lanceleaderx Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 nice job, i think the LED driver is better than regulators, less wires and head problem, and its only about $5 difference Link to comment
evilc66 Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 LED drivers ARE regulators. They just regulate current instead of voltage. There are many way to make an LED driver. This is just one. The DIY version I made is another. They all get the same job done. Link to comment
lotekfish Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 I will give you your props coolwaters- and thanks! I'm actually testing out almost the exact same setup thanks to your recommendations (everything bought from kaidomain). Here's my setup: 5 edison LEDs, two running on one LED driver, three running on another. And yes, I do know how difficult those drivers are to solder. I was about to start cursing you out for recommending them before my soldering mojo kicked in. Both drivers are powered by a single 12v, 1amp radioshack-type wall transformer. I have these over a 12" x 10" x 12"h (6 gallon) DIY rimless cube. This was originally going to be a pico reef, but I decided to "simplify" my life and make it a nano planted tank instead. I've read on some planted tank forums that plants won't grow under white leds because the color spectrum is too narrow. Turns out they might be right because I tested the setup for two weeks and the plants (low light java ferns) were starting to fade. I know 5 leds isn't much light but I wanted this to be a low-light tank. Anyway, I've ordered a couple of CREE reds to see if that works. Sorry no photos- too busy with work, but I wanted to thank you and let you know that I'm following along with my own project. FYI, I'm not using any cooling fan. I have the leds mounted to 4 pieces of 3/4" aluminum "c" channel bolted together like "UUUU". It works as a flat mounting plate with built-in cooling fins. With 5 LEDS, it's warm to the touch but still cooler than my 130w pc hood. Link to comment
BD Enterprises Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 That is sweet! Link to comment
coolwaters Posted December 19, 2007 Author Share Posted December 19, 2007 thats great people. i'll post more pic on the 10 LED array. since the heatsink was kind of a overkill i guess i'll add more LEDs once i get the chance to. btw does anyone know were i can find low profile heatsinks? around like 1/2" thick? nvm i found something at 1/4" thick. so i might go with that later on. i got my cheap lux meter and its it turns out my 10 LED (about 25w) is equal to a 32w PC spiral bulb. but i bet the LEDs could do better if it werent spread out. i also noticed that the 2 old blue leds where giving out about half as much light as the blue new ones...i'll order some more and add them on as soon as i get them. heck i might even move the blue LED and replace it with the Blue/green led im going to use it as a Christmas decoration for now XD Link to comment
coolwaters Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share Posted December 20, 2007 ok guys seriously if u want to do the $3.10 regulator circuit boards for up 5 LEDs (at 18v input MAX) then be prepared to solder a lot of small parts...its a real pain in the @$$...but again its cheaper if u want to do a big project. FYI the regulator board isnt reveres polarized so if u switch the negative and positive it will burn out...the bottom of the board is the input power supply. the ring outside is negative and the circle inside is positive. ok i got the first set wired and ready just 2 more to go....wat a pain in the ass this is.... btw the 5 PC board the came with the 5 Edison LEDs for $16.64 its wack.... Link to comment
coolwaters Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share Posted December 20, 2007 people be careful soldering the leads on your leds...i think i just fryed one of my blue one....dam this is going to take abother 3 weeks to finish....oh well at least i got my other one up and going.... guess i'll order it now... nvm...in the interest of saving money im going to use the green/blue LED and the best part is that the one burn out was in the middle. so it kinda worked out... Link to comment
The Propagator Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 http://www.aquatichobbyaquariumsupply.com/...ights_s/509.htm Maybe worth it for whats in it as well as the housing for this project ? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Not bad looking. Good find Prop. Link to comment
The Propagator Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Like I said, I'll find'em its your job to decipher thier use Link to comment
coolwaters Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share Posted December 20, 2007 its called R2 i wonder if their using R2 bin LEDs... ok false alarm on the blue led that went out...i check this morning and its fine...strange... i'll just continue on the wiring. Link to comment
Gomer Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 its called R2 i wonder if their using R2 bin LEDs... Not a chance R2 bins are atleast $10 each and more likely $13 each. A 24" fixture would have atleast 4 LEDs and the price of the fixture is less then the price of just 4 emitters...that and the R2 is a Cree White LED bin Link to comment
coolwaters Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share Posted December 20, 2007 ok im done with the 9 LEDs but i dont have my camera on me right now so pics will have to be later. it seems that both my projects are useful and effective at aquariums less or around 12" deep. if deeper is desired grouping masses of LEDs closely together seems to be the only option. but not going to do that anytime soon....all my tanks are less then 12" deep so its perfect for me. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 well i did a stress test just now and turns out even at max power the fan was useless. so im afraid i'll have to take that out and get a better one. also did a lux test on it.... turns out that when LEDs are closly grouped together u get better output <--- no brainier... this would be great if im raising SPS or really high demanding coral in a shallow small tank. this beats my 32w PC hands down. and it only took 22w to do it. the color looks great too Link to comment
The Propagator Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 well i did a stress test just now and turns out even at max power the fan was useless. so im afraid i'll have to take that out and get a better one. also did a lux test on it.... turns out that when LEDs are closly grouped together u get better output <--- no brainier... this would be great if im raising SPS or really high demanding coral in a shallow small tank. this beats my 32w PC hands down. and it only took 22w to do it. the color looks great too Thats why I posted the link to that fixture. You solve the heat issues and you can have a wicked little clustered set up in that fixture. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 i rather get a water cooling system. but that takes up a lot of room and its complicated... but if someone wants 100 high power LEDs in 5"X5" space good luck. Link to comment
The Propagator Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Oh young grass hopper you have much to learn ! Peltier. Problem solved. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 whats a Peltier again? i tired googleing it but got nothing... i mean what does it look like? concept? nvm i'll see if i can get one off ebay to test out. Link to comment
The Propagator Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 TEC Thermal electric cooler.They use them to cool over clocked CPU's. http://www.ferrotec.com/products/thermal/m...CFRKMkgodREWTFQ Link to comment
Gomer Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 TEC Thermal electric cooler.They use them to cool over clocked CPU's. http://www.ferrotec.com/products/thermal/m...CFRKMkgodREWTFQ Unfortunately, they aren't very efficient Link to comment
evilc66 Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 No, they aren't. But you could overdrive the crap out of your LEDs. I have a bunch laying around the house (55W if I remember) and thought about trying 2A on my Rebels The best way to use TECs is to control the current (similar to LEDs) and vary it according to the surface temperature you want. That way you don't get an icecube (and you will if you run it full tilt) on one side and an oven on the other. Link to comment
Gomer Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Waterproof your LEDs, and submerge in your tank. That way you have a cooler and lightsource in 1! Link to comment
coolwaters Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 then im going to need a chiller for the tank...10 high power LEDs will make the water boil... wont be using Peltier at all since they will consume more power then my whole LED array... also wont be able to make that low profile i still need to keep the other side cool. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 Peltiers aren't practical for this, but they are fun to experiment with. Get one off eBay for cheap and play with it. Just remeber not to let it run too long without a heatsink on the hot side. And clamping pressure is everything for effeciency (what little there is). Link to comment
coolwaters Posted December 24, 2007 Author Share Posted December 24, 2007 hey guys i filled my tank and started to test my LED on it. im very satisfied with both the projects. (still need to find a fan for the 9 array) heres some shots. this is just the 10 LEDs. it doesnt look that bright cuz of my camera... heres a far away shot to show you how bright it is. the 9 LED array. heres both....19 LEDs. dont think i'll be using both...but w/e im not 100% done so theres still lots of room for improvements on this. if u havent noticed the center is very bright. so i keep high demanding coral in the middle. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.