moovinfast Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 So I just ordered my tank that I want to turn into a led lit tank. Its 20"x20"x15" tall. I want to be able to keep sps and clams. How many Leds do you think I will need? Has anyone built one with the ebay leds like these? Using half pure white and half blue. Do I need to throw in a few uv leds as well? Does it look like they will work? Do I need optics since its only 15" tall? Would a Meanwell LPC-35-700 48V work to power a line of 12 leds. Sorry for all the questions, but Im trying to get it all lined up before the tank arrives. Link to comment
cptbjorn Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Even if you trust the quoted lumen rating those LEDs (and you shouldn't), they only put out half the light of the cree xr-e's that most people are using. Also optics are specifically made for individual LED types and I doubt you will be able to find optics for those LEDs and you would need them if you want reasonable PAR down to the sandbed. You should check out evilc's DIY LED thread. Link to comment
blasterman Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I was teasing Evil the other day about Satistronics gear I atually ordered a pile of stuff from them, but only to screw around with, use for plant lights - gear 'smoke tests', etc. Aint going near my tank. They do have good prices on wide angle optics, and that's what I might use seriously. I know that specific optics are engineered for specific LEDs because of emitter size, but the truth is that this is less critical the wider angle you get. I'll pay for quality narrow optics, but wide angle 20mm Acrylics should retail for a penny a dozen. I'd expect their 3-watt white LEDs to perform like 1watt Crees, and I'd be shocked if they hit 100lumens at 3watt. They'll also have a wide variance in bin tints and have the color uniformity of a 4yr old's birthday cake. Not to mention they won't like being driven hard. Not worth the trouble for serious tasks. Judging by their solder quality in the pics it makes me wonder if they are out-sourcing to N Korea. The only advantage with the chinese knock-offs is their colored LEDs often work pretty good because the phosphor technology is pretty straightforward. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Get some decent LEDs like Cree XR-Es. They will be higher output and higher quality. You get what you pay for. For quantity, use 32 LEDs in a 8x4 arrangement. No need for lenses. I would look at the Meanwell ELN-60-48D for a driver as it has dimming capabilities (compatible with may reef controllers), unlike the LPC series. Link to comment
moovinfast Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 I just asked about the cheap ebay ones because they are half the cost. Just trying to save a buck or two. So then what would I need to be able to do what I want? Link to comment
moovinfast Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thanks, apparently I posted before yours showed up Link to comment
moovinfast Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 how many leds can the Meanwell ELN-60-48D run? (48v/4v=12) So I need one driver for every 12 leds? And should I add any uv leds? Link to comment
iMaGin3 Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 The Meanwell can run 13 in series. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Yup, 13. At 1000mA, the max Vf of the LEDs is 3.7v, so you can just sneak in with 13 LEDs. I wouldn't worry about using UV LEDs for the time being. Link to comment
doktorstick Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Yup, 13. At 1000mA, the max Vf of the LEDs is 3.7v, so you can just sneak in with 13 LEDs. I wouldn't worry about using UV LEDs for the time being. Do you say that about UV LEDs because they just aren't there, yet? Or that the jury is still out for SPS and Clams? I'm starting my build soon (yeah!), but I think I'm going to wire for UVs but wait-and-see. I think... Link to comment
moovinfast Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 so is there a huge difference in light output if you run the whites at 700ma instead of 1a? Also where is currently the cheapest place to get them right now? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Do you say that about UV LEDs because they just aren't there, yet? Or that the jury is still out for SPS and Clams? I'm starting my build soon (yeah!), but I think I'm going to wire for UVs but wait-and-see. I think... It's two-fold. First, we really don't know what the minimum power levels need to be, or what the correct spectrum(s) need to be. Second. once those things have been figured out, it's a matter of sourcing the right LEDs for a reasonable price. Right now, short frequency UV (less than 380nm) gets really expensive really quickly. The 390-410nm UV LEDs that we have now are more expensive than the whites and royals, and have pretty low output overall. Link to comment
moovinfast Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 So what size heatsink should I be looking at? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 At a minimum, get a 16"x8.5" heatsink from HeatsinkUSA. Link to comment
moovinfast Posted October 26, 2009 Author Share Posted October 26, 2009 Would these drivers work if I can get a deal on them? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Sure, but you need to provide a 0-5v source for the dimming control. It's got to be a really good deal though. You can find Meanwells for less than that and they can interface directly with reef controllers. Link to comment
moovinfast Posted October 26, 2009 Author Share Posted October 26, 2009 Looks like the best I can do is $172 shipped for 5 of them Link to comment
moovinfast Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 So where is the cheapest place to order from? The only part I know where to order is the heatsink. Ordering from heatsink usa. I want to go with the Meanwell ELN-60-48D's. And where should I order the Leds and what ones? Cree XR-e (p4, q4, q5, r2)? Link to comment
Walking_Target Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Here's the scoop. I'm in roughly the same place as you are: looking to try it for the first time. I can honestly tell you this though: These things are designed to last for ten years. don't skimp on your parts for something that will last you that long. Do it right the first time and you'll be alot happier Leave being cheap to me. Link to comment
moovinfast Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 Im not skimping on the parts, Im just trying to skimp on the price a little. Ive seen Cree xr's anywhere from under $5-$18. Just want to know the best place to order from. Link to comment
cptbjorn Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 I'd just get all the LEDs and drivers from nanotuners since they have both at a good price and you'll get free shipping. You can find the LEDs a tiny bit cheaper elsewhere such as ETGtech but you'll end up paying quite a bit more overall after shipping for everything. Link to comment
Walking_Target Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 I'd just get all the LEDs and drivers from nanotuners since they have both at a good price and you'll get free shipping. You can find the LEDs a tiny bit cheaper elsewhere such as ETGtech but you'll end up paying quite a bit more overall after shipping for everything. 2nded, but only if you live in the states. i'm in canada and went looking for a more local option... it's not quite as good as Crees, but at least its in the same ballpark. Link to comment
cptbjorn Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Yeah international shipping from the US sucks if you are a small business. Blame USPS Link to comment
moovinfast Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 Ordered all my stuff today. I am getting 2 8.5"x17" heatsinks, 3 meanwell drivers, 26 cree q5s and 13 cree RBs. Figured I might as well run the drivers with the max amount of leds. So what would be the best layout? Link to comment
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