DIY LED Lighting Fixture

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!
DoctaQ

DoctaQ

all your wheel are belong to us
Dec 12, 2008
1,114
0
0
Boston
with drilling and tapping you can just use thermal compound (not epoxy) to transfer the heat, the pads are sticky so you can just apply some pressure around the led star. cut some egg crate into squares and put it around the led, get some weight on a flat surface . it could be overkill but thats what i do with epoxy, of course there is like no cure time for sticky pads, so its probably different, you should ask the seller, was it nanocustoms?

how important is dimming to you? IMO you can save decent money by just regulating the current that comes out of a dc power supply. 6.5A 24v supply costs just 15 or so , will let you run 5 strings of 6 comfortably for 30 leds, non dimming transistor based driver (you can set your own current) will cost maybe another 10. two of those will cost a quarter of what you did and let you run 60 leds instead of 56?
give me the word ill make a thread on it. ive built one system for a 55 gal, costed right around 200 for 18 leds.
and you got meanwell 48Ds for 26 dollars? what a killer deal.

it could make a bigger difference if you build for local club members, especially if you want to offer a premium or saltwater with dimming, and an economy package with no dimming.
 
M

moi-eater

AC Members
Jun 9, 2006
67
0
0
Garden Island
DoctaQ said:
give me the word ill make a thread on it. ive built one system for a 55 gal, costed right around 200 for 18 leds.
Click to expand...
Please do!

Btw, very nice job keno!
 
bigwave

bigwave

AC Members
Jan 23, 2008
470
1
0
DoctaQ said:
give me the word ill make a thread on it. ive built one system for a 55 gal, costed right around 200 for 18 leds.
Click to expand...
Word.

I would love to see this, and just because you don't get a lot of responses in here please keep posting. Keno I love the tanks.

I plan on using 2 MH lights on my 180, but once those burn out I will probably do a DIY LED setup.

Either one of you use a microcontroller for some of this work? I plan on controlling all my timing with and Arduino based controller, which I have all the parts for, now I just need the time to do it!

Keno, you also might consider a putting together a kit, with all the supplies to build a light, (LEDs, heat sinks, power adapters), but not actually assemble anything. I personally would consider something like that over a pre-built if it saved some money and allowed a little more of the DIY aspect. I just hate pricing out and trying to figure out what parts work with what other parts.

Thanks again for the research and pictures.
 
keno

keno

AC Members
Oct 29, 2009
52
0
0
Toms River, NJ
aquariums.seaspraydesigns.biz
Sorry for not responding sooner, for some reason I am not getting any emails indicating that there has been additional messages posted. Anyone know why this is happening?

As for the dimming, I don't think it is that important. If you plan on running the units at full power all the time, then the dimming is just an added cost. Since I was planning on putting two of these lights on my 200 gallon, I felt that I should keep the dimming option in the build if the two together are too bright for the aquarium. That is why I was interested in the one newer Meanwell supply that can dim it's output based on a resistor value. It can be set to full on or you can use just an inexpensive potentiometer to control the dimming.

I could definitely work on putting together a kit that just has all the parts with nothing built. I could also customize the kit based on what someone is needing. I am also waiting for some other heat sinks to arrive to see if they would be a better and lighter weight option. If anyone is interested in a kit, PM me and let me know, I could work on the price.

DoctaQ, I found a distributor in Denver that has the Meanwell supplies, but they only sell to businesses. Since I have my own business, I can get the supplies at a better price.
 
DoctaQ

DoctaQ

all your wheel are belong to us
Dec 12, 2008
1,114
0
0
Boston
well, whats the model number on that new meanwell? or link?

dude thats awesome that you get special pricing..resale cha ching!

did you look at my guide yet? i hope its clear..im not a writer obviously

keno, with the relativeley low density of leds for freshwater i seriously think a .19 aluminum plate suffices if there is air movement over it, especially a hard drive cooling fan that will disperse the flow over a large area, that will cut down on weight and cost signifigantly.

you and i should come up with a drive current per depth formula that will allow people to set a constant current for medium or high light for any given depth with minimal led overlap
 
keno

keno

AC Members
Oct 29, 2009
52
0
0
Toms River, NJ
aquariums.seaspraydesigns.biz
DoctaQ;

Here is the article on the Meanwell web site. Now this article indicates that the supply HLG-100 has released. I sent a message to my supplier to see if it has. If you look at the spec sheet you can see that you can use a resistor to adjust output current, or a Vdc or Vpwm signal to control the output. Not sure of the price of it, that could make it not feasible to use.

Haven't had a chance to look at your article.

I was thinking about getting a light meter that works underwater to measure the levels to see how well these LED's work at different depths. I figured my large aquarium is 30+" deep. Most people will not have this depth level to deal with.

I did order up some samples of different heat sinks from surplussales. Their website has limited information and images. For the price, I decided to order a couple different ones that looked as if they would work. I'll see when they come in.
 
A

ajbassmaster

AC Members
Nov 1, 2008
13
0
0
Erie, PA
Ive been reading through the thread, I am very interested in making my own LED light but I have no clue where to start. everytime i begin to read about LEDs i get completely lost. You guys really seem to know what your talking about. Can you please help me with a layout, shopping list (hopefully very affordable), and design. I want to learn, I strive for you to share your knowledge with a newbie DIYer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store
Top Bottom