General DIY LED thread

[Marlon C]

I'll let users confirm that..
At that price I'd suggest 8 at least (and dimmer). You'll want to add something else though..
2 rows of 4 and a center row of "other stuff"...
but sort of a philosophical thing.
reefs blues outside colors inside
freshwater whites outside colors inside..



Suggest sticking w/ that 350mA number like the above post..

you can run 4 in series off this driver and dim w/ a "pot" for cheapest route..
HLG-60H-C350 B
45x 4 = 180V

100V~200V

350mA

HLG-C Series Constant Current LED Driver from Mean Well

Est of 8 chips..





you'll find that roughly big AC/DC driver or switching ps/LDD drivers (1 per chip) will be roughly equiv in pricing in the overall scheme of things.
Big difference in how you want to dim them.

So 2 of these drivers to run 4 chips. Each driver running 4. Is this correct? Oh yeah btw this wont be my only light as I'm running 2 ap700 on my tank. But I dont like the blue it gives

 

[oreo54]

So 2 of these drivers to run 4 chips. Each driver running 4. Is this correct? Oh yeah btw this wont be my only light as I'm running 2 ap700 on my tank. But I dont like the blue it gives

1 AC/DC driver for 4 (or 3, no less) chips in series.. no matter how you arrange them..
HLG-60H-C350 B ....
dimming will be w/ 10V PWM, or 0-10V DC or pot..
will need a timer to shut off fully and may not be able to dim less to less than 10% before cutting the power..or you risk driver flash..
I personally abandoned AC/DC drivers in favor of LDD's or the like..but call it a "disclaimer" of sorts.
Those max out at 54V so.. 1 Driver.. 1 chip..but dim nice to zero and shut off

43V x 4 x .350 = 60.2W per side..

you can run more in series w/ increased mA's..
HLG-185H-C500 B

200V~400V

500mA

Run 8-9 (depending)

HLG-C Series Constant Current LED Driver from Mean Well

Just multiply expected voltage by number of chips and "fit" it to a driver staying within it's range.
https://www.ledsupply.com/led-drivers/mean-well-hlg-c

Like was mentioned .. more drivers more flexibility in zoning if one was interested..

WARNING: Not big on HV DC over water but done all the time .
NEED to add this though as a cautionary statement.
There is always an arguement regarding this though..

 

[Lingwendil]

I think HV drivers is no less safe than fluorescent or halide in all honestly Use a sturdy hanging/mounting system, and a splash shield of some sort to be safe.

 

[theatrus]

I think HV drivers is no less safe than fluorescent or halide in all honestly Use a sturdy hanging/mounting system, and a splash shield of some sort to be safe.

Yeah, we regularly do retrofit fluorescent lighting with no hazards. The risk of LEDs is exposed wiring. Don't expose any surface which you could brush/bump/touch and you'll be "ok" (for some level of OK)

 

[Matt Carden]

I'm planning a DIY LED using 260 Chinese no name led off Alliexpress ran with 2 - HLG-320h-c1400b. Dimming will be done by Reef-Pi. I have an industrial florescent light fixture that will house my build. Cooling will be active.

I have 3 SB Reeflights 16" basics. They are advertised as 165 watt but the power supply is 90w. I thought about just replacing the power supplies but the voltage didn't add up with any HLG c power supplies so I started looking at adding some Leds. Then I started looking at just starting with a blank slate. I'm still debating using the Sb Reeflights boards with new power supplies and some additional leds or just starting from scratch.

I noticed on the boards there is a resistor in parallel to every Led. I assume this resistor is there to 1. Allow the rest of the Series of leds to remain on, 2. Prevent either voltage or current spike to the remaining leds. Can someone confirm or correct me on my assumption? How can I calculate the value of the resitor I will need for this function?

Also calculated the voltage that should be flowing through the SB reeflights to be ~4.7v seems too high for a 3w led? Increased voltage doesn't help Led correct?

 

[oreo54]

Yes the resistor(?) (or diodes) are used to bypass a dead LED so the rest of the series string stays lit.
Best to see what the part # is on those boards to see what they use..

Prevent either voltage or current spike to the remaining leds.

The "fancy" way..

https://m.littelfuse.com/~/media/electronics_technical/application_notes/led/littelfuse_open_led_protection_for_led_strings_application_note.pdf

LED Lighting Circuit Protection

Warm hints: The word in this article is about 4000 and reading time is about 20 minutes.Ⅰ IntoductionLED circuit is a kind of semiconductor that can convert electric energy into visible light. It chan...

www.apogeeweb.net

One way would be to simply put a zener diode in parallel
with each LED. In this way, if an LED blows 'open', the
zener conducts which maintains the same approximate voltage
drop. Of course you'll have to find zeners that are
rated just above the LED's so that they DONT conduct when
the LED runs normally. Depending on the LED type and
normal current, a zener around 3.8 volts should
do it.

 

[Matt Carden]

Thank you for that clarification

 

[teller]

I'm planning a DIY LED using 260 Chinese no name led off Alliexpress ran with 2 - HLG-320h-c1400b. Dimming will be done by Reef-Pi. I have an industrial florescent light fixture that will house my build. Cooling will be active.

I have 3 SB Reeflights 16" basics. They are advertised as 165 watt but the power supply is 90w. I thought about just replacing the power supplies but the voltage didn't add up with any HLG c power supplies so I started looking at adding some Leds. Then I started looking at just starting with a blank slate. I'm still debating using the Sb Reeflights boards with new power supplies and some additional leds or just starting from scratch.

I noticed on the boards there is a resistor in parallel to every Led. I assume this resistor is there to 1. Allow the rest of the Series of leds to remain on, 2. Prevent either voltage or current spike to the remaining leds. Can someone confirm or correct me on my assumption? How can I calculate the value of the resitor I will need for this function?

Also calculated the voltage that should be flowing through the SB reeflights to be ~4.7v seems too high for a 3w led? Increased voltage doesn't help Led correct?

I would also include some 740nm or 730nm in the group.
Dana mention some PSII to PSI electron "movement" occurring in this range which is beneficial to some (or all) corals when, I think, photo inhibition occurs.

 

[Matt Carden]

Thank you I will look into that

 

[Snailpowered]

Hey all,

Ive been out of the hobby for some time and I am going to be jumping back into it, as I have missed the zen factor of having a tank to stare into and zonk out; haha.

Back in 2016 I built a LED pendent and I am looking to redo the chips on it for a new tank, and I would love to get some input from you all. Below is a little backgroud in the new tank setup and personal preferences along with the equipment I currently have.

I will be honest, that I prefer the blue-ish to purple-ish look, as apposed to an overdriven 14k Radium MH (for those of you that have been in the hobby awhile). I think this might be due to the tank normally being in our entertainment room and blue is less distracting than white at night.

I am going to be moving from a 12g Bio to a 20 gal cube AIO. The new tank will be targeted towards Paly, Zoa, shrooms, Rock Nems and possibly a nice plate or encrusting monti down the road.

In order keep it simple I would like to target 1-3 of the 25up or 16up chips and supplement anything missing with some 3up's. I would prefer to have more of a "dim" tank in regards to the human eye, but still want greens, reds and oranges to pop and not get swallowed by attinic light. I understand this may not be achievable, but lets just say it would be my holy grail setup.

I currently have a Storm X controller, Meanwell LRS-200-48 Power Supply, 4 puck driver board (will likely get another one of these) and a 14", 8" and 6" Makers heatsink I can use. I also have NanoBox V2chip from when I built my first light can also utilize but it only has two arrays to control; basically Blue's and White's.

I would like to get an order in this week so that I can have some fun. Please let me know what multi array chips you recommend and any supplementary LED(s) that would be needed. I think it goes without saying but; Correct Spectrum > Visible Spectrum.

Thanks In advance, as it would take me a month or better to research everything that has changed or improved since my previous endeavor.

Regards,
Dave

 

[oreo54]

blueAcro - AcroStar LED

blueacro.com

Classic Medium (48W)
For larger aquariums, up to 20" deep. These emitters offer a variety of spread and color options in two sizes. Perfect for 12"x12" footprints.

Won't need to add anything ..

 

[Snailpowered]

Thank You Sir!

That was alot more strait forward that I could have hoped for

 

[poomba]

I'm considering building a multi-puck fixture for an IM 20 Fusion (display dims 23" x 11.4" x 13"), optimizing for an even blanket of light and minimal light spillage into the room. I was contemplating using multiple under-driven pucks (4x + acrostars/nanobox v3.1) with an active-cooled heat sink. It wouldn't be cost effective on a $/lumen basis, but would it provide the quality of light I am looking for?

 

[oreo54]

I'm considering building a multi-puck fixture for an IM 20 Fusion (display dims 23" x 11.4" x 13"), optimizing for an even blanket of light and minimal light spillage into the room. I was contemplating using multiple under-driven pucks (4x + acrostars/nanobox v3.1) with an active-cooled heat sink. It wouldn't be cost effective on a $/lumen basis, but would it provide the quality of light I am looking for?

Why not use the bluacro shine pro's?
Better fit

 

[poomba]

Why not use the bluacro shine pro's?
Better fit

Can't think of a reason not to - though the additional channels of control in an acrostar would be nice, but not thats not a major driver in the decision.

 

[Steven Garland]

I love my v3.1,and this is I think my 2nd or 3rd time using them. I have one right now on a makers slim 6" sink.

I think 3 would give you plenty coverage. A true almost blanket of even light.

 

[Asthix]

Is anybody here using cree cxb cob?

I've seen few using Cxb3590 (a bit powerful for the white)

I planned for a 150 gallon (60'x27'x24'):
~700w based on my previous experience with PAR mesured vs power (seems a lot?)

-20 luxeon k16 driven @ 500ma =>440w
-5 cree cxb 2530 3500k driven @ 1000ma => 150w
-20 epiled 390nm driven @350ma
-20 epiled 420nm driven @350ma
-20 Cyan driven @500ma

All those driven with meanwell ldd and 3 lrs350-48 (oversized but room for more)

My first question is, can I improve something in the quantity, spectrum overall ?
I have a lot of epiled 3w but they seems to burn randomly, driven at 650ma with a heatsink at about 110Fi

Which lens do you use with those led(luxeon and cree) or which height did you set your light ?

Thanks!

 

[head-footed]

I've put in a few too many hours searching various build threads for ideas on heatsink/fans and enclosures for a DIY LED build. I haven't had any luck finding builds with compact heatsinks and enclosures that look good on a display tank and are designed for only one LED puck. I was considering getting one of the existing DIY pucks (Nanobox, ledgroupby, or blueacro) and hooking this up to my reef-pi currently running on my fluval 13.5. Ideally I'd want an enclosure that will mount over the tank and look good (while taking care of the cooling needs for the LEDs). Any ideas for products or companies that might sell what I'm looking for?

This is the best I can find and it's still a lot larger than I was hoping for:

6" x 12" Premium DIY Heatsink and Enclosure

LED Group Buy, an Online Aquarium Lighting Store offering high end LED Lights, Power Sources, Full Spectrum Lighting, & more at wholesale prices. Shop Now!

www.ledgroupbuy.com

 

[Steven Garland]

Either the linked HS or the MakersLed Slim sink like I use. Really the only 2 viable options there is these days that are close to being sufficient.

 

[User1]

blueAcro - AcroStar LED

blueacro.com

Won't need to add anything ..

Older post but will say I have 8 of the blue acro pro stars and they are good chips. Cheaper now than when I purchased them but worth it. Lens that is included should be used. Mine punch through 30" tall tank. I have them offline at the moment (testing Kessil a360x's) and taking that time to re-wire and clean it up wires and drivers.