Meanwell vs Buckpuk and power supply

[sciknen]

Okay I'm trying to get together everything for my efficient tank. I need some help with the LED light I will be building.

My option is to get Meanwell's or the buckpuck/power supply.
Meanwell's- Less equipment.inexpensive. can dim with controller.can dim manually.

buckpuck/powersupply. More expensive. More wiring.

Any negatives to the Meanwell's?

Also if i get the Meanwells that dim by controller..Can I dim manually or no?

Thanks so much.

 

[Troylee]

meanwells are better imho... a buck puck can only drive 7 led's or so to there potential..... as for different ways of dimming the possibilities are almost endless...;)

 

[Laird]

I have 4 meanwells and have no complaints.

 

[mikedelgado]

I have had both and prefer the meanwells because the power supply is built in.

 

[kevinpratt823]

Steve, I just got off the phone with Bill from Reef Led Lights, I ordered 72 LED's with Meanwell dimmables(controller) for my LPS tank. With any luck, it'll be lit sometime next week. You'll be welcome to come check it out.

 

[cparka23]

To dim with meanwells, you have to choose the correct "P" or "D" model to go with the method you will use to dim them. The P takes a PWM signal to dim, and the D takes a voltage. So if your controller doesn't output a PWM signal, you either have to build one or you need a D version.

 

[sciknen]

Kevin I will definitely take you up on that. And I need that frag still.

And thanks for the clarification.
Probably gonna go with the Meanwells. Just not sure what kind of dimming yet.

Steve

 

[evilc66]

Unless you are building your own controller, there is no reason to use the "P" models. Most reef controllers on the market now support 1-10v dimming that the "D" model uses, and it's easier to manually dim.

 

[sciknen]

So even if I get the manual dimmer I can still dim with my controller?

Steve

 

[evilc66]

It's not a "manual dimmer" version. It's just a version that makes manual dimming easier, as well as being easy to connect to a controller.

 

[Laird]

Steve, I just got off the phone with Bill from Reef Led Lights, I ordered 72 LED's with Meanwell dimmables(controller) for my LPS tank. With any luck, it'll be lit sometime next week. You'll be welcome to come check it out.

I got 72 from bill a few months ago too. Be sure you put everything in the sand to start. I bleached out **** near everything that was under 12inches from the surface. Everything looks fantastic now, but it didn't for the first little bit. I love my LEDs by the way.