is there light defusing optics for cree leds?

[almost]

im adding 5 cree XR-E RB and 3 XP-G CW over a fluval edge at 700 mA. and im told thats too bright so is there lenses that defuse the light ? or anything?

[ReggieF]

That's a perfect amount of light for that tank. There are diffused optics, but you won't need them if your light is going to be placed in the fluval's canopy. The best thing to use would be a sheet of frosted plastic or bubbley plastic, whatever you can find that will scatter the light. Someone posted an image of a sheet of plastic available at Lowe's or HD for like $2, I couldn't find it again though.

[evilc66]

The best thing to use is a dimmable driver. It's the most sure fire way of reducing the intensity, which you will most certainly need to do with the XP-Gs in a tank that shallow. Diffusing the light will get you down to a certain point, but you lose the shimmer that most people enjoy from LED. Add to that you are wasting energy for no good reason.

[almost]

i was going to put a dimmer on but i want more light coverage so if i put defusing optics on only 2 of the CW and 2 of the RB i wont lose shimmer. it doesnt even need to be optics made for crees i can jimmy rig anything but i looked online and couldnt find anything.. i could sand a fue of the leds right?

[evilc66]

Here's the deal. The emission angle from a standard Cree LED is 120 degrees for white, 90 degrees for blue. If you put any lens on there, regardless of it's intended purpose, the emission angle will be reduced, increasing intensity, and not necessarily diffusing your light any better. Lenses are not typically used to reduce intensity, but to increase it.

 

Seirously, you are getting as much spread right now as you can get. Even using diffusing plastics like ReggieF was suggesting doesn't necessarily increase spread. It's mainly designed to reduce the single point nature of light sources, and soften the light to reduce shadows. If you want to reduce the intensity, dim the LEDs.

[almost]

oh i ran into a problem the driver is not dimable, or can it? its a Mean Well LPC-35-700W.

[evilc66]

Not dimmable. The ELN-60-48D is.

[almost]

i just found a glass liens that came off a old led bulb that had 21 5mm leds its dimpled like a halogen flood bulb. i held it up to my 60degree par30 led bulb and it went from a round bright spot on the wall to a wider circle that fades toward the edges still shimmers but not as much and less shadows. so where can i get dimpled glass?

 

thanks for your help evilc im not trying to be stubborn i just dont have dimming as a option i know there is led flashlights that have glass/plastic that takes the narrow beam of the leds and makes it a wide flood why wont that work for me?

[evilc66]

Try it, but it's not going to help your intensity issue much. Get the plastic diffuser sheet from Home Depot of Lowes. It's cheap enough to experiment with.

[ReggieF]

Seirously, you are getting as much spread right now as you can get. Even using diffusing plastics like ReggieF was suggesting doesn't necessarily increase spread. It's mainly designed to reduce the single point nature of light sources, and soften the light to reduce shadows. If you want to reduce the intensity, dim the LEDs.

Diffused plastics will reduce the intensity of your light by atleast 10%, don't listen to what Evil says, you do not need a new driver. And if you find the bubble plastic like I was suggesting, it will scatter the light as well. Again, you do not need a dimmable driver to reduce the intensity of your light.

[evilc66]

So, you know for a fact that it's 10%? You know for a fact that he needs to reduce the intensity only 10%, provided that whatever diffuser that is used actually reduces the output 10%? Why don't you just sit down, and let the people that actually have experience with lighting technology and optical design do the talking. You seem to think that building one little LED fixture, that you seem to flip-flop back and forward of liking and disliking, depending on the thread, that you now know everything there is to know about lighting a reef tank with LEDs?

 

Yeah, don't listen to the guy who has been doing this successfully for a lot longer. I've been studying, experimenting, and building LED rigs for over three years, and have a ton more experience than you will ever have. I've built more successful and consistantly running LED setups that you could imagine, and have helped countless people successfully build their own. Add to that the fact that I work for a company that designs and produces LED products, including a lamp that has sold close to 2000 units in the last year, and has spured over half a dozen copies, so don't even start with me thinking that I don't know what I'm doing, or that I "don't have common sense" that you have brought up on a few ocations. So just sit the #### down and shut the #### up.

[jfarabaugh]

So, you know for a fact that it's 10%? You know for a fact that he needs to reduce the intensity only 10%, provided that whatever diffuser that is used actually reduces the output 10%? Why don't you just sit down, and let the people that actually have experience with lighting technology and optical design do the talking. You seem to think that building one little LED fixture, that you seem to flip-flop back and forward of liking and disliking, depending on the thread, that you now know everything there is to know about lighting a reef tank with LEDs?

 

Yeah, don't listen to the guy who has been doing this successfully for a lot longer. I've been studying, experimenting, and building LED rigs for over three years, and have a ton more experience than you will ever have. I've built more successful and consistantly running LED setups that you could imagine, and have helped countless people successfully build their own. Add to that the fact that I work for a company that designs and produces LED products, including a lamp that has sold close to 2000 units in the last year, and has spured over half a dozen copies, so don't even start with me thinking that I don't know what I'm doing, or that I "don't have common sense" that you have brought up on a few ocations. So just sit the #### down and shut the #### up.

 

+2

[ReggieF]

So, you know for a fact that it's 10%? You know for a fact that he needs to reduce the intensity only 10%, provided that whatever diffuser that is used actually reduces the output 10%? Why don't you just sit down, and let the people that actually have experience with lighting technology and optical design do the talking. You seem to think that building one little LED fixture, that you seem to flip-flop back and forward of liking and disliking, depending on the thread, that you now know everything there is to know about lighting a reef tank with LEDs?

 

Yeah, don't listen to the guy who has been doing this successfully for a lot longer. I've been studying, experimenting, and building LED rigs for over three years, and have a ton more experience than you will ever have. I've built more successful and consistantly running LED setups that you could imagine, and have helped countless people successfully build their own. Add to that the fact that I work for a company that designs and produces LED products, including a lamp that has sold close to 2000 units in the last year, and has spured over half a dozen copies, so don't even start with me thinking that I don't know what I'm doing, or that I "don't have common sense" that you have brought up on a few ocations. So just sit the #### down and shut the #### up.

You suggest a dimmable driver when the op is not asking for one and clearly not interested in your suggestion. He already has a driver, let it go. Your suggestion is a $30 solution to a $2 problem and you don't think that's a lack of common sense? I love the fact that you never mentioned that a simple sheet of plastic WILL IN FACT reduce intensity, even though you acknowledged that I had suggested it. You're mad because I was correct in saying that plastic will reduce the intensity of the light and it will scatter light as well. It makes no difference what percentage it reduces the light by, none whatsoever because it can easily be adjusted to suit whatever preference the op prefers. And you continue to try to cling to the idea of using a dimmer, for what, it's accuracy numerically? Is there anyone interested in that besides you?

 

I also don't like the thought that you're suggesting a driver with a minimal voltage requirement of 24 Volts, while his current LEDs @ 700 mA add up to 27 volts... I was obviously going to keep quiet about that, but you told me to stfu, so I am only throwing that out there. I'm sure you'll cry about how that will never become a problem, and that I have no clue about anything blah blah blah. And you can continue to ignore the fact that his current driver operates from 9-48V and is probably better suited for his LEDs, but whatever, you're the LED god right, so I should just stfu? You should atleast warn the op that his whole light may go out if one of his lights goes out, shouldn't you? Or is my point completely wrong, you tell me?

 

I love that I've gotten under your skin. Yell all you want, it feels great. I take it as a clear symbol of your many insecurities and your lack of redeeming characteristics that most human beings have, like good judgement. You don't see that the op is not interested in buying a new driver, yet you think you have common sense by suggesting one over and over? You're an LED Nazi Nerd and an ass-hole.

 

...and I don't know where you got the idea that I was unhappy with my light, that is a complete mis-conception. I love my light, and I suggest similar simple cheap setups to about a million people a day, so I don't know where you got that idea from.

 

EDIT: You've only been doing this 3 years? Seriously, that's not even that much experience in ANY field, sorry to break the news to you, but I've been doing my job for 15 years and I'm one of the best at it.

[Mustang Boy]

reggie can you read? he said he has been building LED lights for reef tanks for 3yrs not that he has only been in the lighting field for 3yrs. from what i have read Evil has tons of experience in the electronics field well beyond the LED lighting of reef tanks which he has been doing for 3yrs now.

[Hans Dorn]

This thread needs some defusing IMO.

 

 

[evilc66]

You suggest a dimmable driver when the op is not asking for one and clearly not interested in your suggestion. He already has a driver, let it go. Your suggestion is a $30 solution to a $2 problem and you don't think that's a lack of common sense? I love the fact that you never mentioned that a simple sheet of plastic WILL IN FACT reduce intensity, even though you acknowledged that I had suggested it. You're mad because I was correct in saying that plastic will reduce the intensity of the light and it will scatter light as well. It makes no difference what percentage it reduces the light by, none whatsoever because it can easily be adjusted to suit whatever preference the op prefers. And you continue to try to cling to the idea of using a dimmer, for what, it's accuracy numerically? Is there anyone interested in that besides you?

 

Once again, you are using the most insignificant facts about what I stated, and failed to acknowledge the remainder of the facts, like the fact that a 10% drop in output may not be enough to make the light more appropriate for the application at hand. If the tank was 6" taller and the OP wanted to just diffuse the light, then I never would have suggested it, but considering that the OP was concerned that his LED array was potentially too bright for the tank, I suggested what myself, and many others would consider an appropriate potential solution to the problem. The fact that he is using XP-G LEDs just amplifies the issue more, as XR-E's, with 30% lower output will still overpower the tank at that current.

 

So, you want to see who else is interested in using dimmers? Want to take a poll of the hundreds of LED setups that are dimmable?

 

I also don't like the thought that you're suggesting a driver with a minimal voltage requirement of 24 Volts, while his current LEDs @ 700 mA add up to 27 volts... I was obviously going to keep quiet about that, but you told me to stfu, so I am only throwing that out there. I'm sure you'll cry about how that will never become a problem, and that I have no clue about anything blah blah blah. And you can continue to ignore the fact that his current driver operates from 9-48V and is probably better suited for his LEDs, but whatever, you're the LED god right, so I should just stfu? You should atleast warn the op that his whole light may go out if one of his lights goes out, shouldn't you? Or is my point completely wrong, you tell me?

 

Apparently you didn't read what you wrote. The minimum forward voltage of the array is within the minimum voltage of the driver. How can that be considered a problem? That's not even the only option for a dimmable driver in that voltage range anyway. How about an ELN-30-27D? Or maybe a Luxdrive Buckpuck 3023-D-E-700? Two other perfetly acceptable driver options.

 

Why should I tell the OP if an LED fails that the entire string goes out? If he has done the research before building this (which I'm sure he did, and I'm not attaking you almost), he would have known about the issue long before we got into this "discussion", where you are bringing up pointless facts to argue about.

 

I love that I've gotten under your skin. Yell all you want, it feels great. I take it as a clear symbol of your many insecurities and your lack of redeeming characteristics that most human beings have, like good judgement. You don't see that the op is not interested in buying a new driver, yet you think you have common sense by suggesting one over and over? You're an LED Nazi Nerd and an ass-hole.

 

The more you type, the more you look like a moron. You think that offering every scrap of information that I have ever learned about about light and electronics theory to anyone that asks is not a redeeming quality? While I'm enthusiastic about LEDs, I don't think many would consider me a "Nazi" about the topic. Whether you consider that or not, I couldn't care less. Personally, your advice, opinion, or any other comment on this subject doesn't mean #### to me, and many other people. There are many people on this board and elsewhere that ask for, and respect my opinion and advice, and I will gladly help anyone that asks for help. You, I will gladly ignore, but I will happily correct anything that you offer as "advice" that I see as false.

 

...and I don't know where you got the idea that I was unhappy with my light, that is a complete mis-conception. I love my light, and I suggest similar simple cheap setups to about a million people a day, so I don't know where you got that idea from.

 

So, you want me to go find your posts where you complain about your array being "too bright" for some of your corals, and then you turn around in other threads where you say that your light is perfect and is "really bright". Maybe you should go back and review your own threads before saying stupid #### like this.

 

EDIT: You've only been doing this 3 years? Seriously, that's not even that much experience in ANY field, sorry to break the news to you, but I've been doing my job for 15 years and I'm one of the best at it.

3 years can make you an expert, if you have the drive and will to learn about the topic at hand. Light theory is something that I am very passionate about and I learn everything that I can about it, and share as much of it as I can so that other members of this forum don't develop into idiots like you. 15 years can still make you a moron, so don't think that doing something that long means ####. Pushing a broom for 15 years doesn't automatically make you a rocket scientist.

[ReggieF]

to the op if he is still reading, YOU DO NOT NEED A DIMMABLE DRIVER TO DIM YOUR LIGHTS. That's all I have to say in this thread, the rest of this is just for Evil:

 

Why should I tell the OP if an LED fails that the entire string goes out?

Because it's a suggestion that YOU MADE. This is the very reason I call you an ass-hole. You don't think that's an important note to include when suggesting he change what he already owns to what you suggest? You've even said that I suggest dangerous information, what do you call your suggestions in that case?

 

So, you want me to go find your posts where you complain about your array being "too bright" for some of your corals, and then you turn around in other threads where you say that your light is perfect and is "really bright". Maybe you should go back and review your own threads before saying stupid #### like this.

 

You are such a moron. I never complained that my light was too bright, I mentioned it, but it is in no way a complaint. I am simply stating it for others to compare my light when they think about the ever popular topic of: "what is too much or too little light with LEDs?". That question is asked on an almost daily basis. That is the only reason I've ever mentioned how my light is too bright. And yes in case you were wondering, I will be dimming my light by either taping over a light or using a piece of plastic. And also I again tried to move my pavona up and it quickly browned out again (in one day) and I also have a mushroom that doesn't like anywhere in the tank except a corner that is well shaded because it's underneath my skimmer and flow pump, so yes I do have too much light. From now on, I will be buying only very high light corals, that's not a complaint.

 

3 years can make you an expert ...15 years can still make you a moron

 

Hahahahahahaha, I thought that was hillarious. If 3 years can make you an expert and 15 years can make me a moron then why do you even mention your 3 years in the first place? In that case, I can say my one month can make me an expert and your 3 years makes you a moron, right? I love how you see the world through your own eyes. I just thought that was a funny example of your skewed logic. Keep crying about what I say, I think you're an ass-hole and a self righteous prick.

[RayWhisperer]

I don't think many would consider me a "Nazi"

Pushing a broom for 15 years doesn't automatically make you a rocket scientist.

He's an EVIL "Nazi"!

Damnit! I swept up at NASA for years... I always thought that made me qualified to be a rocket scientist. At the very least an astronaut....

[Mustang Boy]

i wonder reggie. does working somewhere for 15yrs automatically make you an expert when it comes to that field? i know plenty of people who have been working at jobs for well over 10yrs and are still morons in that field of work and at the same time i know people who have worked really hard at their jobs for 5yrs and are some of the smartest people i know in their field. i also know people who have worked in a field for 5yrs who are still morons at it and people who have worked in a field for 20+yrs and are experts in it. just because you work in one field for a really long time doesnt automatically make you an expert at it and just because youve only been doing something for a few years doesnt mean you are a moron when it comes to that field.

 

 

i also love how you pick out half sentences and only parts of comments made by evil to attack him with. you are purposely cutting down his statements to find something to argue about when if you use the entire statement it makes you look like a moron for attacking said statement

[RayWhisperer]

Ok, Reggie.

I'm not one to get into others ish in threads. However, I've counted 3 "ass holes" from you, directed at evil. One more and I'll show you the way out. So, now I'll say this...

 

Reggie, STFU!

[evilc66]

Because it's a suggestion that YOU MADE. This is the very reason I call you an ass-hole. You don't think that's an important note to include when suggesting he change what he already owns to what you suggest? You've even said that I suggest dangerous information, what do you call your suggestions in that case?

 

Are you deliberately dense, or do you try hard at it? In what way is changing to a dimmable driver any different than what was used before? The LEDs are connected in series now. Why would moving to a dimmable driver make it any different? Just another point to show that you are a moron who doesn't know what he is talking about.

 

Keep crying about what I say, I think you're an ass-hole and a self righteous prick.

That's fine. I still think you are one of the biggest morons to ever walk the face of the earth. You still seem to gloss over the important fact in the conversation just to insult me on a topic that you are still ignorant about. Go off and have your own little pitty part all by yourself, because it seems that the only way you feel good about yourslef is to berate and insult people that clearly know more than you do.

[ReggieF]

i wonder reggie. does working somewhere for 15yrs automatically make you an expert when it comes to that field? i know plenty of people who have been working at jobs for well over 10yrs and are still morons in that field of work and at the same time i know people who have worked really hard at their jobs for 5yrs and are some of the smartest people i know in their field. i also know people who have worked in a field for 5yrs who are still morons at it and people who have worked in a field for 20+yrs and are experts in it. just because you work in one field for a really long time doesnt automatically make you an expert at it and just because youve only been doing something for a few years doesnt mean you are a moron when it comes to that field.

 

No, nothing automatically makes anyone an expert at any field. However, which one of us mentioned their experience level as a positive, Evil or myself? It was obviously Evil. To tout about 3 years of experience in ANYTHING is something of a joke because it is not that much of an investment. A teenager can be an expert in any field in that case if he/she starts when they're 16 years old. Would you ever call a 19 year old an expert in any field? Obviously half the people on this forum are going to say yes for no good reason.

 

i also love how you pick out half sentences and only parts of comments made by evil to attack him with. you are purposely cutting down his statements to find something to argue about when if you use the entire statement it makes you look like a moron for attacking said statement

 

I am not at all cutting out parts of his statements, I'm simply responding to his questions. The only statements I chop up are ones where I use an ellipsis to indicate what he says at one point and what he says at another point. To say something like, "I'm an expert after 3 years" and then to concurrently say "15 years can make you a moron" is just absolutely hilarious to me.

 

 

 

Are you deliberately dense, or do you try hard at it? In what way is changing to a dimmable driver any different than what was used before? The LEDs are connected in series now. Why would moving to a dimmable driver make it any different? Just another point to show that you are a moron who doesn't know what he is talking about.

 

The driver he has right now can work with a minimum of 3 LEDs. The driver you suggested has a minimum of 8. You don't see a problem with that?

 

Pitty party hahaha. Yes I'm an ass-hole too, but you take the cake.

[evilc66]

Last time I checked, he was running 8 LEDs (clearly stated in the first post; 5 XR-E royals and 3 XP-G cool whites), and the ELN has a minimum of 7. Who's a moron now?

[Hans Dorn]

Ok, Reggie.

I'm not one to get into others ish in threads. However, I've counted 3 "ass holes" from you, directed at evil. One more and I'll show you the way out. So, now I'll say this...

 

Reggie, STFU!

Lo and behold, Ray is actually modding something. Whodathunk!

[RayWhisperer]

Laugh it up, Hands. We all know who the real "Nazi" is in this thread.