evilc66 Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Thanks Adin. You're the best See, robots do have a heart Quote Link to comment
chazde3 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Sweet, can't wait to see the rest. I've thought about doing an led setup on either my 12g nc or on my 29g tank. More than likely it would be done on the 29g. It would be a slow project but I could probably cnc a sweet heatsink/fixture for free in class. Any thoughts on how many leds I'd be looking at for a 30" long tank 18" and about equivalent to 150W of MH? Quote Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Probably something like 36 LEDs (13, 12, 13 2" spacing) with 60 degree optics. Quote Link to comment
keli Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 (edited) Are there any drivers on dealextreme you'd recommend? I don't need dimmable, and I'd prefer if I could just order everything from there - shipping to Iceland is expensive, and I'm not even sure ledsupply and other retailers ship to here. Preferably I'd want a driver that can run more than just one led, but anything will go, as long as it's cost effective Edit: My first post on nano-reef in 6 years Edited February 19, 2009 by keli Quote Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Wow, a really old-timer There are some, but it depends on the size of the array. Most of them are either for 1-3 LEDs, or 10 or more. There aren't any as flexible as the Buckpucks. Once you get the array somewhat sorted out, we can pick out a driver that will work. Quote Link to comment
chazde3 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Do you by chance know about how much the leds for your future group buy would be. Trying to crunch some numbers. Quote Link to comment
keli Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Wow, a really old-timer There are some, but it depends on the size of the array. Most of them are either for 1-3 LEDs, or 10 or more. There aren't any as flexible as the Buckpucks. Once you get the array somewhat sorted out, we can pick out a driver that will work. 3 LEDs at 700-1000mA would actually be pretty good, then I can have some control over brightness by just turning individual modules on and off. "10 or more" would be quite sufficient for my whole tank, so if it's cost effective that's a really good option, too. I'm planning to order about 10-20 LEDs to start off with soon, and if I like the light, I will probably build an even bigger array. Quote Link to comment
chazde3 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 If your looking into how bright the tank is you should consider the dimmable drivers. It would be more cost effective than multiple drivers and you would be able to get the color you want from the lights. Quote Link to comment
Waterproof Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 evil, you recommended stranded wire over solid core. Why? flexibility & ease of soldering? Quote Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 (edited) Don't have numbers for a single LED, but I do for an array. Array of 10 LEDs. 4 XR-E Q5s @ 1000mA, 4 XR-E royal blues @700mA, 1 3W UV @ 700mA. 12" - ~500PAR 24" - ~200PAR These numbers can vary based on brand of LED and lens, and the drive current used. Ok. So what's the area of coverage for this array? Also..... There are 9 LEDs above... 4 Q5s 4 royal blues 1 UV. What's the tenth LED? (Really curious) Edited February 19, 2009 by Paleoreef103 Quote Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Do you by chance know about how much the leds for your future group buy would be. Trying to crunch some numbers. It will depend on how many I need to purchase, but worst case is about $8, and best is around $6 plus shipping. 3 LEDs at 700-1000mA would actually be pretty good, then I can have some control over brightness by just turning individual modules on and off. "10 or more" would be quite sufficient for my whole tank, so if it's cost effective that's a really good option, too. I'm planning to order about 10-20 LEDs to start off with soon, and if I like the light, I will probably build an even bigger array. This driver was originally found on Deal Extreme, but they never have stock. I just got confirmation that mine shipped from here after backordered for a month. http://www.bestofferbuy.com/700ma-40v68v-c...put-p-7626.html Quote Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 evil, you recommended stranded wire over solid core. Why? flexibility & ease of soldering? Flexibility more than anything. Ok. So what's the area of coverage for this array? Also..... There are 9 LEDs above... 4 Q5s 4 royal blues 1 UV. What's the tenth LED? (Really curious) I goofed, should be 5 royal blues. The coverage will depend on the spacing. With the array I tested with, the coverage was about 12x9, but the spacing was a little tighter in some respects than I would use in a larger setup. Quote Link to comment
keli Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 on second thought, 40-68 LEDs seems a tad excessive... Any 1-5 LED drivers that would fit my description? Quote Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 (edited) Thats 40v-68v. 11-18 LEDs. Edited February 19, 2009 by evilc66 Quote Link to comment
moneyman6891 Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 http://www.bestofferbuy.com/700ma-40v68v-c...put-p-7626.html WIll this driver dim the leds? Also, i'm down for a group buy on leds. 300th post Quote Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 Not stock. I bought one to see if it could be dimmed. Didn't think it would take so long to get here though. Quote Link to comment
moneyman6891 Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Is it easy to mod so I can dim it? Quote Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 Don't know yet. I'll let you know when I do. It will probably show up next week when I'm out of town for training. Quote Link to comment
McJosh13 Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Great job so far evil... 1 question though. You mentioned in the optics section: "Based on recent test, I have found that 60 degree optics have the ability to reach 150W MH levels when LEDs are run at 1000mA. 40 degree optics can reach 250W levels. These tests were performed with Cree XR-E LEDs and optics." Approximately to what depth would 60 degree and 40 degree optics be able to hold these values to for the folks with deeper aquariums? Quote Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 Same as a 150W (60 degree) or 250W (40 degree) MH setup. Quote Link to comment
Marteen Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Do you think if I run my Royal Blues at 700mA, since I want them on the same series as the UV, I will lose a lot of performance out of them? Should I just get 1000mA pucks and then hook my UVs up to the 700mA puck by themselves? Quote Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 Royal blues don't gain as much from the extra current as cool white do. You won't lose any significant performance running them at 700mA Quote Link to comment
M@rine_lover Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 (edited) Same as a 150W (60 degree) or 250W (40 degree) MH setup. Hi evilc66, If i run 21x white LEDs for my 22" depth tank on below 3 setup, what will be the output similar to ? 150W ? ** Asume all LEDs are equally 2" apart. 1st setup : 700mA on 40 degree len. 2nd setup: 700mA on 60 degree len. 3rd setup : 1000mA on 60 degree len. Thanks. Edited February 22, 2009 by M@rine_lover Quote Link to comment
evilc66 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 1. Typical to a spider reflector 250W (might want to tighten up the spacing a little for this one) 2. Typical to a low-ish PAR 150W (i.e. not a Phoenix) 3. Typical to a Phoenix 150W with a good reflector. For a 22" deep tank, going with a 250W type setup would be better, unless you want to reserve the bottom of the tank to low light corals. Quote Link to comment
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