Beginners DIY LED Build

[Tempset]

I took the plunge last night & ordered an LED package from "aquastyleonline.com".

This was at a friends recommendation.

I chose a 36 LED dimmable package with 1/2 royal blue & 1/2 10k white. 80degree optics come with it.

I intend on taking many pictures to show progress.

This will go over a 40gal breeder display.

[allan]

looking forward to the build.

[350gt]

Should have added some red/green/uv for a fuller spectrum.

[ducati996]

yessir cant beat full spectrum at all tony

[rrasco]

Can't go wrong with aquastyle. Did you get the Maxwellen or Meanwell drivers?

I would of also added some more color as well.

[FireWater]

We will also be doing a meeting this year on DIY LEDs.

[Zack]

I've heard some bad things about the potentiometers included with the kit. Many people say that if you get radio shack ones they improve dimming function sensitivity and allow for a more fine tuned dimming. And +1 on the full spectrum

[rrasco]

I've heard some bad things about the potentiometers included with the kit. Many people say that if you get radio shack ones they improve dimming function sensitivity and allow for a more fine tuned dimming. And +1 on the full spectrum

That's true, if you go with an analog driver. The pots they include are cheap and it's recommended to replace them for more precision.

[Tempset]

I did not choose other LED colors because it didn't give the option to beyond swapping 2 blues for red's.

I didn't see how 2 LED's by themselves would make a noticeable different across my entire tank.

This is a 1st build & most likely a strong learning experience.

I'm sure future builds will include more diversity.

Couple questions:

1. Should I affix the LED's to the heat sink before soldering?

2. Should I alternate blue & white within each strip I make or make each strip 1 color & simply alternate strips.

3. Does the dimmer need its own power supply or can it simply be wired within the circuit?

I believe someone asked about the driver that I selected with my package. The answer is; which ever driver didn't add extra $$ onto the package z

[rrasco]

Okay, so you have the maxwellen drivers. The meanwells would have been better, but these will do. Also depending on if you ever plan to use a controller or not.

Believe it or not, a couple reds makes a huge difference on a tank. I have 72 emitters, 4 of which are 'pink' (basically red), and they make a huge difference.

For future reference, if you email AS or put it in the notes of the order, they will let you mix up the colors to your choosing.

Answers:

1. Yes, place the emitters with the thermal paste (unless you're drilling/tapping), then you can solder up the strings. Not sure if they need to cure before soldering, but I don't think it matters much. I always drill and tap, so IDK for sure about the paste. It's better to have them in place before soldering though so you know wire lengths, etc.

2. I would alternate within each strip, you'll get better blending that way. Otherwise you may end up with a row of blue and a row of white. I am leaning more towards pod designs (like the AI) now than linear designs though.

3. Dimmer? You mean the pot? They go inline either with the strings or to a dimming port, never used an analog driver so I don't know 100%, I'd have to find a schematic again, there are several out there. I'm sure it will come with instructions for that, but basically what I am trying to say is, pots don't need their own power, they are used inline. This schematic is how to control an analog driver with an arduino. You will notice the pot has a 10V source, but that's because analog dimming requires 10V, and the arduino can only supply 5V. In your setup (sans arduino, also depending if there is a dimming port on the driver or not) the pots would simply go inline to the LEDs. Once again, I think.

https://sites.google.com/site/caddnima/_/rsrc/1351529600956/myreeftank/my-files/WiringDiagNPN.jpg

[Tempset]

Received the LED package today.

I literally don't have time to assemble anything until the weekend.

But rest assured - the step by step build is coming!

http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-241.jpg

http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1548.jpg

http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-822.jpg

http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2430.jpg

http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2109.jpg

http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-469.jpg

Those are just a few teaser photos.

The build starts Saturday - hopefully!

It's going to be a picture/short video intensive pictorial.

[koa25]

Nice man. Always cool to see the step by step builds. Helps us visual people out ha ha.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

That is not a beginners kit. Thats an expert kit and should be able to get the full 50000 hrs. Congrats:bigsmile:

[Scutterborn]

This has me re thinking buying 3 more AI sols....


-Ben-

[Zack]

This has me re thinking buying 3 more AI sols....


-Ben-

I have built a full spectrum AI clone, not too shabby, although after buying the ai nano, having full dimmability is a huge plus, but not worth it over a more fuller spectrum.

Not gonna lie, though, I wish I had the ability to make a storm in my DT.

[Scutterborn]

My diamond goby makes enough storm for me! ;)

I have the sol and all the storm mode does is scare the heck outta my fish. I'm not enthusiastic about that feature.


-Ben-

[Zack]

Haha maybe It's cause I only have one fish it's not as dramatic. When you up to the big tank, are you going to use all 3 sols?

[reefreak]

Ben he stirs up your tank bad? Lol I can't wait to try out the storm mode on my sol.

[Scutterborn]

I had planned on utilizing 4 AI sols.

I already have 1.

-Ben-

[Scutterborn]

Ben he stirs up your tank bad? Lol I can't wait to try out the storm mode on my sol.

Yeah. I think it's more due to the fact that I'm using oolite grade sand and its easily caught in the flow. He doesn't pick up a mouthful and then sit on my acans though. So, that's good.


-Ben-

[Tempset]

That is not a beginners kit. Thats an expert kit and should be able to get the full 50000 hrs. Congrats:bigsmile:

Well, it's an expert's kit in a beginners hand.

[rrasco]

Well, it's an expert's kit in a beginners hand.

It's easy. You got this!

[Milly]

Keeping up with this...Jason needs a new project - and I need new lightin for my 20L

[Tempset]

So I decided to pull out the kit & start getting an idea on what goes where.

No soldering tonight(1-31-13). This was just placement & familiarization.

Here's the workstation for JUST checking things out. There will probably be a different work station at my parents house where i'll be assembling this new obsession of mine. Again, always with pictures!
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2128.jpg

Here's the heat sink with fins facing up. This is the side where I will mount the fan that came with the kit & the LED drivers. You'll see plenty of pics of that as well.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2085.jpg

So we turn the heat sink over onto its fins. All the LED's will be epoxied(glued) to THIS surface. Note the 4 pre drilled holes. I called it predrilled because *i* did not drill them. Those holes are where the included hanging kit will be attached so that I can suspend(or hang) this light fixture ABOVE my tank.http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1190.jpg

i started by simply opening each zip-locked baggy & very gently shaking all the LED's out onto the work surface.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-558.jpg

Now both piles are out on display. The royal blues are closer to the camera, while the 10k white are farther away.http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2134.jpg

10k white on the left, royal blue on the right. You'll notice the 10k has a distinct yellow blob within the clear casing, while the royal blue just appears clear all the way through.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1842.jpg

10k on bottom, royal blue on top. It's near impossible to see in these photos, but there are 4 little silver squares around each LED. 2 of them have a + sign near them and 2 of them have a - sign near them. These spots are where the wires will touch & become permanently soldered(metal welded) on.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1942.jpg

Here's the back side of the LED's. looks like just a machine stamped/punched plate.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2272.jpg

So 1 of the first things I do is check to make sure I actually have the. 36 LED's that came with the package. Do you count 36?
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1016.jpg

So I started laying out the LED's in the quick block configuration & realized I had 3 left over. Hmmmm. Scratching my head for a minute & thinking about it - I scooted a few around to make another row & stole a few from the end & it finally came out to a workable pattern.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1346.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2114.jpg

So, 1 at a time - I move them into they're 'soon to be permanent' positions.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2229.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1787.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1511.jpg

Fine tuning some positions....
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1623.jpg

About as close as I'm going to get them without a ruler or tape measure on hand.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1174.jpg

Now it's time to examine the driver & it's wiring.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1908.jpg

4 wires on the LED side. Black & red will become attached to the LED's. the 2 whites will attach to the dimmer control.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1816.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1596.jpg

Two white wires all by themselves will get attached to power cords(which are still in the original box.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1566.jpg


That's all for now. We'll pick up this show most likely Saturday evening!(2-2-13)

Thanks for reading & feel free to ask questions or make comments. Please leave any negativity @ the door. This is a *learning* build thread. If you see something you don't like - find a way to mention it in a courteous manner or don't bother replying.

[rrasco]

Looking good.

The LED stars are Metal-Core Printed Circuit Boards (MCPCB). It's an effective way to transmit the heat of the LEDs to another surface for adequate cooling, such as the heat sink and fan. Next to the pads on top, the LED is soldered to the MCPCB.

[Tempset]

LED Build Part 2 [Epoxy]


Had a large chunk of time with little or nothing to do on Saturday (2-2-13) so I broke out the kit & began the epoxy process.


SO, last time you saw it, the build looked a little like this:
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1591.jpg


Time to break out the epoxy paste.
From what I understand(by reading the instructions on the sheet included), the paste is designed to keep the LED stuck TO the back surface of the heat sink. It takes about 3 hours to cure to a hard state. Once it's cured, it'll be strongly held in place for soldering & working with it. The paste also helps transfer heat FROM the LED TO the heat sink, which then allows the heat to travel into the fins where wind can whisk it all away.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2352.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-322.jpg


Remove the cap. Notice there is a pointy spot on the back. This cap is meant to be turned over and used to pierce the seal on the tube itself. Simple reverse the cap & press the it FIRMLY back onto the tubes seal.(no twisting is required) Take care NOT to pinch the tube while pushing the pointy end onto the tube. It could squirt out the paste. Instead - use a whole hand around the tube for support. Or, if your talented enough - use 2 fingers on the top part of the tube & then apply pressure.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2215.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1130.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1603.jpg


The proper alignment of the LED's once again. As you can see: I started using a sharpie to mark where I wanted them & as I continued down the line; it occurred to me - the only life forms that will ever see these lights after I'm done building it - are fish. I'm okay with that.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1765.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2042.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1913.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1483.jpg


Time to start bonding these puppies in place. I learned that a LITTLE tiny bit of paste goes a LONG way.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1382.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2204.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2106.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-808.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1533.jpg


See? Nothing falls off now :-) The little white dots you see in a vertical slanted line are simply sunlight escaping through the mini blinds.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1990.jpg


A side view of the fins.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1244.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-744.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1964.jpg


And lastly, the instructions say the paste cures(or dries) in 3 hours.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1028.png

[Zack]

Looks good! Great write up also, you'll love the kit!

[Tempset]

I wanted to apologize for the long finger nails(some with dirt underneath).

1. I like my nails longer than normal. (Drives my dad nuts when i visit)Gives me something to play with when I can't do anything else.

2. The dirt is just my laziness to clean them. Please forgive me.

[Tempset]

Having a tad but if trouble with powering up the LEDs.

I have 3/4's of the white wires up & I wanted to check to see how bright they were.

I soldered the ballast to the 1st LED, connected the power cord to the ballast & plugged it in.

All they do is blink together about once per 3 seconds.

I know my wires coming from the wall at connected properly to the ballast. I also know my red wire is connected to the + side of the 1st LED & the black wire is connected to the - side of the 1st LED.

[hobogato]

did you wire them in series or parallel? i think those drivers require series.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

You are doing a great write up. This will open doors for people who cant or wont spend a couple of grand on LED fixtures.
Check all polarity and use a multimeter diode tester and you will be able to see if all LEDs are good.
Great job.

[Tempset]

Here's what I have so far.

Excuse the sloppiness of SOME of the wiring - took some time to get used to working with a soldering iron.

In this picture, you can clearly see that the wiring is correctly connected.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-831.jpg


It's a little bit of a mess - but I promise that they all lit up with the battery tester yesterday!
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1370.jpg

http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-636.jpg

All 18 white are connected together.

We have noticed that the 9 blues we have wired up ARE lighting up just fine under the battery tester.

[hobogato]

can you post a pic that shows all of the information on the top of the driver?

[Tempset]

I can & I will, but I figured out the problem with the help of a friend of mine (Felix). So I'm soldering right now & I'll post something up when I'm done.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Wires much more organized than my wires. lol Yall probably saw the LEDs look like their in parallel.

[Tempset]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/05/upe7e6y8.jpg

LED's finally coming together properly.

More to follow. The last few posts were just me having some problems. It's all sorted out now!

[hobogato]

awesome! glad you figured it out.

[rrasco]

Sorry I didn't chime in earlier, but you only need to connect one wire on each side the LED....as you already figured out.

DRIVER+ -LED+ -LED+ -LED+
DRIVER- +LED- +LED- +LED-

[Tempset]

Found the problem.

The last wire connecting the last 2 LED's were on the wrong posts.

All that remains now is:

1. adding additional wire so that I can mount the drivers AWAY from the fixture.

2. Adding "stand offs" & acrylic shield in order to protect the LEDs from getting salt creep & splashes.

http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo.jpg

[allan]

Nice job, dude. Very nice. Can't wait to see it over water. :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Are you going to use the hanging kit or mount them to canopy?

[rrasco]

Found the problem.

The last wire connecting the last 2 LED's were on the wrong posts.

I'm confused by this. Looking at the pictures, you wired up both the + and - on every LED where you only needed one wire to/from each. But you state the last LEDs were on the wrong posts as the problem. I only point this out because I don't want someone to duplicate your wiring in post #32 thinking it is correct. It is not. What I believe was happening was that you were over-driving the LEDs with that wiring and the driver was shutting down to protect itself. Then came back on and shut down again. Rinse and repeat.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

I think he fixed it. But your right, and I think you would agree rrasco, the LED diode is an electronic switch. You apply the voltage on the + side, or consider it an input. The switch closes and the current comes out the negative side - or output. That - side is now the input to the next LED diode on the +side, and hence you repeat . . . In post 32, Im actually surprised the driver didnt get shorted or as you were saying overdriven. Electronics are fun.

[Tempset]

Yeah I fixed it.

I haven't forgotten about this build. I'm working on the next sections of the build.

Ill update very soon.

[rrasco]

I know you fixed it, just trying to clarify how you did so.

[Tempset]

LED Build Part 4 - Soldering(correctly)


We start with an assembly of tools.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1750.jpg


Soldering Iron. THIS model is a 30 watt borrowed from my dads house. Walmart sells them pretty cheap.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-579.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-3.jpg


Wire. I bought 18gauge because it closely resembled the thickness of wire that was shipped with my order. All they had at Walmart were red & black. So I chose black. Given a bigger selection - I would chose blue wire for the blues & white wire for the whites.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1956.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-125.jpg




Pocket knife(just in case).
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1545.jpg


Wire strippers/cutters
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-127.jpg


Battery powered tester. You can see it uses 2 "AA" batteries. Be careful not to leave the switch in the "on" position. I've found the batteries drain faster that way.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-137.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-140.jpg


Solder. Buy the solder used strictly for electronics..
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-139.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2072.jpg


First task was to place the LED's in such a manor that allowed me room to solder them without bumping into other LED's.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-180.jpg
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-182.jpg


You'll need to measure how long you want your wire to be between LED's.
I simply hold the wire from pad to pad & snip it appropriately.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-2492.jpg


Strip both ends of the wire you just cut. You only need a tiny amount on each end exposed:
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/photo-1487.jpg


Prep the soldering iron by adding solder to the iron by touching it to the tip & letting it melt into a "blob". I should note here that MY soldering iron isn't created with a pointy "tip", but rather a flat ending & a slight curve. This may differ from yours - but the principal should remain the same. Get some solder on that tip man!


Applying Solder to the Iron. This is necessary for tinning the wires & for applying solder to the LED pads.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/IMG_8429.mp4


Tinning the wires. After applying solder to the iron - You simply roll the wire around in the solder to get it coated with the solder.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/IMG_8430.mp4


After tinning the wire you will use, you need to add some solder to to LED's pad so the wire to connect to.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/IMG_8431.mp4




Attaching the wire. Keep in mind, I did not allow the thermal paste the required drying time to cure during this step & that is why you see 1 of the LED's move slightly as I bond the other half of the wire to
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/all2e_z97/IMG_8433.mp4


I realize there may be other ways to solder wires to these LED's & that's great. The method shown in the video's above worked great for me. And once I got the hang of it - it was extremely easy to make all the LED's work together. I do not claim to be the authority on soldering OR claim to have the best work around.


All the LED's work & that's a foundation I can build upon.

[Kyle86]

Im thinking of getting the rapid led retro kit but wasn't sure the color combo i should go with, it comes with 24 cree leds. the default is 12 royal blue and 12 white