Diy leds.. People still doing this?

[roy026]

Hi all,

Im planning to go whit led for my nano cube..
Up to a few years ago there where a lot of diy led threads lighting up all over the web..
What happend(or am i just checking at the wrong places )
If People still building those what would be the led of choice?
I have a 50X50X55 cm tank and would like to be able to keep sps..
Also i want it to be controlled by my arduino tru pwm..(2 or 3 channels)
Anyone can advice me on this subject?
What leds should i get? (how much and what ratio?
Also what would be the best way to power em?
I saw so projects where people where using one powersupply to power the leds and still have separate channels to controle.. (like the one below)

 

[wkscott]

LED lighting pricing, especially the black Chinese boxes, has come down. Additionally, they are now better made. I think that more and more people are just buying them ready-made.

 

[GoVols]

Back then Rapid Led and Steve's Led were hot and their DIY kits would fit inside your factory hood.

Today reefers have gone to the rimless tanks and complete fixture looks more sleek over a rimless than a diy.

Today if somebody bought a nano rimless they'd be looking at the AI prime or Kessil a80 etc... So the rimless nano would have great lighting and a great look too.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

I made mine for a 75G 4 footer and happy with it. Arduino controlled, 3 channels full spectrum on a 4' heat sink bar. 3mm thick splash cover made from clear glass for protection. Corals are happy and growing, 85% sps, zoas, lps, gorgonian, gonioporas. Well stocked mixed reef.

 

[Rakie]

Back then Rapid Led and Steve's Led were hot and their DIY kits would fit inside your factory hood.

Today reefers have gone to the rimless tanks and complete fixture looks more sleek over a rimless than a diy.

Today if somebody bought a nano rimless they'd be looking at the AI prime or Kessil a80 etc... So the rimless nano would have great lighting and a great look too.

All true -- When I was into reefing and in middle school, the rage was the 150w MH's over a nano.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Hi

We Specialize in DIY Reef Lighting and the Manufacture of the Sirius XTC

A quality DIY Kit will cost about the same as a Chinese Import but you will have much better parts... Binned Cree 5 Watt LEDs v Generic 3 Watt and UL/CE listed Mean Well Drivers v Generic drivers with no serial number or UL/CE listing.

The huge advantage of DIY is the Solderless BJB Connector. You can swap out an LED at any time or add more when using a T-Slot Heatsink

Here is a video showing how easy it is

The Makers Heatsink allows for a complete factory look.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

Bill

 

[ifarmer]

First, to answer your question, the answer is no. not any more.

yeah, I dumped almost $500-$600 on led parts to rapidled back in 2010 and after about 1 year of using them, they have been sitting outside in my garage collecting dusts.
It was very popular back in 2009 and 2010/2011.

Today, no so much.
I think DIY is not worth it nows aday. wiring is every where and has zero resale value. at least those chinese black box do have some resale value. The DIY parts are not cheap (yes they said that but trust me they are not cheap when you add them up).
And the pre-made led fixtures these days are cheaper than ever.


AND dont forget, people tend to change light almost every other year in this stupid hobby except those die hard sps reefers where they just wont give up their MH or T5
If you are addicted to LED, it's going to cost you alot before you know it. they will keep coming out new and better led light (not necessary better for your reef or not) every 12 months just like Apple iphones new release every September.


However I have to admit that LED is the new technology. Just look around every Lowes or HomeDepot stores, led bulbs are every where.
i approved my message.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

First, to answer your question, the answer is no. not any more.

yeah, I dumped almost $500-$600 on led parts to rapidled back in 2010 and after about 1 year of using them, they have been sitting outside in my garage collecting dusts.
It was very popular back in 2009 and 2010/2011.

Today, no so much.
I think DIY is not worth it nows aday. wiring is every where and has zero resale value. at least those chinese black box do have some resale value. The DIY parts are not cheap (yes they said that but trust me they are not cheap when you add them up).
And the pre-made led fixtures these days are cheaper than ever.


AND dont forget, people tend to change light almost every other year in this stupid hobby except those die hard sps reefers where they just wont give up their MH or T5
If you are addicted to LED, it's going to cost you alot before you know it. they will keep coming out new and better led light (not necessary better for your reef or not) every 12 months just like Apple iphones new release every September.


However I have to admit that LED is the new technology. Just look around every Lowes or HomeDepot stores, led bulbs are every where.
i approved my message.

You Pay for what you get. The 3 watt LEDs in your typical $250 black box import costs about $.79 each compared to $2-3 for you High End Cree X Series. At three times more you are paying for reliability, performance and efficiency...Toss in the Driver and Powersupply which you choose...At the end of the day a DIY Fixture costs only a little bit more than your Chinese Import but you are getting much more for your money, full reliable control and the ability to repair it easily.

Changing out LED Fixtures or any light every other year is stressful to the corals as they need to be re acclimated...I used to be a MH Guy and would not consider using a Generic Chinese Fixture over MH/T5...I did replace my MH/VHO with DIY and could not be more pleased...I now have more light with a natural sunrise without the heat or cost of bulb replacement. Those Fixtures are still running strong after 5 years with only an occasional driver replacement. I recently switched to the XTC which uses the same quality LEDs and drivers and growth has been amazing.

DIY is not for everyone but if you want complete control of your spectrum and only the best parts its a viable option.

Bill

 

[ifarmer]

the author question was wehter DIY is worth or not. not comparing black box.
for DYI, to build a light as good as AI hydra or Ecotech, to go with DIY route, you will end up paying more if not close.. so why bother.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

DIY if done properly is comparable to branded fixtures at a fraction of cost. I agree DIY is not for everybody though. If you are up to the challenge with some extra free time to spend, go ahead and do it yourself. Most importantly is getting a good heat sink and driver, initial blue/white ratio and layout is the key.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

the author question was wehter DIY is worth or not. not comparing black box.
for DYI, to build a light as good as AI hydra or Ecotech, to go with DIY route, you will end up paying more if not close.. so why bother.

Have you seen the XTC DIY Kit....Its close to half of the cost of the Ecotech with more PAR per Watt...

Same Drivers, Optics, LEDs as the Sirius XTC but without the Control, Box and Thermal Management. A Storm X can be remotely located and for those who can, an excellent choice for an enclosed hood.

Bill

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Have you seen the XTC DIY Kit....Its close to half of the cost of the Ecotech with more PAR per Watt...

Same Drivers, Optics, LEDs as the Sirius XTC but without the Control, Box and Thermal Management. A Storm X can be remotely located and for those who can, an excellent choice for an enclosed hood.

Bill

Nice!

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Not bad for a generic 3w china led. I wish @ReefLEDLights will send me a sample of that amazing kit soon

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Not bad for a generic 3w china led. I wish @ReefLEDLights will send me a sample of that amazing kit soon

Made in USA...Kit is Available....

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Made in USA...Kit is Available....

I am from Sabah, Malaysia. I am afraid my import taxes cost more than the kit

 

[ifarmer]

DIY if done properly is comparable to branded fixtures at a fraction of cost. I agree DIY is not for everybody though. If you are up to the challenge with some extra free time to spend, go ahead and do it yourself. Most importantly is getting a good heat sink and driver, initial blue/white ratio and layout is the key.

for a fraction of the cost, I get your point here.
how about the resale value of the DIY compare to the resale value of the Ai hydra and or ecotec?
How does the DIY look on top of your tank? around the tank (wiring)?

I have been there and done many DIY fixtures myself since 2009. It made a lot of sense a few years back. Just not worth it today that is all I am saying.
Please dont tell me that a person can spend just $100 on DIY and can build a light better than Hydra 26HD where you can control it from sitting at Starbuck coffee shop

 

[reefs+waves]

You Pay for what you get. The 3 watt LEDs in your typical $250 black box import costs about $.79 each compared to $2-3 for you High End Cree X Series. At three times more you are paying for reliability, performance and efficiency...Toss in the Driver and Powersupply which you choose...At the end of the day a DIY Fixture costs only a little bit more than your Chinese Import but you are getting much more for your money, full reliable control and the ability to repair it easily.

Changing out LED Fixtures or any light every other year is stressful to the corals as they need to be re acclimated...I used to be a MH Guy and would not consider using a Generic Chinese Fixture over MH/T5...I did replace my MH/VHO with DIY and could not be more pleased...I now have more light with a natural sunrise without the heat or cost of bulb replacement. Those Fixtures are still running strong after 5 years with only an occasional driver replacement. I recently switched to the XTC which uses the same quality LEDs and drivers and growth has been amazing.

DIY is not for everyone but if you want complete control of your spectrum and only the best parts its a viable option.

Bill

Chinese black boxes only cost about 90$ each

 

[reefs+waves]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/272209086037

 

[roy026]

Wow ok this topic has blown up more then i would expact![emoji6]
The case is, i started planning for this hobby round '11. Back then diy leds where a very populair part of the hobby. I have a some what complete setup laying around since then.
But the thing is, much has changed since then! My original tank plan( i got a bigger one then i had planned the leds for) also i had made a controller using arduino ( acording to a step by step tutorial) and still have'nt programed it..

The setup i have is;
4 CREE xm-l (2 cool 2 neutral whites) on meanwell eln-30-12p
8 CREE xp-e (6 royal 2 blues)on meanwell eln30-24p
And a bunch of uvs reds and greens on a cheap aquastyle driver for 7-12 leds..
But i have no idea If it will be enough for my 50X50X55 cm tank and be able to keep sps..

Also i have been looking at of the shelf fixtures and their features.
For example those Ai hydra 26 HD's for around 400 backs (€) thats like 250-300 retail..
Im leaning to get a nice second hand one

 

[bblumberg]

If you plan to change your LEDs every year or two, then I can see the logic of buying Chinese black boxes. And I agree, you can't spend $100 on DIY and get a web-controllable light that works from any Starbucks. However, I hope it is obvious that there is absolutely nothing special about the Hydra 26HD, technology-wise. The retail cost of the parts to build a Hydra 26HD is very close to the actual cost of the unit (Bluefish mini, 6-up board, 6 LDD-H, 6 x 12 housing, specified LEDs and optics, Meanwell power supply), so you are not saving any money unless you shop around for the components. However, you would have the ability to customize the spectrum and the optics. Cool white with green and deep red is pretty "old school". With the Hydra, you are stuck with them. With DIY, you could replace green with lime or mint, the deep red with warm white and a few of the white with additional blue or royal blue. Or whatever you want. You can pick optics (40,60, 80, or ?) to match your tank shape, etc.

I have learned a lot from my LED builds and prefer the customizability of DIY to ready made, even considering how much of my time is spent planning, building, etc. I have definitely spent much more $ than purchasing even a high-end fixture if my time is included in the cost, but that is part of the fun.

Bruce