Steventomas Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Just thought I'd share my experience here! First off i ordered the led kit from www.aquastyleonline.com for $85 (shipped) and he added a dimmable driver free! It shipped fast from Hong Kong, it was at my door if four days. Here are the contents of the package: I measured the size of the heatsink a built a fixture accordingly (in later photos). i then drew a 3/4" by 3/4" grid on the heatsink each square fitting approximately one LED. (Sorry may be impossible to see in the photo) Then i applied a small bead of heatsink plaster, about the size of a pea. Then they were stuck to the heatsink. After each LED was stuck to the heatsink and allowed to setup for about an hour i cut the included wire to lengths and then soldered them in place in a + to -, + to - fashion. I then put the heatsink with leds into the fixture i built and attached a project box to back of the fixture. The driver was mounted inside the fixture and the wires for the dimmer and on/off switch (i added extra) were setup in the project box (hopefully easy to tell in pictures). Everything was wired up and tested. Sorry no pictures got taken of these steps Here are some photos of the finished product: Overal fixture from front right corner angle: Project box with on/off and dimmer: Overal front view: LEDs in fixture: Better angle of LEDs in fixture: Wires left in the fixture: Wiring into project box: Dimmer and on/off switch close-up: LEDs on low (with optics): LEDs on high (with optics): LEDs after poweroff (remain slightly lit for a few minutes): LED wiring: LEDs without optics: LEDs on low (without optics): LEDs on high (without optics): There you have it! I haven't figured out how i am going to hang it above the tank, dont want to hang from the ceiling, and i would like to instal a circulation fan to keep everything cool. Here is a list of the things i bought and prices: LEDs (shipped): $81.25 Wood for fixture (lowes): $12.54 Sand Paper (lowes): $3.97 Switch and wire connectors (lowes): about $10- Project Box (radioshack): $3.99 Solder with flux core (radioshack): $4.49 Total: $116.24 (plus all of the mistakes and things i had to buy again about a total of $150 ) So overal a great inexpensive LED DIY project that to me is well worth it. If anyone has any questions about it please let me know, through PM or reply to this topic Link to comment
Trogdor447 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 looks like you are pretty crafty with the wood! That is not a bad idea - I really have to get mine properly secured inside of something.... I've only had it for 2 years my small kit(similar to yours) I don't need a fan over top of it. I don't run it anywhere turned up as its just for my sump. My corals down below do love the light there however! Cannot beat the hook ups thrown in the box! Link to comment
harlan77498 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 hey Steventomas how do the optics attach to the leds???? Link to comment
Steventomas Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 hey Steventomas how do the optics attach to the leds???? They dont necessarily attach, they more rest on the leds, you just push them on and they stay there, no clicking or snapping. Link to comment
harlan77498 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 ok i just got 24 for my cree diy 29 biocube led lights Link to comment
th64 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 nice lil write up... what kind of wood is that? is it 2x2's lined with ply? Link to comment
Steventomas Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 nice lil write up... what kind of wood is that? is it 2x2's lined with ply? Thanks! it is just 3/4" thickness solid poplar that i bought from lowes and cut to length. The width was already 5-1/2" so i just left it that way. Link to comment
blasterman Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Quick notes: Nice looking lid! Love the wood! Waaaaaaaaaay too much glue/epoxy on each LED. Link to comment
Steventomas Posted April 4, 2013 Author Share Posted April 4, 2013 Quick notes: Nice looking lid! Love the wood! Waaaaaaaaaay too much glue/epoxy on each LED. Thanks for the compliment. it is called "heatsink plaster" and the instructions said a "pea sized blob", i figured that was about pea sized, anyway it worked and they are not falling off the heatsink knock on wood. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Less is more when it comes to thermal interface materials. Ideally, you want to apply pressure to the LED so that the bond line thickness is as thin as possible to reduce thermal resistance. You will be fine with what you have now, but for future reference, you could have used about a third as much and still have a strong bond. Link to comment
DC5 Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Wait..whoa, who is this Evil guy? Link to comment
MeepNand Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Wait..whoa, who is this Evil guy? Only the guy who wrote the Ultimate Led Guide. Nothing special. Link to comment
DC5 Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Only the guy who wrote the Ultimate Led Guide. Nothing special. I haven't seen him around in a long time! Link to comment
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