GU10 LED Build Thread (Chinese Ebay Lights)

[Nitro Reef]

I installed one of my purple led beads today.

 

This is my bulb before I installed the purple bead. It has 2 royal blue and 1 cool white.

 

This is my bulb after I installed the purple bead. Now it has 1 royal blue, 1 cool white and 1 purple.

 

I don't have any livestock in my tank yet so I don't know what it will look like.

[Belac]

Is that just one bead total? That is a drastic difference. I like it!

I have my fixture almost built mostly just wireing left. I have a canopy to go around it eventually but I am not goign to put it on tell the tank is used to the new lights.

I am so glad I ordered the extra sockets a several days ago. I knew I was one short, I was just going to wait to put it in tell later. I went brain dead and drilled a hole for wires with a socket installed and broke the socket. I was rather upset with myself. Oh well I have plenty of replacements when the get here.

[mcarroll]

Wow - really purple! Hopefully with the rest of the lights you can get it balanced back out to look more natural.

 

Is that with or without lenses? (30º?)

 

-Matt

[rafastank727]

Where did you get those purple LEDs? Tank looks good

[Nitro Reef]

In the second picture I have 1 purple bead along with 1 royal blue and 1 cool white in the bulb. I'm holding the bulb above my tank so I could take the picture. The bulb will be a little higher once I put it in my fixture. The purple beads are really bright so I'm gonna cut back on how many I use. I also just ordered some green led beads. Looking at some led fixture companies, I noticed that they are throwing in 1 or 2 green beads. So now I'll have royal blue, cool white, purple, aqua blue, red and green beads. I have 30 degree lenses on my bulbs. I got the purple beads from top-ledlight. They had the highest nm reading (420-435nm). Thanks for the compliments.

[Nitro Reef]

That's just one bulb I'm holding over my tank. I'll have seven 3x1w bulbs over the tank.

[Belac]

Wow I wouldn't have figured they woudl be that bright.

[mcarroll]

For ideas is one thing, but to an extent I would ignore what companies are doing in their fixtures - they are following trends with the goal of selling product.

 

You really would be better off (in terms of R&D) starting off emulating an already-successful model. For examples, think Windows and Mac.....Android and iOS. I think Microsoft and Google are both "biters" and it's shady in my book making money this way, but I have to admit it's a smart strategy. Why invent something if you already have something to copy?

 

Instead, look to what Ma' Nature is doing with light and water - in other word what light is actually reaching these corals in nature. Specifically this is dictated by water's absorption of light and depth of water. (The curve on that chart is a decent guide all by itself if you get the gist of it.)

 

Alternately or additionally, take a well known, excellent source of reef light, such as a 20K Radium halide bulb and look at it's color spectrum. Check out the "Notes" tab on that link. If you want to emulate something this should make a more practical guide. You can see the proportions of one wavelength compared with another. Still a rough guide, but close enough.

 

Definitely check the links, but to put it in a nutshell, there's only a little more purple light than red light (red amounting to zero in most areas where oru corals are collected). Blue-dominated lighting is correct...the other colors (E.g. UV or Cyan) are mere tweaks (if you want to add them at all) so it only takes a tiny little amount of them to do what needs to be done.

 

Also, I will predict that plain green will be hard to blend because our eyes are so attuned to that color. Without dimming capability and nice wide angle lens, maybe even frosted, I just don't see it working well. Of course we'll see. Also, greens are pretty well established in the white LED's so even in theory "shouldn't" be needed. (This is also why cyan is typically used instead of green...it's heavy with blue as well as green light)

 

Hope this is some help!

 

-Matt

[mcarroll]

Thanks Matt. I'll grab a kilawatt meter soon and give you the stats.

 

Straight red? Ive read this somewhere but it didnt seem like many people used it. Is there any red bulbs on ebay? I may give it a try if going 16/7 photo period does not work.

 

Cool!

 

Plenty of red GU10's (E27 base usually also available) out there....almost all of the ~630nm variety. Strange the 660nm's aren't more prevalent than they are since that's the oldest color of LED in existence. Still, if you want 660nm they are out there. If you can't find GU10 format, try searching for "Eagle Eye" format. It's a 12v product and designed for panel mount projects (particularly automotive), but shouldn't be too hard to put to use. (I have a couple, but haven't been able to test them out yet except to turn them on to verify operation...hope to use em in an "algae scrubber".)

 

-Matt

[Nitro Reef]

Thanks for the info Matt. I'm really enjoying learning about these lights.

[mcarroll]

It's certainly an adventure - I'm glad it's useful/interesting! So much marketing info out there on these lights while all the real info is kinda "enclosed" in some fairly dense paperwork like that light absorption link.

 

I'm an IT-Telecom guy if anything other than a fish guy, so while not un-technical that stuff does not digest easily for me - I'm often four to five references deep trying to understand one concept in reference number one! I do tend to get to the root-of-the-root of understanding something this way, but man it makes for some long reading/browsing sessions!

 

So anyway, like mining for gold (which is long, hard, mostly unrewarding work), if I finally dig up a "nugget" - while awesome - it doesn't make me rich and it's no good just sitting in my pocket! Sharing is crucial IMO! (And this has been a great thread overall for that IMO...better than many.)

 

-Matt

[Chino]

It's certainly an adventure - I'm glad it's useful/interesting! So much marketing info out there on these lights while all the real info is kinda "enclosed" in some fairly dense paperwork like that light absorption link.

 

I'm an IT-Telecom guy if anything other than a fish guy, so while not un-technical that stuff does not digest easily for me - I'm often four to five references deep trying to understand one concept in reference number one! I do tend to get to the root-of-the-root of understanding something this way, but man it makes for some long reading/browsing sessions!

 

So anyway, like mining for gold (which is long, hard, mostly unrewarding work), if I finally dig up a "nugget" - while awesome - it doesn't make me rich and it's no good just sitting in my pocket! Sharing is crucial IMO! (And this has been a great thread overall for that IMO...better than many.)

 

-Matt

 

You ever thought about writing a book? No joke!

 

Cool!

 

Plenty of red GU10's (E27 base usually also available) out there....almost all of the ~630nm variety. Strange the 660nm's aren't more prevalent than they are since that's the oldest color of LED in existence. Still, if you want 660nm they are out there. If you can't find GU10 format, try searching for "Eagle Eye" format. It's a 12v product and designed for panel mount projects (particularly automotive), but shouldn't be too hard to put to use. (I have a couple, but haven't been able to test them out yet except to turn them on to verify operation...hope to use em in an "algae scrubber".)

 

-Matt

 

Im actually using a regular clamp on light from home depot so I will be needing an E27 base. I ran into a few red LEDs but they were combined with blue. I'll search a little bit more. Been so busy lately! Still havent found time to pick up a kilawatt meter

[mcarroll]

You ever thought about writing a book? No joke!

 

 

Im actually using a regular clamp on light from home depot so I will be needing an E27 base. I ran into a few red LEDs but they were combined with blue. I'll search a little bit more. Been so busy lately! Still havent found time to pick up a kilawatt meter

 

Writing a book is an interesting concept to be sure but I wouldn't know where to start...LOL. (I'm listening!) I appreciate the thought!

 

Red+blue should be fine too - that's kinda the "grow light" combo for terrestrial plants - if the price was right. Still...shouldn't be too hard to find all-red.

 

As for the Kill A Watt - all in good time. There's always Amazon ($18) if you're impatient tho. They have other models with features you might like too and the price isn't too much different for some of them, so it might pay to shop online a bit just to check them out. If you can find it locally there is likely to be no selection - just the basic unit. (Which, again, is what I have....works great.)

 

-Matt

[Nitro Reef]

I received my red and aqua blue led beads today. Over the weekend I'll install one of the beads in my bulbs and post pictures of what they look like.

[Chino]

Writing a book is an interesting concept to be sure but I wouldn't know where to start...LOL. (I'm listening!) I appreciate the thought!

 

Red+blue should be fine too - that's kinda the "grow light" combo for terrestrial plants - if the price was right. Still...shouldn't be too hard to find all-red.

 

As for the Kill A Watt - all in good time. There's always Amazon ($18) if you're impatient tho. They have other models with features you might like too and the price isn't too much different for some of them, so it might pay to shop online a bit just to check them out. If you can find it locally there is likely to be no selection - just the basic unit. (Which, again, is what I have....works great.)

 

-Matt

 

Well, you can start by combining most of your input/thoughts from this thread alone and writing about reef lighting in all aspects. I want a signed copy please. Thanks.

 

I just placed an order for a kill a watt meter on ebay for approx. the same amount of money. Just the basic unit like the one you posted. Im sure I can put this bad boy to use on other things as well. Boy am I lazy lol.

[Steventomas]

 

 

Hey everyone. I'm working on a 10g with sump and wanted to you use these lights for this. I've taken advise from evanski9 and this is what we ended up with. 5 blues (link below) 2 warm whites (link below) and then 2 bright whites ( link also below). My question is with head bulbs, if I place them about 10" above the water surface will that be okay to prevent spotlight or disco ball effect? I have decided on a hanging hood I will build to match the stand. Also, I note these lights are 30 degree optics. But I have read that more like 70 d'être would be better to blend the light and prevent spotlighting. Can I change the optic or d I need to pick different bulbs? Thanks!

 

Links:

 

Blue:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-GU10-3Watt-1pc-White-2-Blue-Led-3x1W-Epistar-3W-Led-Bulb-For-Tank-/281041437454?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416f60030e

 

Warm white:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-GU10-3Watt-Warm-White-Energy-Saving-Led-Lamps-3x1W-Epistar-Led-3W-/271126020812?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f205ec2cc

 

Cool white:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-GU10-3Watt-Cool-White-Energy-Saving-Led-Lamps-3x1W-Epistar-Led-3W-/271126020809?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f205ec2c9

[Belac]

If you are building a hanging hood why not mke it adjustable? I plan on doing that eventually.

From what I understand that seller is happy to customize the bulb lense or send you the lenses in additon to your current lenses for a small fee.

[mcarroll]

I think those blue lights you linked are actually 2b:1w. You'd probably be happy using just those and skipping the whites, IME. (Fun to experiment though, so you can see for yourself!) Also remember that the alternating pattern of bulbs recommended in this thread is crucial to color blending. Other alternating patterns do not work (or not as well).

 

Also, unless the space you are lighting is less than 6" wide, I don't think you'll want to hang the lights any lower than the 12" recommended throughout this thread. (And 12" is more of a minimum guideline..not close to the maximum.) 10" will only give you a 4" spread of light.

 

In addition the intensity of these bulbs is already huge - lowering the lights will make it even stronger. No need! And for such a shallow tank it could even be somewhat detrimental to some critters. Main thing is that it's not necessary.

 

I would strongly consider "downgrading" to 45º or 60º lenses for an 8" or 11" light spread if 10" is your mandatory height. Intensity level will still be more than enough and you'll get a more useful spread of light I think.

 

-Matt

[--chris--]

Opinions on the 9 watt (3x3) GU10's? I cant find the search function on this site (for this specific thread)!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/9W-DIMMABLE-GU10-base-cool-white-warm-white-Spot-Light-3x3w-Epistar-LED-Bulb-/281041111534?pt=US_Light_Bulbs&var=580166947471&hash=item416f5b09ee

 

Edit: Disregard. My boss just told me to order them. Ill let everyone know how the are when they come in. We are going to be trying to replace two bulb T8 shop lights with a series of these...still in the R&D/feasibility phase

 

If 5 cover enough space with enough light intensity, that will be awesome...we wills see...

[ChouDawg]

Its been discussed time and time again, after lots of sampling and testing, the 3x1W are the GU10 you want to go with. They run reliably and provide plenty of PAR. I still will not understand why people keep wanting to get the 3x3W, not everything needs to be supersized America

[--chris--]

Its been discussed time and time again, after lots of sampling and testing, the 3x1W are the GU10 you want to go with. They run reliably and provide plenty of PAR. I still will not understand why people keep wanting to get the 3x3W, not everything needs to be supersized America

 

In my case, for the $0.50 more in costs im willing to risk it. The lights will be hung about 10-12' in the air. I think if this is going to work ill need the extra juice.

 

I know there are larger, higher output lights similiar to this...but nothing this cost effective.

[Belac]

My last two sockets came in today I spent the last few hours putting the finishing touches on the wireing. It looks scary, but it is safe. Going to be hideing all the wires soon. So my question is how do I adjust the corals to useing this new light. I am running power compacts (not VHO just regulare PC) this is way brighter. I don't want to bleach or kill stuff in the tank. Any reccomendations? I was thinking setting it 12 inches off the water and running it for 3 hours a day with all the bulbs on and another hour with only the blues on. Then increasing the photo period half hour every 3 days. Does this sound good?

Going to get a PAR reading on the light before installing it one LFS has a meter and they said I could bring in the light and get a reading.

[--chris--]

Your acclimation sounds like a good plan to follow.

[Chino]

Any chance you can take a power measurement from that bulb? If it's powered like mine, it's only running at 4 or 5 watts. Yours appears to have a larger heat-sink than mine, which should be a good thing. Mine do get a lot hotter than my 3x1w's but I'm not sure they're dangerously hot. (Dangerous to their longevity I mean.) OTOH if yours is really running anywhere close to 9 watts, then you may be very well right in your doubts. Time will tell though - not many people have run these bulbs for very long AND written about it so there really is little prior experience to gauge from.

 

FWIW, the main point of not using these is that the 3x1w format is already way adequate in terms of power for 90% of all cases - even overkill in some.

 

4x1w, 5x1w and 3x3w all run at around the same wattage and all are pretty much overkill for any nano reef. (And a majority of "non-nano's" too!)

 

I think for purposes outside of lighting a reef (e.g. household lighting) these 4x, 5x and 3x3 bulbs would find a better use case. For example, the 3x3's are often made with Cree LED's....perhaps a bonus for color matching if you already have a lot of Cree lighting in the same space. (Having two or three different "warm white" colors competing in the same space can be disconcerting or downright ugly.)

 

-Matt

 

Hey Matt, I finally got to measure the wattage on that bulb Im using in my sump. Here's the result.

 

 

It stays consistantly at 7.2-7.3w.

 

Also found out my blues are pushing more watts than my whites. My blue Gu10 3X1w LEDs run at (26.1w) 2.61w running 10 bulbs on 1 wire. My cool whites Gu10 3X1 LED run at (10.8w) 1.8w running 6 bulbs on 1 wire. 2.61w vs 1.8w is a huge difference! I guess each bulb may be pushing more or less wattage then others.

[mcarroll]

Around double the watts of a little 3x1w bulb...think you have around twice the heatsink? (And airspace to use it?)

 

I think that at least some of that variability you see in watts (which I have as well....mostly different between whites and blues) may be purposeful ("optimizing") due to heat and/or color issues...maybe other reasons too of course. All the same, I think it pays to be aware of it.

 

-Matt