get that much power + 20% or so to each pair. You can do this in many ways. You could buy a separate 180W for each pair. Or you can go the route Ben suggested and buy 1 500W and 1 180W. For each pair of 5.2 you need 5 LDD H drivers 3 700ma and 2 1000ma and to make it easy to wire a 5up board to connect them to. Channel 1, 4, and 5 use the 700 and channel 2 and 3 use 1000. Now you simply daisy chain (+ on 1st to - on second) on each 5.2 using the molex connector LED GB sells. This leaves 5 + wires from one 5.2 and 5 - wires from the other. These go to the 5up driver board. You then take the DC + and - to the driver board and viola' let there be light. If you are running 1 500W and 1 180W then you connect 2 5up boards to the 500W and the 3rd to the 180W. If you are using 3 180Ws then you just hook DC + and - to each board.

 

You don't mention if you are using a controller have you thought about that?

 

My 2 cents, take it for what it's worth and if anyone sees anything wrong in my advice, please make changes..

 

Don

[timelam]

Don,

 

Thanks for the breakdown, this is exactly the details I was missing.

 

As for a controller I planned on running the Storm X controller.

 

If I understand all this wiring correctly then, the Storm X doesn't run off the power of the DC power supply of the lights. It has its own psu and just hooks up to the ldd drivers with jumper cables.

 

Am I missing anything?

[donb]

This is the same tank I have and am going to use the 5.2 and am now setting up my test unit using the storm-x. I have all the pieces and parts in hand and mostly assembled, except for the 5up board that I destroyed 1 set of connectors and am waiting for the replacement board. Even with the one channel not functioning I was able to connect the other 4 channels and test them and all worked perfectly. When you order the storm-x make your life easy and get the pack of 12 jumpers. These make is almost lego like in assembly an very little wire cutting or stripping is necessary. I followed the wiring diagram in the coralux manual and many of the posts here involving Jediben and others for the storm-x as it gives you a pretty good idea how the stuff connect together. It is just the first time jitters you have to get over.

 

The storm-x has its own seperate plug in power supply (I call them wall-warts) with a barrel connector to connect to the storm-x.

 

BTW, pay attention to what Ben says about the Mean Well HLG powersupplies available from other providers on the net as they are highly recommended. They ARE more expensive, but are in a completly enclosed housing with an IP67 rating. This means they are dust proof and resiliant to water spray (not submersion) which I think would be a benifit over the open style power supplies when working around aquariums.

 

The storm-x rocks (But I am still going to check out the jadrino setup just cause it looks fun to do)

Coralux rocks

LED Group Buy rocks

Lumia 5.2 rocks

 

While I am still in the testing phase and will post PAR results later, I am extremely happy with support and product these companies are providing.

 

Don

[timelam]

Thanks for the reply/input Don.

 

Looking forward to seeing your build.

 

Also what heat sinks did you go with and why?

 

I have been trying to decide on 1 72 inch Maker heat sink or 3 smaller heat sinks.

 

What is your thoughts?

[timelam]

Thanks for the reply/input Don.

 

Looking forward to seeing your build.

 

Also what heat sinks did you go with and why?

 

I have been trying to decide on 1 72 inch Maker heat sink or 3 smaller heat sinks.

 

What is your thoughts?

 

Anyone have any input on 3 heatsinks or 1 large one?

[donb]

I am going with 3 12" for the Lumia. From what I am seeing Jedimaster post he has two lumia per 12" so that is reason enough to use 3 12" not 1 72". Man that is ~$180 that I can spend on other stuff! Even if you add additional fans, that is still ~$150 difference I am eventually going to put all this in a low profile hood that right now I am thinking I will hinge so I can swing it up and out of the way of the tank and get full access with a swing up front for front access when small jobs come up. I beilieve the 3 seperate heatsinks give more flexibility in placing the LEDs over the tank as well. Unless you have very dense patterns of side by side stars I just see the long heatsink being any kind of advantage. Now that said, I am sure someone will point out my falicy in that statement

 

Since I am using a hood, if I do go with small groups of supplemental LEDs I can get small individual heatsinks to put them on and not spend even close to the $150 and have more flexibility.

 

Just what I have been tossing around

Don

 

PS, putting the finishing touches on a howto guide from my 5.2 experience that will be posted soon.

[timelam]

Thanks Don for the input.

 

I do not currently have a hood.......hum.

 

I keep thinking about 3 heatsinks and wiring is going to look messy....

 

I could not agree more with you about the money....I don't want to spend it on a heatsink if I can avoid it.......plus I would like the ability to angle the lights in on the end a bit......

[Horerczy]

Wiring between heatsinks is easy if you get the right materials. the trick is making it look clean.

[donb]

Wiring between heatsinks is easy if you get the right materials. the trick is making it look clean.

 

Got that right, hence the hood

 

I would think some type of aluminum C channel would be the best start. Create an upside down L bracket to connect to the back of the tank and run up the back and over the top.

 

Using 5 or 10 conductor wire you would just have one or two cable the size of an Ethernet networking cable to run from each heat sink down to where ever you put your electronics.

 

Depending on where your at you might find someone able to weld the aluminum and then you/they could grind it and make it look pretty sharp. Then you take it to someone and have it powder coated and you would have something pretty cool I would think.

[jedimasterben]

If it were me, I think I would use the 18" heatsink so I could get two fans on it - that's what I did with my evil cluster build, it's a better failsafe for if (when) the fan fails, as the fan will fail before anything else will. The 12" heatsink and a single fan is fine, but with the 18" heatsink, you could put both fans AND the 5up LDD boards on top in the middle of the heatsink, so you'd only have five power wires and five PWM wires running to the board. You can get 20AWG 5-conductor thermostat wire from McMaster-Carr for $20.60 for 50'.

 

For power supplies, I don't think that you can twist their outputs together so you could have one 'larger' power rail, so if you used the HLG, you would need to run two from the larger and one from the smaller, or two HLG-185H-48.

 

...but are in a completly enclosed housing with an IP67 rating. This means they are dust proof and resiliant to water spray (not submersion)...

Actually, IP67 means complete protection against dust (the '6') and immersion up to 1m (the '7', this test is up to 30 minutes duration). Even the adjustable HLG-xxxH-48A/C are IP65 rated, so also dust proof and the '5' means that 'water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm) will have no harmful effect', 12.5 liters per minute, 30kPa pressure at a distance of 3m, and the test duration is 15 minutes, so even IP65 is more than sufficient for being near the tank/sump.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code

 

 

 

I've actually thought before that someone should design a piece that would fit over the ends of the Makers heatsinks (instead of the black endcaps) that would attach either T5 tubes or a heatsink to have a row of LEDs to mimic distributed light from a T5 tube. Whoever could make them might make a killing off of them, as there are lots of LED DIYers that are wanting hybrid or semi-hybrid units, but there is no easy way to make it actually look nice with the Makers heatsink without an enclosure.

[donb]

Actually, IP67 means complete protection against dust (the '6') and immersion up to 1m (the '7', this test is up to 30 minutes duration).

 

Thanks for the clarification, I will store that away for future reference. Had it mixed up with 66, knew I read it somewhere.