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Coral Vue Hydros

GU10 LED Build Thread (Chinese Ebay Lights)


TinyGiant

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The big plus I see is optics choices, not the fact they're 3x 3w

The smaller ones have two choices : laser beam or nothing.

If I could potentially get the bulb pre-modded to 2b1w that would be even better.

 

yeh, dont like the 30* optics.

 

i think the guy im contacting can get 2b 1w gu10s. i opted for all blue or all white so i can dim each color individually. ill ask about those prices too.

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yeh, dont like the 30* optics.

 

i think the guy im contacting can get 2b 1w gu10s. i opted for all blue or all white so i can dim each color individually. ill ask about those prices too.

If they can be dimmed I wouldnt mind all blue or all white. The guy im in contact with doesnt have dimmable bulbs.

Edited by Neya
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search gu10 3w led dimmable i bet you'll find some :)

 

the ones im getting dim too. the sample one i have is dimmable. just dont have a dimmer for it yet. ill post up a video when my dimmer switch comes in.

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i have a track light in the house over a painting that dims. i tried the regular ones and they just shut off when i get the power lower than what i needs. you can probably just get a household dimmer switch for them :)

 

 

what is the purpose of the dimming? do you plan to hook them to controllers?

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i have a track light in the house over a painting that dims. i tried the regular ones and they just shut off when i get the power lower than what i needs. you can probably just get a household dimmer switch for them :)

 

 

what is the purpose of the dimming? do you plan to hook them to controllers?

 

yeh, the sample one ihave is made to dim.

 

i want to dim so i can acclimate corals and also change the mooood wheni want to :) id love to rig up some IR remote control dimmers but prob just gonna have some simple slide dimmer thing.

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Digitial, I see you made it over here. =) yeah, for your nano cube, I say go with 3 rows of 3 bulbs, 5 blues and 4 whites would look nice and crisp. I'm talking the 3-4 bulbs that you can get for $5-7 each.

 

Don't bother with red.

 

I have a couple large piece of black plexi laying around I bought for $2 if you can't find them where you are.

 

For fixture, be sure to check out the $10 IKEA fixture I linked. 3 of those would be perfect. Search for GU10 on ikea.com

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could you dm via x10 modules? those are cheap enough usually

 

maybe? ive been reading up on dimming LED units that plug straight to 120v (GU10 and PAR38s) and lutron makes dimmers that are specific for CFL and LEDs since its different than incandescent. I ordered this from amazon and will have it friday.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-TTCL-100H-WH-...4884&sr=8-2

Edited by joshik
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talking about fixtures, if i make a acrylic housing for the gu10s, should i attach the sockets to a plywood board and then build the housing around the board?

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digitalfreq

Thanks for the link Phil!

Are you saying to cannibalize the Ikea fixtures and rig them into the box I will build out of Plexi? Is the only issue with the sockets from Ebay fitment? Otherwise it's a lot cheaper..

 

 

 

 

Digitial, I see you made it over here. =) yeah, for your nano cube, I say go with 3 rows of 3 bulbs, 5 blues and 4 whites would look nice and crisp. I'm talking the 3-4 bulbs that you can get for $5-7 each.

 

Don't bother with red.

 

I have a couple large piece of black plexi laying around I bought for $2 if you can't find them where you are.

 

For fixture, be sure to check out the $10 IKEA fixture I linked. 3 of those would be perfect. Search for GU10 on ikea.com

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digitalfreq
talking about fixtures, if i make a acrylic housing for the gu10s, should i attach the sockets to a plywood board and then build the housing around the board?

 

I was planning to use either plywood or a metal sheet. Plywood would probably be easier. Does anyone know if it gets hot enough that i will need fans?

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I was planning to use either plywood or a metal sheet. Plywood would probably be easier. Does anyone know if it gets hot enough that i will need fans?

 

Fan might not be a bad idea either way, may lengthen bulb life. I have a bunch of extra 9v-12v ac/dc and many extra pc fans. Just goin to hack one to the other (once I double check on the proper way to do it). Waiting for one paypal deposit to come trough then I'll be ordering everything I need.

 

Too bad the price isn't as good on amazon, I have gift cards. Might just get a nova extreme for

My fw planted.

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The aluminum housing gets up to about 120F/50C but I don't feel the heat around the bulb unless of course I touch it. So unless you plan to build an enclosed fixture.. fan isn't necessary but can't hurt.

 

I did cannibalize 2 of those Ikea fixtures as I like the clean look and ability to adjust the angle of each bulb. But yeah, you can mount the sockets to plexi or plywood no problem.. just buy a few more sockets than you need in case some have bad fitting.

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digitalfreq

Got any pics of your set up? Would love to see what it could look like.

 

The aluminum housing gets up to about 120F/50C but I don't feel the heat around the bulb unless of course I touch it. So unless you plan to build an enclosed fixture.. fan isn't necessary but can't hurt.

 

I did cannibalize 2 of those Ikea fixtures as I like the clean look and ability to adjust the angle of each bulb. But yeah, you can mount the sockets to plexi or plywood no problem.. just buy a few more sockets than you need in case some have bad fitting.

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ok, some pics. where I left off last...

 

Wiring up the sockets after cutting the pvc pipes:

IMG2915-L.jpg

 

Canopy assembled:

IMG2916-L.jpg

 

Socket wrapped with electrical tape:

IMG2919-L.jpg

 

IMG2964-L.jpg

 

Cannibalized Ikea fixtures:

IMG2965-L.jpg

 

3 whites and 2 blues. Still waiting for another blue. Total freedom where I want each bulb to aim.

Light spots on the wall are from the afternoon sun through the window:

IMG2982-L.jpg

 

What it looks like with the 3 whites and 2 blues. Bottom of bulb to water surface = 8 inches:

IMG2973-L.jpg

 

Black desk lamp didn't look good so I wired in a bulb for the fuge:

IMG2985-L.jpg

 

Last one! Bird's eye view:

IMG2987-L.jpg

 

Ok, one more! 3 whites up front, 2 blues back corner with center RED bulb!

IMG2962-L.jpg

Edited by Philip271
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ok, so i rigged a socked to a power cord and slung it over some fishing rods hanging over my tank. lol

 

its about 15" from the surface of the water. this is a SINGLE GU10 bulb that is using cool white CREE LEDs that are supposed to be 3x3w with 45* optics. I plugged it into my kill-a-watt and its saying its drawing 6 watts.

 

ive never used the 3x1W so i cant compare the brightness of my bulb vs the ebay ones but its pretty damn bright for a single bulb. it lights up the tank nicely so imagine a few more of these across the length of the tank combined with some blues.

 

my camera makes the color more yellow than it is in real life. its actually pretty white. and yeh, my tank has lots of crap floating around in it :(

2011-05-25_23-34-57_597.jpg

 

Philip - ur setup looks sick! the colors are awesome!

Edited by joshik
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Thanks guys. Yeah, I really dig the these LED bulbs. =)

 

The tank is a 4 gallon Finnex. ~12.25" x 7.5" x 10" tall. 6 bulbs covers it nicely but 4 would have also been good but I would have to mount them higher. These LED really do put out a lot of light.

 

Thanks again Tinygiant for finding these for us!

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michelleshusband

i got 5 bulbs on 5.5g aga (2cw and 3b) about 10 inches from the surface.

my duncan and gsp seems to be closed constantly for some reason. maybe too much or too little light?

hoping its too little, cause i've ordered 4 more (2cw, 2b) :)

is everyone having any problem with the lights being too bright or not enough for coral?

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digitalfreq

Can someone tell me the measurement from the base of the socket to the bulb? Do you think this housing will work?

 

Dimension for the fixture:11-3/4"; x 10-1/2"; x 2-1/2" high.

 

yhst-55907585196829_2160_6338192.jpg

 

Sorry for the stupid drawing...

bulb.JPG

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Can someone tell me the measurement from the base of the socket to the bulb? Do you think this housing will work?

 

Dimension for the fixture:11-3/4"; x 10-1/2"; x 2-1/2" high.

 

yhst-55907585196829_2160_6338192.jpg

 

Sorry for the stupid drawing...

bulb.JPG

 

the socket+bulb is about 2 5/8" ...2 3/4" to be safe :)

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digitalfreq
the socket+bulb is about 2 5/8" ...2 3/4" to be safe :)

 

Ok, Thanks! This fixture isn't going to work then. Sucks! I like the little fishes on the top of it.

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