LED Aesthetics: What do you really think of your color?

[redfishsc]

Mostro, yes, I do have them (roughly) at the same drive current.

 

I'm using a Buckpuck and a Meanwell as my drivers. 6 blues are set to 700mA on the Buckpuck (non-dimmable). The whites and the remaining 6 blues are on the Meanwell, and it's really set to about 600mA if my guess is right (can't say for sure, I don't have a current meter on this array).

 

If you are aiming for a more yellow/sunny color temp, I'd just suggest you use a 1:1 royal/neutral white combo, with maybe a couple token cool-blues and/or violets tossed in just to say that you did it.

 

 

Either that, or use the same 2:1 rb/nw that everyone else uses, but use neutral white XML's and drive them at 2100mA or more. That would probably help you reduce color shadows by using half the number of whites.

 

 

BTW if you really want to bling up your LED array, look on my sig for the link to my 45g freshwater build. My LED array is grossly overbuilt but it has 3 different LED strings, each one has it's own inline digital panel meter for instant readouts of current levels. I ADORE this. I want to do it on my nano, but don't really need it. On a big reef, though, it's actually very very very helpful when acclimating corals. You can set the LEDs to a precise current level, and slowly crank it up every other day to the exact current level you had it at to begin with.

[jfarabaugh]

Been in the works for months now…finally getting around to building it

8 RB (455nm)

8 V (420nm)

8 W (10k) (oh my god he is using 10K!....Yes I want to try them as I like crisp white light)

4 T (495nm)

4 DR (660nm)

On a 6.5" heatsink x2 in a gutted T5 fixture with a diamond pattern diffuser.

 

[Trick]

8 W (10k) (oh my god he is using 10K!....Yes I want to try them as I like crisp white light)

OMG, seriously though, we're gonna need pics. Are you banking on the Red's for the warmer colors?

[Zeadon]

Parallel builds can be just fine. Try using PLED's with each LED. This way if one does "go", the PLED jumps in acting like an LED with ~3.4-3.8vF. This way you will not get any imbalances with your strings if you have one fry.

 

They are cheap too. I still have some leftover from a monster build.

 

-Dave

 

what are PLED's? can you link me to them?

[B-Boy]

Hey guys,

I have been following the LED movement and had a question. Since natural sun light has worked in nature so well, I would think it would be wise to try to copy it as much as we can. And off of that thought, I was looking at the link you gave in your over view: http://glassbox-design.com/wp-content/uplo...axspect-LED.jpg

 

Does Cree sell Nature white LEDs, and if not, who does? Because I was looking at the light spectrum of sunlight and it looks a lot like it.

 

What do you guys think? Would something like only Nature LEDs along with other "white" LEDs work in a small nano where depth isn't a real problem (isn't that why people have added blue, besides for looks?)?

 

Thank you!

B-Boy

 

Hey Zeadon,

I was curious too and I found this on PLEDs.

http://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/issues/issue19/fyfe.pdf

[DaveFason]

That is the wrong PLED.

 

http://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/P...76CT-ND/2342115

 

-Dave

[mikellini]

The point of using blue is that at the depth most corals live at, a large portion of the natural spectrum of the sun has been filtered. Some reefs are very close to the surface though, and do quite well with almost a complete spectrum. Some reefs are even exposed to air for hours every day, so they spend most of the time at depths similar to our tanks. So, some would argue that bluer light is more "natural" than full spectrum light, but it really depends on what reef/coral you are talking about.

[Trick]

Hey guys,

I have been following the LED movement and had a question. Since natural sun light has worked in nature so well, I would think it would be wise to try to copy it as much as we can. And off of that thought, I was looking at the link you gave in your over view: http://glassbox-design.com/wp-content/uplo...axspect-LED.jpg

 

Does Cree sell Nature white LEDs, and if not, who does? Because I was looking at the light spectrum of sunlight and it looks a lot like it.

 

What do you guys think? Would something like only Nature LEDs along with other "white" LEDs work in a small nano where depth isn't a real problem (isn't that why people have added blue, besides for looks?)?

 

Thank you!

B-Boy

 

Hey Zeadon,

I was curious too and I found this on PLEDs.

http://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/issues/issue19/fyfe.pdf

 

Sure, you could do white led's like 6500k. I prefer the more actinic look myself.

[B-Boy]

That is the wrong PLED.

 

http://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/P...76CT-ND/2342115

 

-Dave

 

Thank you Dave for correcting me and sharing them with us. The link I posted was just about what they are and their potential uses (other than aquarium).

 

Thank you mikellini, that really answered my question and I hadn't thought of it like that before!

 

And thank you Trick for your input as well!

 

B-Boy

[JasonJonesB]

I have been following this thread for months and waiting until I felt enough of a consensus was being agreed upon before considering a build. I have had a friend ask me to put together a light for her RSM 130D. Here is the LED mix.

 

Red 2

Natural White 3

CoolWhite 3

Violet 2

Turquose 2

Royal Blue 11

Blue 2

 

They will be driven with this configuration:

Driver 1: 3 NW, 3 CW, 2RB, 2 T, 2 R

Driver 2: 9 CB, 2 B, 2 V

 

 

The heatsink I am using is 4.25" x 16." I am trying to determine the best way to lay them out to avoid the disco ball effect. I was currently thinking 2 Led clusters, with the following mix:

 

Side 1: 1 R, 2NW, 1CW, 1V, 1 T, 6 RB and 1 B

Side 2: 1 R, 1NW, 2CW, 1V, 1 T, 5 RB and 1 B

 

I could also split it into 3 pods, perhaps with the middle pod being the strongest and the two sides weaker, since the tank will have a rock pillar coming up in the middle. In that case, it would look like:

 

Left: 1 NW, 1 CW, 3RB

Middle: 2 R, 1NW, 1CW, 2V, 2 T, 5 RB and 2 B

Right:1 NW, 1 CW, 3RB

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[sliceOreef]

I used a similar diffuser from Ace Hardware. Unfortunately it did not do much to help the disco ball effect. I am getting some matte diffuser film later on today. Will see if that will be any better.

 

I'm curious to know what you found out. Did the matte diffuser give you better results? I'm assuming you are using this with an LED retro to your BC29 hood. With my NC12 being similar, I might have to track down something like that if the diamond diffuser doesn't help.

 

The disco effect is all speculation at this point but I just want to be prepared as my LEDs just arrived and I'll be doing the build this weekend.

[sliceOreef]

I just wanted to follow up and let you all know I finished my DIY LED build and initial impressions are good.

 

Thanks for all the help with selecting colors and layout.

 

Check out my project thread if you are curious.

[Jerfrog]

Can you guys tell me what the latest color combos are? Maybe rethinking some of my colors. So far im running Royal Blue, Blue, Cool White, Natural White, and UV. DIY Unibody so I can only squeeze 21 LEDs

[Zeadon]

Can you guys tell me what the latest color combos are? Maybe rethinking some of my colors. So far im running Royal Blue, Blue, Cool White, Natural White, and UV. DIY Unibody so I can only squeeze 21 LEDs

 

so did u design that unibody urself and had it fabricated?

[Jerfrog]

its a blank Unibody heatsink

[blasterman]

Just a note that I ordered a bunch of Aquastyle LEDs because I wanted to try out the different colors and now having a spectrometer I wanted to give them a good testing. The spectrometer tests are going to be trickier than I thought, so I'm working on a test rig for that, but I did have a chance to test out their 10k, 6500k, and 4500k LEDs along with royals.

 

Their Royals aren't too bad. Brighter than Satistronics and only a couple nanometers warmer than XT-Es. I'd still stick with XT-Es, but their Royals are workable and cheap.

 

In terms of color, different story. While plenty bright enough I had no use for the 10Ks. Just an extreme cool-white by my eyeballs with the typical pinkish / purplish cast. They aren't actinic enough to be used by themselves, and combined with royals they are just dull in terms of coral color.

 

6500k seemed similiar to older XP-Es.

 

I was hoping for more from their 4500k, and while visually they looked like Bridgelux and Cree neutrals the response over my tank was totally different. Color was anemic at 2:1, and even at 1:1 it still wasn't that good, but just OK. I'm currently running Bridgelux 402s and Cree XT-E's, and the Aquastyle 4500ks really weren't in the same class in terms of color. For instance, orange monti caps in my tank have a deep, orange 'velvet' like color under the 402's, but lose most of their color under the Aquastyle 4500ks. In fact, everything just looked dull regardless of color ratio with the Aquastyle whites.

 

It's possible that Aquastyle's 2700ks would fix the issue, and when I have time I'll test it out, but for now I can say with 150% affirmity that the white 80 CRI and higher Cree, Bridgelux *brand*, and Rebels (avoid the ANSI versions) deliver a rather significant improvement in color over the Aquastyles. Again, a lot of this is subjective and it's possible the 2700Ks might fix the problem, but that's my opinion.

 

opinion.

[Milad LEDGroupBuy.com]

Just a note that I ordered a bunch of Aquastyle LEDs because I wanted to try out the different colors and now having a spectrometer I wanted to give them a good testing. The spectrometer tests are going to be trickier than I thought, so I'm working on a test rig for that, but I did have a chance to test out their 10k, 6500k, and 4500k LEDs along with royals.

 

Their Royals aren't too bad. Brighter than Satistronics and only a couple nanometers warmer than XT-Es. I'd still stick with XT-Es, but their Royals are workable and cheap.

 

In terms of color, different story. While plenty bright enough I had no use for the 10Ks. Just an extreme cool-white by my eyeballs with the typical pinkish / purplish cast. They aren't actinic enough to be used by themselves, and combined with royals they are just dull in terms of coral color.

 

6500k seemed similiar to older XP-Es.

 

I was hoping for more from their 4500k, and while visually they looked like Bridgelux and Cree neutrals the response over my tank was totally different. Color was anemic at 2:1, and even at 1:1 it still wasn't that good, but just OK. I'm currently running Bridgelux 402s and Cree XT-E's, and the Aquastyle 4500ks really weren't in the same class in terms of color. For instance, orange monti caps in my tank have a deep, orange 'velvet' like color under the 402's, but lose most of their color under the Aquastyle 4500ks. In fact, everything just looked dull regardless of color ratio with the Aquastyle whites.

 

It's possible that Aquastyle's 2700ks would fix the issue, and when I have time I'll test it out, but for now I can say with 150% affirmity that the white 80 CRI and higher Cree, Bridgelux *brand*, and Rebels (avoid the ANSI versions) deliver a rather significant improvement in color over the Aquastyles. Again, a lot of this is subjective and it's possible the 2700Ks might fix the problem, but that's my opinion.

 

opinion.

 

You should have ask us for our Turquoise and Deep Reds, that will fix your problems easier/cheaper.

[blasterman]

easier/cheaper

 

I don't see an "easier/cheaper" combination than the 402's I'm running flanked with XT-Es.

No real color problems here - at all. I wanted to test the Aquastyles and see if they were worth the money given all the hype, and confirmed the phosphor set they are using *isn't* the same one Bridgelux is using in their larger LEDs which is what I've been telling people. At some point I'll screw around with the Turqoise and Deep reds.....

 

However, I can now see why those running Aquastyle's Bridgelux are wanting to fuss with color because they are terrible. I threw together an 'Evil Cluster' over the weekend with a brand new 1,000lumen Bridgelux 950 circled with 7 XT-E's and a single CB all running optics, and that beast was unreal. Per PAR it's cheaper than the Aquastyles and the color is light years better.

 

The triple-up XTE / neutral XP-G stars being sold on your site should be selling out, and it's a crime they aren't.

[Trick]

The triple-up XTE / neutral XP-G stars being sold on your site should be selling out, and it's a crime they aren't.

 

I think they have been because it's taking forever for them to ship.

[Milad LEDGroupBuy.com]

I don't see an "easier/cheaper" combination than the 402's I'm running flanked with XT-Es.

No real color problems here - at all. I wanted to test the Aquastyles and see if they were worth the money given all the hype, and confirmed the phosphor set they are using *isn't* the same one Bridgelux is using in their larger LEDs which is what I've been telling people. At some point I'll screw around with the Turqoise and Deep reds.....

 

However, I can now see why those running Aquastyle's Bridgelux are wanting to fuss with color because they are terrible. I threw together an 'Evil Cluster' over the weekend with a brand new 1,000lumen Bridgelux 950 circled with 7 XT-E's and a single CB all running optics, and that beast was unreal. Per PAR it's cheaper than the Aquastyles and the color is light years better.

 

The triple-up XTE / neutral XP-G stars being sold on your site should be selling out, and it's a crime they aren't.

 

 

Shoot me a PM ill get you setup with some of these Turquoise/Deep Red. See what you think of them. What I found is I didnt realize some of the colors were missing until they went over the tank.

 

The Triples are selling out but we should be caught up with all the orders by Wednesday and will have great stock of them this week.

[chucktdbm321]

 

one string 4 rb and 2 tv

second string 2cw, 2nw, deep red, and one turquoise...

What do you guys think?

[WickedBlue28]

Seems like a lot of LEDs for a 10 gallon.

[chucktdbm321]

the leds are powered by 2 dimmable 700ma pucks so i can dial them down. (if you click on my sig i already this fixture built and have been running for awhile) But i was thinking of just changing out some leds and seeing what you guys think of this color combo

[Veng]

Shoot me a PM ill get you setup with some of these Turquoise/Deep Red. See what you think of them. What I found is I didnt realize some of the colors were missing until they went over the tank.

 

The Triples are selling out but we should be caught up with all the orders by Wednesday and will have great stock of them this week.

So what is the standard "full spectrum" ratio of mixing in the T/DR in with the 3up stars?

[Orangutran]

Just a note that I ordered a bunch of Aquastyle LEDs because I wanted to try out the different colors and now having a spectrometer I wanted to give them a good testing. The spectrometer tests are going to be trickier than I thought, so I'm working on a test rig for that, but I did have a chance to test out their 10k, 6500k, and 4500k LEDs along with royals.

 

Their Royals aren't too bad. Brighter than Satistronics and only a couple nanometers warmer than XT-Es. I'd still stick with XT-Es, but their Royals are workable and cheap.

 

In terms of color, different story. While plenty bright enough I had no use for the 10Ks. Just an extreme cool-white by my eyeballs with the typical pinkish / purplish cast. They aren't actinic enough to be used by themselves, and combined with royals they are just dull in terms of coral color.

 

6500k seemed similiar to older XP-Es.

 

I was hoping for more from their 4500k, and while visually they looked like Bridgelux and Cree neutrals the response over my tank was totally different. Color was anemic at 2:1, and even at 1:1 it still wasn't that good, but just OK. I'm currently running Bridgelux 402s and Cree XT-E's, and the Aquastyle 4500ks really weren't in the same class in terms of color. For instance, orange monti caps in my tank have a deep, orange 'velvet' like color under the 402's, but lose most of their color under the Aquastyle 4500ks. In fact, everything just looked dull regardless of color ratio with the Aquastyle whites.

 

It's possible that Aquastyle's 2700ks would fix the issue, and when I have time I'll test it out, but for now I can say with 150% affirmity that the white 80 CRI and higher Cree, Bridgelux *brand*, and Rebels (avoid the ANSI versions) deliver a rather significant improvement in color over the Aquastyles. Again, a lot of this is subjective and it's possible the 2700Ks might fix the problem, but that's my opinion.

 

opinion.

 

I got a dumb question, I thought the Aquastyle kits uses Bridgelux LED's? Am I missing something??