DIY LEDs - The write-up - Page 3

ehutchby · 03/01/2009, 03:22 PM

cool thread...

jimnrose · 03/01/2009, 06:29 PM

Soundwave, thanks for taking the time to share your project. LED lighting system brings both efficiency, flexibility and cost savings that will entice more interest in reef aquariums.
Jim

MOFelix25 · 03/01/2009, 09:28 PM

Great job sound wave. Just one question can you explain your LED selection better. Are they the Cree x-re q5? I know you can get the q5's to produce 228lumens at 1 amp. Thats extremely bright for a single LED. Also can you make a full wiring diagram to go with? If you want cheaper LED plus free shipping go to dealextreme.com.

Soundwave · 03/01/2009, 10:47 PM

EBOLII: The math goes either way, all you need to do is add 6 LEDs to one buckpuck. As long as your power supply can handle the draw of the LEDs, amperage wise, you can make a fixture of any size with LEDs in multiples of 6.

dtech: I'm gonna say yes.

skeet103: I didn't space the LEDs exactly at 2". I just put them where they were evenly spaced and haven't measured. The optics are the same size, generally, as the star plate the LEDs are mounted to. You could but them all together as close as you want and still add optics. If you space them any more than 2", you MAY get a spotlighting effect. I don't know for sure since I haven't tried it.

wsukid12: That light MIGHT work but it's only using 1 watt LEDs. They are far dimmer than the true Cree LEDs. The 1 watt models run at 350mA and are very weak in comparison.

jimnrose: Thank you for pointing that out. I hope since this is now available, nobody gives their money to a certain company that decided to get a blanket patent on LED fixtures for "marine growth". Since I'm not selling a fixture but explaining how to do it, I'm in the clear. Also, this will save everyone money in bulb changes and electrical bills.

MOFelix25: I used the XR-E Q4 LEDs. I trust LEDsupply far more than dealextreme. If you have any questions, the staff at LEDsupply are super helpful and they speak English as their primary language. I COULD HAVE ordered from DealExtreme but I've had bad experiences from them. If you don't mind waiting a month for your LEDs to show up just to save a few bucks and have absolutely no customer service, go for it. As far as a wiring diagram, I'm sure I can muster something up. Give me some time, though. Busy guy right now.

Soundwave · 03/01/2009, 11:17 PM

Not as busy as I thought. I hope this helps...

bebereef · 03/02/2009, 05:40 AM

So well documented, serious candidate for thread of the month, only my opinion but wanted to share.

dtech · 03/02/2009, 08:09 AM

I was thinking I was heading the right direction.
I'm in agreement for Thread of the Month too.

Soundwave · 03/02/2009, 11:40 AM

I didn't even know we had a thread of the month until you said that.

bebereef · 03/02/2009, 12:08 PM

It's in reefkeeping magazine, always good stuff.

Quote:

Originally posted by Soundwave
I didn't even know we had a thread of the month until you said that.

CJerome21 · 03/02/2009, 01:20 PM

If there is a thread of the month then this should be it. Nice concise write up. I need to read again then I might have some questions on planning a set up for my nano.

Gator Pit · 03/02/2009, 02:15 PM

Thread of the Month !!

Thanks for the write up. Fantastic job.

Put me in the club who would like to do this to their nano.

marspeed · 03/02/2009, 04:07 PM

Thread of the Month got my vote

goofyreefer · 03/02/2009, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by marspeed
Thread of the Month got my vote

I agree.

Soundwave · 03/02/2009, 07:35 PM

That would be pretty cool to make it into reefkeeping magazine!

manhatton · 03/02/2009, 08:21 PM

It'd be well deserved.

You and evilc are doing us all a great service by laying out this info.

By far the most aesthetically pleasing setup I've seen

kaiboshi · 03/02/2009, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bebereef
So well documented, serious candidate for thread of the month

+1

Soundwave · 03/02/2009, 11:51 PM

Small update. I figured I'd share a picture of the power supply enclosure.

skunkmere · 03/03/2009, 12:38 AM

Thread of the month for sure. you just changed the world. im going to do this next time i got to change my 4 pc's on one of my nano's

Canoe · 03/03/2009, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by stugray
...
One thing I would ask, is have you tried to remove a star from the heatsink after using that epoxy? Do they Pop right off with a screwdriver? ... My plan was to use heat sink 'compound' and screw ( instead of glue ) the stars to the heat sink. It would make future replacements much quicker & easier. ...

I don't know how Reef-Safe the thermal compound/paste would be. Some even have copper or silver. And paste has problems with degraded performance due to air voids forming with thermal cycling. Twelve hours full on, twelve hours of "moon"? If you had the stars held on with springs of some sort (instead of fixed fasteners, like screws or bolts) the springs can take up the slack when the paste expands/contracts with thermal cycling, so air voids within the paste are somewhat minimized.

There is an alternative. It transfers heat better than thermal epoxy, doesn't have the mess or thermal cycling problems of paste, easier to use and can't leak into the tank.

TIM (Thermal Interface Material) is available as sheets similar to double sided tape. Sissors or an exacto knife cuts it to size and shape, then peel one side and sitck it to the LED star, then stick the star in place and secure it with your screws.

cja_2000 · 03/03/2009, 06:03 AM

how many lums per led a standard 150w mh puts out roughly 11000lm according to this?
http://tirupatisales.com/brand/BAJAJ...%20Outputs.pdf

cja_2000 · 03/03/2009, 06:12 AM

oop's got it around 230 sweet sorry

EBOLII · 03/03/2009, 07:48 AM

Soundwave I would like to see some detailed images of your puck and power supply setup please

Soundwave · 03/03/2009, 11:08 AM

I'll have to get some pics of that up. It might be a few days but I'll get it posted.

Reef55 · 03/03/2009, 11:40 AM

Hey Soundwave, fantastic writeup!!

Any chance you could get a kill-a-watt meter hooked up on the power supplies? I'd love to know the watt draw of this

Thanks!
Mark

EBOLII · 03/03/2009, 12:52 PM

or the mathematics to calculate......

03/02/2009, 05:40 AM	#56
bebereef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Sorel, Quebec, Canada Posts: 280	So well documented, serious candidate for thread of the month, only my opinion but wanted to share. __________________ Sent from my TF 300 or my SGH-T989D both on Jelly Bean.

03/03/2009, 07:48 AM	#72
EBOLII Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Deep within the uncharted Amazon Posts: 400	Soundwave I would like to see some detailed images of your puck and power supply setup please __________________ I am lost in every-way there is.............literally.............just plain LOST

03/03/2009, 12:52 PM	#75
EBOLII Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Deep within the uncharted Amazon Posts: 400	or the mathematics to calculate...... __________________ I am lost in every-way there is.............literally.............just plain LOST

03/01/2009, 03:22 PM	#51
ehutchby Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Mooresville, NC Posts: 133	cool thread...

03/01/2009, 06:29 PM	#52
jimnrose Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: The Villages, Florida Posts: 1,093	Soundwave, thanks for taking the time to share your project. LED lighting system brings both efficiency, flexibility and cost savings that will entice more interest in reef aquariums. Jim

03/01/2009, 09:28 PM	#53
MOFelix25 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lubbock, Texas Posts: 44	Great job sound wave. Just one question can you explain your LED selection better. Are they the Cree x-re q5? I know you can get the q5's to produce 228lumens at 1 amp. Thats extremely bright for a single LED. Also can you make a full wiring diagram to go with? If you want cheaper LED plus free shipping go to dealextreme.com.

03/01/2009, 10:47 PM	#54
Soundwave Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maroa, Il Posts: 361	EBOLII: The math goes either way, all you need to do is add 6 LEDs to one buckpuck. As long as your power supply can handle the draw of the LEDs, amperage wise, you can make a fixture of any size with LEDs in multiples of 6. dtech: I'm gonna say yes. skeet103: I didn't space the LEDs exactly at 2". I just put them where they were evenly spaced and haven't measured. The optics are the same size, generally, as the star plate the LEDs are mounted to. You could but them all together as close as you want and still add optics. If you space them any more than 2", you MAY get a spotlighting effect. I don't know for sure since I haven't tried it. wsukid12: That light MIGHT work but it's only using 1 watt LEDs. They are far dimmer than the true Cree LEDs. The 1 watt models run at 350mA and are very weak in comparison. jimnrose: Thank you for pointing that out. I hope since this is now available, nobody gives their money to a certain company that decided to get a blanket patent on LED fixtures for "marine growth". Since I'm not selling a fixture but explaining how to do it, I'm in the clear. Also, this will save everyone money in bulb changes and electrical bills. MOFelix25: I used the XR-E Q4 LEDs. I trust LEDsupply far more than dealextreme. If you have any questions, the staff at LEDsupply are super helpful and they speak English as their primary language. I COULD HAVE ordered from DealExtreme but I've had bad experiences from them. If you don't mind waiting a month for your LEDs to show up just to save a few bucks and have absolutely no customer service, go for it. As far as a wiring diagram, I'm sure I can muster something up. Give me some time, though. Busy guy right now.

03/01/2009, 11:17 PM	#55
Soundwave Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maroa, Il Posts: 361	Not as busy as I thought. I hope this helps...

03/02/2009, 08:09 AM	#57
dtech Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Englewood, co Posts: 519	I was thinking I was heading the right direction. I'm in agreement for Thread of the Month too.

03/02/2009, 11:40 AM	#58
Soundwave Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maroa, Il Posts: 361	I didn't even know we had a thread of the month until you said that.

03/02/2009, 01:20 PM	#60
CJerome21 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Saratoga Springs Posts: 557	If there is a thread of the month then this should be it. Nice concise write up. I need to read again then I might have some questions on planning a set up for my nano.

03/02/2009, 02:15 PM	#61
Gator Pit Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Peoria, IL Posts: 102	Thread of the Month !! Thanks for the write up. Fantastic job. Put me in the club who would like to do this to their nano.

03/02/2009, 04:07 PM	#62
marspeed Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: williamstown NJ Posts: 713	Thread of the Month got my vote

03/02/2009, 07:35 PM	#64
Soundwave Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maroa, Il Posts: 361	That would be pretty cool to make it into reefkeeping magazine!

03/02/2009, 08:21 PM	#65
manhatton Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Davenport, FL Posts: 1	It'd be well deserved. You and evilc are doing us all a great service by laying out this info. By far the most aesthetically pleasing setup I've seen

03/02/2009, 11:51 PM	#67
Soundwave Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maroa, Il Posts: 361	Small update. I figured I'd share a picture of the power supply enclosure.

03/03/2009, 12:38 AM	#68
skunkmere Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: chicago Posts: 6,434	Thread of the month for sure. you just changed the world. im going to do this next time i got to change my 4 pc's on one of my nano's

03/03/2009, 06:03 AM	#70
cja_2000 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: queensland australia Posts: 24	how many lums per led a standard 150w mh puts out roughly 11000lm according to this? http://tirupatisales.com/brand/BAJAJ...%20Outputs.pdf

03/03/2009, 06:12 AM	#71
cja_2000 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: queensland australia Posts: 24	oop's got it around 230 sweet sorry

03/03/2009, 11:08 AM	#73
Soundwave Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maroa, Il Posts: 361	I'll have to get some pics of that up. It might be a few days but I'll get it posted.

03/03/2009, 11:40 AM	#74
Reef55 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: MA Posts: 316	Hey Soundwave, fantastic writeup!! Any chance you could get a kill-a-watt meter hooked up on the power supplies? I'd love to know the watt draw of this Thanks! Mark