Littlebigaj
Community Member
I recently moved up from a nano to a 92 gallon corner tank. After spending too much money setting this tank up, I decided I needed to finish it off with a touch of LED lighting.
What I used:
(2) 10" aluminum heat sinks
(12) Cree XR-E 3 watt royal blue LED
(1) Meanwell ELN-60-48P Driver (dimmable)
(1) Arctic Alumina thermal adhesive
Red and black wire
Solder
40 watt soldering iron
4 'L' bracket
4 nuts and bolts
Drill
Metal drill bit
Electrical tape
First I assembled the 'L' brackets to the Aqua medic light fixture. To do this I backed out two screws that were on each side of the light fixture and fastened the brackets using the same screw and holes.
Then I measured the space between the brackets and drilled two holes in each heat sink so that could mount it using the nuts and bolts (you may want to use lock nuts, your call).
After the holes were drilled, I mounted the LED lights to the heat sink by mixing an even amount of part A thermal paste with part B. I distanced 6 LEDs on each heat sink, 1.5 inches apart on center. This worked best for me but you can decided for yourself how you want to space them. I read that you may not want to exceed 3 inches apart I positioned my LEDs to favor one side so that I could properly mount the heat sinks to my Aqua Medic.
I mixed the thermal paste a little at a time as I mounted the LEDs so that it didn't harden up on me. I found it easiest to mount one up, one upside down, one up, one upside down, etc. This way I could solder in series easily.
*note that it's easiest to use a good soldering iron if you decide to solder after mounting the LED on the heat sink, because the heat sink makes it difficult to heat up what you're soldering.*
After they were mounted, I soldered them in series, so that I could run all 12 on the driver that I bought ( I believe it will run a maximum of 13 in series).
I used a long wire to join the two heat sinks together so that it could stretch across my Aqua medic. I also left the two + and - leads long enough to reach the driver (which I decided to mount in my stand cabinet).
Here is where I messed up, I ordered the Meanwell ELN-60-48P driver which has dimming capabilities, but apparently it requires a custom made dimmer in order to get correct dimming functions (they have a different model that is easier to dimm). Here's how you make it, courtesy of Evil over on the nano reef forums. He's a very helpful dude and taught me a bunch about how to make this LED setup. This device requires a 12V adapter to power.
This device connects to the DIM+ and DIM- that comes from the mean well driver. If you decide to not use the dimming capabilities of the driver, you can take a 9v or 10v adapter and connect it to the DIM+ and DIM- accordingly.
Finally, I attached 110V to the driver using a computer cord that I cut the end off of. If you use a computer cord, the wire colors match up.
I know it's not the most thorough write up, but it's an idea to think about if you are looking to add a little LED to your tank. This added a nice psychedelic look to my corals. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
What I used:
(2) 10" aluminum heat sinks
(12) Cree XR-E 3 watt royal blue LED
(1) Meanwell ELN-60-48P Driver (dimmable)
(1) Arctic Alumina thermal adhesive
Red and black wire
Solder
40 watt soldering iron
4 'L' bracket
4 nuts and bolts
Drill
Metal drill bit
Electrical tape
First I assembled the 'L' brackets to the Aqua medic light fixture. To do this I backed out two screws that were on each side of the light fixture and fastened the brackets using the same screw and holes.
Then I measured the space between the brackets and drilled two holes in each heat sink so that could mount it using the nuts and bolts (you may want to use lock nuts, your call).
After the holes were drilled, I mounted the LED lights to the heat sink by mixing an even amount of part A thermal paste with part B. I distanced 6 LEDs on each heat sink, 1.5 inches apart on center. This worked best for me but you can decided for yourself how you want to space them. I read that you may not want to exceed 3 inches apart I positioned my LEDs to favor one side so that I could properly mount the heat sinks to my Aqua Medic.
I mixed the thermal paste a little at a time as I mounted the LEDs so that it didn't harden up on me. I found it easiest to mount one up, one upside down, one up, one upside down, etc. This way I could solder in series easily.
*note that it's easiest to use a good soldering iron if you decide to solder after mounting the LED on the heat sink, because the heat sink makes it difficult to heat up what you're soldering.*
After they were mounted, I soldered them in series, so that I could run all 12 on the driver that I bought ( I believe it will run a maximum of 13 in series).
I used a long wire to join the two heat sinks together so that it could stretch across my Aqua medic. I also left the two + and - leads long enough to reach the driver (which I decided to mount in my stand cabinet).
Here is where I messed up, I ordered the Meanwell ELN-60-48P driver which has dimming capabilities, but apparently it requires a custom made dimmer in order to get correct dimming functions (they have a different model that is easier to dimm). Here's how you make it, courtesy of Evil over on the nano reef forums. He's a very helpful dude and taught me a bunch about how to make this LED setup. This device requires a 12V adapter to power.
This device connects to the DIM+ and DIM- that comes from the mean well driver. If you decide to not use the dimming capabilities of the driver, you can take a 9v or 10v adapter and connect it to the DIM+ and DIM- accordingly.
Finally, I attached 110V to the driver using a computer cord that I cut the end off of. If you use a computer cord, the wire colors match up.
I know it's not the most thorough write up, but it's an idea to think about if you are looking to add a little LED to your tank. This added a nice psychedelic look to my corals. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
