led mod for 3 gal marineland

[deepdvnarq]

Hello LED gods!

After researching, reading, and pestering Evil and Waterproof, i decided to go ahead and plunge into the LED world. i can't wait to start. I have a marineland 3 gal that i'm currently modding into a nano. so far i ordered my ac70 to mod into a fuge and ordered a microjet for extra circulation. My list for this proposed project would be:

3 cree cool whites xr-e q4

4 royal blues xr-e

2 dimmable buckpucks 1000ma

1powersupply

large heatsink for heatsink USA .11inches ( i know i wouldhave to cut the heatsink at an angle to get it to fit the stock hood) the shape is a trapeziod with 11 inches in front and 9 inches in the rear

my question is would the 3 watt LEDS be too much for this small tank or would i be better off getting 2 or even 1 watt LED and adding more of them to better mix colors. the distance from the top of the tank to the sand is approximately 8". i think only having 3 each would create an unmixed color spots. i decided to go with the 1000ma only because when i start to mod my other tanks, i can change them out if needed too. this is just to get my feet wet! i followed watermelons thread closely and i liked what i saw. also would it matter if i wired them in parallel or series. Your opinions and help are greatly appreciated!

 

[evilc66]

Hello LED gods!

After researching, reading, and pestering Evil and Watermelon, i decided to go ahead and plunge into the LED world. i can't wait to start. I have a marineland 3 gal that i'm currently modding into a nano. so far i ordered my ac70 to mod into a fuge and ordered a microjet for extra circulation. My list for this proposed project would be:

3 cree cool whites

3 royal blues

2 dimmable buckpucks 1000ma

1powersupply

large heatsink for heatsink USA .11inches ( i know i wouldhave to cut the heatsink at an angle to get it to fit the stock hood) the shape is a trapeziod with 11 inches in front and 9 inches in the rear

my question is would the 3 watt LEDS be too much for this small tank or would i be better off getting 2 or even 1 watt LED and adding more of them to better mix colors. the distance from the top of the tank to the sand is approximately 8". i think only having 3 each would create an unmixed color spots. i decided to go with the 1000ma only because when i start to mod my other tanks, i can change them out if needed too. this is just to get my feet wet! i followed watermelons thread closely and i liked what i saw. also would it matter if i wired them in parallel or series. Your opinions and help are greatly appreciated!

 

 

You will have to wire the LEDs in series to the drivers.

 

I don't think it will be too much. It will be like putting a 70W MH over it. That may sound like a lot, but it's not too bad. Plus, you will be able to dim it down to what the corals like best. Everyone ends up wanting more light, so having it available with just the turn of a dial is a neat convenience.

[deepdvnarq]

thanks evil you're the best.

[drifterstudios]

I think giving links to each item would make reproducing this project for newbies (Like me) easier... I have a 3 gal pico that I want LED lighting for... I want to try to make it a pendant style fixture though.

[ajmckay]

Hey Evil,

 

Why does he have to wire them in series?

 

What if he just got a 9v power supply, could he then do 2 strings of 3 LEDs in paralell since the buckpucks take about 2v ?

 

Deep, when you've decided on everything would you post a wiring diagram?

 

Thanks.

[evilc66]

If you wire the LEDs in parallel, you divide the current between the LEDs. 4 LEDs on a 1000mA driver would only get 250mA. Wiring in series make the current at each LED the same, but you add the voltages.

[ajmckay]

If you wire the LEDs in parallel, you divide the current between the LEDs. 4 LEDs on a 1000mA driver would only get 250mA. Wiring in series make the current at each LED the same, but you add the voltages.

 

Ahhhh.... So he will need a 24v power supply (3*3.7)*2=22 + 2 for the pucks, correct?

[deepdvnarq]

I think giving links to each item would make reproducing this project for newbies (Like me) easier... I have a 3 gal pico that I want LED lighting for... I want to try to make it a pendant style fixture though.

 

i'm going to do a step by step thread on it with pics. i just haven't started yet. check out Evil's post on LED's. I'm a noob also and still learning.

[ajmckay]

Yeah I'm going to have to go back and re-re-re-read that. Not that it's overly complicated, but It's easy sometimes to get things backwards/mixed up if you're not extremely familiar with it.

[drifterstudios]

it's easy for me to understand as the current for the LED's follows the same type of rules as the load speakers have on amp's... who thought all those years in IASCA would help me light my tank....

[evilc66]

no need for impedence matching here though.

[deepdvnarq]

If you wire the LEDs in parallel, you divide the current between the LEDs. 4 LEDs on a 1000mA driver would only get 250mA. Wiring in series make the current at each LED the same, but you add the voltages.

i was thinking about adding another white and 2 more blues bringing my total to 4 whites and 5 blues.

now my total volts would be about 36v (9 leds @ 3.5v + 2buckpucks x 2v). at this point, if i still wanted to use only one power supply, then i would wire them in parallel? otherwise i would need 2 power supplies and go back to wiring in series. just like wiring speakers and amps, watts and ohms are used instead of volts and amps. watts = volts and ohms = amp for this reference point. i'm i correct in my substitution of the mentioned variables? if so by running in parallel, at what point i'm i maxed out on LED when it comes to a 24v 2.2 amp power supply, because the more LED that are on a driver, the less mA per LED. this is the part where i get confused is to determine what wiring concept to use and then deciding what power supply to get. i does me no good to just simply ask someone to tell me on how to do a setup. i really would like to LEARN how to do it. this way i can help others too. (plus i really love to learn new things). i apologize if it seems that i'm going in circles asking the same thing, it's just that i haven't grasped it yet. or no matter what, ther can only be 6 LEDs per driver?

for some tht are following this thread, if you confused or wondering about wiring in series or parallel, here is an article that i found, but it is in speaker and amp format, but the science to it should be the same.

series vs parallel wiring

[evilc66]

You have to wire the power for the drivers in parallel, not series. You could, but there is no benefit from it. It's much easier to find a power supply with higher current capacity. Put it this way, you will never need anything more than a 24v powersupply for any array that uses Buckpucks as the driver.

 

Here are the basics for series/parallel wiring:

 

Series:

- The voltage drop of each device in series will always add up to the source voltage.

Example - Source voltage of 24v. You have two 12v fans wired in series. Each fan has a 12v drop across them. Add the voltage drops and you get the source voltage. If you run three fans, the volage drop across each fan is now 8v. Add them up and it's still 24v. It's overly simplified, but you get the idea.

- The current of each component in a series string is the same at each component. As a result, the total current for the circuit will be the same as any one component in the string.

 

Parallel:

- The voltage across each component in parallel is the same as the source voltage.

- The current for each component in parallel is added together to create the total current.

 

It gets a little more complicated when you combine series and parallel cricuits but the rules are still the same. You just have to break them down in to chunks.

 

Does that help a little?

[deepdvnarq]

yes it does! thanks! i ordered some stuff already and i'm waiting for it to get here. should be a few days. i'm thinking by tuesday. but i still need more items.

i got it now. i feel really stupid at the moment . i overcomplicated the whole thing.

to be clear and to simplify this for others wired in parallel

when using 1000mA as drivers:

-a max of 6 LEDs per driver

-the max of lines/drivers per power supply would be = to the total output of the PS. for example, a 24v PS with a 3.3a could support 3 buckpucks (each buckpuck is 1A) with 6 LEDs on each line since wired in parallel the volts stay the same but you add the amps, is this correct in theory then?

i went astray when a little when i chimed in wrongly on another thread (help with power supply). i assumed he was wiring in series because he was adding up volts.

okay time to buy a PS for the LEDs! led supply is out i think. i cant order for some reason.

i'll get this one then and a wall wart for the fans.

[evilc66]

You got it.

[deepdvnarq]

thanks again Evil!

[deepdvnarq]

i'm choosing a fan. how much airflow would i need to cool off the heatsink? in other words, what cfm should i shoot for. i'm looking at some of the silenx fans but sometimes they are a hit and miss for quality. is there another fan that is made a little better and close to the wquiteness of the silenx. i have always used coolermaster or vangaurd for cpu case fans or whatever fan was on special at the moment because i didn't care about noise. (as long as it wasn't the tornado! that fan actually flies through the air if not bolted down and sounds like a jet). but i do care about noise in this instance. any help would be great. it also needs to be as slim as possible. would about 2-4 of these work?case fan 40x40x10mm i need it to be thin because i want to try and fit it under the marineland 3 gal hood.

[mrbigshot]

can you please post a link to the leds you will be using? this has me intreagued on doing a 5 gallon minibow i got in the basement.

[evilc66]

Go for the biggest fan you can fit. For an array of the size you are looking at, you can get away with low flow, but more is better. I have had luck with Vantec Stealth fans, but I don't think they do thin profile fans.

[deepdvnarq]

can you please post a link to the leds you will be using? this has me intreagued on doing a 5 gallon minibow i got in the basement.

 

for the whites i'm using:

cree xre q4 cool whites

for the blues i'm using:

cree x-re royal blues

for the drivers:

buckpucks 1000mA dimming with pot (2 qty)

for the power supply

power supply 24 v 6.5a (eventually i'll be using this power supply in another setup. the one i wanted was out of stock)

the one i wanted for this application:

power supply 24v 2.2a

heatsink cut to size from:

heatsink USA

thermal paste:

artic silver. i already have some since i build computers but you can get it at

artic silver 5

the remaining supplies could be attained at Home depot, Lowes, radio Shack, or a hooby store. ie wiring, shrink tubes, power cords, acrylic, screws, nylon washers, drill taps, bits, etc.

i'll try to srart my thread on the 3 gal today. i'm doing a step by step of the entire setup with pics. i'm waiting for the lighting for my converted ac70 into a fuge. should come in today.

[deepdvnarq]

option 3

 

this just seems like overkill but i like it better though. looks like it gets better coverage.

[Waterproof]

option 3

 

this just seems like overkill but i like it better though. looks like it gets better coverage.

you could try the 9 LED option that I had considered using. It gave pretty good, balanced coverage on my tank. 9 LEDs would be bright as crap on a 3 gal.

 

 

You could flip-flop the whites and the blues. As for a fan, get the biggest you can fit. An 80-120mm would move a ton more air w/ much less noise.

[deepdvnarq]

thanks waterproof.

i'm going to go with your option 2

anything more and its overkill.

cdelicath only used 4 LEDs in his 8x8x8 cube. mine is not much bigger, yet mine is going to be 9 and his looks sweet!

[Waterproof]

thanks waterproof.

i'm going to go with your option 2

anything more and its overkill.

cdelicath only used 4 LEDs in his 8x8x8 cube. mine is not much bigger, yet mine is going to be 9 and his looks sweet!

 

Yeah, I think 9 will even be overkill. What are the dimensions of your 3 gal? You could start w/ fewer and then add more as needed.

 

 

B...B...B

..W..W

B...B...B

 

 

or

 

B............B

..W..B..W

B............B

 

It's hard to say until you see how the light spreads in your tank. Also, it depends on the color you're going for (14,000 K, 20,000 K, etc.)

[deepdvnarq]

mine is a trapeziod shape. 11" in front 9 " in the rear. about 10" tall and about 8" depth. weird! i'm trying to keep the stock hood. the leds will be close to the water so color mixing wont be that great i'm imagining. that's why the reason of overkill. i forgot to bring my acylic from home. i'm going to try to raise the hood with out any spacing and have to cut an acrylic splash gaurd for the hood to keep water and salt creep out. it's also a bowfront, so nothing is straight. if i can raise it,then i wont have too many problems blending it in. the color i want is to actually be very flexible from 10000 to 20000. that's the idea with me and learning the whole LED array in the first place. the flexibility of the system could be limitless. i'm trying to upload a pic of the top but it says that i have hit my limit.