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LED Retrofit for JBJ Nano Cube 24 DX


Minadin

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I am now plunging into my own led lighting system after spending hours & hours reading & researching. First off I wanna thank evilc66, soundwave & Waterproof whose articles I have read which prompted me to begin this little project. I am a visual person with little to no electrical skills but I have a friend who will be drilling/tapping. I can solder and wire I am sure. This light will be going back into my stock hood.

 

My tank is a JBJ Nano Cube 24 DX It is 24 gallons. I have some monti, colt & some paly/zoa's. I am looking to keep anything I wish from SPS to mushrooms, water depth to sandbed is 15 1/2" from light. I have a material list & some pictures worked up to show my plans at this time. I am looking for opinions and whatever advice I can get. hum gah hum (begins LED Gawd chant). Thanks in advance.

 

 

My Tank

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Heatsink & LED placement plan

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In Tank Placement

post-42588-1236707926_thumb.jpg

 

Materials List

 

Cree XR-E Q5 White PCB Mounted - ETGTech.com - 12 @ $6.00 ea = $72.00

Cree XR-E Royal Blue PCB Mounted - ETGTech.com - 12 @ $6.00 ea = $72.00

Cree XR-E Part#XLSL-7090-247 60 Degree Optics with Holder - ETGTech.com - 24 @ $1.00 each = $24.00

*Email anna@etgtech.com for your quotes

Wired BuckPuck Drivers 1000mA External Dimming Control w/ Potentiometer- LEDSupply - 4 @ $19.99 ea = $79.96

Heatsink - 12" x 7.29" - HeatsinkUSA - $35.55 shipped

Artic Silver AS5-3.5G, Thermal Grease - Already Have

Screws 100 Qty - McMaster Carr - Stainless Steel size 4-40 X 3/8" Part#91773A108 - $3.75

Washers 100 Qty - McMaster Carr - Nylon 6/6 Flat Washer #4 Part#90295A045- $2.48

5 @ $ 2.59 TC258 DC Power Cord, 2.5 x 5.5mm Plug to Bare Leads, 6FT/18awg - Willy's Electronics - $12.95

5 @ $1.59 248 DC Jack, 2.5MM x 5.5MM, Panel Mount, Plastic Housing - Willy's Electronics - $7.95

WH24-08-25 Gray 24 Gauge Stranded, 25' Spool - Willy's Electronics - $3.10

WH24-04-25 Yellow 24 Gauge Stranded, 25' Spool - Willy's Electronics - $3.10

50-3000 Qualitek 60/40 0.032" Solder: 0.6 oz Tube - Willy's Electronics - $2.29

Electrical Tape 3M 700 Vinyl - Lowes Item#39340 - $1.89

Kobalt Tapping Bit 4-40 & Drill Bit #43- Lowes Item#232566- 2 @$4.08 - $8.16

Kobalt T-handle Tap Wrench - Lowes Item#232605 - $4.79

Flat Aluminum Bar 1/16" x 3/4" x 6' - Lowes Item#216058 - $7.08

Fans - SilenX - Will use if needed

Heatshrink Polyolefin - Already Have

Power Supply 24V @ 6.5A POTRANS POWER SUPPLY - MPJA.com - $14.95

6FT IEC Power Cord UL LISTED - MPJA.com - $2.49

4 @ $ .75 ALCO PKG-70, 1/8" Shaft Red Knob - MPJA.com - $3.00

5.9" X 3.9" X 2.36" Black Plastic Box - MPJA.com - $3.49

30 Watt Soldering Tool Set GT1096 JL-006 - MPJA.com $7.95

Shipping Charges - $33.53

Sandpaper Wet/Dry 400/800/1000 - AutoZone or other Car parts store - $4.50

 

So as of now I am spending $410.96.

Doing this DIY project I would like to bring the cost dooowwwnnn like most people would while getting it right the first time. I spent a few hours shopping prices so I am comfortable with those listed.

 

My questions as of now are:

  1. Am I using the correct amount of leds? too many too few?
  2. How do I get the cost down?
  3. Will I need optics with my water depth being 15 1/2"?
  4. Where do i get a good inexpensive power supply?
  5. Might I have a power supply laying around the house? We have lots of electrical "junk laying around.
  6. Should I use UV LEDS at all?
  7. Am I missing anything or buying unneeded item(s)

 

 

I now await any advice or criticism on my project. Once I get it right and order I will document the entire process via pictures and text. Thank you again for your time and thoughts.

 

Scott

 

Edited Materials List

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Looks like the start of a good plan. I'm glad you paid attention to when I mentioned the importance of quality materials (refering to the heatshrink and electrical tape). I can't tell you how much cheap crap irritates me.

 

1. Looks pretty good. With the spacing you have, you could be capable of 250W levels with 40 degree optics if you wanted to venture into that end of the power spectrum. 60 degree lenses (150W MH levels) will be a breeze. Typically I would say stagger the LEDs to get better color blending, but I think with a tight pattern like that you can get away with a square grid. there will be no shortage of light, thats for sure.

 

2. Good luck. :) There are very few ways to cut costs without cutting corners. If you have the desire, inclination and knowledge, you could built your own drivers to save a few bucks. Sometimes the extra cost is worth the fact that you know the device will work, or can be replaced at little/no charge.

 

3. If you want to kick the power levels to the equivalent of a 150W MH, use 60 degree optics. Cree makes a nice one that slips over the ring on the LED in a nice tight fit. Cutter Electronics has them, but if you want to get the majority of the parts from one source, talk to ETG Tech. They have the optics for $1 each, and the prices on the LEDs aren't too bad (more than you will pay from DX though). Save a penny here, add a penny there.

 

4. http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=16854+PS

 

5. You will need a power supply that is 24-32v, and a minimum of 4.2A to cover all the components you are hooking up. The one I linked above is plenty big and only $15.

 

6. You can, but it's not necessary. The UV LEDs can help with the health and color of sps corals. You can add them one of two ways (two should be enough): replace some of the blues with UV, but you have to drop down to 700mA drivers. Or add them seperately (26 LEDs total now), and run them on their own 700mA driver and keep the royals at 1000mA.

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Thanks evil!

 

Now I made some changes, one being the power supply. No UV's for me. I now have more questions for anyone who can answer. I will do my wiring diagrams after I get my answers right. Remember I barely know what a capacitor is when it comes to electrical but I did hook up a ceiling fan before. :mellow: I sent an email to ETG Tech asking what prices were cause unless I am blind they have no store/prices.

 

Questions

 

1. I saw the buckdrivers are the size of a postage stamp. I like waterproof's project box enclosure, is this feasible with my setup? MPJA has project boxes galore btw.

 

2. On the power supply does it come with a cord? It looks kinda raw/oem'ish. Will it also need a box?

 

3. Evilc66 mentioned I could use optics, either 40 degree (250watt MH) or 60 degree (150watt MH). Is 60 degree more than enough for SPS/Acropora/clam on the sandbed? I have 15 1/2" water depth.

 

That's all for now but I am finding more answers lead to more questions. Thanks reponders for your time.

 

Scott

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the buckpucks are small, four can easily fit in a cigarette box.

 

edit. i ordered the same power supply and it doesnt come with cords so i also ordered cords from them as its cheaper and just chopped the ends and connected forks on it.

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the buckpucks are small, four can easily fit in a cigarette box.

 

edit. i ordered the same power supply and it doesnt come with cords so i also ordered cords from them as its cheaper and just chopped the ends and connected forks on it.

 

May I ask for a link to which cord you bought?

I should just need 1 cord right?

And will I be soldering the cord to the power suppy?

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1. I saw the buckdrivers are the size of a postage stamp. I like waterproof's project box enclosure, is this feasible with my setup? MPJA has project boxes galore btw.

It looks like this is going to be a great project. I'm interested to see the difference in PAR you experience with the tighter placement of LEDs. Take lots of pics!

 

Radioshack has several sizes of project boxes. The size up from mine would fit 4 buckpucks easily. I recommend having all the wires connecting along one long side and then place all the potentiometers along the other side. That way, once it's in your cabinet or stand, you can have a clean look with only the 4 pots staring at you.

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Using a project box will keep things nice and clean. I wish Radioshack still sold the box and pcb combo. None of the pcbs they sell fit in their boxes any more without hacking them up. That would give you the cleanest setup. You could order the pcb mount pucks so everything is nice and secure and neat.

 

Any IEC power cord will work for that power supply. You can even hack the end off an old PC power supply cord. There is no need for an enclosure for that power supply. Mount it out of the way of direct moisture though. Underside/inside the stand will work well to keep it dry.

 

Shooting for 150W levels will be more than enough to keep whatever you want, anywhere you want. The optics are cheap ($1 each from ETG), so why not get a full set of each size and try it out. I would suggest getting a hold of a PAR meter temporarily before commiting to the 40 degree optics. Thats a lot of PAR (over 500 PAR at the sandbed), and may be complete overkill. 60 degree should be plenty though.

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I would suggest getting a hold of a PAR meter temporarily before commiting to the 40 degree optics. Thats a lot of PAR (over 500 PAR at the sandbed), and may be complete overkill. 60 degree should be plenty though.

I think 60 deg would be more than enough. You could probably scale back your # of LEDs too if you were trying to cut costs. With 60-deg optics, you'll have complete color overlap around 3.5" from your light source, assuming no more than 2" spacing from LED-to-LED. You might be able to scale that back a bit. If you shaved off one row of LEDs (remove 4 LEDs total), then you'd have roughly 2.6" spacing. With 60-deg optics, you'd have good color blending at roughtly 4.5" from the LEDs. This really won't save you much money, but it's an option.

 

Also, you might want to spread out the LEDs top to bottom. Hug the top and bottom row a little closer to the edge of the heatsink (maybe 4/8" or 5/8" rather than 13/16"). This would give you slightly more even spacing top-to-bottom vs left-to-right.

 

PS - Nice design drawings. Is that google sketch-up? Did you design the shape of the starboard & LED?

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Yes I used google sketchup. The starboard & led were in 3D galleries and I modified. Have what I think is a better looking graphic in my updated wiring schemes I will post later.

 

Thanks so much,

Scott

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May I ask for a link to which cord you bought?

I should just need 1 cord right?

And will I be soldering the cord to the power suppy?

 

to attach the cord to the power supply i used forks for a cleaner look and ease of taking it off for any reason.

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3. If you want to kick the power levels to the equivalent of a 150W MH, use 60 degree optics. Cree makes a nice one that slips over the ring on the LED in a nice tight fit. Cutter Electronics has them, but if you want to get the majority of the parts from one source, talk to ETG Tech. They have the optics for $1 each, and the prices on the LEDs aren't too bad (more than you will pay from DX though). Save a penny here, add a penny there.

 

I am trying to get a quote for these $1 60 degree optics but no one at LED Supply, Cutter and others seem to know about them. Does anyone have a part number or better yet, a link?

 

Thanks for the help I dont think I want rippled or frosted lenses and that what they came up with.

Scott

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Well Friday was payday and I got some shopping out of the way after a few more hours of price shopping online. I went ahead with the orders from Willy's Electronics, HeatsinkUSA & MPJA.com items.

 

I am awaiting a response from ETG's Anna Lopez concerning a quote on optics/leds/buckpucks. Thanks evilc66 for the info. I will share what pricing I receive from them.

 

Updated the materials list with more items & prices..it never stops does it, like a money sink...

 

I would like to thank frakthem for his nice writeup here & especially his control box. As I am not an electrically skilled person (what's an ohm) plug & play is what I see in his control box. The pote's on top were nice and I think I will take it a step further using the knobs from MPJA in my materials list. The male/female jacks will be better for me I think and at the low price for 6ft pre-wired males it will save me some soldering.

 

Here are pics of my intended control box

Front

post-42588-1237174422_thumb.jpg

 

Rear

post-42588-1237174450_thumb.jpg

 

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I hope to be helpful to others myself once I have passed this learning curve.

 

Scott

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Just FYI, ETG doesn't deal with Buckpucks. Just Cree LEDs and optics (for what we use anyway)

 

 

Cool Anna responded back I can get the leds for $6 each Blue or White (making them cheaper than either Deal Extreme & LED Supply when purchased together) - I consider that a deal because I can get all of them at one place and evilc66 said they have better PCB's. The 60 degree optics are $1 each also a great bargain over Cutter. Thanks ETG.

 

By the way just discovered PCB stands for printed circuit board for those like me who were curious.

 

I updated the materials list & prices on my first post. Now I can go ahead with ordering my complete material list.

 

Thanks,

Scott

 

EDIT - Shipping was only $7.00

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Hey evil or anyone, I am now ordering my screws & washers since I am not paying $1 per 6 screws at Lowe's. Grainger.com is who I will order from unless there is better out there.

 

Do I use stainless steel or brass 4-40 x 3/8" ?

Does it even matter?

Why do people not use nylon screws and washers if we are worried about shorts?

 

I read and learned from earlier info in someones post on another article to not use zinc.

 

Thanks

Scott

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Go to McMaster Carr. Get stainless only (brass is a copper alloy). Nylon can't provide the clamping pressure needed on such a small screw. Tighten it too much and you stretch the screw, or can snap it.

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Do I use stainless steel or brass 4-40 x 3/8" ?

Does it even matter?

Why do people not use nylon screws and washers if we are worried about shorts?

Use stainless. Nylon washers (not screws) are definitely a good idea. I used them on my project to avoid shorts (size #4).

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Great shopping list, thank you for taking the time to detail links and part numbers.

Looks like you are building more or less half a soundwave setup. I plan to do the same for my 14g bio cube and then another with maybe half the LED for my work nano. I will be following closely.

 

Jerome

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Well Anna is sending out LED's for PCB mounting. Time for a little patience as I want to have them physically in hand before I mark heatsink for drilling.

 

My screws/washers are ordered from McMaster Carr updated material list to reflect pricing. One thing I do not like is they did not give a shipping charge price, even though UPS already has it in transit, nothing on invoice just says "shipping will be added". A minor annoyance but I don't want like some $10 charge for screws/washers..

 

My heatsink arrived today, very quick & nicely packaged. It is HUGE I don't know but I kept visualizing a big processor heatsink not this monster. Hope it fits I may have to cut some of the fin height off, we will see. Rule #1 always measure your stock hood if retrofitting. I measured outside dimensions but not height. I should be fine but will update.

 

I read somewhere and will search again about someone polishing their heatsink. Is this really necessary as all light will be focused downwards from the led's?

 

evilc66 - McMaster Carr was almost half the price of Grainger, thank you

 

Waterproof - thanks, I purchased #4 nylon washers

 

C Jerome - I appreciate your comments. I like a detailed list/links anytime I want to DIY or buy something so just trying to pass along what I have learned myself and from others.

 

Thanks all enjoy some heatsink pictures

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Gotta love HeatsinkUSA :) My 36" heatsink was a monster that I couldn't visualize the size until it came.

 

You can start laying out your LED pattern now if you want. Use a 20mm hole spacing for the LEDs. I like to cover the surface of the heatsink in masking tape to I can mark on it without scratching up the surface.

 

Polishing the heatsink isn't for light reflection. It's to improve the surface interface for thermal transfer. It won't make dramatic differences, but every little helps. Anyway, a nice highly polished heatsink looks cool. Use the Ryobi plastic polish they sell in the tool department at Home Depot. That works really well with a minimum of work.

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