My LED build
- Thread starter thereeferdude
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thereeferdude
Active Member
As for cost, well...I probably could have bought the 27" Maxspect Razor for around the same price. I honestly am not sure though. I should have kept up with my receipts, but that would have been evidence held against me by my loving wife. I could probably pull off building it cheaper if I did it again.
I do like to have the flexibility my DIY build provides and heck, bragging rights are worth something too.
Kyle Hurt
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I do like to have the flexibility my DIY build provides and heck, bragging rights are worth something too.
Kyle Hurt
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thereeferdude
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One thing I am really digging about this new light rig is the ability to see the tank from above! My old light was 15" wide and about 3 1/2" from the water surface. This new light is 6" wide and the optics allow me to run it 11" from the surface. Holy smokes, I can see things I never appreciated.
Now I have to work on my camera skills!
Kyle Hurt
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Now I have to work on my camera skills!
Kyle Hurt
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schooleyosis
2500 Club Member
Lookin good Kyle!
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Sent Via the R2R Forum APP on my Panini Maker.
davepalmetto
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davepalmetto
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125 gal 3mos
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thereeferdude
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Thanks Ryan!
Dave, looks good. I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to my lower electric bill. With the summer heat coming quick, it's just in time.
Kyle Hurt
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Dave, looks good. I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to my lower electric bill. With the summer heat coming quick, it's just in time.
Kyle Hurt
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thereeferdude
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Well, the corals are adjusting well. I am up to 61% on all channels and no bleaching. I am getting growth and a few things are coloring up nicely.
As for ballast heat issues, there aren't any. The ballast enclosure is barely warm to touch, but not hot at all. I don't believe venting will be necessary. The ballast aren't negatively affected until ~140*F, and they aren't getting anywhere near that. The box is 80-85*F max. Whew. Continuing to sit back and watch...(and adding a few frags now and again).
Kyle Hurt
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As for ballast heat issues, there aren't any. The ballast enclosure is barely warm to touch, but not hot at all. I don't believe venting will be necessary. The ballast aren't negatively affected until ~140*F, and they aren't getting anywhere near that. The box is 80-85*F max. Whew. Continuing to sit back and watch...(and adding a few frags now and again).
Kyle Hurt
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meintn
Active Member
I'm in the process of building a LED setup too. I have $171 so far into mine with 4 20 watt multichips, heatsinks, and a driver in place. I'll likely add a 4 chip 10 watt channel for some higher K white light for another $80 or so. I'm going to build a canopy and mount my lights into it. I'm curious what the PAR reading on mine are and am debating adding optics to the chips to increase PAR and focus. Love the shimmer these produce!
tinctorus
Active Member
Credit where credit is due man, the build looks amazing and tbh I think I e finally found someone whose design I would like to reference for my upcoming DIY LED build, if there is any way possible for you to post more detailed pics as far as wIring of the LEDs on the heatsink as well as the wiring inside the driver box I would really appreciate it
I had also planned on ordering the makers led kit because I think it looks oh so sexy compared to anything else on the market, even prefab stuff
I had also planned on ordering the makers led kit because I think it looks oh so sexy compared to anything else on the market, even prefab stuff
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thereeferdude
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Tony, can't wait to see your build when you get it and your new setup going. I do need to get a FTS up. I'll work on it!
MeinTN, I like your multichip emitters. If I do a build in the future, I might play with something similar. If you are a club member, you don't have to wonder about your PAR- just borrow the Apogee unit. It's one of the many perks of membership! If you aren't a member, it is well worth the $20 dues.
tinctorus, I appreciate that and glad you like the build. The MakersLED heatsink is darn sexy and worth the extra cost. It allowed me to have a commercial looking unit that sheds heat like a beast!
Sorry to report that I did a horrible job of photo documentation. I had great intentions, but fumbled the ball once I got going. I did start every session with beer until electricity was applied. If I get a chance, I'll crack open the driver enclosure and snap a few pics. here are a couple of photos to show the emitters being wired. All the wires travel through the T-slots which was tedious, but made sure the final product looked fairly clean.
Wiring the white emitters:
All emitters wired, minus the leads coming from the ballasts (through euro style terminal blocks on the flip side) the leads pass through the rubber grommet you see in the photo:
Kyle Hurt
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MeinTN, I like your multichip emitters. If I do a build in the future, I might play with something similar. If you are a club member, you don't have to wonder about your PAR- just borrow the Apogee unit. It's one of the many perks of membership! If you aren't a member, it is well worth the $20 dues.
tinctorus, I appreciate that and glad you like the build. The MakersLED heatsink is darn sexy and worth the extra cost. It allowed me to have a commercial looking unit that sheds heat like a beast!
Sorry to report that I did a horrible job of photo documentation. I had great intentions, but fumbled the ball once I got going. I did start every session with beer until electricity was applied. If I get a chance, I'll crack open the driver enclosure and snap a few pics. here are a couple of photos to show the emitters being wired. All the wires travel through the T-slots which was tedious, but made sure the final product looked fairly clean.
Wiring the white emitters:
All emitters wired, minus the leads coming from the ballasts (through euro style terminal blocks on the flip side) the leads pass through the rubber grommet you see in the photo:
Kyle Hurt
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meintn
Active Member
The multichip emitters have more flexibility than I thought when I started looking to order them. Was a easy wiring job and cheap for what they are. I am a club member again after being tankless for about 5 years. Just getting back into it and looking forward to borrowing the PAR meter sometime soon.
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thereeferdude
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I was worried that the larger multichip emitters would cause more spotlighting than they do. I don't see any in your pics- they look to be blending great. GroupLEDbuy has a 5 channel controllable 100w emitter that intrigues the heck out of me. It's a bit pricey, but dang, it has some nice features.
Kyle Hurt
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Kyle Hurt
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meintn
Active Member
The so called "dream chip" that has 5 completely separate channels on the same chip so you can customize the coloration however you want. LoL I'd consider it if I had a larger tank. I went with 4 x 20W emitters with two of them being violet with the 420nm, 430nm, 445nm chips and other two being 9k-10k with some 445 nm mixed in so it's a nice look. My camera phone shows it being more blue than it looks to me. Also, I don't have any optics on the chips so they are more defused. If the PAR reading arent what I want them to be, I'll either add optics and they will likely focus and spot abit more or get a few more 10W chips. The shimmer blew me away though, love it.
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thereeferdude
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That's the only thing I have against T-5 lights- lack of shimmer. After snorkeling in the sparkling waters of the Caribbean, I don't think I could do it to my corals! They do have the no shadows thing in their favor, but I am loving the LEDs so far.
Kyle Hurt
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Kyle Hurt
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