CNCreef Asis Pro 824 LED/T5HO Evil Cluster Hybrid

[jedimasterben]

Will look SO much better overall than the garbage I had up before lol.

[NirvanaandTool]

Still has a couple of hours of work before I can do that

 

Probably like five hours between all the stuff I listed

 

Well quit wasting time and get to work on finishing it!

[jedimasterben]

Well, there is this little thing called 'work'.

[jedimasterben]

LED only















T5 only












Everything is still a bit angry for not having light for around 24 hours, but they're less mad now, it seems.

Final array:

2x Bridgelux BXRA-40E950-B-00 with Ledil Brooke W
8x Philips Luxeon M RB with Ledil Minnie WWW
8x Philips Rebel blue with generic 90 degreen lenses
20x LEDGroupBuy 430nm hyper violet with 60 degree Carclo lenses

All but the HV run on 1000mA LDD, the HV on 700mA.

T5 tubes are ATI Coral Plus run on an HEP SD218-40 UNI dimming ballast. Will probably swap for ATI Blue Plus because it is so white with these on.

[Horerczy]

Woot!

[NirvanaandTool]

Well, there is this little thing called 'work'.

 

Then its time for a sick day!

 

Looks good. Color looks fantastic.

 

How do you like going down to just 2 BRXA @ 1000mA vs 4 @ 500mA?

[jedimasterben]

Then its time for a sick day!

Nah, I get sick often enough as it is, don't need to waste any days!

Looks good. Color looks fantastic.

Thanks!

How do you like going down to just 2 BRXA @ 1000mA vs 4 @ 500mA?

There was no difference IMHO. PAR is the same, spread is the same, color banding is the same, etc.

[GHill762]

that looks pretty good Jedi.. I really want a combo fixture.. but it'll have to wait, my current build is running out of room in the budget

[jedimasterben]

The T5 adds around $200 to the total price with the reflectors, bulbs, moistureproof sockets, dimming ballast, and wiring.

[zemuss]

I know wiring those leds is a pain. Kudos! Nice light. Thanks for the specs for my 80 g when i get it.

[GHill762]

the nice thing is that all of that can be found locally if you have a decent electrical supply company..

[jedimasterben]

the nice thing is that all of that can be found locally if you have a decent electrical supply company..

The sockets and wiring, yes - ballast and bulbs, no. ATI makes their bulbs to work specifically with the HEP line of ballasts, and they are the only ones that run them exactly on-spec, so they will last longer and have the proper spectral capabilities.

[GHill762]

The sockets and wiring, yes - ballast and bulbs, no. ATI makes their bulbs to work specifically with the HEP line of ballasts, and they are the only ones that run them exactly on-spec, so they will last longer and have the proper spectral capabilities.

the electrical supply shop I use to work at would have had all of that, dimmable ballasts included (don't know what HEP ballasts are, assuming a brand?), the only thing would be specialty bulbs that would need to be ordered online. not that it matters, don't think I'm getting to this anytime soon..lol. sometime in the future I might retro some onto the fixture I'm about to order..

[Paleoreef103]

Hey Jedi. Looks great! Also a little on the purple side. Does it look a bit purple in person or is that an artifact of the camera?

[jedimasterben]

the electrical supply shop I use to work at would have had all of that, dimmable ballasts included (don't know what HEP ballasts are, assuming a brand?), the only thing would be specialty bulbs that would need to be ordered online. not that it matters, don't think I'm getting to this anytime soon..lol. sometime in the future I might retro some onto the fixture I'm about to order..

HEP is the brand that ATI designs their bulbs to be run on. Most people just assume that all T5 and halide bulbs are made the same and will run on the same ballasts (despite there being magnetic ballasts, electronic, pulse-start, etc), but all bulb manufacturers only design them to be run on one single type, all others will give them too much or too little power, altering the spectral characteristics and shortening the useful life of the bulb.

 

You don't need to use the exact brand, but one that matches the electrical characteristics would be necessary to get the most for your money - otherwise you'll end up wasting more money and have something that doesn't quite match what it is supposed to.

 

Hey Jedi. Looks great! Also a little on the purple side. Does it look a bit purple in person or is that an artifact of the camera?

They were taken on my phone, so they're in the ballpark, but very different.

[Paleoreef103]

HEP is the brand that ATI designs their bulbs to be run on. Most people just assume that all T5 and halide bulbs are made the same and will run on the same ballasts (despite there being magnetic ballasts, electronic, pulse-start, etc), but all bulb manufacturers only design them to be run on one single type, all others will give them too much or too little power, altering the spectral characteristics and shortening the useful life of the bulb.

 

They were taken on my phone, so they're in the ballpark, but very different.

Yeah that's part of the reason that the ATI fixtures kick so much butt (you know, in addition to the best reflectors and active cooling).

 

Fair enough. I suppose the big question is, are you happy with it to keep it on the tank for a good long time or are you already planning the next fixture?

[NirvanaandTool]

Nah, I get sick often enough as it is, don't need to waste any days!

Thanks!

There was no difference IMHO. PAR is the same, spread is the same, color banding is the same, etc.

 

Ok fine, its forgiven since you finished it last night anyway.

 

Thats good to hear, gives us some flexibility if a 4 BXRA layout cant be used due to heatsink size. I think I'll still plan on using 4 since I have 4 in but maybe I'll get a slightly longer heatsink (x2) like something the neighborhood of 15-16" to fit the array on it.

[jedimasterben]

Yeah that's part of the reason that the ATI fixtures kick so much butt (you know, in addition to the best reflectors and active cooling).

I actually REALLY wanted to use ATI reflectors, but they do not have any way to attach to the bulbs, and I'd have to afro-engineer something, and we all know how that turns out with me

 

Fair enough. I suppose the big question is, are you happy with it to keep it on the tank for a good long time or are you already planning the next fixture?

The only thing I'll probably change is the T5 bulbs to something more blue. The Coral Plus are nice, but wayyy too white over the tank combined with the white in the LEDs.

 

Ok fine, its forgiven since you finished it last night anyway.

 

Thats good to hear, gives us some flexibility if a 4 BXRA layout cant be used due to heatsink size. I think I'll still plan on using 4 since I have 4 in but maybe I'll get a slightly longer heatsink (x2) like something the neighborhood of 15-16" to fit the array on it.

The main issue I had with having four is that at lower currents, it seems like the BXRA has far less spread. If I ran them at 100% (500mA), it was much better, but having two at 1000mA seems to handily beat four in spread. It makes NO sense to me.

[NirvanaandTool]

The main issue I had with having four is that at lower currents, it seems like the BXRA has far less spread. If I ran them at 100% (500mA), it was much better, but having two at 1000mA seems to handily beat four in spread. It makes NO sense to me.

 

Wow didnt expect that the spread would be that different.

 

And if the PAR is the same then going with 2 is probably the better choice and fits on a smaller heatsink. Hmm interesting. Guess I can find a use for 2 spare 950s

[Tripwyr]

The main issue I had with having four is that at lower currents, it seems like the BXRA has far less spread. If I ran them at 100% (500mA), it was much better, but having two at 1000mA seems to handily beat four in spread. It makes NO sense to me.

 

Is the lack of spread just perceived spread, or did you actually measure it to have a significant difference? If perceived, its likely just that at 1000mA your eyes are unable to easily perceive the difference, while at 500mA it is within an intensity zone that we are able to distinguish easily.

[kory1006]

What about running 4 of the 950's at 700ma? You were 4x at 500ma vs. 2x at 1000ma now right?

[jedimasterben]

Wow didnt expect that the spread would be that different.

 

And if the PAR is the same then going with 2 is probably the better choice and fits on a smaller heatsink. Hmm interesting. Guess I can find a use for 2 spare 950s

 

I would do your own testing of everything before you decide. That's what a lot of this build ended up being - testing to see what I like and what worked for me.

 

Is the lack of spread just perceived spread, or did you actually measure it to have a significant difference? If perceived, its likely just that at 1000mA your eyes are unable to easily perceive the difference, while at 500mA it is within an intensity zone that we are able to distinguish easily.

It was perceived, mostly, but measured PAR was significantly less on the edges (even at 100%) with the old array, and now it is better. The LEDs are also 2" closer now than they were before.

 

With four at 500mA, there should have been around 11% more luminous intensity than the two at 1000mA. Maybe my eyes are just very broken. Either way, what I've got is bitchin' and I'm keepin' it!

 

What about running 4 of the 950's at 700ma? You were 4x at 500ma vs. 2x at 1000ma now right?

Correct. I'm not sure about 4x 700mA honestly, mine were hard limited to 500mA.

 

 

When I got home, the LEDs and T5s were at their peaks, and I grabbed some quick PAR numbers. LEDs peak at 40% on the NW, 80% RB, 80% blue, 100% violet, and T5 peaks at 100%. On the sandbed in various places got around 200 PAR, and higher up in the tank was 400+ under the LEDs, 280+ off-axis.

[NirvanaandTool]

Ya I probably will test out everything on my own once I get drivers and a power supply. I'll run some tests at 500mA, 700mA and 1000mA just to be sure. I think a Maker's heatsink is in order for easy removal of LEDs for testing different ideas.

Not that its happening any time soon though - I still need to finish staining my stand and then start building my canopy. Slow build is slow.

 

Some awesome PAR numbers for the array. How's everything in the tank liking the re-design now that its been a full day?

[You_Wrasse_is_Mine]

Has anyone tried the luxeon m neutrals from stevesleds? If so what was your experience with them?

[1.0reef]

Jesus this fixture and scape is awesome!

I think it deserves a....

HOLY FHIT!!!