Sumer's MakersLED build: Planning

[sumer]

Hello LEDGB

 

I am about to start my second DIY LED unit. I have ordered all the stuff (UPS played hide n' seek but finally, it'll be here tomorrow). I just wanted to share my plan with you. I have a few questions that I will ask here.

 

First, here's my plan (Paint works the best ):
Note: I am going to put 1000mA LDD drivers in the MakersDRIVER.

 

 

Now my questions:

1. MakersController: It will be able to manage all 5 channels, right? I was on MakersLED website and they kept talking about just two channels. Just want to be sure about it. I want all 5 channels to work independently. I hope the answer is yes.

 

2. How much wattage, voltage and amperage does one MakersDriver pull from the 250W 48V power supply? After running this MakersDriver from it, would there be any juice left in that power supply? WOuld I be able to run a normal MakersDriver (2 channel one; with 1000mA LDD driver)?

 

3. If I will need one more fan in this unit, where can I pull it from? Or would I need a separate adapter for the extra fan? I think if I will put a normal MakersDRIVER (with two channels), that will be able to run an extra fan. I might consider shifting one or two channels on that if needed.

 

4. MakersDriver 5UP: Does this thing go only inside the heatsink (where we put LEDs; under the splash guard)? Isn't there a way to mount it ON the heatsink? My heatsink is 2 feet long but I don't want to waste any space on the bottom side where we mount LEDs. I am going to use this unit on a 90-P tank which is 3 feet in length. I need maximum coverage.

 

5. I also have the MakerLED 5UP Manual Dimmer Module. How and where would that fit into the equation? Would that AND the MakersController be connected to MakersDriver at the same time?

 

This is all I can think at the moment. I am sure there would be more questions.. a lot of them

I would really appreciate any help on this subject. I don't understand a lot of technical terms so I'd request you to keep it very simple. I was that kid in the class who would read the same line 10 times before understanding it

 

Thanks,

Sumer.

[jedimasterben]

Hey Sumer

 

1) The newer firmware on the MakersController is updated for five channel control. It originally only did two channels as the only Makersdriver that was available was two channel. All the controllers that have shipped in the past couple of months all have the five channel firmware, so you're ok

 

2) That's a pretty loaded question lol. The power supply will always put out 48v, it is a constant voltage supply. The LDD drivers in the MakersDriver will take that 48v constant voltage and convert it to ~45v constant current and the output voltage will vary according to the voltage of the LEDs you are driving on each channel. The power supply can give approximately 250w of power, but for safety, you don't want to load it beyond ~80% of that, so ~200 watts of LEDs can be powered by that single supply. With the Cree chips at 1A, they're approximately 3.1 watts each, and the OCW at 700mA is around 6.5w each. That puts you at around 125w or so, well within the limit.

 

3) How large is your heatsink? You might be able to get away with only one fan, it doesn't take a lot of air passing over to cool the Makers sink down.

 

4) Yes, it was made to fit inside the heatsink. You can mount it elsewhere, but it will not be an exact fit and you'll need to safeguard the connections from shorting out.

 

5) The 5up dimmer plugs right into the MakersDriver 5up and replaces one of the end panels of the Makers heatsink (meaning you will definitely need the Makersdriver inside the fixture). These act as 'trim pots'. Leave the MakersController unplugged (which will force the LEDs to 100% output) and then use the five potentiometers to set to the exact color that you like. Then you can plug in the MakersController and start setting your timing for each channel and maximum intensity (up to the new maximum set by the potentiometer).

 

Let's say you have a 1A driver. You use the potentiometer to set it to about 80% of it's maximum. This means the maximum current is about 800mA. Even if you set that channel on the MakersController to 100%, it will still only give 800mA to the LEDs.

 

Hope that makes sense

[sumer]

Awesome! Thanks a TON, Ben.

 

1. I am glad the MakerController will control all 5 channels.

 

2. So if I take out the LEDs from Channel 1 and Channel two (As I have shown in my diagram) and put them on a normal two channel MakersDriver, can the 250W power supply handle both MakersDrivers?
To make it more clear, essentially I will keep load the same but just wanting to have two drivers (Makers 5UP and normal one).

 

3. My heatsink is 24". I think I will be OK with just one fan. But just in case if another one is needed, I want to have an option.

 

4. I am not able to imagine how big is this MakersDriver 5UP. How much space would it take in the heatsink. I will have to test it. Not too long before I get the shipment

 

5. Ah! I understand it now. Thanks for the explanation.

 

I will have some more quesions by tomorrow. I will post them then. Thanks again, Ben

[jedimasterben]

2) Yes, the power supply is sized according to voltage and LED wattage. The voltage determines how many LEDs you can run per string (48v gives 45v output, so around 14x LEDs maximum), and the wattage determines how many total strings you can run. LED wattage is calculated by multiply the volts times the amps, so if you're using 1A drivers and your LEDs take 3.1v, then they use 3.1 watts. The OCW are 9.2v at 700mA, so they are around 6.5w each.

 

3) You should be fine with one fan. Once you get everything running, let it run for a while at the full power you'll run it at and then put your hand on the heatsink. A good general rule of thumb is you should be able to hang onto it with no pain (so no more than just warm to the touch).

 

4) Here is the stock photo of the 5up and the dimmer.

 

And these I just took now that I finally have a set here

 

 

 

[jedimasterben]

Also, forgot to mention, you should definitely source some Rebel ES 'lime' LEDs. They really kick up visual brightness without overdoing it on PAR output. I've been playing around with a 2:1:1 ratio of cool white, warm white, and lime (as suggested by evilc66) and it looks pretty stellar.

 

Also, do you already have the XM-L that you'll be using for this build? If you don't, then I would swap them out for XT-E since you'll be keeping the current to 1A or lower. The XM-L have more output than the XT-E, but not nearly enough to justify twice the cost IMHO. I usually only recommend XM-L when running at 2A or higher so you can really take advantage of them.

[sumer]

Thanks for your comments and suggestions, Ben

Yes, I already have ordered everything. I wanted to go 1500mA or even 2000mA but because only 1000mA LDD drivers are available right now, I am going with them. I have ordered XML2 actually. I am hoping that in the near future companies would come out with 1500mA and higher LDDdrivers and then I would swap my LDD drivers. LDD drivers have made it really customizable.

 

Are you suggesting these Rebel ES Lime LEDs for a reef tank? I am making my unit for a planted tank though.

 

As I see your photos I am realizing that 5UP pro rally doesn't take a lot of space in the heatsink.

 

Another questions

 

1: what cable do you use to connect your 250W power supply to the MakersDriver? That will be the only cable coming to the heatsink, right? So I want it to look good. Where can I buy a "good looking" wire?

I have the single core wire that LEDgroupbuy has on their website to do all the connection in the heatsink (from drivers to LEDs etc).

 

To connect 250W powerSupply to the mains, I will use maybe 12 AWG copper core.

 

In my last build I had the controller (DIM4) and the driver both sitting outside the heatsink and so I had to run a VGA cable (the one we use to connect CRT monitors to the CPU) from the heatsink to the project box where I had the driver and controller. It was not the best way but it looked good.

 

2. DIM4 did not bring the LEDs all the way to zero (means completely off; not giving out any light). It did bring them to zero volts but they were still lighting at zero volt. That kind of messed up the whole reason of having a controller. I was having to use a digital timer which was eventually shutting off the main supply going into the driver and hence, shutting down the lights.

How does the MakersController perform in this area? Would it bring down my LEDs all the way to zero (not just voltage wise but also lighting wise)? I hope the answer to this is yes.

I debated between MakersController and StormX a lot. The only reason I went with MakersController is because it can be mounted on the heatsink. I won't have to worry about making a project box or mounting an extra controller somewhere.

 

Thanks,

Sumer.

[jedimasterben]

I actually don't think that Meanwell will be releasing LDD-H with current more than 1A. There are LDD-L models with 1.2A and 1.5A, but they are not drop-in replacements for LDD-H since they have different voltage input/output (limited to 36v in and 30v out) and the PWM pin is one position different.

 

No, lime works for pretty much any light. Even planted tanks can take advantage of them.

 

As for the wire from the power supply, 12AWG is thick - extremely thick. I usually use 20AWG to go from the power supply to the LED drivers if it's more than 5' or so. I don't even think that 12AWG will fit into the terminals on the Makersdriver.

 

Were you using analog drivers or driving the LEDs directly with the DIM4? If you were using analog drivers, they only dim down to ~10-13% (I assume the minimum voltage was 1v), so even if they were being sent less than 1v to their dimming circuit they would remain on at 10%ish. The LDD are digital and will dim to zero and can take 4096 dimming steps with no problem.

[sumer]

So yesterday UPS showed up with my package My tank, cabinet and a lot of other stuff was also delivered yesterday.

I haven't started anything yet. I will start tonight. First, I'd put all the nts in the heatsink grooves. I have 10 days before I fly to India for three weeks. I would like to finish the light unit before flying.

Here are a few photos:

 

 

 

 

I also have to make a light hanging stand from conduit this weekend. A lot of stuff to do

[sumer]

Hey Ben,

Hope you're doing well. I have made some progress on my unit.

I have a question about the cables:

I have a three prong power cord to connect my 250W power supply to the mains.

But I am not getting anything *good looking* to connect the 5UP driver (which will be in the heatsink) to the power supply (which will be in the cabinet). I did find a cable at Home Depot which has 4 cores/ different wires inside it. It is rated at 16 2 AWG. Can I use just 2 wires from the available 4? Would those two extra unused cores be a problem?

 

Also, I have made this light stand from conduit. I was thinking of entering the cable inside the conduit near the cabinet and then it will come out of the conduit where the hanging kit will be. So that the whole cable won't show. Only a small portion near the hanging wires would show. Can you think of any problem it might create?

Here's my light stand:

 

Thanks.

[Chadf]

T5s work better and come all put together.

[jedimasterben]

But I am not getting anything *good looking* to connect the 5UP driver (which will be in the heatsink) to the power supply (which will be in the cabinet). I did find a cable at Home Depot which has 4 cores/ different wires inside it. It is rated at 16 2 AWG. Can I use just 2 wires from the available 4? Would those two extra unused cores be a problem?

 

Also, I have made this light stand from conduit. I was thinking of entering the cable inside the conduit near the cabinet and then it will come out of the conduit where the hanging kit will be. So that the whole cable won't show. Only a small portion near the hanging wires would show. Can you think of any problem it might create?

The extra wire won't be a problem, just snip them off cleanly. The problem is that 16AWG is extremely thick and rigid. I think the terminals on the MakersDriver will only take 18AWG maximum. I personally use 18AWG speaker wire for temporary installations, but it can transfer a lot of power, so it's ok to use long-term, as well. It's also extremely inexpensive.

 

Nope, hiding the wires won't hurt anything, it actually makes it all really easy

 

T5s work better and come all put together.

Like any other light, you can also purchase parts and DIY a T5HO fixture.

[sumer]

I see. Ben, here's one more thing that I found. Speaker cables. I think they have just two wires inside them. They have 1/4" mono jack (also called phone connectors).

I will have a female port on the project box that will have my power supply and a female port on the heatsink. Then I will use this cable to connect both of those. Does it sound OK?

Can I go with this:

http://www.parts-express.com/peavey-9-ft-speaker-cable-18-gauge-1-4-to-1-4--241-5402

 

and for female port:
http://www.parts-express.com/switchcraft-11-1-4-mono-jack-with-nut-washer--093-104

 

 

T5s work better and come all put together.

 

I failed to understand your intention behind this statement. I am in a vendor forum posting questions about my build and you are saying I should switch to T5s. I think I know what I am doing

[jedimasterben]

I was actually just talking about straight wire, no connectors. Something like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/RCA-50-ft-18-Gauge-Speaker-Wire-RCA-AH1850R/204354274

[sumer]

But wont the ones I listed be easier to use because of their connectors? Yeah it would be one more thing to add those jacks to the heatsink and the project box but it'd definitely be easier to take off if need be. They are 18 gauge as well.