Diy led project

dacianb

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Hello everybody,
more than a year ago I switched my FW Juwel tank to SW as a “let’s try sw†but slowly I became addicted to this hobby.In the meantime I am very unhappy with the current light system on Juwel tank, I even bought a LED fixture (according to leaflet I should be able to keep SPS with it, but fishes don’t even wake up when the light is on). I looked on all possible led systems on the market, but most are overpriced, some are really bad designed and yes, the acceptable ones are waaaay too expensive.

So I decided to start designing my own LED fixture.

No, I am not crazy – I am a professional led lighting designer since more than 15 years and I designed lights for most advanced industries from advanced microscopy to defense and aerospace… everything with LEDs, of course.
I will try to keep posting the steps I am doing on this DYI project, but will not be fast as I try to do things as should.

I know lots of things about LEDs and light, but still have plenty of questions for amazing people on this forum, as I am very new to sw and even newer to corals.

1. What is the best spectrum to cover requirements of all marine life forms from a tank? – is very confusing looking at what is on market. Here, my friends, I am totally lost as my sw knowledge is extremely limited.
2. If you would have possibility, what feature would you add to a led light on your tank? Honestly, I really don’t want to control the spectrum from my phone and I will not pay hundreds of $ for such gadgets. I want to make a light using all my knowledge, but have to be simple, efficient and as cheap possible. Let’s say, I will be able to offer myself a 5 years guarantee on this light :nerd:
3. Did anyone saw on an aquarium LED fixture something related to IEC 62471-1 Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems?? Warning symbols?? I can explain further if someone is interested by, but I can say that blue/white leds are more dangerous than you think…

I would like to thank you all for the support already

Excuse my English, but is not my mother tongue
 
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dacianb

dacianb

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Based on a 36 LED layout I started mixing different LEDs in order to evaluate the outcome spectra...I still didn't have all the possible options in yet, but is a start...
Here are 6 different configurations I calculated until now... Can someone let me know which one the best for corals? Or any changes required???

CONFIGURATIONS_zps18b0ecca.jpg
 

Velodog2

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This is very interesting. How are you determining the spectra of the different combinations? Keeping sps successfully seems to be a mostly empirical science and a good starting point might be what has worked well in the past. It would be interesting to try matching the spectra of good 14k and 20k metal halide bulbs as closely as possible to see what happens. I would love to see what combinations (and brands of diodes) you use.
 
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dacianb

dacianb

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Sorry Velodog2 about my late reply, but I was on holidays :).
At the beginning of this threat I wrote that I am an professional led lighting designer - not reef lights, but other more demanding applications. Any optical design software is capable of simulating such leds combinations. Of course, those are quite expensive tools, but probably all light manufacturers use them.

Anyway, since my last post I studied a lot regarding corals light requirements, and soon will come up with a new approach, a bit more complex than what I wrote before.
 

mcarroll

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As far as spectrum, you want sunlight as filtered by seawater. Complicated, but relatively known quantities. You need to choose what depth you want to emulate though.

So many people pick LED colors based on what they think looks nice vs what's realistic - and if it has phone-control they pay double! - I'm interested to see what you come up with!

-Matt
 
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dacianb

dacianb

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Looking around on different articles and other online sources I found some graphs regarding Zooxanthellae Light Absorption (on image bellow on yellow dotted line). In the same graph I added the VLambda ( human eye sensitivity graph) - red dotted line; and also typical spectra of a Neutral White LED - green line. All curves normalized to 1.


1. As I know PAR meters uses the same VLambda curve for measurements, so are those really necessary, as seems that most efficient wavelengths for corals are not even measured
2. Looking at the Zooxanthellae Light Absorption, Deep red range is 60% of the deep blue/violet range - but I never saw such a light on market. Is there any reason?




Spectra00_zps10f47712.jpg
 
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dacianb

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And here is the first concept on my light....


300x190 mm size. 72 LEDs on 6 channels. Cooling will be capable of handling 200-250 W (if necesary, but I dont think I will go in high range). And some other features I am working on.


001_zps8bc12b31.png



002_zps63ea38f1.png
 

mcarroll

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Conservative - looks like many lights on the market. (Which is fine....external looks aren't the interesting part!)

-Matt
 

rayn

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Following along. LED lights are something I want, looking into, and have thought about building before. Wondering what you come up with.
 
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dacianb

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Sorry to everybody for such a long absence from my post here, but due some other issues, my led project was posponed until now - but the idea didnt died :).
In the meantime I red a lot about this subject and also worked seriously on this.




I almost finalized the design of MCPCB, ordered some mechanical parts / components and also waiting for the cooling system.


Each such board have 41 Osram Oslon Signal LEDs (including cyan and converted blue) and 4 Luxeon UV ( 2x 405-410 nm and 2x 415-420nm range) with a total of 140-150W (depend by voltage bins of LEDs)


With this concept I can mount easily 600W / meter in a slim design, extremly silent system.






Spectrum_zps5bc8fa7e.jpg









mcpcb_zps0eb6548f.jpg



100x90 mm boards with a max 150W.




I will return with more details soon ;)
 
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dacianb

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But my main question for the specialists around - the spectrum - is it OK for SW tanks? Or some changes are required? I would like to order the boards asap...
 

TJ's Reef

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Looks like a very effective overall spectrum to me, and quite similar to color and ratios I incorporated to my DIY array. I tried to emulate the overall spectrum of a Phoenix 14K lamp which is/was my favorite MH lamp and there was plenty of online spectral graphs to it to copy. The main difference to our LED choices is I chose primarily Cool Whites in varying bins 6500-10,000K, selecting the Rad and Green range directly with those emitters. I felt that there was to much Yellow-to-Green range in the NW and WW emitters beyond what I liked. My original 'Broad Spectrum' designs going back to 2009 lacked the Violet which I could not source at the time then updated to a year or so back making a noticeable difference. Also I chose to go with a very spread out array to eliminate the typical hot spots of most fixtures and blended the mix of emitters throughout each of the six primary East-to-West circuits with a seventh circuit being a short duration 'Noonday' PAR blast of all Cree XM-L's in 6500K. With the spread I get very even PAR readings throughout entire tank of 250-350 at an overall 45% use of max power. A bit of an older pic of my array which is over a 60" x 24" x 20" 125g tank. Pardon the burnt out emitter or two, last of the non Cree or Phillips lower forward voltage emitters. Second pic is of 'Sunrise' or 1st cicuit ramping up.

LED array 1-18-14.jpg
Sunrise on the Reef (2) 5-15-14.jpg


Cheers, Todd
 
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dacianb

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Looks like a very effective overall spectrum to me, and quite similar to color and ratios I incorporated to my DIY array. I tried to emulate the overall spectrum of a Phoenix 14K lamp which is/was my favorite MH lamp and there was plenty of online spectral graphs to it to copy. The main difference to our LED choices is I chose primarily Cool Whites in varying bins 6500-10,000K, selecting the Rad and Green range directly with those emitters. I felt that there was to much Yellow-to-Green range in the NW and WW emitters beyond what I liked. My original 'Broad Spectrum' designs going back to 2009 lacked the Violet which I could not source at the time then updated to a year or so back making a noticeable difference. Also I chose to go with a very spread out array to eliminate the typical hot spots of most fixtures and blended the mix of emitters throughout each of the six primary East-to-West circuits with a seventh circuit being a short duration 'Noonday' PAR blast of all Cree XM-L's in 6500K. With the spread I get very even PAR readings throughout entire tank of 250-350 at an overall 45% use of max power. A bit of an older pic of my array which is over a 60" x 24" x 20" 125g tank. Pardon the burnt out emitter or two, last of the non Cree or Phillips lower forward voltage emitters. Second pic is of 'Sunrise' or 1st cicuit ramping up.

LED array 1-18-14.jpg Sunrise on the Reef (2) 5-15-14.jpg

Cheers, Todd


Thanks Todd,

great tank! Also a nice concept of east-west light "flow". I red that cold white leds lack the color rendering on corals, but neutral whites gives enough light in yellow-red area to see everything better. Actually I combined neutral white LEDs with Converted Blue (some new leds from Osram - interesting from spectral point) and deep red on same channel. This white channel have now around 8000K but build in a different way than with cold white leds only.

About violet LEDs (I call UV leds what is under 400nm and I will not use them). So violet (400-430nm) LEDs - are those so critical? The price of the 4 Luxeon UV on this board is higher than all the other 41 LEDs together :). So hope will worth the money. But no, I will not use cheap leds from webshops anyway. I choose 2x 405-410 nm and 2x 415-420nm range. Those are class III emitters - so really dangerous for human eye - I just have to take care so my kinds will not play with the light :).
 
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dacianb

dacianb

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Next question of my project.... CONTROLLERS :).


I plan to use Coralux Storm to control the lights. Is this good enough? Are there better options on same price range? I need only 3 channels.
 
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dacianb

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Thanks guys, but my software and electronics DIY knowledge are very limited. I am quite afraid of loosing time and money on a DIY controller. Lights are my expertise, so I can do what I dream. My interest was on off the shelf light controller and I stopped on Storm. Is this good enough? Or there are issues I have to expect with it?
 
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dacianb

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Finally I received the approval for the gerber files from a friend with more knowledge in electronics (he just checked if everything is OK on the design I made) . Now I can order the boards and start the build :)




ScreenShot12-09-14at0906PM2_zps5ebb5a9f.jpg
 

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