Biocube-14 LED upgrade

[Waterproof]

It seems like everyone is doing an LED project, so I thought I'd try the same. Before I begin, thanks a ton to evilc66! I've nagged the hell out of him, and without his LED info, I'd be lost.

 

I've got a biocube-14 that is about 10 months old. The reson for the upgrade is to add some shimmer, get a slightly bluer tank color (maybe a little shy of 20k), and give my corals a little boost. Some of them, especially those lower in the tank, are looking a little dull...healthy, but dull. I currently has 2 x 27w current usa bulbs - 1 x 6500/10k and 1x 420nm/450nm. I'm using the stock BC ballasts, so I'm really only getting 24w per light.

 

I'd like to add some Cree XR-E royal blue LEDs to supplement the lighting. I don't want to keep SPS or clams. I just want better color. I'm thinking of using 3 LEDs, positioned in a triangle pattern. I'll use a small CPU heatsink (w/ fan) and fit it within the stock hood.

 

Thus far, I only have 2 LEDs (http://www.ledsupply.com/creexre-rb.php), a 700mA buckpuck driver w/ potentiometer (http://www.ledsupply.com/03023-d-e-700p.php), and an old laptop power adapter (19v, 2.4A). I've got a couple more LEDs on the way, but I'm playing around w/ 2 of them for now.

 

I placed my order at LEDsupply last Friday, and they were already here today (Monday). Not bad!

 

One of the wires on the driver's potentiometer broke off, so I had to re-solder that. Then, I hooked up the 2 LEDs in series. Holy MOTHER!!! It's like looking at the freakin' sun! I think I'm still seeing 2 blue dots. In the spirit of instant gratification, I used a flexible photography clamp and hung it over the front lid of the tank. Here is a youtube video:

 

 

I'm really impressed. Even with just two LEDs, it's really bright. It doesn't come through on the video. I've got lots of shimmer (maybe a little too much), and the corals are popping more. Since the LEDs were hung over the front portion of the tank, the effect isn't very ballanced. For example, the torch in the back isn't showing much effect. Once the heatsink is permanantly mounted in the middle of the hood, I think there will be better ballance.

 

I tried to grab some before and after photos. I used the wrong aperature, so the front corals are out of focus. You can still get the idea.

 

Stock:

 

With 2 LEDs:

 

LEDs only:

 

Would somebody please tell me how to photograph under actinics? My SLRs white ballance won't let me dial in enough blue to compensate for the 450nm color. Everything ends up looking blue!

 

As you can see in the video, my clowns were freakin' out. I'm assuming I can acclimate them to the new light. I really don't want to stress them out too much.

[evilc66]

Starting to come together

 

I always have a lot of trouble photographing under strictly actinics/blue LEDs. It always seems washed out, and super intense. I'd like to hear any tricks on this one too.

[kgbenson]

Can you shoot in RAW? IF so, the WB is irrelevant and you can alter it to whatever you want in photoshop or other programs.

 

Also - see this article.

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-11/feature/index.php

 

Part of the issue is that you might be causing your light meter to read high from some of the light wavelengths you don't want. The last photo is decidedly blue - but there are also some areas that looks blown out. The filter that the article mentions might be helpful. Remember - light meters are trying to average everything down to a certain number and sometimes you have to fool the thing - or ignore it. Also - are you using a tripod?

 

Keith

[Waterproof]

Can you shoot in RAW? IF so, the WB is irrelevant and you can alter it to whatever you want in photoshop or other programs.

 

Also - see this article.

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-11/feature/index.php

 

Part of the issue is that you might be causing your light meter to read high from some of the light wavelengths you don't want. The last photo is decidedly blue - but there are also some areas that looks blown out. The filter that the article mentions might be helpful. Remember - light meters are trying to average everything down to a certain number and sometimes you have to fool the thing - or ignore it. Also - are you using a tripod?

 

Keith

 

Keith,

 

I'll give RAW a shot tonight. With my fish tank, I typically try to avoid too much post-production. Plus, I just upgraded to a D90, and now my version of photoshop doesn't support my NEF files. I've been postponing dealing w/ the issue, but I guess now is a good time. I think you're right, though.

 

Now that I think of it, I may have been in center-weighted metering from some high-key portraits I was doing last week. This would explain why the GSP and trumpet corals are blown out. Even w/ matrix metering, I normally have to underexpose by about 1.0-1.3 stops to avoid any blown highlights. Actinic is a different story. I'll play around with it a bit tonight. I was also using my 17-55mm lens, rather than my macro (didn't want to walk upstairs!). Thanks for the response. That website is really cool. I wonder what kind of filter that is. IR, yellow color correcting, other?

[kgbenson]

I wonder what kind of filter that is. IR, yellow color correcting, other?

 

I think it is specific to screening the light from the lamp they sell - so that you don't see the excitation radiation - just the fluorescence.

 

Pretty cool.

 

Keith

[Waterproof]

I'm going to add at least one cool white LED to balance out the color. I've got a couple XP-E cool white (9k-10k bin) LEDs coming. I also have a couple XR-E cool white (5,500-6,500 bin) LEDs on the way. If the XP-E is too blue, I'll switch it out with an XR-E.

 

The XP-Es run at 700mA, with the same voltate as the XR-Es. I'd like to use a single power supply. I'll buy another 700mA driver w/ potentiometer for the cool white LED(s). In total, I'd like to have 3 royal blue XR-Es and 1 cool white XP-E. To wire these, the blues will be in series. Then I just connect the 2 drivers to the power supply in parallel, right?

 

I have a 19v, 2.4A laptop power adapter. Once these are wired, I should have a total voltage draw of 14v (assuming 4 LEDs @ 3.5v each) and 1.4A (assuming two 700mA drivers).

 

Is this correct? Thanks,

 

J.

[evilc66]

Everything looks fine. How are you mounting the XP-Es? Are you getting them on stars?

[Waterproof]

Everything looks fine. How are you mounting the XP-Es? Are you getting them on stars?

 

yeah, they'll be on stars. The specs say they have an 80% smaller footprint. I don't know if this refers to the starboard as well, or if the star will be a standard size. I don't think I can solder on a 80% smaller board!

 

One more question, on the stars that I have, there are 2 + and 2- solder points. The screws that I'm using come very close to the solder points. What would happen if the screw head touched one of the terminals? I can't get much smaller screws. I'm using #4-40 screws.

 

I've mutilated my CPU heatsink trying to hand drill and not tap my holes. I've realized that I need to use the drill press and slowly tap my holes. I used WD-40 yesterday while tapping, and it went well. I looked at the arctic silver website, and they say not to use any WD-40 or similar lubricant b/c it can fill in the tiny void spaces of the aluminum, which will "greatly reduce" the thermal efficiency of the compound. Any thoughts?

[evilc66]

Use nylon or phenolic washers to insulate the screws from the star.

 

Use denatured alcohol to clean away the WD40.

[Waterproof]

I've decided that rather than adding LEDs to my existing 2 PC bulbs, I'll remove the PCs and go with only LEDs. Just for kicks, I threw together a cost comparison of 2 options:

1) Adding a third 24w PC (72w total)

2) Building an array of 10 x 3w LED (no PCs)

 

 

As a more extreme projection, I evaluated the material costs over 6 years. Over that period, a lot could change with a tank. Also, the ballasts/power supply could die. I haven't considered these unknowns.

 

 

As you can see, the LEDs will have higher up front costs, but will become more cost effective after little more than a year. Aside from costs, LEDs will pose the following advantages:

 

-Less heat transferred to the tank,

-More control; independent blue and white dimmers,

-Less energy used,

-MH shimmer effect,

-Less landfill waste (w/ haz materials) caused by replacing PC bulbs,

-The fun of DIY!

-Greater flexibility (add more LEDs, remove some, move to another tank, etc.

-Very long lifetime (70% output after 50,000 hrs)

-Made in the USA; Cree LEDs = NC, Heatsink = MI, BuckPuck = VT

*Current USA bulbs are made in China.

 

So that's my justification! The parts are on the way.

 

PS - I calculated that you'd save, on average, $15/yr in electricity costs w/ the LEDs.

[evilc66]

Sounds good. Get cracking.

[Waterproof]

Sounds good. Get cracking.

 

The heatsink should have been shipped out yesterday. Hopefully, I'll get it by Monday.

 

One question...My power supply is only 19v, so it can only handle 5 LEDs. I have 2 more 19v power supplies at home, as well as a 30v. How should I wire 2 strings of 5 LEDs? I understand that LEDs in series add the individual voltage. So, 5 x 3.7v LEDs = 18.5v. If I then connect 2 strings of 5 LEDs in parallel, does the voltage of each still add up? Meaning two 18.5v strings = 37v? I know the current is added when in parallel. What I'm saying is, will my single 19v, 2.4A supply work? Should I use the 30v. Or should I keep it separate and use 2 x 19v supplies? I've read that wiring individual LEDs in parallel can be dangerous if each LED doesn't use the assumed 3.7v. One may be over run. One may be dimmer than it should be. If you put two strings in parallel, is the same true?

 

Thanks,

 

J.

[evilc66]

Add voltage in series. Add current in parallel.

 

The 19v power supplies really aren't going to cut it. The Buckpucks require an additional 2v beyond the total forward voltage to operate properly. There are some cheap 24v power supplies going around, and you can check ebay for 24v laptop power supplies. If the 30v unit you have can support the current, that would work also.

[Waterproof]

Add voltage in series. Add current in parallel.

 

The 19v power supplies really aren't going to cut it. The Buckpucks require an additional 2v beyond the total forward voltage to operate properly. There are some cheap 24v power supplies going around, and you can check ebay for 24v laptop power supplies. If the 30v unit you have can support the current, that would work also.

 

I think the 30v is 1.8A, or something like that. So it should be good (700mA x 2 = 1.4A).

 

Then I'll assume there's no real risk of having both legs on a single power source.

 

Once again, you've been a big help! Thanks,

 

J.

[Waterproof]

The 30v power supply was only 400mA, but I found a 24v that is 1.5A. This should work fine. The heatsink got here. I've drilled the holes (for 9 LED and 11 LED configurations). I've only tapped a few of the holes. I've gone through 2 Kobalt bits. I need to find a better bit for the remaining holes.

 

The LEDs will be here on Monday.

[Waterproof]

OK, I completed a 9 LED array - 5 royal blue, 4 cool white (run at 700mA). I had assumed this would be enough, but I'm not sure. I think I may have just created an equivalent to the stock lighting. Maybe I need 2 more LEDs - 1 royal blue and 1 cool white.

 

These photos were taken on manual mode. I underexposed the stock lighting image by 1/3 stop. The shot of the LEDs looks overexposed by a bit.

 

Stock lighting:

 

Cool White LEDs only; not very "cool white". I have some more LEDs coming that should be in the 7000-10000k range, rather than the 5500-6500k range.

 

All LEDs. I think the overall color looks a bit more blue than 20k. I'm shooting for slightly less than 20k.

 

 

So, what do you think? I'd really like some feedback. Once my "whiter" cool whites arrive, I think the blues may overpower the tank even more. Maybe I just need one more white...maybe 2.

 

I think some of you have done PAR comparisons to stock systems. Based on what you found, if an LED system looks as bright as a PC system, which setup will result in higher PAR? I know there is no direct correlation between lumens and PAR. I just asking what you've experienced. Let's assume complete, uniform coverage with the LEDs.

 

I can say that I really like the overall feel of the LEDs. It's very clean light. The ripples are pretty intense too.

[evilc66]

You should be seeing PAR levels just under a 70W MH. It will be far higher than the stock lighting.

 

Going to 5 whites will help tone it down a bit on the blue end. Another option is to run the whites at 1000mA (with a new Buckpuck) and leave the blues at 700mA. The higher K whites won't make a huge difference overall, and will still look pretty yellow by themselves. Personally, I think the 6500K cool whites give more depth to the color, especially when combined with that rich royal blue. I like it better than the 150W Phoenix that I have, and thats a nice bulb!

[npain316]

It looks good. Welcome to the club!

[Waterproof]

You should be seeing PAR levels just under a 70W MH. It will be far higher than the stock lighting.

 

Going to 5 whites will help tone it down a bit on the blue end. Another option is to run the whites at 1000mA (with a new Buckpuck) and leave the blues at 700mA. The higher K whites won't make a huge difference overall, and will still look pretty yellow by themselves. Personally, I think the 6500K cool whites give more depth to the color, especially when combined with that rich royal blue. I like it better than the 150W Phoenix that I have, and thats a nice bulb!

 

 

Thanks for the response. I think I'll add another LED, rather than change the driver. I have another 6500K LED already; plus, as you had mentioned before, more LEDs = more uniform coverage = more uniform PAR.

 

I was afraid that the 6500k would lead to nuisance algae. What do you think?

[Waterproof]

It looks good. Welcome to the club!

 

Thanks! I still need to use thermal compound on the LEDs and figure out how to mount some fans in the stock hood. I'll try to shoot some video this weekend.

 

J.

[evilc66]

I haven't had any issues with algae. Algae is usually attributed to high amounts of red light, but the cool white LEDs have quite low red output. The higher color temp ones will have even less, but they do have slightly less output (not much). You will have more issues with algae with high nutrient and phosphate levels than from the LEDs by themselves.

[Waterproof]

I haven't had any issues with algae. Algae is usually attributed to high amounts of red light, but the cool white LEDs have quite low red output. The higher color temp ones will have even less, but they do have slightly less output (not much). You will have more issues with algae with high nutrient and phosphate levels than from the LEDs by themselves.

 

Cool, sounds good. The higher K cool white LEDs won't be here for a couple weeks. I'll pop in 2 more cool whites (6500K) and see how things look. That should balance things out pretty well.

[evilc66]

Sounds like a plan

[Waterproof]

OK evil, feel free to say "I told you so" at any time....I ended up adding 2 LEDs, for a total of 11 (6 royal blue, 5 cool white). I'd say the color is somewhere between 14k and 20k. I'll dial in the potentiometers to get the exact look that I like. My Sony Handycam captures horrible fishtank vids. I'll try to capture a quick video with my D90 this weekend. I plan to do a fit test of the array this weekend. I'd like to gut most of the stock hood, so that all that's left are the on/off switches, some fans, and the LED array. Let's hope the heat doesn't get too bad.

 

PS - if anyone in the Raleigh-Durham, NC area has access to a PAR meter, please let me know.

[evilc66]

I'm not going to say I told you so. It's all an experiment and we learn from our mistakes. Did you learn something? If so, then it's all good. All I care about is that you like it.