LED Spotlights = shimmer?

[DoctaQ]

Amp, forgive me. I am not trying to HIJACK your thread but did have a couple questions for Ace. Thanks,


Ace, I was looking at the company that you gave me a link to a short while back. (work has been had me on some crazy hrs)Being confused a little I sent them an email and the finally got back to me with a couple suggestions:


ECW102W 10x10mm LED w/ Reflector 23,000mcds @ 60deg angle
http://www.eled.com/product.asp?catalog_name=leds&product_id=ecw102w
ECW95W-2 10x10mm LED w/ Dome Lens 60,000mcds @ 20deg angle
http://www.eled.com/product.asp?catalog_name=leds&product_id=ecw95w-2

On eBay we're also promoting ESBW83W which is a 7.6x7.6mm Super Flux LED w/ 1,295mcd @ 70deg angle. With multiple Super Flux LEDs you may get the light dispersion coverage needed since it provides a wider viewing angle.
http://cgi.ebay.com/25pcs-7-6x7-6mm-White-Superflux-LED-Bag-Bulk-LEDs_W0QQitemZ300391209336QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45f0b61978
Any thoughts on them. Also when I was looking at them I saw ratings for Lumens and MCD. I would think that I would want the higher Lumens correct? I am not sure what the "MCD" means. Thanks

the first two drive at very low current, which means more than likeley they are very weak, crees are like double the price for at least 3 times the output.
fw, planted shallow tank, maybe, reef, shimmer effect only, wont be that strong though

the last one could maybe be used for a moonlight, but are even weaker than the first two, no getting a lot of them would not help.

 

[Amphiprion]

For reference, mcd refers to millicandelas, which refers to light/luminous intensity.

 

[DoctaQ]

ive seen a 5 cree fixture out there thats probably for what youre talking about but i think the retail price is about 200 or so

 

[Ace25]

Let's get back to basics.. shimmer=point of light. The more you stretch that light out, the less shimmer you will get. With that information, what do people think would be the better of the 2 options?

10x 20degree LEDs or
5x 60degree LEDs

The 10x 20degree is better.. it will make more shimmer. Yes, you need more LEDs to get the coverage you want, but if your entire goal is merely to add the shimmer effect to the tank, then get the best LED/angle for that particular job. These types of LED lights are for only 1 purpose and are in no way meant to add any PAR to your current lighting. With the current little LED moonlight I made for my tank I get some insane blue moonlight shimmer at night.. it looks so cool.

When you get into the high output LEDs for actual growth of corals and such, then wider angles become more important because it blends the blues and white together so you don't get multi-color spots in your tank.

 

[xsdbs]

So then really neither of the ones that are suggested would be a good option. Correct

 

[Ace25]

I have no idea, those are not LEDs I have ever used. I only use the 3mm or 5mm "through hole" type in 20degree .. normal looking LEDs, not surface mount or anything fancy like that.

This is the LED I would use myself if I build a shimmer light.

E7114RWC-Z - 5MM WHITE LED

The one you listed, ECW95W-2 - 10X10MM WHITE SMD LED W/ DOME LENS, may also work, but I like to stick the the standard LEDs I am familiar with.

 

[xsdbs]

Ace, I was looking at this led from another company. I wanted your thoughts.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=/specs/W18030.htm

 

[Ucan]

Yup, that is a nice LED strip as well.. still, I couldn't justify the cost ($70 for strip+power supply) and I still think I could build one that is better AND cheaper in just a couple minutes.
.

Hi Ace25. I have no experience in circuits, soldering etc. Do you think I can build one for my 25g tank just for shimmer effects as well? Or, would you consider building one for me and selling me? Thanks.

 

[redfishblewfish]

Amp, I’ve played with both bipin and cree type LEDs that fit standard screw-in fixtures. Actually the one fixture I built for my freshwater tank, I found plastic bases at Home Depot for around $1.50 each.

With either type of LED you do get that shimmer. I originally had eight bipin 3.5 watts each setup on my 75 gallon fresh. Got nice shimmer. Was concerned that I wasn’t giving my plants enough “right” light, so I went back to one 2-bulb fluorescent fixture with one 4-bulb LED fixture. The fluorescent fixture washed out some of the shimmer. I still have some shimmer, but not as strong as when it was all LED. Here’s a picture of the current freshwater setup:

Four Bulb Fixture:

Hanging in the Hood:

With the cree type LED, I purchased, I think, a 9 watt bulb. This bulb is currently being used in my saltwater refugium…with shimmer. However, that is the only bulb I have over the refugium

With both these type bulbs, I purchased “Light of America” bulbs from Sam’s Club. The 3.5 watt bulbs were 2 bulbs for approximately $15. The 9 watt cree type was about $20 for one bulb.

Bottom line, I think your primary light source (fluorescents) will wash out some, if not all, the shimmer effect you are looking for. I would still try it, especially with the relatively low price I paid for the bulbs, because if it doesn’t work, you can still use the bulbs around your house and save on electricity.

 

[Jstdv8]

I'm no LED expert but I have done ALOT of reading about DIY. If youwanted to make a shimmer only is seems to me that the best bet would be to go without optics so you get a good spread, The downside is you will need more lights to be powerfull enough to compete with your T-5s or whatever. People have shown to just get a spotlight effect in their water with optics unless they arehigh off the tank and then you need a bunch of them for coverage. really the downside to LED's