plantarms Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I am finally starting my LED build for my 2.7 gallon pico tank! I am planning on using the fixture from a Current Nova Extreme T5 Fixture. I have cut the fixture down to size using a hacksaw and i have a 10'' length that i am using to house 4 royal blue and 4 cool whites cree xr-e LED's. 12'' Current 36watt PC Fixture 10'' LED Fixture Link to comment
HeyLookItsCaps Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 i like 10 better heh. looks great tho, did you already build your LEDs? Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 i like 10 better heh. looks great tho, did you already build your LEDs? yeah that's what i was leaning toward, it looks more full. nope not yet, i've got everything except the LED's, and the drivers. I am going to use 4 Q5 Cree XR-E's and 4 RB Cree XR-E's with 2 dimmable buckpucks with pots. The power supplies I have are 19v (measure on the multimeter at 19.3) Link to comment
HeyLookItsCaps Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 nice. i just got 6 cree xre and 3 rbs with 2 1000p buckpucks as well running on a 24v. im gonna be building it over the next few weeks. the 10" just looks more square* if you know what i mean Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 you're right it does, although it's kind of funny that it looks better, because the tank width is only 9''. maybe overhang does look good? Link to comment
HeyLookItsCaps Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 weird. are you sure the fixture is 9? because it definitely looks smaller. maybe its the bowed arms. i never minded like .25 .5 overhang anyway haha Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 yeah, maybe it's the angle of the picture Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 i would like to be able to tap this heat sink rather than using a thermal adhesive, is this even possible without a drill press? here is the 10'' from the top led setup Link to comment
evilc66 Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Drilling can be done without a drill press. You just need to take your time, get the drill nice and straight, and don't side load the drill bit. A little lube helps too, like WD40 or PbBlaster. Buff that heatsink though. The scuffed surface isn't very good as a thermal interface. Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 Drilling can be done without a drill press. You just need to take your time, get the drill nice and straight, and don't side load the drill bit. A little lube helps too, like WD40 or PbBlaster. Buff that heatsink though. The scuffed surface isn't very good as a thermal interface. what is the best way to buff the heatsink, should I just use fine grit sand paper? it is all scuffed because I had to remove some sticky adhesive. Link to comment
Warehouse41Ant Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I also like the 10". Keep us updated on the LED build! Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 I also like the 10". Keep us updated on the LED build! thanks, yeah i definitely will! the 10'' also give me more room for fans on both sides for more airflow. i ordered the LED's and buckpucks yesterday but the Q5's are on backorder so I will probably not get them until next week sometime. Link to comment
Walking_Target Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 what is the best way to buff the heatsink, should I just use fine grit sand paper? it is all scuffed because I had to remove some sticky adhesive. Get "0" or "00" steel wool and lots of elbow grease. Alternatively, Mothers Mag polish and a felt wheel on a dremel can make it go much quicker. Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 Get "0" or "00" steel wool and lots of elbow grease. Alternatively, Mothers Mag polish and a felt wheel on a dremel can make it go much quicker. thanks, ill grab that when im at home depot today Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 I buffed the heatsink first with super fine grit sandpaper then with steel wool grade #0 half and half done Link to comment
gregzbobo Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I buffed the heatsink first with super fine grit sandpaper then with steel wool grade #0 half and half done If ya got more time than sense, and want near perfection, lap it. Big piece of plate glass, many grades of wet/dry sandpaper all the way up to about 4k grit, lots water, lots of figure-8 motions. Done right you'd be able to see your reflection on it. PC modders do this to their heatsinks all the time. Not worth it IMO though. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I buffed the heatsink first with super fine grit sandpaper then with steel wool grade #0 half and half done Much better. Link to comment
fiddly_foo Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 10" looks alot better cant wait to see it done. Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 10" looks alot better cant wait to see it done. thanks, i agree! yeah i can't wait to get this thing together! Link to comment
KevinStan Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 I have to ask... Where did ya get that tank from? I love it Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 I have to ask... Where did ya get that tank from? I love it i bought it online actually, then found out when i started a thread on this website that it was made by scooternerd, he did a really good job on the tank! Link to comment
gregzbobo Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 i bought it online actually, then found out when i started a thread on this website that it was made by scooternerd, he did a really good job on the tank! I love how the acrylic acts as a light "tunnel" and the edges glow, even the bottom edge, very cool. Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 yeah it's really cool, i almost don't even need a moonlight! although i am planning on putting one in the LED fixture Link to comment
plantarms Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 i've got a killer heatsink idea that will make mounting the heatsink in the fixture very easy. i have two of the exact same heatsink (pictures below), so one fits perfectly into the other when it is upside down (see below) that give me a perfectly flat surface to apply thermal adhesive and mount the heatsink to the top of the actual fixture, and it perfectly centers the heatsink over the opening in the fixture. i do not think i'm in danger of overheating anything because i'm only mounting 8 led's on a 7''x3'' heatsink, and there will be two 40mm fans on either side of the heatsink, one blowing air, one pulling air. my only concern would be if there is enough space between the fins to move the air/heat? Link to comment
gregzbobo Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 i've got a killer heatsink idea that will make mounting the heatsink in the fixture very easy. i have two of the exact same heatsink (pictures below), so one fits perfectly into the other when it is upside down (see below) that give me a perfectly flat surface to apply thermal adhesive and mount the heatsink to the top of the actual fixture, and it perfectly centers the heatsink over the opening in the fixture. i do not think i'm in danger of overheating anything because i'm only mounting 8 led's on a 7''x3'' heatsink, and there will be two 40mm fans on either side of the heatsink, one blowing air, one pulling air. my only concern would be if there is enough space between the fins to move the air/heat? Evil would know more than I about whether there'd be enough airflow, but if so, how were you planning to mount the heatsinks to each other? From what I can see they just slide together, nothing really keeping them there right now except the weight of the top one. Link to comment
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