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Innovative Marine Aquariums

LED build


thedoogan

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OK that clears up alot.

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So would this be how I wire it all up?

Just wondering If I temporarily wire 1 buckpuck to the 24v power source, and 1 LED to the buckpuck to test it would that send all 24v into the LED and fry it or would the buckpuck regulate the voltage?

 

Also how would I determine what is + and - when I strip the power supply cord?

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Hi thedoogan

 

Your drawing looks good. As far as I can see you have the wiring correct.

Best way to test the power supply is with a volt meter. Red lead is +ve if the display shows a positive number.

The Buckpuck will figure out that its only connected to a single LED and adjust the output voltage automatically. It will keep a constant current and adjust the voltage according to the load so you will not fry any LEDs.

 

 

Good Luck

NRG

 

PS

No LEDs were injured in the creation of this reply :D

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:lol:

 

As NRG said, you got the wiring right.

 

To check the polarity of the power supply, another way to do it is to check continuity of the plug that you cut off. Most barrel type plugs nowadays are center positive. When you cut the end off, just check the continuity of the wires to the center pin. The one that beeps is the positive. The wires will be marked one way or another, whether it's different colors, or a stripe on one.

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Just thought I would post my super ghetto moonlights...This is temporary. I want to get these leds on the heatsink with my day leds.

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I screwed around with an array similar to that to see if it would work for supplimental lighting for a PC fixture. It's suprizing how well corals fluoresce under those LEDs. You do need a lot of them to overcome even 36W of PCs, but they work nice for moonlights.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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So It turns out the heatsink got milled instead of welding the fins. It turned out great, looks nice and shiny omgomgomg its 13X6".just waiting on the LEDs now! What did you guys used to polish the bottom of yours? It could be a little smoother. I also have to find a way to mount this thing above the tank... Any ideas? going to be hard with limited tools....

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Sweeeet

 

I got some advice for polishing the bottom from a bunch of folks. Detail of how I did it are in my thread Lighting Layout Post 27. ;)

 

Remind us of what the aquarium is like so that we can suggest a way to mount the array. A photo would be great!

 

 

Cheers

NRG

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So here is how the tank is setup rightnow, and a picture of the heatsink sitting on top to get an idea of its size compared to the tank.

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So here is how the tank is setup rightnow, and a picture of the heatsink sitting on top to get an idea of its size compared to the tank.

post-38594-1225606080_thumb.jpgpost-38594-1225606089_thumb.jpg

 

thats how i would have done it.

but the fins are in the wrong direction =p

well it doesnt matter. make sure u get 120mm fans.

cheap and common.

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TheDoogan, the heatsink looks great (and don't worry about the direction of the fins as it makes no difference). Makes those Buckpucks look tiny doesn't it?

 

Polishing can be done with very basic tools, and a little bit of elbow grease.

 

You want to start by sanding the base flat. Just get some 400-600 grit wet/dry sandpaper and tape it to a flat surface. Glass works nice as it is usually very flat. Add a little water tot he sandpaper and start sanding. You should quickly see where the low spots are. Keep sanding till it's flat. Keep adding water tot he sandpaper to wash off the shavings. After that, Home Depot (and I'm sure Lowes) sells a polishing kit that comes with three buffing wheels, polishing compound and the arbor for the wheels. Chuck it up to a corded power drill (cordless don't spin fast enough), or air die grinder if you have one or access to one. Let 'er rip until it's nice and shiny.

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Thanks for the info evil.

I have a couple questions. Will mounting the LEDS (or 20mm star i guess) to the heatsink with just artic silver glue be enough to hold+have good heat transfer or will I need to fasten them down with screws? as I dont have access to a drill press. What gauge wire do I need to wire the buckpucks and leds? and what type/size of potentiometer do i need?

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You can use Acrtic Silver Epoxy. It will work fine, but you better be sure thats where you want to put them :) You can drill and tap with a basic cordless drill. Thats how I did it for a while. A drill press is nice though.

 

You can connect all the LEDs with 22-18awg wire. You don't need a pot, as the Buckpucks come with one pre wired into the harness (it's a 10K ohm if you wanted to know).

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I see. Then you need a 10k linear potentiometer. Anything will work. You don't need a big honking 5W version, but it won't hurt anything if you do.

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Not sure yet, im going to try it out and see what gives me the best light + that shimmer look. How far do you think it would have to be from the top? Also, im new to soldering, any tips on soldering these TINY stars? mine don't have solder on the + - points so do i apply a blob on them first?

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I found tinning the wires made it easier for me, theres a little solder on the pads as well, just practice a few joints with just wires, it isn't too difficult. I had mine 5" above my tank, now its 7, shimmer increased alot from just those two inches.

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Cool. I sound dumb asking this but I am picking up soldering stuff tomorrow. What size solder wire and soldering iron do you recommend? also do I need flux?

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Thanks. Just another side question. Those blue LEDs I posed a picture of in this thread, I want to use as moonlights. There are about 60 LEDS on the whole thing, and I only need about 5 or 6 as they are super bright. The adapter for these says it outputs 12V at 500ma, AC. Each led has a resistor jointed to it. What would I need to do to power just 5 or 6?

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I would think you could build in a moonlight just using 1 royal blue, maybe two if they are low output, then again, you can dim em...Were you refering to those lights I called christmas lights earlier?

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Yup. They work perfect for moonlights, the coral fluoresce nicely under them. If I used one of the blue crees i would have to wire it sep on its own power source , and get another buckpuck :wacko:

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