72W LED build

[StevenSeas]

Ok well I have almost finished stockpiling all of my resources for my LED build that I need. Here is what this build is supposed to do once done:

It will go in the canopy of my 30 gal diy aio that has a standard 20 gallon display. The canopy is up to 6 inches off of the water surface. This is the tank that I had in my dorm room at school with me but after moving it twice decided I had too many components to do that again. So my solution to that is keep my bc 29 (or maybe get a smaller 20-25 gal cube) and mount the lights in the bc hood or make a mounting fixture.
The lights will be fully dimmable and can go up to my estimated 20,000K+ color spectrum. I will probably run it closer to 12-14K for growth and color compromise. For now the lighting control will be by pot, but hopefully by the end of the summer if I get enough paychecks in it will be run by a rkl with a acl modual to simulate sunrise sunset fading in and out of the lights.
I am currently toying with the idea of adding some 405nm UV 5mm LEDs and some 467nm Blue 5mm LEDs to run fulltime and serve as moonglow or just run the blues as moonglow, I am undecided on this part as of now.

Parts list:
14 inch by 8 inch heat sink from Heatsink USA
4 coral grower royal blue cree xpe strips (each strip has 4 LEDs)
2 coral grower white (5000-6700k) cree xpg strips (each strip has 4 LEDs)
from cutter LED
2 meanwell eln-60-48d drivers (in shipment from nanotuners fyi they are on sale there)
2 120mm fans from radioshack. These push 78 cfm at only 21 db so I figure I will keep my crees pretty cool.
Thats all I have now, will use some wire, powersupply for fans and other misc stuff from my dads stash of stuff.

This build should last no longer than 2 weeks hopefully... I am up visiting my dad who majored in EE 30+ yrs ago from tech...lets see what he remembers lol

[StevenSeas]

heres some pics of what i got so far....
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00001.jpg?t=1276702092
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00002.jpg?t=1276702381
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00007.jpg?t=1276702822

[StevenSeas]

ok so i am having some issues figuring out how I should lay out my LEDs or if I should get more singles, or if I should sell what I have and buy all new singles. Any and all advice is very welcome and wanted

[Europhyllia]

probably a stupid question but aren't LEDs supposed to be very cool (temp). why do you need such big fans?

[StevenSeas]

because the way LEDs work is that there is heat emmitted but it is emitted "backward" away from the way the light is. thats why there are such big heatsinks for them because without heatsinks or fans temps can reach about 195 degrees F from my readings. plus they were 10 bucks a peice and are super quite i can only hear them when I put my dumbo sized ears bout 6 inches away lol

[Europhyllia]

Thanks for the explanation. I didn't know that.

[StevenSeas]

ya neither did I lol, but really I got them for a few other reasons. They are ultra quite at just 21 db, and put out ~3x as much air flow. They were like 3 bucks more each which isnt much considering the cost of fried LEDs. And the cooler operating temps of LEDs the longer their avg lifespan is. And last but not least I want to drive them at 1000ma which makes them get HOT

[txg8gxp]

Looks like a great start. That heatsink will take care of the heat no problem. I ran 7 4-emitter strips on a 12x5 heatsink with only one cooling fan, the led's were around 110 degrees in the biocube hood if I remember right.

[StevenSeas]

what do u suggest as a layout for even light spread ???

[txg8gxp]

What lenses if any?

[txg8gxp]

My vote
8409

[StevenSeas]

i only have 4 blues and 2 whites remember...
what lenses would u suggest i was thinking 40s on the blues and 60s on the whites in a similar setup like that, just not sure if i would get good enough par values off of only 8 white leds

[tebstan]

http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00007.jpg?t=1276702822

How big are they? where'd you get them? link? Mine are much too loud.
When do you get home?! I want to see this DIY. And hear those fans. :)

[StevenSeas]

they are 120mm so 12cm so roughly 4,8 inches. I got them from radioshack, just waltzed on in and interrogated the hapless worker *didnt know jack* and you will have to check out my tank to see the diy ... maybe i will bring by pollys to show off to randy and get some penetration shots on our 720s lol ooo and i get home on June 30

[tebstan]

get some penetration shots on our 720s

What? With the leds you're building? Seriously? You have high hopes mister. That's one deep tank. I'll laugh when you can't see a thing. :) Or eat crow when you can. I'll look forward to that.

June 30? Alright, I got you a list started. ;)

[StevenSeas]

i just wanna see the punch that they can pack and the depth that they can go to. I want you to eat dino though........

to pack that punch ill need optics....Stephen where can I find them for those strips you got me????

[tebstan]

i just wanna see the punch that they can pack and the depth that they can go to. I want you to eat dino though........


Hahaha... for those reading this thread totally confused, Dino is is a big bird. Not exactly a crow, more like a big chicken... a macaw to be exact.

Good luck having them LEDs over a 6 ft deep tank, McGyver.

[txg8gxp]

Cutter led. the carlco 20mm optics Depending on how high you mount the fixture you may not want anything lower the 60 degree optics with the number of leds you have.

[StevenSeas]

on my diy aio it will be ~5 inches from waters surface, its a 16 inch deep tank also

[StevenSeas]

is this the right holder for both the blue and white since the white were XPGs?
http://ledsupply.com/10736.php

what lens?
http://ledsupply.com/10196.php
or maybe this eliptical one to keep the light more in the tank since its length wise? http://ledsupply.com/10197.php

or do u suggest another lens?

[txg8gxp]

These are the ones I was looking at. top of page... http://www.cutter.com.au/products.php?cat=Cree+XPG

[StevenSeas]

see the thing is if i go through cutter:
long shipping times
and most importantly it cost bout 5 bucks for each optic/holder pair vs 1.5 from LEDsupply

[offroadodge]

check rapidled.com

[StevenSeas]

I think I decided to get the optics from ledsupply as I know the holder that i can get from them will work (same part number as the one from cutter....just cheaper)

now I need to decide on what optics to use
http://ledsupply.com/carclo-optics-xre.php
I know any of those will work with the holder but im not sure which to get or to get a different holder and another kinda optic

I was thinking about the eliptical due to the fact that my tank is oblong and it could potentiall work better to keep light in the tank???

Thoughts plz

[txg8gxp]

10211 Carclo XR-E Wide Lens Features: I vote for the ripple wide, seems like the right degree optic for your use.

[StevenSeas]

it says its 47 degree optics is that from the center point out so its really like 94 degree full angle or the whole thing is 47 degrees? thats whats confusing me

[txg8gxp]

47 degree would be the overall angle.

[phippsj]

The folks on ReefCentral think the 60 degree optics are offering the best. One current build has used a mix of 45 and 60 and has great distro with the same ELDs as you are using. Interestingly, without the optics he was getting an 8 foot spread. With the optics that is odwn to 18 inches! He has par readings as well, which if I remember correctly ranged from 125 to 220 on the very bottom of the tank (24" deep).

A whole bunch of links from this thread. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1759758

[StevenSeas]

thanks for the link, and the info just gotta look into those optics now lol

[StevenSeas]

They are here They are here. My meanwells are here I am so excited. Time to start hooking stuff up. Thank goodness for alligator clips

[StevenSeas]

just got in my 2 meanwell drivers and had a huge let down when i saw that the part that goes to the wall is only a cord with two wires sticking out. now obviously this isnt what i stick into an outlet so help a electronics newb out, How do I wire this thing (and with what) so that it can safely be plugged into the wall? I already read about the cheap dimming circuit *on nano-reef* and plan on doing that tonite, provided I know how to wire the plug.
EXCITED :)
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00026-1.jpg?t=1276880576

not so much anymore
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00027.jpg?t=1276882058

wires to go to wall plug
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00028.jpg?t=1276880713

power out to LEDs and dimmer circuit
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00029.jpg?t=1276880812

[txg8gxp]

very cool.

[StevenSeas]

yes but how do i wire it??

[txg8gxp]

Wire the led's in series, Input voltage doesn't matter. If that makes sense...if not let me know, I can draw a pic for you.

[StevenSeas]

i know how to wire the LEDs ... i think. So do i just get a plug and cut it up and put the wires from the meanwell to it? if so what color goes where?

pics are always nice

[txg8gxp]

Yea, polarity matters on the led side...but for the 120v input you can just hook up anyone you want(check with manual first, but is shouldn't matter). Walmart has the plug ends for like $2

[StevenSeas]

Progress update: All of the LEDs are mounted to the heatsink, after a few tries but eventually worked out well. Decided to go with marking and drilling the holes into the heatsink and then using self tapping screws to finish off the work. On the first 2 spots I broke off 3 self tapping screws, which were my only spares, in the heatsink so it wasnt looking good. Luckly figured out the thing to make it work aside from a little bit of work is to add a drop of oil out of an oil can. Worked like a charm and ended up not breaking off any more screws. Also while digging through my grandpas old tool box looking for a drill and tap set I found some plastic washers that I had looked for forever at home depot for and to no avail, who says they arent looking out for us. anyways I digress Here are some pics of the progress.

All marked out
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00036.jpg?t=1277037841

drilled and 1/2 the screws in
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00038.jpg?t=1277037841

all the screws in place
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00041.jpg?t=1277037841

LED strips in place yay
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00042.jpg?t=1277037841

[txg8gxp]

Looking good, I can't believe you made those screws work...I bet that was fun :)

[StevenSeas]

I am thinking of wiring my blue LEDs in series and parallel, causing them to get about 650mA or maybe a little more. This is for a few reasons.
1. for the heat that is put off from the royal blue xpe's there isnt much difference in light output from 750mA to 1000mA. so will this be a huge diffrence
2. will put all blues on 1 meanwell and dimmer and all whites on 1 meanwell and dimmer
3. will put out less heat overall and will make the fixture as a whole last longer.

are all these points accurate/good. would you advise this or anything else? is Stephen the only other LED DIY'er out there?

[txg8gxp]

The only issue with a parallel connection is if a led fails the rest of the line will then recieve different voltage/amperage.

[StevenSeas]

but with only 1 or 2 burning out it wouldnt be a big issue, im not too worried considering im using Cree's maybe if i was using cheap Chinese knockoffs.

[StevenSeas]

Well since everybody else is updating their build thread so will I. Sorry it took soo long to update but I just stopped seeing dots not too long ago...man these suckers are BRIGHT
So I had an old cord from a vaccum laying around so cut that up into (2) 4 foot and (2) 6 foot sections to be used to run the wires from the LEDs to meanwells and then meanwells to the wall respectively
Did a little bit of drilling in the heatsink to get it where the wires would just come out the top and clean it up some, still not pretty but hey im not AI
did a little soldering magic....after learning the basics like tining the wires, etc\
Thats when it got difficult as we were using a soldering iron that is older than me and to boot it doesnt even have a legit tip just a screw that was put in there 15+ yrs ago. Also the heatshrink was probably that old as well, that didnt shrink well so we had to use some lighters to assist LOL
After all that got the meanwells all wired up except the pot/dimming circuit leaving that for another night. However thanks to some old but trusty rusty alligator clips was able to hook up the pots to the power supply to the meanwells and viola let there be light. Now these suckers are bright, might have to borrow the par meter to figure out exactly how bright but as of now im thinking the 72watts of them will easily replace my 96watts of T5, and thats w/o lenses. This sucker lit up a dark 4 car garage at 1 in the morning its bright.

Now for some pics
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00049.jpg?t=1277360397
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00051.jpg?t=1277360397

[StevenSeas]

http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00059.jpg?t=1277360397
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00061.jpg?t=1277360397
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00065.jpg?t=1277360397

[txg8gxp]

:thumbs_up:

[StevenSeas]

Quick update: fans are on, cant run any heat tests yet though b/c I dont have a amp meter that reads atlaest 1.5 amps and i dont have an IR thermometer. Will pick some up and do a heat test and maybe borrow a par meter....
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00084.jpg?t=1277677789http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00082-1.jpg?t=1277677789http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00083.jpg?t=1277677789http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00085.jpg?t=1277677789http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad161/aggiereefer12/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC00086.jpg?t=1277677789

I dont quite think I have anything on AI yet... just price... Maybe by my next bulb change in 10 yrs

[txg8gxp]

Any updates for us?

[StevenSeas]

I have the system hooked up and in my custom hood/canopy and had to raise it a few inches for a couple of weeks due to too much light for some of my LPS. But now it is seeming like my corals are all adjusted to it and growth is good, better than with my T5s. and coloration is sooo much better than with T5s it isnt even nice or fair to compare. Now i just have to figure out how to implant the fixture into my BC 29 hood as I will be selling my custom built setup soon due to its just too hard to move back and forth to school. But in short I love it and cant imagine how high i would have to raise it up if I had decided to use optics.

[tebstan]

what, no pics? Come on!

[Europhyllia]

Very cool! Glad the project is going so well
And yes, pics or it didn't happen...

[StevenSeas]

I'll post pics in tomorrow. Then its time to start cleaning out my bc29 hood for it.
And tebstan you know your going to have to come see it one of these days, as pics won't do it any justice.

[Europhyllia]

Ugh you really make me wonder if I should budget for a AI fixture next year. All of this LED stuff sounds very tempting!
Awesome that you were able to get it working so well so quickly!