Weasel Baron Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Yup. Unless you are a nutbar like me and absolutely insist on doing your own thing, these arrays are about as good as it gets. Last time I priced it out, it was about $6 per cluster more for the NanoBox array vs individual LEDs from somewhere like Steve's. Ill take the hit for ease of installation and color mixing, that was half the reason I was looking at 3ups and OCW anyway Link to comment
reeferinbama Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 How much are the nano box arrays by themselves? Steven Link to comment
Weasel Baron Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 How much are the nano box arrays by themselves? Steven ~$50 IIRC Link to comment
Weasel Baron Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 has anyone gutted one of the low profile Aruba Sun T5 retrofit kits? Im assuming the middle bar is where the ballast is kept, but I wonder how much space it actually needs. Think I could remove the dinky LEDs and put a heatsink in its place? I might be able to cut off the top and a section of the bottom to allow the heatsink to slide into place. Id likely have to extend the wiring for the ballast so I can put it somewhere else, or alternatively rest it on top of the heatsink alternatively, the newer versions of the odyssea come w/ three fans and a 8.5" wide profile that would fit the tank perfectly Link to comment
Halo_003 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Believe me, do not skimp on your lighting, save up and get a better one. If you start with an oddysea you won't be happy, you'll burn through bulbs and you won't be happy. You'll wnd up replacing it later on anyways, so why spend the extra money and start with a cheap fixture? If you have a low budget look at CurrentUSA Marine Orbit+. None of those fixtures have halfway decent ballasts or fans. Link to comment
Weasel Baron Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 the t5 wouldnt be for the main lighting, just for the guts for the LED retrofit. The plan is still to use 3 nano-box V3 arrays Link to comment
Halo_003 Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 the t5 wouldnt be for the main lighting, just for the guts for the LED retrofit. The plan is still to use 3 nano-box V3 arrays Oh okay good. Maybe get in touch and see if CNC reef can cook up something nice for you, they have some awesome heatsinks. Link to comment
Weasel Baron Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 love their stuff, bit too pricey for my build, and most of their sinks are only 24" long there are a few wave-point 36" quad bulb fixtures on amazon that might work, but Im also considering just getting the odyssea and gutting the shitty ballast and replacing it with a workhorse ballast (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/t5-fulham-workhorse-ballast-1.html). I can get two retrofit reflectors for the remaining two bulbs and use the middle section for the heatsink/LEDs, but at that point I may be near the cost of a wave-point fixture which already comes with good reflectors and a good ballast... Im just a little more hesitant about taking apart a more expensive t5 fixture Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 More than likely the fixture already comes with Workhorse ballasts. Link to comment
Weasel Baron Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 so workhorse are also garbage? any suggestions, or should I just shoot for a wave-point? Link to comment
Reefkid88 Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Shoot for a ATI ballast. They are $25,which isn't bad. Or just get the 2 bulb retro kit from CoralVue for $20. If I recall it comes with everything but a hanging kit and replace the ballast if it's not a HEP ballast already. ReefersDirect is who has the ATI ballasts,and everything ATI replacement parts. Link to comment
Weasel Baron Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 ok, reviving this thread as the tank is up and cycling and tax return season has been favorable this year. Given that I have a little extra $$ to work with, Im looking into fitting 2-3 of the V3 nanobox arrays into a decent t5 fixture instead of a garbage one (i.e. Odyssea). The 4 bulb ATI fixture was the first to come to mind; a 9" width would reduce overhang and I could swap the two middle bulbs for a heatsink. I would likely have to cut away some of the back to fit it flush and allow for fans, so Im wondering how much the stock wiring/ballasts will get in the way. is it doable? how much maneuverability is there in the area the ballasts are kept? alternatively, I could get the 4bulb aquatic life fixture, but it has a 10" width so Im worried there will be too much overhang on a 8" wide tank I might just pull the trigger on the ATI fixture and worse comes to worst Im stuck w/ a 4bulb ATI instead of a ATI 2bulb/LED hybrid Forgive the terrifying light setup, it was literally just for picture purposes Link to comment
gus6464 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 See if anyone is selling their coralvue t5/led fixtures when they were at the $100 fire sale. Already has the space in the middle for nanobox pucks. Link to comment
Weasel Baron Posted April 4, 2015 Author Share Posted April 4, 2015 OK, about to grab the ATI fixture from bulk reef, along with the following bulb combo Korallen-Zucht Super Blue Korallen-Zucht Coral Light II (new gen) Korallen-Zucht Fiji purple Giesemann Actinic Plus I can see how comfortable I feel w/ a retrofit once it arrives, and fiddle w/ the bulb combo if I do end up throwing in a couple Nanobox pucks Anyone have a BRS discount coupon theyre willing to share? Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Why do you want to use KZ lamps? They have less output than ATI and Giesemann lamps and don't look any better, and definitely not enough to justify the extra $10 each. Link to comment
Weasel Baron Posted April 4, 2015 Author Share Posted April 4, 2015 Good to know! I'll swap out the KZ bulbs going w/ ATI blue+, purple+, true actinic, and keeping the giesemann actinic+ nope, thinking 2 ATI B+ 1 ATI P+ 1 Giese actinic+ Link to comment
Weasel Baron Posted April 5, 2015 Author Share Posted April 5, 2015 ordered! will update w/ a pic when its in, with any luck Ill feel confident enough with the setup to do a LED retro Link to comment
Caravanshaka Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 The ATI's already have active cooling, so if you have decent heatsink and not running full tilt, you shouldn't have to add any fans. the 2.079" profile heatsink from heatsink usa comes to mind, have that run down the middle and you should be able to mount it in place of the 2 middle bulbs with no cutting. if you are only putting 3 arrays on, I think you can get away with the fan that is already in the fixture, but you may increase the voltage going to the fans (9v is normal, but can put them up to 12v with the included power supply). You are removing the heat of 2 t5 bulbs, and adding the heat of LED's, not a big enough difference to start adding a bunch of fans. You can also try and channel the air that would normally go on those 2 middle t5 bulb cool spots right into the fins on the heatsinks to make it more efficient. Here is my retrofit into an 8x80w sunpower (I used a taller heatsink and had to cut holes): Link to comment
Weasel Baron Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 Awesome! Just the kind of info I was hoping for Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 The ATI's already have active cooling, so if you have decent heatsink and not running full tilt, you shouldn't have to add any fans. the 2.079" profile heatsink from heatsink usa comes to mind, have that run down the middle and you should be able to mount it in place of the 2 middle bulbs with no cutting. if you are only putting 3 arrays on, I think you can get away with the fan that is already in the fixture, but you may increase the voltage going to the fans (9v is normal, but can put them up to 12v with the included power supply). You are removing the heat of 2 t5 bulbs, and adding the heat of LED's, not a big enough difference to start adding a bunch of fans. You can also try and channel the air that would normally go on those 2 middle t5 bulb cool spots right into the fins on the heatsinks to make it more efficient. Here is my retrofit into an 8x80w sunpower (I used a taller heatsink and had to cut holes): http://i1331.photobucket.com/albums/w595/Caravanshaka/F0C2A657-E6AB-43DE-87F9-730041BD92D1_zpse8bketma.jpg http://i1331.photobucket.com/albums/w595/Caravanshaka/A07E9D1B-9D33-44DD-B62A-DECA5A0638F4_zpsfrjp05up.jpg Sexy retro. Since you are replacing 160w of T5HO with a maximum of 168w of LEDs you don't really need to modify the cooling much. IMHO I would still replace the ATI stock fans because they are loud as shit, but that's just me For my build, though, I swapped 78w of T5 for ~180w of LEDs, so I not only used heatsinks that ran the entire length of the fixture but also put three 60mm fans on each. Overkill - absolutely lol, but it helps keep the heatsinks cooler and helps to push air along out of the fixture. Link to comment
Caravanshaka Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 I do have slightly more power coming from the LED's, each array has a Luxeon M royal blue accompanying it. But I certainly won't run the channels at 100% anytime soon, and never all of them that high. I'm at 50% right now on the blue channel only, and less than 30% on the white channel while I ramp up. If I were to do it again, I would get the low profile 2.079" heatsink and run it the length of the fixture. Cutting out the holes in the steel was a pain in the rear, but I had those heatsinks on hand and they were able to take 100% power without active cooling and keep the PCB board below 100 degrees, so I used them. You should have no trouble fitting the low profile heatsink in place of 2 bulbs on the fixture. agree on the fans, they are definitely loud at 12v, and still pretty loud at 9v...luckily my tank is in-wall so it isn't a problem for me! Link to comment
Weasel Baron Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 You guys have any recommendations for silent fan(s)? There are a few computer fans I can grab off newegg that are quiet but I have no idea if the proximity to saltwater will mess things up Link to comment
gus6464 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 You guys have any recommendations for silent fan(s)? There are a few computer fans I can grab off newegg that are quiet but I have no idea if the proximity to saltwater will mess things up Noctua. What size? No such thing as overkill on cooling. I use 3x 120mm noctuas for 4x nanobox pucks. The heatsink just gets warm at full blast and it's cold at normal power. Heat is the #1 killer of LEDs so keeping them very cool is never a bad thing. Link to comment
Benny314 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I'm using arctic 120TC pro's on my arrays. Completely silent and they have a temp sensor built into them that ramps the fan up as the temp rises. Link to comment
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