Can AI Prime 16HD possibly lose power / PAR over time?

[SauceyReef]

Can an AI Prime 16HD possibly decrease in power / PAR over time for whatever reason?

I have used a PAR meter twice now and I swear last year when I used it the readings were slightly higher. I made sure to write them down this time, so next time I check I can figure if it changes.

 

[BAMatter]

Did your lenses melt? Make sure all your LED’s and channels work? Any chance of dirty water?

 

[SauceyReef]

Did your lenses melt? Make sure all your LED’s and channels work? Any chance of dirty water?

The light is working fine. No lense melt, all diodes / LEDs working. Water was clear when I checked both times. It could be that I just remembered incorrectly, or manually did something slightly different to alter the readings.

I just want to make sure it is not possible for the PAR of an LED to slowly go down over time.

 

[ryanjohn1]

LED does fade in brightness over time

 

[BAMatter]

Also, depending on PAR meter, does it have a water submersion setting? That may or may not have been calculated at either PAR reading you took.

 

[oreo54]

The light is working fine. No lense melt, all diodes / LEDs working. Water was clear when I checked both times. It could be that I just remembered incorrectly, or manually did something slightly different to alter the readings.

I just want to make sure it is not possible for the PAR of an LED to slowly go down over time.

All light sources degrade over time...
As to how long/much w/ led.. depends on the quality of parts and design, obviously.

Understanding and Measuring the Lifetime of LED Lighting versus Incandescent Bulbs

Product lifetime, Light Bulb vs LED The typical product lifetime of an incandescent light bulb is 1000 hours. When the bulb reaches the end of its product lifetime, it cannot emit light anymore. Typically, just before, there is spark or pop, as the filame

www.lumistrips.com

If you look at the Nichia data for those smaller emitters (0.2w) you see a measured drop of .3% over 2.28 years (12/365).

 

[SauceyReef]

Thanks guys. I definitely think aging is causing my AI Prime 16 HD to lose PAR. It is over 3 years old and I only regularly clean the fans. It may be time to break down the light a bit, and check all the other components.

@BAMatter the PAR meter I rent from our local club has a submersion setting. I assumed all reef PAR meters were submersible.

 

[BAMatter]

Regardless of if they’re all submersible or not, for example the one I have plugs into a computer and the readings will change depending on if I have the submersion setting checked on or off. I don’t know what meter you’re using but that could be where the skewed results originated from. Just a thought.

 

[oreo54]

Thanks guys. I definitely think aging is causing my AI Prime 16 HD to lose PAR. It is over 3 years old and I only regularly clean the fans. It may be time to break down the light a bit, and check all the other components.

@BAMatter the PAR meter I rent from our local club has a submersion setting. I assumed all reef PAR meters were submersible.

I'm going to assume it's an Apogee or at least an Apogee sensor..

Underwater PAR Measurements | Apogee Instruments

www.apogeeinstruments.com

There isn't much to check really. At best swapping the current power supply out "may" show an issue as in the current one not being able to hold a steady output voltage under load.
I don't really know a simple way to measure this.
Or the natural decay of the leds. If they lost say 10% after lets just say 3 years, I'd be surprised a bit.

 

[SauceyReef]

Greatly appreciate both of your input/replies and information. I am back into the hobby from 15 years ago when it was filled with Metal Halides, T5s, and Compact Fluorescents. Got back during the pandemic 3+ years ago, and started with the AI Prime.

When nice but still smaller $200 fixtures like an AI Prime 16 HD go bad is it worth trying to replace the insides, or just more sufficient to buy a new one? Any opinion on this would be helpful for me.

 

[oreo54]

Greatly appreciate both of your input/replies and information. I am back into the hobby from 15 years ago when it was filled with Metal Halides, T5s, and Compact Fluorescents. Got back during the pandemic 3+ years ago, and started with the AI Prime.

When nice but still smaller $200 fixtures like an AI Prime 16 HD go bad is it worth trying to replace the insides, or just more sufficient to buy a new one? Any opinion on this would be helpful for me.

If it "truly" goes bad.. well probably best to replace it.
There are people that can fix these things.
The internals can be fairly easily repaired and power supplies and lenses are fairly cheaply replaced.

You really didn't state about how much did you lose?

Also Quantum sensors also drift out of spec over time unless re-calibrated.

Recalibration and Repair | Apogee Instruments

www.apogeeinstruments.com

There really are a lot of "ifs" here including if you aren't running it at 100% and have room to adjust for drift.
Not to mention they are no longer just $200.

Keep in mind light really is one of the least factors to health here.


Now wanting to replace it is different than needing to replace it.

 

[BAMatter]

Greatly appreciate both of your input/replies and information. I am back into the hobby from 15 years ago when it was filled with Metal Halides, T5s, and Compact Fluorescents. Got back during the pandemic 3+ years ago, and started with the AI Prime.

When nice but still smaller $200 fixtures like an AI Prime 16 HD go bad is it worth trying to replace the insides, or just more sufficient to buy a new one? Any opinion on this would be helpful for me.

What size tank? Plenty of info out there on cheaper/better lights than the Prime. @telegraham is the best reviewer on all things non-reef taxed in the hobby and can probably point you in the right direction. I believe he likes the Nicrew lights for a better cost/spectrum/PAR comparison.

 

[SauceyReef]

It is a 13.5 evo that has 3 year old corals used to the spectrum I designed. I personally really like AI, but also have loved the looks of the Kessil A80. Not sure what else there is for such small tanks that is of these quality lights, but I definitely don't know all the companies/lights.

Based off the memory of my light PAR testing I lost about 5% spectrum from the 2nd year to the 3.5 year mark. I run the light at around 60%-80% during the peak day hours.

I have tried a lot of Nicrew products in the past and had bad experiences, but their nanos light definitely look nice. I like the customization and features of the AI though. The company has treated me well.

 

[Kzang]

The light is working fine. No lense melt, all diodes / LEDs working. Water was clear when I checked both times. It could be that I just remembered incorrectly, or manually did something slightly different to alter the readings.

I just want to make sure it is not possible for the PAR of an LED to slowly go down over time.

How dirty is your water? water clarity can really affect par, more than you think it would. Also, do you have more corals grown in? Maybe they are blocking the light from bouncing off the glass walls. Dirty glass? No reflecting the light.

You'd be surprised how those little things can affect your par.

 

[oreo54]

It is a 13.5 evo that has 3 year old corals used to the spectrum I designed. I personally really like AI, but also have loved the looks of the Kessil A80. Not sure what else there is for such small tanks that is of these quality lights, but I definitely don't know all the companies/lights.

Based off the memory of my light PAR testing I lost about 5% spectrum from the 2nd year to the 3.5 year mark. I run the light at around 60%-80% during the peak day hours.

I have tried a lot of Nicrew products in the past and had bad experiences, but their nanos light definitely look nice. I like the customization and features of the AI though. The company has treated me well.

In my fw world I'd not sweat 5% in a year and a half especially with so much in reserve.

Now 5% isn't desirable but again, lots of " ifs".

If pressed to set a"standard" I'd vote for 20% less over 10 years.
Think that is reasonable...
2%/ yr.

 

[Idech]

Greatly appreciate both of your input/replies and information. I am back into the hobby from 15 years ago when it was filled with Metal Halides, T5s, and Compact Fluorescents. Got back during the pandemic 3+ years ago, and started with the AI Prime.

When nice but still smaller $200 fixtures like an AI Prime 16 HD go bad is it worth trying to replace the insides, or just more sufficient to buy a new one? Any opinion on this would be helpful for me.

The pucks are not expensive at all, and shipping is acceptable if you’re in the US. Try contacting AI, they usually respond fast (within 1-2 days).

 

[SauceyReef]

In my fw world I'd not sweat 5% in a year and a half especially with so much in reserve.

Now 5% isn't desirable but again, lots of " ifs".

If pressed to set a"standard" I'd vote for 20% less over 10 years.
Think that is reasonable...
2%/ yr.

For sure! I can definitely just start raising the power on the preset I made to compensate. It just seems like a lot of extra work checking and rearranging light settings when I could replace the insides, or buy a new light. I am definitely going to watch a video and try to go through the inner components to see if anything is broken, foggy, or fixable to help get it back up to power. Any videos any of you know of that shows this feel free to send them. I will be looking it up on YT when I get back.

 

[oreo54]

For sure! I can definitely just start raising the power on the preset I made to compensate. It just seems like a lot of extra work checking and rearranging light settings when I could replace the insides, or buy a new light. I am definitely going to watch a video and try to go through the inner components to see if anything is broken, foggy, or fixable to help get it back up to power. Any videos any of you know of that shows this feel free to send them. I will be looking it up on YT when I get back.

Look for @_AV vids on you tube.
Don't believe there is anything to fix though

 

[SauceyReef]

Oh also this is the PAR meter we use:

MQ-510 Full Spectrum Underwater LED PAR Meter

Purchase a new Apogee MQ-510 PAR Meter and return it for a refund within 60 days, EVEN IF YOU HAVE USED IT! Measure your lights PAR with an Apogee MQ-510 PAR Meter. When you are done, return the meter back to us within 60 days from the purchase date for a refund, even if you have used it. If you...

www.bulkreefsupply.com