Ultimate LED guide

[mg4015]

ok, sounds like a 1' by 7.5" wide heatsink will be good. i understand tapping th holes to fasten the led's to the heatsink, and you wire them after they are attached to the heatsink, but what is the purpuse of the thermal epoxy? i also need some help in figuring out how to hook up the leds to the buckpucks and the powersupply, and how the dimmer's on the buckpucks are used(external knob? or something electronic)

[evilc66]

You don't want to use thermal epoxy, just a thermal grease. It provides a better thermal interface between the pcb and the heatsink. The grease is not permanent like the epoxy. Arctic Silver 5 works really well.

 

All that you should need to know about the Buckpucks and how to connect to them is detailed here

 

http://www.leddynamics.com/LuxDrive/datash...21-BuckPuck.pdf

[mg4015]

so you apply this before you fasten the led's to the heatsink to promote conduction? also what is the deal with polishing the heatsink? i am quickly figuring out how to wire the led's together, but is there a diagram of what else to wire where? (buckpucks, powersupply, potentometer, etc). i am a sophmore in highschool and i am still a little slow on electronics, but if i have a little more ifo i can figure it out...

[mg4015]

here is a list f equipment that i think i need for the project, can you look and see if i am missing anything?

 

12 cree cool white leds

10 cree royal blue(700 ma)

2 uv led's( any good brand?) ( run on same buckpuck as blue)

 

heatsink (1'x7ish inches)

 

power supply

 

externally dimmable buckpucks ( how many?)

 

project box

 

thermal paste

 

threaded wire

 

solder

 

silentx fans

 

screws

 

washers

 

heatshrink tubing

 

tap kit

 

power cord for power supply

[evilc66]

Your list looks pretty good. For 24 LEDs, you will need 4 Buckpucks (max 6 LEDs per). Get the 3023-D-E-XXXP versions (replace XXX with the desired drive current). These come with the pots already connected, so you just need to wire the LEDs and the power supply.

 

3W UV LEDs are only available from Kai Domain. Just search for "3W UV" on the site.

 

The datasheet shows you how to hook everything up. Look at page 6, figure 8. Just add three more LEDs. the label on the top of the driver will tell you exactly what to connect to each wire. Read around at some of the build threads around here too. There is a ton of information here.

[mg4015]

so the buckpucks will ave the dimming attachment already attaches, so could i just drill a few holes on the hood of my pod and have the dimmers serve as switches?

 

the dimensions of the iside of the splashguard are 16.5 long by just under 6 inches deep. tha tis only under the perfectly clear part. i would then go with the small 12" plus heatsink , which i would have made 16" by 5.35 wide (standard)

[mg4015]

are there optics for the kai uv's?

[evilc66]

Don't need them. You want as much spread on those as you can.

[mg4015]

ok. sounds good. is it possible to have the entire system in the hood of the aquapod? saw one thread where the guy had the pots sticking out of the top of the hood so he could dim the tank as needed. i could easily see getting the buckpucks to fit, but will the power supply and other components also fit? are there any additional controls for on/off, or do the dimmers cover that too?

 

also will upgraded fans that are in the stock position be enough to cool the heatsink or will i also need a fan on top of the heatsink? im not sure a fan will fit on top, which is why i ask.

[land shark]

Well ive got the buch pucks and the leds ordered. they are on their way now. the pucks cost me $36. There was a minimum fee of 100 bucks for the leds. I ended up ordering some lenses to and got the total up to $90. they went ahead and let it through. I didnt think i needed the lenses for such a small tank but since i needed to up the cost i went ahead and got the 40 degree lense. Is that the right linse for a tank with these dimentions (16 L x 7.5 D x 14.5 H). I am already going over my budget so i was trying to think of a way to save money. thats where the power supply comes in. The buck pucks suggested input is 24v. I happen to have two or three 12v power supply lying around. would it work just as well to use two 12v instead of one 24v.

[mg4015]

should i go with a 16x6( small) heatsink or a 16x7.5? ( med) some of the 7.5 might be under the less transparent part of the splashguard (up to 1.5 inches) but is this a problem if i space the led's properly?

[evilc66]

ok. sounds good. is it possible to have the entire system in the hood of the aquapod? saw one thread where the guy had the pots sticking out of the top of the hood so he could dim the tank as needed. i could easily see getting the buckpucks to fit, but will the power supply and other components also fit? are there any additional controls for on/off, or do the dimmers cover that too?

 

also will upgraded fans that are in the stock position be enough to cool the heatsink or will i also need a fan on top of the heatsink? im not sure a fan will fit on top, which is why i ask.

 

Dimmers are just to dim. You will use timers like every other light to turn them on and off. You won't be able to put the power supply in the hood for two reasons. First, it physically won't fit. Second, it's not sealed and it will corrode.

 

Fans in the stock position aren't much use. They just don't provide flow in the right areas. Use a large 80mm or 120mm fan directly above the heatsink blowing on it. Thin profile fans (80x80x15mm) will fit between the heatsink and the hood.

 

Well ive got the buch pucks and the leds ordered. they are on their way now. the pucks cost me $36. There was a minimum fee of 100 bucks for the leds. I ended up ordering some lenses to and got the total up to $90. they went ahead and let it through. I didnt think i needed the lenses for such a small tank but since i needed to up the cost i went ahead and got the 40 degree lense. Is that the right linse for a tank with these dimentions (16 L x 7.5 D x 14.5 H). I am already going over my budget so i was trying to think of a way to save money. thats where the power supply comes in. The buck pucks suggested input is 24v. I happen to have two or three 12v power supply lying around. would it work just as well to use two 12v instead of one 24v.

 

40 degree lenses aren't going to be much use to you. If you can call and change the order, 80 degrees would be more useful if you decide to use them (you shouldn't need to). It will give a little bump in ouput, but won't kill your coverage, and won't burn your corals.

 

You could use the two 12v supplies, but you have to wire them in series to get 24v out of them. If I were you, I would just belly up and get a 24v power supply.

 

should i go with a 16x6( small) heatsink or a 16x7.5? ( med) some of the 7.5 might be under the less transparent part of the splashguard (up to 1.5 inches) but is this a problem if i space the led's properly?

 

Cram the biggest heatsink you can fit. If the heatsink is bigger than the usable area, it does no harm, but it will allow you to place the LEDs where they need to be. More heatsink = better cooling capacity.

[mg4015]

can you give me a link or two for some very quiet 80x80x15 fans? havent been able to find any yet...

[evilc66]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835226001

[land shark]

Should i just forget the lenses completely and just buy a couple extra leds. Also would you suggest buying a thin sheet of plexi glass to incase the unit. thanks again for all the help.

[mg4015]

thanks for the link. since the leds are turned on with timers, is it possible to have each buckpuck set up so you can have each set of 6 led's turn on in sequence for dawn/dusk? im not saying a gradual ramp up, just a 4 stage on/off process. i would like to be able to do this on one power supply, if possible

[deepdvnarq]

thanks for the link. since the leds are turned on with timers, is it possible to have each buckpuck set up so you can have each set of 6 led's turn on in sequence for dawn/dusk? im not saying a gradual ramp up, just a 4 stage on/off process. i would like to be able to do this on one power supply, if possible

it is possible but you need a PS for each string then. best to use two, one for blues and one for whites.

[evilc66]

Should i just forget the lenses completely and just buy a couple extra leds. Also would you suggest buying a thin sheet of plexi glass to incase the unit. thanks again for all the help.

 

Thats up to you. A few spare LEDs and a few lenses for experimenting with might be a good alternative.

 

A splash guard of any type will be highly recommended. When the array cools, it attracts condensation which will corrode metals. The splash guard stops that.

[mg4015]

ok i think i am getting the hang of how to start this project but i do not understand what the dc cord is used for in this thread: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=189985

 

since you hook up a regular power cord to the power supply, and hook up the buckpuck's v- and v+ cords to the power supply also, what is the purpose of the dc cord and where is it used. the wiring diagram on page 4 of that thread was very helpful, but the dc cord is still unclear to me

 

hope im not too much of a bother, just making sure i know what is going on before i commit to starting the project

[evilc66]

You are going to have to be more specific. If there is something in a particular post that you are looking at, either list the post number, or click the post number at the top corner of the post and paste the link it gives you.

[cptbjorn]

It depends on how the power supplies are wired internally but it is generally a bad idea to put power supplies in series. If either or both of the output grounds are connected/referenced to the house ground wire then it can short out one of the supplies to put them in series and plug them both in. It might work just fine but it also might blow fuses, cause some smoke etc.

 

There are cheap 24v supplies that would be a much better choice, such as this one: http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=16854+PS .

 

I just ran through that thread and it appears as though he ran the 24v side of the power supply to 4 individual jacks, and then hooked the buck pucks to the wires+plugs that mate to the jacks. It is electrically the same connection as hooking up the puck wires directly to the screw terminals on the power supply, he just did it that way to contain everything to a neat pluggable box.

[mg4015]

here is the post number: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=2150930

 

sorry i am such a burden...

 

i would like this well contained in the hood, excluding the power supply

[land shark]

I decided to just get a couple extra leds and im going to order the 24v power supply. you have been a huge help. Once i get my supplies ill probably start a new thread that will show my tank and all its mods. Lighting isnt the only thing ive messed with on that tank. You"ll have to check it out when its up.

[evilc66]

here is the post number: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=2150930

 

sorry i am such a burden...

 

i would like this well contained in the hood, excluding the power supply

 

I just ran through that thread and it appears as though he ran the 24v side of the power supply to 4 individual jacks, and then hooked the buck pucks to the wires+plugs that mate to the jacks. It is electrically the same connection as hooking up the puck wires directly to the screw terminals on the power supply, he just did it that way to contain everything to a neat pluggable box.

 

 

There you go

[mg4015]

ok, thanks so much! that tmakes sense. so if i was going to build a project box like his, i would have the buckpucks inside, attached to the female dc jacks, and have the dc plugs wired to the power supply and the power supply plugged into the wall? this way i could have holes drilled in the back of the hood to allow for easy disconnect of the power supply, to maintain the fixture. am i understanding thise concept correctly?