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Group Buy on Pico LED Fixture - (CLOSED)


evilc66

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I'm curious as to what the lifespan of LEDs are in comparison to PC bulbs. Obviously there is better light intensity. But seeing as one must replace PC bulbs every 6-8 months, what's the anticipated lifespan on LEDs? Also, would it be easy to replace them down the road if they either lost their intensity or burned out?

 

Aside from that, that's really slick. Nice work!

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I'm curious as to what the lifespan of LEDs are in comparison to PC bulbs. Obviously there is better light intensity. But seeing as one must replace PC bulbs every 6-8 months, what's the anticipated lifespan on LEDs? Also, would it be easy to replace them down the road if they either lost their intensity or burned out?

 

Aside from that, that's really slick. Nice work!

 

Thanks!

 

There should be no worry about the longevity of LEDs in comparison to ANY other light source. High power LEDs like the Crees that I'm using here are rated for 50,000 hours of use before hitting 70% of their original output. In real world terms, if you run the fixture for 10 hours a day all year every day, it will last over 13 years.

 

The LEDs are replaceable if necessary, but will require a soldering iron. It's not too hard.

 

Sedivec, I'll try and get a picture posted tonight of the underside.

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That is sweet. I have trouble replacing bulbs. Not really but not much of DIY skills. Anyway you did a great job. Quick question just to make sure. The quoted price includes every thing from a new 1x18w current fixture modded or are people going to have to ship their fixture to you to mod?

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Thanks!

 

There should be no worry about the longevity of LEDs in comparison to ANY other light source. High power LEDs like the Crees that I'm using here are rated for 50,000 hours of use before hitting 70% of their original output. In real world terms, if you run the fixture for 10 hours a day all year every day, it will last over 13 years.

 

That's quite impressive. Given the costs of replacing PC bulbs over the course of a number of years, this more than makes up for it. And no maintenance required. Even more impressive is the quality of light output vs. PC. Again, very impressive. I will be in the market for a lighting upgrade for my JBJ pico next month. Going to bookmark this one for sure.

 

I had been sitting on the Current USA dual, but this is certainly making me reconsider.

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Nice thing about the LEDs is that by the time it comes around to replace them, far more advanced emitters will be available. You also won't end up losing all of your light at once, like you would with a fluorescent or MH, so you could limp along a bit longer if needed.

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Crackerballer

I will say it looks cool, but that is hella expensive for a pico tank light. I am not saying it isn't worth it, but damn that is a lot. That is basically the cost of a 20" T5 Setup or a 20" Sunpod. I do think it is cool that you won't have to replace bulbs.

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The cost of components aren't cheap, he isn't making much for his time. Then again, I don't think he put this out to profit from it, more to try spreading out the technology...well that and people have asked for it constantly on the DIY LED threads :)

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I temporarily stepped away from the hobby, and things have changed so much in this neighborhood. It looks like you've been busy on the LED front, evil. Lots of new DIY LED adopters, and the open source controller idea sounds promising as well!

 

Back on the topic, it's very cool how you're making this available for anybody's use. It would be pretty cool to see a build thread if you mod another one (or five) of these. It's one thing to do a DIY, but it's another to mod a fixture and keep it appearing stock. Great idea, Mr. LED Guru!

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That is sweet. I have trouble replacing bulbs. Not really but not much of DIY skills. Anyway you did a great job. Quick question just to make sure. The quoted price includes every thing from a new 1x18w current fixture modded or are people going to have to ship their fixture to you to mod?

 

Deb, price is for a complete plug and play fixture.

 

Crackerballer, look at it this way: Take a 70W MH, add up the cost to run it per year, the cost to replace bulbs every six months, and the hassle of additional heat and evaporation, and this quickly pays for itself.

 

 

Everyone, thanks again for the kind words. Now buy one :)

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Crackerballer

Yea it is cool. I would be more interested in like a 12" or 20" unit, but I can't afford a $400-500 light right now. How about you make a few of the DIY packs of parts and write up some balling instructions and sell it for a little cheaper?

 

This way you can make your money for doing the R&D and don't have to worry about actually building the units. If you buy the pieces to do the mod in bulk and act as a bulb breaker, you could make some serious dough a lot quicker!

 

*EDIT: Also, a lot of us already have th fixture you are using or a similar one, so if we just bought the components it would also be cheaper for us.

 

You could also do some slight assembling to make it easier to install and still make some money.

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All I can say is WOW !!!!!! :bowdown:omgomgomg:eek: Evil ty so much for giving this gift to us pico owners. I would love to own this fixture. I have a 3 gallon jbj. Only thing is I just bought a sunpod 70 for it. :lol: Which is an absolutly amazing fixture as well. :happydance: I must say I would love to purchase one depending heat issues. I have hung my fixture so it stays cool. Time will tell. I will keep this in mine. My one question is. Do the L.e.ds give off the same/comparable shimmer as halides?

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not_sponsored
I will say it looks cool, but that is hella expensive for a pico tank light. I am not saying it isn't worth it, but damn that is a lot. That is basically the cost of a 20" T5 Setup or a 20" Sunpod. I do think it is cool that you won't have to replace bulbs.

 

Saving money on electricity, increasing PAR and not having to pay for bulb replacements every year isn't for everyone. :P

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Do the L.e.ds give off the same/comparable shimmer as halides?

Yes, they do! Having my own DIY retrofit Coralife over my 9 gallon was the best time/monetary investment I ever made. My zoas and palys easily have doubled in size and numbers in the 2 months or so I've been using the LED lighting, and knowing that I am not adding undue heat to my tank, and only powering a 36V power supply to run this makes me extremely happy.

Now, sell that Sunpod and support evilc66's ongoing research to provide LED lighting for the masses! :)

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Yes, they do! Having my own DIY retrofit Coralife over my 9 gallon was the best time/monetary investment I ever made. My zoas and palys easily have doubled in size and numbers in the 2 months or so I've been using the LED lighting, and knowing that I am not adding undue heat to my tank, and only powering a 36V power supply to run this makes me extremely happy.

Now, sell that Sunpod and support evilc66's ongoing research to provide LED lighting for the masses! :)

 

Preach on brother Zombo!

 

Yea it is cool. I would be more interested in like a 12" or 20" unit, but I can't afford a $400-500 light right now. How about you make a few of the DIY packs of parts and write up some balling instructions and sell it for a little cheaper?

 

This way you can make your money for doing the R&D and don't have to worry about actually building the units. If you buy the pieces to do the mod in bulk and act as a bulb breaker, you could make some serious dough a lot quicker!

 

*EDIT: Also, a lot of us already have th fixture you are using or a similar one, so if we just bought the components it would also be cheaper for us.

 

You could also do some slight assembling to make it easier to install and still make some money.

 

I have been contemplating doing a retro kit seeing that there have been quite a few that have asked me that after posting this. It's not going to be a whole lot cheaper as you are really only removing the fixture, and a little bit of labor from the total cost. I'll give it some thought though.

 

All I can say is WOW !!!!!! :bowdown:omgomgomg:eek: Evil ty so much for giving this gift to us pico owners. I would love to own this fixture. I have a 3 gallon jbj. Only thing is I just bought a sunpod 70 for it. :lol: Which is an absolutly amazing fixture as well. :happydance: I must say I would love to purchase one depending heat issues. I have hung my fixture so it stays cool. Time will tell. I will keep this in mine. My one question is. Do the L.e.ds give off the same/comparable shimmer as halides?

 

Shimmer? :lol::lol::lol::huh: Yes.

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Hey evil I have been following all your projects closely, but unfortunately I don't have the time to research, learn, and acquire LED parts (and make sure I bought the right ones).

 

I've noticed a lot of other people asking you about retrofit kits and I would be EXTREMELY interested in one for my Odyssea B9 nano. I realize that it wouldn't be that much of a price drop, but it would make things extremely more convenient and keep the clean look of the tank.

 

Hope to hear more about all your exciting forays into LEDs soon :).

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REtros are something that is getting asked for more and more. It's giong to be difficult to get to every different style, but I'll try my best to accomodate everyone when possible. Gotta figure out what the priorities are.

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Where is that picture of the bottom lit and unlit? Would like to see your handy work. And I might be on your liiiiiiiissssst <---- in a singing voice. :happydance:

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It's coming. Couldn't do it last night. Had to go out to a birthday dinner for the inlaws, and get new tires (that hurt a lot!).

 

The wiring is a little messy on this one, but future build will be a lot neater.

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Are all the LEDs on a single switch, are they all either on or off so setting a timer for sunrise/sunset wouldn't be possible? And if that is the case, would it be possible to put what you modded into a dual fixture in the spot of the daylight bulb and keep the actinic?

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