AquaStyleOnline Club

[zachts]

has anyone had issues with the 420 violet LEDs burning up their little plastic dome optics? all 4 of mine have done so now after around 4 months up and running. dimmed up to 100% they are maxed out at 600ma but I don't runn them much over 500ma. none of the other LEDs in the kit are having issues just the violets. I have a whole thread devoted to the topic elswere but its kinda slow and I'm looking for more suggestions as to why as so far there haven't been any solid conclusions. Fan cooled by 2 80mm fans with 24 leds including the 4 violets on a the 7x12 heatsink.

 

Thanks,

[ReefDiva]

If your RB string is at minimum and NW is maximum and it still looks blue, then your potentiometer on your RB string is not connected properly and the string is running at maximum. Check your connections.

 

No I need to further explain:

I think I was getting mixed up regarding the white colorations. For clarification I am now assuming that:

Cool Whites are the best and are (10,000k) for Aquastyle Online

Neutral Whites are not so good and are (4500k) for Aquastyle Online. If this is correct, then no wonder I have a blue tank.

 

The dimmers work fine, this is just the level I currently have each dimmer set. I was hoping that having the blues dimmed as much as possible and the others actually at a higher capacity would render a better result---a not so blue tank. Obviously this is not the case. Looking over this entire section this morning, I realized that the color I desire is the same colors the others at the beginning of this thread were obtaining with a 1Royal Blue:1Cool White (10,000K) ratio. For example, to achieve the look I wanted, I could have just easily went with a 18RB:18CW ratio with each on a separate dimmer as I currently have, and adjust them accordingly. Somehow down the line, I noticed around page "24" or so of this thread, I indicated I wanted a LED setup with a combination consisting of Cool Whites & Royal Blues and asked for suggestions. However, when ordering from Aquastyles, I went with the Neutral Whites (4500k) instead of the Cool Whites (10,000K) I really wanted. My mistake. What was I thinking???? Mostly those incorporating any type of the Neutral Whites in their LED system are utilizing Cool Whites too--meaning that Neutral Whites are not really used alone in conjunction with Royal Blues to render a nice even tank. 4500K can not evenly balance Royal Blues.

 

I also noticed I actually have a total of 35 LEDS instead of 36, for this Nano 28g LED system. This was a result of me lacking the additional space on the heatsink to add the last led with enough room to spare. My system has 7 Rows of LEDs (with 5 LEDs in each row) for a total of 35 LEDs. I selected this heatsink because it actually retrofits into my NanoCube---although I have not placed it inside the hood of my NanoCube as of yet until I fix the coloring issue.

 

So, my current AquaStyle Online LED System for my Nano 28g is:

• 12 Neutral Whites (4500k)
  
• 15 Royal Blues
  
• 3 Cyans
  
• 3 True Violets
  
• 2 Dark Reds
  

Here's my Solution: I am going to order 10 Cool Whites (10,000K) to replace 10 of the Neutral Whites (4500K) and leave everything else the same. So, my new AquaStyle Online LED System for my Nano 28g will now be:

• 10 Cool Whites (10,000k)
  
• 2 Neutral Whites (4500k)
  
• 15 Royal Blues
  
• 3 Cyans
  
• 3 True Violets
  
• 2 Dark Reds
  

 

This should work out and give me a more crisp, even color and not a really blue tank. What does everyone think about this?

[jedimasterben]

No I need to further explain:

I think I was getting mixed up regarding the white colorations. For clarification I am now assuming that:

Cool Whites are the best and are (10,000k) for Aquastyle Online

Neutral Whites are not so good and are (4500k) for Aquastyle Online. If this is correct, then no wonder I have a blue tank.

 

The dimmers work fine, this is just the level I currently have each dimmer set. I was hoping that having the blues dimmed as much as possible and the others actually at a higher capacity would render a better result---a not so blue tank. Obviously this is not the case. Looking over this entire section this morning, I realized that the color I desire is the same colors the others at the beginning of this thread were obtaining with a 1Royal Blue:1Cool White (10,000K) ratio. For example, to achieve the look I wanted, I could have just easily went with a 18RB:18CW ratio with each on a separate dimmer as I currently have, and adjust them accordingly. Somehow down the line, I noticed around page "24" or so of this thread, I indicated I wanted a LED setup with a combination consisting of Cool Whites & Royal Blues and asked for suggestions. However, when ordering from Aquastyles, I went with the Neutral Whites (4500k) instead of the Cool Whites (10,000K) I really wanted. My mistake. What was I thinking???? Mostly those incorporating any type of the Neutral Whites in their LED system are utilizing Cool Whites too--meaning that Neutral Whites are not really used alone in conjunction with Royal Blues to render a nice even tank. 4500K can not evenly balance Royal Blues.

 

I also noticed I actually have a total of 35 LEDS instead of 36, for this Nano 28g LED system. This was a result of me lacking the additional space on the heatsink to add the last led with enough room to spare. My system has 7 Rows of LEDs (with 5 LEDs in each row) for a total of 35 LEDs. I selected this heatsink because it actually retrofits into my NanoCube---although I have not placed it inside the hood of my NanoCube as of yet until I fix the coloring issue.

 

So, my current AquaStyle Online LED System for my Nano 28g is:

• 12 Neutral Whites (4500k)
  
• 15 Royal Blues
  
• 3 Cyans
  
• 3 True Violets
  
• 2 Dark Reds
  

Here's my Solution: I am going to order 10 Cool Whites (10,000K) to replace 10 of the Neutral Whites (4500K) and leave everything else the same. So, my new AquaStyle Online LED System for my Nano 28g will now be:

• 10 Cool Whites (10,000k)
  
• 2 Neutral Whites (4500k)
  
• 15 Royal Blues
  
• 3 Cyans
  
• 3 True Violets
  
• 2 Dark Reds
  

 

This should work out and give me a more crisp, even color and not a really blue tank. What does everyone think about this?

I don't think that you understand what the kelvin rating of the white LEDs actually is - the higher the number, the less red and yellow the LED emits, and the more blue that you see. If you add 10,000K LEDs, not only will colors in your system look washed out, you will never get rid of the blue tint that you don't like.

 

 

Like I said before, I highly doubt that the dimming function on your RB string is functioning properly - if it were, the minimum rating on the Maxwellen driver is around 30ma - this is about 5% of the 700ma the Maxwellen driver and LEDs are rated at. At 30ma, little light comes out of the LEDs in comparison to full strength, it is very dim, I can assure you.

[jimbro]

i agree with ben about checking your connections and pots

 

i have the same leds in roughly the same ratio as you reefdiva, and i don't see how the tank can look blue at all with the whites at 100% and the blues completely dimmed

[iheartJMS]

Heh jedimaster, I have a question! Hopefully you don't mind me coming to you for help I'm getting ready to order LEDs for my 40g breeder mixed reef. I was wondering what you would recommend I get in terms of how many LEDs and how many of each color I get? I would like to do a full spectrum build. Also, what email are you guys contacting ray at? He hasn't responded to any of my emails.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

I tried e-mailing him again, hopefully he answers!

[jedimasterben]

Heh jedimaster, I have a question! Hopefully you don't mind me coming to you for help I'm getting ready to order LEDs for my 40g breeder mixed reef. I was wondering what you would recommend I get in terms of how many LEDs and how many of each color I get? I would like to do a full spectrum build. Also, what email are you guys contacting ray at? He hasn't responded to any of my emails.

 

Thanks a lot!

Ray does that occasionally - last Christmas he answered me within a few hours, but in February would never return an email over the course of several months. He only recently started answering emails, so I'm not sure what he is up to.

 

36"x18"x18"

 

8x clusters of:

2x 4500K neutral white

3x RB

1x violet

 

4x clusters of:

1x deep red

1x cyan

1x cool blue (order from LEDgroupBuy)

 

You would need four drivers, one of the 7-12 for the NW, one of the 12-20 drivers for the RB, one 7-12 driver for the red/cyan/blue, and one of the 7-12 drivers for the violet.

 

I would lay them out evenly across the tank in two rows of four.

 

 

I think that's what my last recommendation for a 40B was. I'm currently working on a set of base designs for commonly used tanks, hopefully that will go live here in the next week or so.

 

has anyone had issues with the 420 violet LEDs burning up their little plastic dome optics? all 4 of mine have done so now after around 4 months up and running. dimmed up to 100% they are maxed out at 600ma but I don't runn them much over 500ma. none of the other LEDs in the kit are having issues just the violets. I have a whole thread devoted to the topic elswere but its kinda slow and I'm looking for more suggestions as to why as so far there haven't been any solid conclusions. Fan cooled by 2 80mm fans with 24 leds including the 4 violets on a the 7x12 heatsink.

 

Thanks,

Yep - most of mine look brown on the diode instead of clear, but they still put out the same amount of light and in the correct spectrum.

[iheartJMS]

Thanks for the input! What size heatsink would you recommend? And I dont know if it changes anything, but the 40b is 16" tall.

[jedimasterben]

Thanks for the input! What size heatsink would you recommend? And I dont know if it changes anything, but the 40b is 16" tall.

Same thing, all made in Taiwan

 

You'll need at least two heatsinks. You may get some darker areas depending on how high you hang it and what optics you'll use. You'll get more even coverage the more you kinda space out the clusters.

[najluni15]

Reefdiva,

 

I would listen to what Jedi is saying. He has helped me with my lights a lot. Since adding the "10k" LEDs from aquastyle I lost color in all of my corals. I am now removing them and running 4500k instead. Your tank is very blue because you have the 10k which emit a bluish light AND your pot is most likely not connected correctly to the blue dimmer. If it were dimmed then you would hardly have any blue at all. I suggest you check the pot connection and make sure it is in fact connected according to the directions and then try dimming it again. When you spin the pot knob you will clearly see the lights dim or brighten.

[ReefDiva]

I don't think that you understand what the kelvin rating of the white LEDs actually is - the higher the number, the less red and yellow the LED emits, and the more blue that you see. If you add 10,000K LEDs, not only will colors in your system look washed out, you will never get rid of the blue tint that you don't like.

 

 

Like I said before, I highly doubt that the dimming function on your RB string is functioning properly - if it were, the minimum rating on the Maxwellen driver is around 30ma - this is about 5% of the 700ma the Maxwellen driver and LEDs are rated at. At 30ma, little light comes out of the LEDs in comparison to full strength, it is very dim, I can assure you.

 

Okay Jimbto & JediMaster,

 

Please Help me figure this out.

 

I actually have Meanwell drivers. Now, when I plug in the Royal Blue lights they work fine and are very bright. I can dim them all the way down to where they are not on to where they are fully bright. I had my husband to watch the dimming effects as I adjusted the RB lights & he can see a change in the RB easily from off to bright to very bright.

 

Now, in regards to the Whites lights housed with my Dark Reds, Cyans, & True Violets..the dimmer works where I can turn them all down. However, the whites have never been bright at all. They are very dull---so much so I can look at them straight on full capacity with out even blinking. No shades needed. They are simply not bright at all in comparison to the blues and they certainly do not render a "blinding" effect when turned on & positioned directly toward you where you can view them head on.

 

When I read the thread on page 1 and look at tanks belonging to members such as 05XRunner (16Cw:16RB), Fast93accord (12 RB: 12 (10,000k) ratios---their whites are bright and it look fabulous in reference to the overall coloring. Guys, what should I do?

[iheartJMS]

Same thing, all made in Taiwan

 

You'll need at least two heatsinks. You may get some darker areas depending on how high you hang it and what optics you'll use. You'll get more even coverage the more you kinda space out the clusters.

 

Haha !

 

What size heatsinks would you recommend if I use 2? Would two 6"x9"s work if they each covered their own 18x18 portion of the tank? I plan on using 60* optics hanging around 12-14 inches off the water

[jimbro]

Okay Jimbto & JediMaster,

 

Please Help me figure this out.

 

I actually have Meanwell drivers. Now, when I plug in the Royal Blue lights they work fine and are very bright. I can dim them all the way down to where they are not on to where they are fully bright. I had my husband to watch the dimming effects as I adjusted the RB lights & he can see a change in the RB easily from off to bright to very bright.

 

Now, in regards to the Whites lights housed with my Dark Reds, Cyans, & True Violets..the dimmer works where I can turn them all down. However, the whites have never been bright at all. They are very dull---so much so I can look at them straight on full capacity with out even blinking. No shades needed. They are simply not bright at all in comparison to the blues and they certainly do not render a "blinding" effect when turned on & positioned directly toward you where you can view them head on.

 

When I read the thread on page 1 and look at tanks belonging to members such as 05XRunner (16Cw:16RB), Fast93accord (12 RB: 12 (10,000k) ratios---their whites are bright and it look fabulous in reference to the overall coloring. Guys, what should I do?

 

well ben will prolly provide the right specific answer

 

but something is clearly wrong with the white driver or the white pot. if i look directly at my white string i see spots, and they're only at maybe 80%.

 

maybe the internal pot on the meanwell wasn't adjusted properly?

[ReefDiva]

well ben will prolly provide the right specific answer

 

but something is clearly wrong with the white driver or the white pot. if i look directly at my white string i see spots, and they're only at maybe 80%.

 

maybe the internal pot on the meanwell wasn't adjusted properly?

 

Yeah, I am thinking the driver or the dimmer on the whites may be the problem too. I'm just waiting on someone to help me figure this out. At least I know for now not to order the 10ks. I am sure I ordered the 4500ks as I looked back at my order from AquaStyle and I was provided a copy of the specifics I wrote in the "Notes" section requesting a certain combination---I indicated the 4500ks in my instructions. Hopefully I can figure this out today and hopefully fix the problem. There is a Radio Shack near my home, so once we discover the problem I can hopefully find the solution there.

 

Not too sure that an "internal pot" is on the Meanwell Driver.

[jimbro]

what kind of meanwell do you have?

 

this may or may not help

 

http://reefledlights.com/how-to-adjust-you...n-60-48-driver/

[jedimasterben]

Okay Jimbto & JediMaster,

 

Please Help me figure this out.

 

I actually have Meanwell drivers. Now, when I plug in the Royal Blue lights they work fine and are very bright. I can dim them all the way down to where they are not on to where they are fully bright. I had my husband to watch the dimming effects as I adjusted the RB lights & he can see a change in the RB easily from off to bright to very bright.

 

Now, in regards to the Whites lights housed with my Dark Reds, Cyans, & True Violets..the dimmer works where I can turn them all down. However, the whites have never been bright at all. They are very dull---so much so I can look at them straight on full capacity with out even blinking. No shades needed. They are simply not bright at all in comparison to the blues and they certainly do not render a "blinding" effect when turned on & positioned directly toward you where you can view them head on.

 

When I read the thread on page 1 and look at tanks belonging to members such as 05XRunner (16Cw:16RB), Fast93accord (12 RB: 12 (10,000k) ratios---their whites are bright and it look fabulous in reference to the overall coloring. Guys, what should I do?

So you have Meanwell drivers. Do you have only a potentiometer hooked up to them or do you have a full dimming circuit including a 10v power source? If you do not have the 10v power source, it will not dim properly. Your LEDs should not be considered "bright" when turned down all the way (should still be around 5-10% at minimum).

 

Now that you describe your white string as not being bright, this makes me positive that you are having issues with your dimming circuit.

 

Haha !

 

What size heatsinks would you recommend if I use 2? Would two 6"x9"s work if they each covered their own 18x18 portion of the tank? I plan on using 60* optics hanging around 12-14 inches off the water

That should be fine, though I would use 90 degree optics instead of 60 degree.

 

Not too sure that an "internal pot" is on the Meanwell Driver.

Uh oh. Now I'm positive they are not connected properly. Meanwell drivers are... different than most others. They have two potentiometers (the things you turn to dim) that are physically inside the unit. You need to use the one labeled SVR2 to adjust the current (how many "ma" it outputs) to around 1350ma if you are running two strings in parallel, this makes sure you are not running too much power through either string. You should not need to do this, though, as from the factory it should be set at 1350ma or so.

 

Are your drivers ELN-60-48P or ELN-60-48D? Unfortunately, I can't find you a good diagram of how it needs to be set up to dim properly.

[ReefDiva]

So you have Meanwell drivers. Do you have only a potentiometer hooked up to them or do you have a full dimming circuit including a 10v power source? If you do not have the 10v power source, it will not dim properly. Your LEDs should not be considered "bright" when turned down all the way (should still be around 5-10% at minimum).

 

Now that you describe your white string as not being bright, this makes me positive that you are having issues with your dimming circuit.

 

 

That should be fine, though I would use 90 degree optics instead of 60 degree.

 

 

Uh oh. Now I'm positive they are not connected properly. Meanwell drivers are... different than most others. They have two potentiometers (the things you turn to dim) that are physically inside the unit. You need to use the one labeled SVR2 to adjust the current (how many "ma" it outputs) to around 1350ma if you are running two strings in parallel, this makes sure you are not running too much power through either string. You should not need to do this, though, as from the factory it should be set at 1350ma or so.

 

Are your drivers ELN-60-48P or ELN-60-48D? Unfortunately, I can't find you a good diagram of how it needs to be set up to dim properly.

 

Okay,

 

My Meanwell drivers came from AquaStyle & are version (LPF-60D-48) and they each are connected to a separate outside pot provided by AquaStyle Online. I have included three photos. One photo is an actual picture showing how the White, Dark Red, Cyan & True Violet LEDs look when they are "on." Another photo is of the actual driver & the remaining photo shows the pot which dims these leds.

[ReefDiva]

Okay,

 

My Meanwell drivers came from AquaStyle & are version (LPF-60D-48) and they each are connected to a separate outside pot provided by AquaStyle Online. I have included three photos. One photo is an actual picture showing how the White, Dark Red, Cyan & True Violet LEDs look when they are "on." Another photo is of the actual driver & the remaining photo shows the pot which dims these leds.

 

Here is a photo with the same camera showing how the RBs look at approximately 50% on.

[jedimasterben]

Yep, you have no dimming circuit on your drivers. Meanwells need a 10v source for dimming, they can't use only a potentiometer.

 

Google around for a 10v meanwell dimming diagram, I can't seem to find one at the moment, and I'm at work, so I can't spend too much time searching around.

[ReefDiva]

Yep, you have no dimming circuit on your drivers. Meanwells need a 10v source for dimming, they can't use only a potentiometer.

 

Google around for a 10v meanwell dimming diagram, I can't seem to find one at the moment, and I'm at work, so I can't spend too much time searching around.

Okay Thanks for your help. I don't really need a Meanwell driver--as I no longer plan to have them dimmed via my ACJr. They will just be controlled on and off like they are currently through my digital controller. So, with that being said, what will be the easiest route to get these going correctly---switching to a MaxWellen dimmable Driver? If this is so, can I possible get one at the hardware store or Radio Shack? If not, where is the best place to get them: AquaStyle?

I still don't understand why the Blue works fine, but the Whites don't since they both have the same driver.

[jedimasterben]

Okay Thanks for your help. I don't really need a Meanwell driver--as I no longer plan to have them dimmed via my ACJr. They will just be controlled on and off like they are currently through my digital controller. So, with that being said, what will be the easiest route to get these going correctly---switching to a MaxWellen dimmable Driver? If this is so, can I possible get one at the hardware store or Radio Shack? If not, where is the best place to get them: AquaStyle?

I still don't understand why the Blue works fine, but the Whites don't since they both have the same driver.

It seems like the reference voltage on your blues is set high, and on your whites is set low, that would explain why there is the difference in them.

 

No, you can't buy Maxwellen drivers from anywhere but Aquastyle. They are rather cheap, generic drivers. The Meanwells you have now are high quality, albeit very expensive and not easy to dim down.

 

I would recommend purchasing a 10v 1A a/c adapter from Radioshack (if they have any), you can then apply the reference voltage to your drivers. I think you may need two if you are running two Meanwells, however, I'm not 100% sure. I own a Meanwell driver, but I have not even set it up yet.

 

There is a particular line of Meanwell drivers that can be dimmed via 10v, PWM, or resistance (just a potentiometer) but they are not easy to get and expensive, but then again, that's all Meanwell drivers.

[ReefDiva]

It seems like the reference voltage on your blues is set high, and on your whites is set low, that would explain why there is the difference in them.

 

No, you can't buy Maxwellen drivers from anywhere but Aquastyle. They are rather cheap, generic drivers. The Meanwells you have now are high quality, albeit very expensive and not easy to dim down.

 

I would recommend purchasing a 10v 1A a/c adapter from Radioshack (if they have any), you can then apply the reference voltage to your drivers. I think you may need two if you are running two Meanwells, however, I'm not 100% sure. I own a Meanwell driver, but I have not even set it up yet.

 

There is a particular line of Meanwell drivers that can be dimmed via 10v, PWM, or resistance (just a potentiometer) but they are not easy to get and expensive, but then again, that's all Meanwell drivers.

 

JediMasterBen,

 

I appreciate all your hard work in helping me. I will take your advice and keep my drivers. Now, After I get this 10v 1A a/c adapter, how in the world do I "apply" it to each of my drivers. There is no where to plug anything into the drivers. This is over my head, but I am trying to do all I can to understand. I'm sorry, but hopefully I can grasp a better understanding. This is what I deemed to be the "adapter" you indicated I may need:

[jedimasterben]

JediMasterBen,

 

I appreciate all your hard work in helping me. I will take your advice and keep my drivers. Now, After I get this 10v 1A a/c adapter, how in the world do I "apply" it to each of my drivers. There is no where to plug anything into the drivers. This is over my head, but I am trying to do all I can to understand. I'm sorry, but hopefully I can grasp a better understanding. This is what I deemed to be the "adapter" you indicated I may need:

You would need to cut the end off of that and expose the positive and negative bare wires. Then you need to attach them, along with the potentiometer, to the dimming leads on the driver where you have the potentiometer connected currently. Once I get home I will make you a diagram of it that will be easier to figure out than me just explaining it, I'm not the best at trying to explain things, I begin to ramble.

[ReefDiva]

You would need to cut the end off of that and expose the positive and negative bare wires. Then you need to attach them, along with the potentiometer, to the dimming leads on the driver where you have the potentiometer connected currently. Once I get home I will make you a diagram of it that will be easier to figure out than me just explaining it, I'm not the best at trying to explain things, I begin to ramble.

 

Cool. I will wait on your diagram. In the meantime, I will locate the 10v 1A a/c adapter. I think I may have a couple laying around the house. If not, I can probably scoop some up at Radio Shack. Thanks.

[jedimasterben]

Cool. I will wait on your diagram. In the meantime, I will locate the 10v 1A a/c adapter. I think I may have a couple laying around the house. If not, I can probably scoop some up at Radio Shack. Thanks.

No worries. I was planning on using my old adapter from my Super Nintendo, turns out it is 10v 850ma (it doesn't have to be 1A, but they usually are 1A), so I was like sweet, don't have to buy one lol.

[jtgordon20]

I emailed Rey and he is all good with my request, just an extra $4 charge for the upgrade of one driver.

This should get ordered on my birthday or a bit beforehand.

Another question for you Jedimaster. On the 24 kit, which heatsink should I get, and what would you say is the maximum size tank I can run this light on when I upgrade later on?

Also, which violet is everyone ordering?

Thank you for all your help so far

 

 

May be ordering here in a week. Want to see what it will cover Max for the future