Grizz's DIY Heat sink & LED build / showing all colors

[The Grizz]

I put all this in my build tread for the 300 gal 8'er but thought I should do a DIYthread to make it easier to find.

I finally got a chance today to start building the heat sinks for this tank. I have decided to do 2 - 39" x 12" heat sinks both will have 136 LEDs but will have room for more.

Got my main plates of 1/4" aluminum cut & 48 pieces of 1/8" x 1" aluminum flatbars as well.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/6fdf3801.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/f911a280.jpg

First 5 flatbar fins tacked on:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/247d6073.jpg

Now 10:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/e1036f9f.jpg

15:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/231bf249.jpg

20:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/a9ab4266.jpg

And finally the last 3:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/20854a32.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/88e7e9ee.jpg

As you can see in the 2nd last pic I removed the very first flatbar fin, yes this was planned because I am going to wrap the whole out side of the 1/4" plate with some 1/4" x 2 1/2" flatbars.

[The Grizz]

I cut some 2 1/2" strips out of a small sheet of 1/4" aluminum on my tablesaw, then cut a notch into them for my 1/8" clear acrylic cover.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/730fb6ac.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/585733bc.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/4eb0079b.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/d8fee96f.jpg

Added a 1/4" x 2" strip across the front but have to add something below the groove to hold the acrylic flat.

LED side:
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/08273d90.jpg

Fan side:
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/57c27ce7.jpg

[The Grizz]

Added a couple pieces of 1/2" square tube to mount the fans onto the heat sinks.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/f9a36f0e.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/dc8a9e30.jpg

[The Grizz]

Laid out all the LED boards from Modular LED for one heat sink and came up with this so far.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/1d7a59c7-1-1.jpg

LED legend

CW - XP-E Cool White
CW HEW - XP-E Cool White High Efficiency
NW HEW - XP-E Neutral White High Efficiency
HN - XP-G Cool White ( used for high noon kit )
RB - XP-E Royal Blue
B - XP-E Blue
G - XP-E Green
R - XP-E Red

[Delphinus]

Are those tig welds because it's aluminium and whatnot?

[claymax]

excellent. just great. this is LED deliciousness

[The Grizz]

Are those tig welds because it's aluminium and whatnot?

No tony not TIG welds, I have an aluminum spool gun for this type of work. It's easier to tack with the spool gun vursus needing to use 2 hands for the TIG.

[Hustler]

I wish i understood better what this does and how it all works.... Its slow at work and i have a bunch of plate and flat bar just waiting to be cut up.... Just dont know what im even planning for other then dimentions LOL
is there a specific spacing that works best per foot or thickness of plate ect?
Is there maybe a guideline to follow for us LED newbs...
Looks amazing bro.... Hope i get the invite next time i stop in your kneck of the woods

[The Grizz]

Heres's the piles of LED stuff, LED's, optics, connector, fans & power supplies, 1 EVG Profiilux controll board, adhesive and what nots.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/703b6481.jpg

Drivers, 5 - 120w, 2 - 75w & 2 - 38w (still need to pick-up from Martin)

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/a2c33030.jpg

[The Grizz]

I wish i understood better what this does and how it all works.... Its slow at work and i have a bunch of plate and flat bar just waiting to be cut up.... Just dont know what im even planning for other then dimentions LOL
is there a specific spacing that works best per foot or thickness of plate ect?
Is there maybe a guideline to follow for us LED newbs...
Looks amazing bro.... Hope i get the invite next time i stop in your kneck of the woods

I just used what Martin had figured out for a 48"L x 24"W tank to get an idea of what I needed & asked Martin what he thought I would need. I was going to go with 4 - 12" x 12" heat sinks but decided to go with just 2 - 39" x 12" so that I had a 6" difference on all 4 sides of the tank & between each heat sink.

Any time your down here drop me a line.

[Ross]

Looking good so far.

Are you at all concerned that a slight warpage in the base plate will cause an airgap and render that portion of the sink less effective than those next to the welds?

[madkeenreefer]

Looks solid. How many watt are the 136 leds ? I would maybee think of putting another fan to help out with the heat as you may find the transfer lacking from the 1/4 sheet to the 1/8 flat,

Cant wait to see it running over a tank should produce some good light.

[The Grizz]

Looking good so far.

Are you at all concerned that a slight warpage in the base plate will cause an airgap and render that portion of the sink less effective than those next to the welds?


Looks solid. How many watt are the 136 leds ? I would maybee think of putting another fan to help out with the heat as you may find the transfer lacking from the 1/4 sheet to the 1/8 flat,

Cant wait to see it running over a tank should produce some good light.

There is no way that these will warp, as soft as aluminum is it will actually take a little more heat to warp . Total watts of the LED would be 408w @ 100% which I doubt I will even get close to that.

I am looking for a product I heard about that is similar to Silver Solder. It a matter of heating it up & pouring it in to fill any gaps.

[madkeenreefer]

Hey Grizz check out Loctite® Fixmaster® Aluminum Liquid.

it should get the job done and its easy enough to find.

[The Grizz]

Dude that's the exact stuff I was talking about just couldn't remember what to was called or who was the maker. THANKS

[jostafew]

Grizz, I appreciate the crafstmanship and the work you've put in so far but I see a potential problem with the fabrication of your heatsink; with the fins only being tacked a few times there will be barely any thermal transfer between the main plate and the fin. A continuous weld would have been much more effective (or atleast a heavier stich-weld) Do you have any plans to solder/braze the joint between the fin and the plate? If not perhaps using thermal adhesive would have been more effective? Simply having the fin touching the plate (probably a bit of a gap now due to warp and drift from the welds) will not be much better than simply a bare plate.

On a somewhat related note, if you can build a plenum to spread the air from the cooling fans across all the fins they would be much more effective, rather than just cooling the four or five channels directly below the fans.

I really don't want to rain on the parade, just trying to help prevent burning up some expensive LEDs after the plate soaks up all the heat it can and reaches critical temp.

Edit: I just re-read and see that you plan to solder the fins in place. Looks like you've got it covered!

[lastlight]

Wait for it...

[Beverly]

Laid out all the LED boards from Modular LED for one heat sink and came up with this so far.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/1d7a59c7-1-1.jpg

I'm looking at your first layout of colours. The white seem to be mostly around the edges and the blue/royal blue/other colours are in the centre area. Wouldn't you want to mix them up a bit to even out the colour, or is there a particular reason to have the whites along the edge?

Really looking forward to seeing these LEDs on your tank :)

[The Grizz]

I'm looking at your first layout of colours. The white seem to be mostly around the edges and the blue/royal blue/other colours are in the centre area. Wouldn't you want to mix them up a bit to even out the colour, or is there a particular reason to have the whites along the edge?

Really looking forward to seeing these LEDs on your tank :)

There is a row of XP-G Cool Whits down the center, they are the brightest of all the whites. They are my High Noon kit & wil be on at the highest % from 11:30 - 1:30.

I am think of adding a 3rd fan to each heat sink but even with just 2 you can feel the air flow at both ends of it.

[Beverly]

Ahhh! That's what the HN means! There are so many code words to this LED thing ;)

[The Grizz]

Ahhh! That's what the HN means! There are so many code words to this LED thing ;)

Ah yes maybe a should add a legend for each LED.

[Hustler]

There is no way that these will warp, as soft as aluminum is it will actually take a little more heat to warp . Total watts of the LED would be 408w @ 100% which I doubt I will even get close to that.

I am looking for a product I heard about that is similar to Silver Solder. It a matter of heating it up & pouring it in to fill any gaps.

If there is any visible gaps or you want to run stringers.... Just heat up a cone and give her a good few Whaps with the hammer ;)
She will fit right in the gaps and if you have the gas up you will be mint....
Although im sure your more than fine now seeing the shawdy heatsinks i have seen on car amps/ballasts running tripple or more watts/amps the fins are half useless anyways and your way overkill :) .

[The Grizz]

Not going to do any more welding on them except to connect the fins to the end caps. To much weld and it will warp for sure. There is only 3/8" between fins so the only way to do any more weld in there is with some aluminum stick rods & they are very messy. The Loctite stuff is the answer to bold it all together.

[waynemah]

This looks awesome so far! The heat sync is a massive beast, love it.

When looking into the acrylic, did you manage to find some that doesn't pull out some of the light's spectrum? When attempting to make lids for my tank I ran into this issue and ended up scrapping the project. $200 worth of acrylic lying around now :redface:

Are you planning to put any bracing in for the acrylic? That stuff likes to bow like crazy in higher humidity and temp.

[Chowder]

Looks pretty impressive so far. Out of curriousity what is the weight of that beast?

Chris

[The Grizz]

This looks awesome so far! The heat sync is a massive beast, love it.

When looking into the acrylic, did you manage to find some that doesn't pull out some of the light's spectrum? When attempting to make lids for my tank I ran into this issue and ended up scrapping the project. $200 worth of acrylic lying around now :redface:

Are you planning to put any bracing in for the acrylic? That stuff likes to bow like crazy in higher humidity and temp.

I haven't looked for the acrylic yet but will be stopping at Sabic next time I go to Calgary. I am going to use 1/8" or thinner & will be held in place on all 4 sides by the frame of the heat sink.


Looks pretty impressive so far. Out of curriousity what is the weight of that beast?

Chris

I would guess it around 50 lbs each, but I will have to actually calculate the weight.

[Hustler]

Well hurry up already..... Im getting itchy trigger fingers with the ebay and more LEDs..... I gotta see this in action

[The Grizz]

Well hurry up already..... Im getting itchy trigger fingers with the ebay and more LEDs..... I gotta see this in action

Patience grasshopper, patience :lol: just got my last 2 drivers tonight & hope to work on them some more this weekend in between work and finishing a buddies stand skirts.

I am going to get at least one done & test drive it beside my 2 - 250w MH & 2 - T5's fixture for some comparison.

[Nano]

Patience grasshopper, patience :lol: just got my last 2 drivers tonight & hope to work on them some more this weekend in between work and finishing a buddies stand skirts.

I am going to get at least one done & test drive it beside my 2 - 250w MH & 2 - T5's fixture for some comparison.

I'm so STOKED!

[The Grizz]

I'm so STOKED!

That makes 2 of us, wish I could take a week off work and just work on my tank & LED's but it will not pay the bill o I have to settle for what time I have. Also working on a 2800 sq ft dog run to top it all off.

[Seth81]

Just out of curiousity, but why are you using red and green LED's? Red shouldn't only be used if you are growing plants. Not too sure why you would want green either...

I built my own DIY LED fixtures, I should probably make a thread too. I wish I knew how to weld, and made my own heat sinks.... I am jealose of your heatsink! The cheapest I could find was still expensive and not custom to my tank (heatsinksusa.com just in case anyone was curious.

[Beverly]

I haven't looked for the acrylic yet but will be stopping at Sabic next time I go to Calgary. I am going to use 1/8" or thinner & will be held in place on all 4 sides by the frame of the heat sink.

I'm interested in the type of acrylic you're going to use. Hopefully we can get the same stuff in Edmonton:

16536 117th Avenue NW
Edmonton, Alberta T5M 3W2
Tel: 780-451-1650
Fax: 780-454-6025

[sphelps]

In terms of acrylic don't dig too far into it. Use standard clear 1/8" cast acrylic sheet, it will not warp and will not remove any visible light worth mentioning (0.5% of visible light is removed per inch of thickness). There are difference classes of acrylic for removing UV light but LEDs don't emit UV and you can avoid it to be safe by not purchasing a special type of acrylic. Also optics are acrylic....

http://www.sdplastics.com/acryliteliterature/1213FUVtransTB.pdf

And most Rona's carry the 1/8" cast clear for a good price.

[The Grizz]

Just out of curiousity, but why are you using red and green LED's? Red shouldn't only be used if you are growing plants. Not too sure why you would want green either...

I built my own DIY LED fixtures, I should probably make a thread too. I wish I knew how to weld, and made my own heat sinks.... I am jealose of your heatsink! The cheapest I could find was still expensive and not custom to my tank (heatsinksusa.com just in case anyone was curious.

I was in Ocean Creations in Calgary a while back and they have a tank that has some LED T5 bulb over it, including a green and red. The guy working showed me the difference with them on vs. off and the colors where out of this world. Mine will be both on separate channels so I can dim them right down to 5 - 10% if I need to.

In terms of acrylic don't dig too far into it. Use standard clear 1/8" cast acrylic sheet, it will not warp and will not remove any visible light worth mentioning (0.5% of visible light is removed per inch of thickness). There are difference classes of acrylic for removing UV light but LEDs don't emit UV and you can avoid it to be safe by not purchasing a special type of acrylic. Also optics are acrylic....

http://www.sdplastics.com/acryliteliterature/1213FUVtransTB.pdf

And most Rona's carry the 1/8" cast clear for a good price.

That what I was thinking as well to use the cast acrylic vs. the extruded. I can get it at Totem as well but will check our local Rona to see if there price is better.

[Seth81]

So I read through I think like 40 pages of the RC LED aesthetics thread and it seems to me that if you just where to go with a mix of Natural white, Cool White and Royal blues you would get much better color out of your fixtures. Lots of people warned against just adding a few spread out red and greens as you wouldn't get good colour mixing and would get kind of a disco effect.

Looking at your design I would be a bit worried about the "disco" light effect from the red and greens.

I would love to see what the end result of your build is. Personally I may swape out 50% of my cool whites for natural whites if I'm not happy with my Cool white and Royal blue mix.

[sphelps]

I have a combination of a few reds, greens and yellows spread out. I don't use optics and there is absolutely no disco/spotlight effect.

[The Grizz]

Could it be the optics that give them the disco affect?

[intarsiabox]

Could it be the optics that give them the disco affect?

Probably, if the optics concentrate the light to a focused beam. With a wide spread I think the red and green would just blend in. The echotech lights have red and green and I haven't heard anyone complain about a disco effect with them.

[Seth81]

yes optics can cause disco effects but also running the reds at a high current and having them too spread out. if I were going to include red leds I would make sure I put them on a dimmable driver for sure.

On the RC thread two people said that they wouldn't bother with the red led's but would just use natural white led's.

I guess everyone has their own opinion. I personally want to keep the number of channels of light down to minimum simplicity. but I still would love to see what your tank looks like I'm your new lighting. and maybe some pictures of you playing around w:ith the levels.

[The Grizz]

I have a Profilux controller and have several channels to utilize but in the end if I don't like them there easy to change & Martin is right here in Red Deer so I can get a different color.

I hope to build the mounting rack soon, get it all wired & fire these bad boys up.

[claymax]

heres the nano reef thread similar to the reef central one mentioned earlier on LED aesthetics.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=246394


their genral consensus is 2:1 royal blue:neutral white with supplemental blue(or cool blue as they call in the thread) gives the best overall look, there are mentions of good results with adding deep red (660) and true violet as well.

its a good read if you have the time, alot of time.

[BigAl07]

Great build thread. Here are some things I'd be careful about:



A) Fin to sheet contact - but I think you're already going to address that
B) Your fans will be ineffective for the fins outside of 12 or so channels they are blowing directly into. I don't think you'll have a problem on the ends of those channels but I can't see how any air will move in the outer (7 or so ) channels on the front and back.


You're gonna LOVE controlling your lights with your ProfiLux. It's a breeze to get them "controlled" once you plug them into open "L" ports on your ProfiLux. You can dial them in from 1% to 100%. Right now I'm testing mine at 10% and I think I've still burned the retinas of all my neighbors.

How long does it take for your thermal adhesive to set up when attaching your LED chips to the heatsink?

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

Nice setup Greg I just skimmed through this write up a couple thing to think about as I went through it when I did my build.
1) I don't think you have enough air flow to cool your entire heat-sink if you run the LED at full blast.
2) I raised my fans about 2" over the heat-sink as this will spread the air flow through the entire array and had them mounted on the top cover with full enclosure except the sides,keeping in mind I used 2 x 120w 4" fans for my array witch holds at least 60 LED (too lazy to count now:biggrin: running full power 1500Ma for whites and 1000Ma for royal blue)
3) If you are gluing the LED on the heat-sink I would use Arctic silver thermal adhesive as I read it in the past to be the best product for heat transfer and use as little as possible.
Originally I had optics on all LED and yes if your setup is close to the water you will have a disco affect,I see 2 ways to have it running without the disco dancing water put optics on all white and blue LED and none on the other colors as this will give your colors a 180 degree spread.
You are more than welcome to come by and investigate my array:biggrin:

[The Grizz]

Thank guys for the constructive input. :biggrin:

I am not totally done with the fans just yet. Martin & I were checking them before he left for Ireland for Xmas & we both think there will be enough air flow to go around but I have been thinking of adding a 3rd fan & adding in some pieces to direct the air flow into all fins.

I haven't picked up the AlumiFix yet but need to this week so I can work on them over the holidays. Also have to build the frame to support the heat sink.

I will be putting optics on all the whites ( 45 degree ) & blue ( 60 degree ) but not on the Reds or Greens. My heat sinks well be between 10" - 12" above water level & I doubt it very highly that they will be ever at 100%.

Martin also supplies the Arctic Siler to attach the LEDs to the heat sink so that's covered too.

[BigAl07]

Martin also supplies the Arctic Siler to attach the LEDs to the heat sink so that's covered too.

How long does it take that to set up?

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

How long does it take that to set up?

If youare asking the set time for the glue,as I recall after mixing you only have 5 working minutes and it starts to set I beleive full cure takes 4 hours

[The Grizz]

How long does it take that to set up?

Sorry forgot to address that question.

From what Martin was saying, just mix up about the size of a dime or smaller at a time because there's only about 10 min working time. Also you only need a dab about 1/8" diameter under each LED, use a toothpick to apply on each LED.

[Ross]

Do you have to prep the aluminum first before gluing the leds on?

[The Grizz]

Other then making sure the surface if free of any dust or dirt no prep needed.

[Coleus]

this looks awesome

[azulikit]

Most guys use a car or a truck.

How do you plan on compensating for that with an LED light?

Anyways looks like it going to be pretty awesome, enjoy the project!

[The Grizz]

Not sure what you mean there azulikit?

[azulikit]

It's a joke Grizz. It's okay if you don't get it.

You know the guy driving the big lifted monster truck, maybe he's compensating for something? Do I really need to explain it in detail for you?

In this case the monster truck is your LED light. Get it? LMAO

[The Grizz]

It's a joke Grizz. It's okay if you don't get it.

You know the guy driving the big lifted monster truck, maybe he's compensating for something? Do I really need to explain it in detail for you?

In this case the monster truck is your LED light. Get it? LMAO

:pound: :rofl:

I figured it was, I get it now.

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

I will be putting optics on all the whites ( 45 degree ) & blue ( 60 degree ) but not on the Reds or Greens. My heat sinks well be between 10" - 12" above water level & I doubt it very highly that they will be ever at 100%.

Let me suggest to play with the beam of the optics over your tank and the height you like the array to be before you make a purchase as I think 45 and 60 degree optics are very narrow even on a height of 20" I am not sure if you seen my setup as I had 60 degree optics with a height of 24" and yet still too narrow,I could be wrong to as my array's dimensions 8"X10" and contains 60 LED:shocked!:

[waynemah]

I ended up with carclo frosted white (wide) optics. It's insane how well they direct the light without really spotting. My lights are 12" from the water.

[mseepman]

I ended up with carclo frosted white (wide) optics. It's insane how well they direct the light without really spotting. My lights are 12" from the water.

This is what I'm going with as well. Carlo frosted wides on the BJB connectors.

[The Grizz]

Martin brought out 2 big bags of optic to play with and If I dont like them he will find me something different. So handy that he is in Red Deer, well actually he is in Ireland right now but you know what I mean :lol:

[waynemah]

I likely missed it, but do you have contact info or a website of where you got the LED's? I like the plugin idea and I'm planning to LED my 12G nano :lol:

[The Grizz]

I likely missed it, but do you have contact info or a website of where you got the LED's? I like the plugin idea and I'm planning to LED my 12G nano :lol:

They are from Modular LED located in Red Deer & site sponsor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[toytech]

Wow that light is a beast . Great idea on the home made heat sink, aluminum is so sexy , wish i had a spool gun . When its all done can you stand it on end turn it up full blast and get a Friend to stand in front of it , i bet 10 bucks we will be able to see there skeleton , or they will be vaporized!

[The Grizz]

When its all done can you stand it on end turn it up full blast and get a Friend to stand in front of it , i bet 10 bucks we will be able to see there skeleton , or they will be vaporized!

I have just the person in mind :lol:

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Hmmmm,ex-partner????:twised:

[Nano]

:pound: MWUUHAHAHAHAH :twised:

[The Grizz]

Built a temp canopy over the last 2 days.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/036c6ccf.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/3693288c.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/b43273e0.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/0c963d1b.jpg

Currently glueing the LEDs to the heat sinks, man what a time consuming job but much easier then soldering.

[intarsiabox]

Has the wife seen what she'll be helping you carry yet?

[Nano]

Has the wife seen what she'll be helping you carry yet?

:pound:

I like those Heat sinks Greg! you should Make a Diamond plate Canopy that way it looks like a robot on top of your tank, JK that would probably weigh a ton!

[The Grizz]

Has the wife seen what she'll be helping you carry yet?

Nope :lol: I took the heat sinks out & the front off to make it lighter.

P.S. did you get my e-mail Jeff?

[intarsiabox]

Nope :lol: I took the heat sinks out & the front off to make it lighter.

P.S. did you get my e-mail Jeff?

I did indeed! The wife saw the pics, she'll be easier to sway than I first thought!:twised:

[The Grizz]

I did indeed! The wife saw the pics, she'll be easier to sway than I first thought!:twised:

Wait until I send you some new ones when there eyes open, that will really get her :twised:

[intarsiabox]

Wait until I send you some new ones when there eyes open, that will really get her :twised:

I look forward to it!

[lastlight]

That's one hell of a solid and heavy temp canopy lol! I'm really rooting for these LEDs to work out for you man. Who knows maybe a couple years from now I'll be able to follow suit! The more I see of the fortress (workshop) the more I wanna come tour it...

[The Grizz]

That's one hell of a solid and heavy temp canopy lol! I'm really rooting for these LEDs to work out for you man. Who knows maybe a couple years from now I'll be able to follow suit! The more I see of the fortress (workshop) the more I wanna come tour it...

I hope so too :biggrin: doors always open dude, tours run daily :lol:

[StirCrazy]

Hey Griz, one suggestion.. take some emery cloth or something real fine and take the oxidization off the areas you are going to epoxy the LEDs to. this is a hindrance to heat transfer.

the build is looking real nice so far..

Steve

[The Grizz]

Ya that's what I did, mapped out all the boards, scratched the surface with some emery cloth & appoxied all the boards on.

Got all the boards on now, just need to get more connectors from Martin tomorrow, get everything wired & let them rip.

[The Grizz]

Got the LED's wired up & tested each run to make sur they work.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/54329d3d.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/7c81352d.jpg

The jumpers from heat sink to heat sink are temporary, need to drill some hole to hide them under an aluminum cover yet.

[Nano]

Gnarly!

[claymax]

Where are the pictures of them ON

[Nano]

I just noticed they are being built under the christmas tree lol

[The Grizz]

Ok let's shed some light on this subject.

Cool & Nuetral White HEW with a few blues / royal blues
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/c3c25857.jpg

All whites & blues

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/e6ed83f0.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/18117cfa.jpg


Still need to get the High Noon XPG's, Red's & Green's going yet but need a few connectors I forgot to get when I was at Martins yesterday.

[mseepman]

Looking good...quite the setup there.

[lastlight]

Layout makes a lot of sense to me. I look forward to seeing what the output actually looks like.

If you wanted to move the boards around and swap some now... how hard would that be?

[The Grizz]

Once I get the center row of XPG'S fired up & the few scattered red & green the layout will really make sence.

I think if I needed to move boards around it might take a scalpel to cut the Arctic Silver carefully under the board but I think this will work well.

[Nano]

Thats hot

[Doc_Polit]

Wicked build Greg!

Nice work! :drum:

[WindowMaker]

This one is turning out great! Awesome job on the heatsinks!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Wow, your heat sink/LED build is so intense. This is going over your 165g shallow 8'er?

[The Grizz]

Wow, your heat sink/LED build is so intense. This is going over your 165g shallow 8'er?

Yes, it will be going on the 165 gal until I get the 300 gal 8'er built.

[howdy20012002]

hey there Grizz
looks awesome.
realistically, with all your time and effort, materials is it worth it?
or would it have better to actually buy a already built LED light system?
I hear lots of people talking about building LED lights and I dunno,
it seems like you have to be a bit savy to build them and know your stuff.
and from the costs of the DIY kits, it doesn't really seem to save that much money.
I think in your case, it is probably more about you wanna see what you can do and also tailor the lights to your specific demands.
which from this thread, you can do alot and I am sure it will be an incredible light system.
but realistically, most of us don't have your building skills or tech savy when it comes to LED.
would you recommend the average guy/gal to do this?
or leave it to the professionals?
and costs, even without the countless hours you are spending on this, is the cost savings that significant?
thanks for the time you spend on the thread.
I appreciate it and I am sure many others do as well.
once again,
awesome job
Neal

[lastlight]

The average person would need to buy heatsinks... from what I've read that is a significant portion of the total cost.

[The Grizz]

Well I would say that building my own light system has saved me any where from $1000 - $4000 depending on what manufactured fixture you look at.

I wasn't going to build my own heat sinks at first, I was going to use Martins 6" x 12" heat sinks, join 2 together to make 4 - 12" x 12" heat sinks.

If I was doing a smaller tank I might have just bought something but I do like to build stuff. I would say the average guy or gal could easily build there own LED's with Modular LED & Martins help.

[martinmcnally]

Insane! Looks awesome. Will be out a little later today with the connectors.

[The Grizz]

Sound good Martin, need 2 start / stop & 4 of those silicone filled wire connectors.

[RyanJ]

Hey there grizz I love this light.. But I have Been looking at the pics of the the heat sync that you built... Now I have been thinking of doing this myself... I may not know my metals... But I have been around a computer for a few years... Fryed a lot of chips over overclocking CPUs due to overheating.. Now I'm looking your heat sync and there is only 8 spot welds on them.. That's really the only place that is bonded... And may cause hot spots and kill LEDs in certain places... Just my thoughts..I was just taught that the reasons heat syncs are one solid piece is to eliminate hot spots.. Now can aluminum absorb and disburse the heat as fast as them nice hot LEDs can produce it?? How hot dose it run??

[reef_rookie]

WOW!!
I can't wait to see pictures of this over your tank.

[The Grizz]

RyanJ - That issues was addressed a few pages back. I will be adding a Loctite Fixmaster Aluminum Apoxy into each slot to bond everything into one piece. If you try to weld more on each 1/8" x 1" flat bar you will end up with a real warped mess.

reef_rookie - Me too :biggrin:

[The Grizz]

So tonight Martin dropped by to help trouble shoot why I could not get my XPG's to fire up & if it wasn't for my blurred vision from my head cold I would have seen it right off. One of the connector wires was not completely seated in its clip & took Martin less then 5 min to find & solve, Thanks Martin.

Here's a few more pics.

Red's / Green's @ 1%

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/3286ab63.jpg

Everything but second set of XPG's ( forgot we needed 2 drivers for these )

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/80877d7d.jpg

One heat sink totally lit.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/2ecd47ef.jpg

Temporary mounting of the drivers & EVG boards on the end of the cover. On the new tank they will be up in the top cupboard hidden from sight. The wife will probably make me build something to cover them with but for now this is the way it's going to be.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/382a9692.jpg


Just need to put the optics on the Whites/Blues & slide in the acrylic shields then it can go on to the 165 gal.

[MMAX]

Lookin real good Greg

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

Looking very nice Greg.now you need to test on your tank without the optics and then with them on :biggrin:

[The Grizz]

Lookin real good Greg

Looking very nice Greg.now you need to test on your tank without the optics and then with them on :biggrin:

Thanks Mike & Eli, I was thinking of trying it without optic's first but man its really bright & I can only trust my Profilux controller as to what % it is at. With the optics they seem a little dimmer but you know me I will end up trying it without the optics .:biggrin:

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

Hey Greg hope you are feeling better.
By the way if you still need that doser send me your adress and phone number for me to ship it tomorrow.
Oh sorry didn't mean to hijack :biggrin:

[The Grizz]

Hey Greg hope you are feeling better.
By the way if you still need that doser send me your adress and phone number for me to ship it tomorrow.
Oh sorry didn't mean to hijack :biggrin:

Address on the way :biggrin:

[Skimmerking]

well get it up there Greg and get it going man. that light looks amazing man. well done

[The Grizz]

Hope to have it up on the tank by the weekend & hopefully I feel better to because I have to do something with the load pump that will probably involve some replumbing.

[Bblinks]

Grizz, the built is amazing. looking forward to see it on the tank. That's gonna be a lot of light for the 165, what kind of corals are you planning to keep?

[no_bs]

Very nice indeed. Patiently waiting for the test drive.:boink:

[The Grizz]

Grizz, the built is amazing. looking forward to see it on the tank. That's gonna be a lot of light for the 165, what kind of corals are you planning to keep?

It will be a lot of light for the 165 gal so that means I must get my arse in gear & get the 300 gal built. :biggrin:

Very nice indeed. Patiently waiting for the test drive.:boink:

Just waiting for 1 driver for the 2nd set of XPG's, should be here by Friday I hope.

[waynemah]

I think your going to very pleased, everything that I didn't like about my build you have resolved. Looking forward to see this thing in action!

[The Grizz]

I think your going to very pleased, everything that I didn't like about my build you have resolved

What did you not like about your build Wayne?

[waynemah]

What did you not like about your build Wayne?

LED layout -- When the light hits the water just right you can see lines of white and blue on the sand bed :( The shimmer is over powering.

Color Spektrum -- I dont think I have the right spektrum or my rock is too bright, only time will tell. Right now everything seems washed. I've added Zeovit, but I dont think its the corals.

JBJ connectors vs Plug and play -- It's way cleaner to go with the modular led setup. I picked up a used kit for my nano, it's a VERY slick product.

[The Grizz]

I just went by the seat of my pant as to layout of the boards but kind of sorta went with what I thought would work good. Hope the shimmer is not going to be crazy & I think with my controller I should be able to hit 10k - 20k & everything in between with some fine tuning.

I really liked how easy it is to work with Modular LED product & Martin himself. I will deffinately be building units for some of my smaller tanks as well down the road.

[Nano]

Cant wait to see them over your tank Greg!

[The Grizz]

Should be on for sure when your in the hood :biggrin:

[Nano]

Nice! I'm hopingto be there next weekend provided my AI comes in, if not perhaps I'll come still

[Planeguy]

So I just came across this thread while searching for something else. Excellent read and nice work! Any updates?

The timing is perfect as I am trying to decide between buying an LED fixture or making my own. I am leaning toward building my own because I have to be able to control it with my Profilux and I already have a number of heatsinks.

Now I am just starting to learn how DIY LED fixtures are built, so I may be confused as to how they are controlled with the Profilux. I see you are running 8 different types of LED boards and only 2 EVG boards which will only control 4 channels in total. I know you can run up to 3 drivers per channel, but which leds are you allocating to the different channels? Or am I confused as to what is controlled on a single channel?

[The Grizz]

Sorry for the late reply Planeguy, it's been a really tough day.

Anyways, I received my last driver on Friday from Martin but had to work all weekend & still need to hook it up. Just about have all the optics on as well.

As for the controlling question, I have my CW & NW HEW on one channel, my RB & B on the second channel, CW - XPG'S on the third channel & my Red / Green on the fourth channel. I can add another EVG board if I decide not to use my dimmable power bar to totally shut down the power on the EVG boards. Each channel is running 2 drivers each.

[rzadun]

I have been following this thread for some time. I would like to come out and see it. Been thinking about switching to Led myself.

[The Grizz]

Hope to have it on the tank this week end, if you want to stop by and have a look Rzadun shoot me a pm and I will send you directions. The weekend would work the best for me.

[The Grizz]

Final assembly is now complete. All optics are on everything except the red & green, acrylic covers are cut & in ( hard to see ) & everything is all wired up as neat as possible for the temporary hood. Going to tackle the task of getting it on the tank this weekend & then the fun begins trying to get the Profilux programming figured out.


http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/0e1e285f.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/33edce4e.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/ea5a174a.jpg

[Delphinus]

Christmas all over again!

[Ross]

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/ea5a174a.jpg

Looks good Grizz,

Sadly the first thing that came to mind with that last pic is Saturday night fever...

http://homesanctuary.typepad.com/rachelanne/images/2008/01/21/saturdaynightfever_300x298.jpg

[The Grizz]

SERIOUSLLY that's the best you can come up with Ross :lol:

[phi delt reefer]

i was singing Shiny Disco Balls when I saw the picture of the rig.


FIST PUMPS!!!!!

[The Grizz]

So after several hrs last night I got this massive monster LED on my 165 gal 8'er

Pic with my 4 - 250w MH / 4 - 54w T5

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/165%20gal%20tank%20build/82bb1383.jpg

LED'S

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/165%20gal%20tank%20build/c2fe8176.jpg

4 - 250w MH / 4 - 54w T5

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/165%20gal%20tank%20build/f48b8425.jpg

LED's

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/165%20gal%20tank%20build/e3129415.jpg

[The Grizz]

I have the LED's set so the Blue are at 100% from 9am - 9pm, CW / NW HEW set at 50% from 9am - 6pm, CW XPG'S set at 10% to 100% back to 10% from 9 am - 3 pm & Red / Green set at 10% from 11am - 6pm ATM.

I will be playing with them over the next week to get thing just the way I want them but man I am really liking how the colors pop.

[Nano]

those look way better then the halides awesome work Greg

[Coleus]

It looks awesome. I prefer the Led over MH

[claymax]

About time! Looks great though

[ensquire]

Wow what a difference. LED's are very impressive. Much more vivid colors.

[waynemah]

Looks great! If you have any sensitive corals in there you might want to lower your values a touch. I dropped mine every couple of weeks and things are only getting better (I was bleaching coraline at %80). I'm now down to %50 at peak, seems to be a good balance (light runs alot cooler too). It does look a touch darker, but I'm starting to think that is the tradeoff with LED technology.

[The Grizz]

No real sensitive corals, if anything most of my coral looked much better, Duncan's where out more, zoa's really looked nice as did my Corky finger, colt coral and my many mushroom.

I really like the look of the tank ATM, all my blues still at 100% and the middle row of CW XPG'S on at 10% ish.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/165%20gal%20tank%20build/75d7f6ef.jpg


I really think it looks so much better in person then in the pics ( my photo skills are shyte ).

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

congrats Greg that looks awesome and I don't see any dead spots:thumb: you need to crank that baby to its max:biggrin:

[fishytime]

they do look pretty saweet Gregster.......colors do pop and they make your sailfin look twice as big too!:mrgreen:

[lastlight]

Must have felt great flipping the switch on that! Colors appear nicer in the photos... things look more contrasty too.

You can tell the light is focused downwards just be comparing the sand up against your glass. It's not lit up nearly as well under the LEDs. Should be cleaning the glass a lot less which is a nice bonus.

[Delphinus]

Wow that must have felt great getting it online. Things definitely seem to look better in the photos. Would love to see this in person some day!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I actually found the same effect when I had my LEDs on the tank. My camera seems to like LED lighting much better than metal halides since the colours and contrasts show up better both in real life and in the pics.

Great to see this monster light finally over the tank and showing off the corals.

[rzadun]

The tank looks awesome with the LED. I would like to see it in person.

[The Grizz]

congrats Greg that looks awesome and I don't see any dead spots:thumb: you need to crank that baby to its max:biggrin:

Not until I get it on the 300 gal as it will be almost double the height. The only spots that I can see that are a little dark are the ends which is just fine to me. I used to have a shaded spot right in the middle with the MH.

they do look pretty saweet Gregster.......colors do pop and they make your sailfin look twice as big too!:mrgreen:

Actually that Sailfin is rather huge, with his fins expanded I would say he's around 10" top to bottom, hence the 300 gal.

Must have felt great flipping the switch on that! Colors appear nicer in the photos... things look more contrasty too.

You can tell the light is focused downwards just be comparing the sand up against your glass. It's not lit up nearly as well under the LEDs. Should be cleaning the glass a lot less which is a nice bonus.

I sure hope it will help with the glass getting that algea film, I bought one of those kick arse Tiger Shark mag cleaners and it is a work out just to clean the glass but it does a great job.

[The Grizz]

Wow that must have felt great getting it online. Things definitely seem to look better in the photos. Would love to see this in person some day!

I really love the colors of every thing especially when I just have the blue / royal blue on, it make thing fluorescent like i have never see in my tank before. Just have to figure out how to take pics of that.

Anytime your in the hood your always welcome to stop by.:biggrin:

I actually found the same effect when I had my LEDs on the tank. My camera seems to like LED lighting much better than metal halides since the colours and contrasts show up better both in real life and in the pics.

Great to see this monster light finally over the tank and showing off the corals.

As well you dont get as much glare from the LED's as you do with the MH.

The tank looks awesome with the LED. I would like to see it in person.

Like I said before when you want to come check it out drop me a PM.

[The Grizz]

Oh I must add for all those who where questioning the heat transfer issue that with the 4 fans on low the heat sinks were cool to the touch every where. I can only imagine what it will be like with the fans on high.

[no_bs]

Lookin good. Now lets see some other colors:biggrin:. I'm quite interested to see some growth results.
You had better take some growth sequence pics.:biggrin:.

[The Grizz]

Ok you asked for other colors so here are some more, all at 100%.

CW & NW HEW with just a few blues
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/27cd8d19.jpg

CW XPG's
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/b09c4d10.jpg

Blues & Royal Blues
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/0ec9b034.jpg

Reds
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/063143f0.jpg

Greens
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/ffbe675f.jpg

Reds & Greens
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/69e2f4a6.jpg

Reds, Greens, Blues & Royal Blues
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/17e2fc14.jpg

Reds, Greens, Blues, Royal Blues & CW / NW HEWS
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/63604409.jpg

AND THE WHOLE SHE BANG!!!
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/a75e87ae.jpg

[kien]

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/ffbe675f.jpg


This is by far my favourite look. I would run my tank like this all day. I'm tired of my tank glowing blue. That's so 2011. Nuclear green FTW!!

[The Grizz]

That's so funny you say that my wife want her seahorse tank to just be blue :lol:

[Zoaelite]

Omg...
I think the balls on my Radions just un-dropped...


http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/0ec9b034.jpg

Job well done!!! I can only imagine how sweet the zoas look under this lighting!

[The Grizz]

Omg...
I think the balls on my Radions just un-dropped...

:pound: is that a good thing for you or me :pound:

[Nano]

Omg...
I think the balls on my Radions just un-dropped.

:lol::lol::lol:

[Zoaelite]

For you :redface:.

[martinmcnally]

The red and green sure pack a punch hey! For so little red and green LEDs in there compared to the rest.

Cant wait to get out and see this up and running.

[no_bs]

Now that is bright. Good job.

[SteveConn]

D@mn! Grizz, your pics are making me rethink getting Radions! Just be a lot easier if I had the equipment to build a canopy that would look nice!
AWESOME job man!

Martin is the guy to go to for DIY LEDs!

[The Grizz]

For you :redface:.

:biggrin: here's hoping with the 300 gal I can't get everything in check and have a tank like yours someday Levi.

The red and green sure pack a punch hey! For so little red and green LEDs in there compared to the rest.

Cant wait to get out and see this up and running.

Me either :lol: we have a little tweaking to do. Do you have an EVG board in stock Martin?

Now that is bright. Good job.

Thanks, looks way better in person, pics where takin with my phone cause I'm to lazy to tinker with one of our 3 cameras :lol:

[martinmcnally]

:biggrin: Do you have an EVG board in stock Martin?


Yea i have some here.

[The Grizz]

D@mn! Grizz, your pics are making me rethink getting Radions! Just be a lot easier if I had the equipment to build a canopy that would look nice!
AWESOME job man!

Martin is the guy to go to for DIY LEDs!

Oh I don't want that :lol: & thank too.I just couldn't justify the cost for manufactured fixtures & I wanted to see what it would look like with reds & greens. Plus when I was talking with the wife about cutting our power consumption around here 4 - 250w MH in the livingroom had to be the first to go. Then when I was showing her the costs of manufactured fixture I got the " LOOK OF DEATH " from her.

[The Grizz]

Yea i have some here.

Cool, when you can come out better bing one, a few 12" extensions & a start / end, I have an idea :biggrin:

[Zoaelite]

:biggrin: here's hoping with the 300 gal I can't get everything in check and have a tank like yours someday Levi.


I sweep the Cyano, Majenos & melting coral under the rug when I shoot :lol:. Thanks though Greg I appreciate it!

[ensquire]

Very impressive Greg, Job well done.

[The Grizz]

Very impressive Greg, Job well done.

Thanks Mike & yes your tank will be coming soon, hope to build the crate this weekend.

[Delphinus]

That's super impressive with all of them on .. very cool.

You've probably addressed this already earlier, but my memory for details like that is like 5 to 10 minutes tops. What's your total wattage with everything on?

[The Grizz]

That's super impressive with all of them on .. very cool.

You've probably addressed this already earlier, but my memory for details like that is like 5 to 10 minutes tops. What's your total wattage with everything on?

Actually that has never been asked yet but with a total of 272 LEDs @ 3w each that would be 816w at 100% intensity.

[Nano]

Actually that has never been asked yet but with a total of 272 LEDs @ 3w each that would be 816w at 100% intensity.

I'm sure thats like half of what you had for your halides though in terms of consumption

[The Grizz]

Here's a break down of all the parts used:

LED's
20 - Cool White HEW
20 - Nutral White HEW
16 - CW XPG'S
8 - Red
8 - Green
32 - Royal Blue
32 - Blue

Optics
112 - 45 degree
128 - 60 degree

Drivers
4 - 120w
2 - 75w
2 - 38w

Connector Wire's
58 - 2"
54 - 4"
32 - 12"
8 - start / end

Fans
4 - 120 mm fans
2 - splitter wires
2 - fan connectors
2 - fan power supply's

2 - Profilux EVG boards (might be adding one more)

[The Grizz]

I'm sure thats like half of what you had for your halides though in terms of consumption

With the MH I had 1216w running but it's the amp draw that I am sure is a helz of a lot lower with the LEDs.

[ensquire]

Your a busy man .... Stand has only been cut, no paint yet. :biggrin:

Thanks Mike & yes your tank will be coming soon, hope to build the crate this weekend.

[Zoaelite]

Here's a break down of all the parts used:

LED's
20 - Cool White HEW
20 - Nutral White HEW
16 - CW XPG'S
8 - Red
8 - Green
32 - Royal Blue
32 - Blue

Optics
112 - 45 degree
128 - 60 degree

Drivers
4 - 120w
2 - 75w
2 - 38w

Connector Wire's
58 - 2"
54 - 4"
32 - 12"
8 - start / end

Fans
4 - 120 mm fans
2 - splitter wires
2 - fan connectors
2 - fan power supply's

2 - Profilux EVG boards (might be adding one more)

Wow that's a scary amount of LED's!!! All in all how long did it take you to build everything Greg? I would of opted for a DIY build but knowing my handy skills that probably would of resulted in me burning the house down...

I'm in the same boat, went from 1744W total to less than half that @ full intensity. Not having to change bulbs is a big bonus as well.

[The Grizz]

Wow that's a scary amount of LED's!!! All in all how long did it take you to build everything Greg? I would of opted for a DIY build but knowing my handy skills that probably would of resulted in me burning the house down...

I'm in the same boat, went from 1744W total to less than half that @ full intensity. Not having to change bulbs is a big bonus as well.

I would guess from start to finish building everything heatsinks, putting together the LED's and canopy it took me around 30 hrs tops.

[vanreefer]

Hey Grizz
Firstly awesome job on this I intend to DIY the heatsinks as well material looks like 3/8" for the base and 1/4" for the fins... is that right? how warm is it? cool to the touch?

Thanks
VR

[The Grizz]

Thanks VR, the main plate and sides are 1/4", the fins are 1/8". With both fans on high on each heat sink there are completely cool to the touch.

[The Grizz]

Just an update on the affectivenes of the heat sinks. I checked the temp of the HS with my infra red temp gun this morning & it was 80 degrees F. After all the LED's where at there max setting I have them programmed for about an hour the HS is at 85 degrees F.

I am very happy I didnt spend the $100+ for the Loc-tite Alumafix because in the end I didn't need it. I have all 4 fans running on high, all blues @ 100%, XPG's @ 100%, CW / NW HEWS 50% & reds / greens @ 10% at 1:00 pm.

[Nano]

nice your XPGs are working now? thats awesome! I solved my leak problem lol. now its a matter of making the return pump a bit quieter

[cuz]

I would guess from start to finish building everything heatsinks, putting together the LED's and canopy it took me around 30 hrs tops.


Feel free not to comment but how many $$'s did an 8ft diy led project run you??

(not the price you told the other half!!lol)

[The Grizz]

Yep all working now :biggrin:

I should add that I got another EVG board from Martin, so that maks 3. I can turn on the 2 rows of blues seperately as well as the 2 rows of CW / NW. 6 channels of control now and I like to :biggrin:

[reefme]

Is your led light dimmable? If it is how? I just bought two led light fixtures with 4 plugs and I like to dim it down, but don't know how.

[The Grizz]

Feel free not to comment but how many $$'s did an 8ft diy led project run you??

(not the price you told the other half!!lol)

The wife knows what it cost but can't say anything because I make the money:biggrin: & it's now cheaper to run the lighting.

I can't really say what I has cost me for the LED component's simply because Martin & I are working on a few things together but it would be around $2200 for just the LED stuff.

Heat sinks cost roughly $80 to build.

[The Grizz]

Is your led light dimmable? If it is how? I just bought two led light fixtures with 4 plugs and I like to dim it down, but don't know how.

All dimmable!! They are completely controlled with my Profilux 2ex controller. The drivers are dimmable & the EVG boards are what makes the 2 communicate.

[claymax]

allright greg enough of this. the LEDs are awesome we get that, now get that 300' finished!!

and dont forget to take lots of pictures

[The Grizz]

allright greg enough of this. the LEDs are awesome we get that, now get that 300' finished!!

and dont forget to take lots of pictures

300 is on hold for a while, don't have the time or money to build it right now :sad:

[ensquire]

300 is on hold for a while, don't have the time or money to build it right now :sad:

Well that Sucks to hear, hopefully the busy brings lotsa money, then you can get back at it.

[The Grizz]

Well that Sucks to hear, hopefully the busy brings lotsa money, then you can get back at it.

Yes it really does suck because my fish need more room to swim.

BTW Mike your crate weighed in @ 340ish lbs :surprise: hope you have some big boys to help you get it off the truck :lol:

[ensquire]

Yes it really does suck because my fish need more room to swim.

BTW Mike your crate weighed in @ 340ish lbs :surprise: hope you have some big boys to help you get it off the truck :lol:

The movers are a good size , One is my main bouncer at nite....:biggrin:

[The Grizz]

The movers are a good size , One is my main bouncer at nite....:biggrin:

Nice :biggrin:

[lapdog2020]

nice job buddy! looks awesome ! now only if you would answer your phone lol

P.S.
and I know your going to say something smart a$$y back. lol
chat with ya later

[The Grizz]

I answer my phone every time it rings EXCEPT when its you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[chewie]

Been following your build, very nice job. Just wondered if you had any updates on how your corals are liking it. I know it is a little soon to judge but just initial thoughts observations, any bleaching, better extension...ect. ?

[The Grizz]

Corals seem to really like the new LED's. Nothing showed any signs of being unhappy, no bleaching and my zoa's have really shown the best signs of growth, color & the frills around the outside are longer then they ever have been.

[reef684]

Tank looks great, you really did a good job building it.

[reefme]

Modular should give you a big discount. I like the red and green. Now I really want to built one. Off to Modular LED I go.

[The Grizz]

Modular should give you a big discount. I like the red and green. Now I really want to built one. Off to Modular LED I go.

Martin gave me an AWESOME price but will not disclose any details, we are working on a few thing together & with out a shadow of a dought one of the best guys I have had the pleasure to meet & deal with.

[The Grizz]

Well it looks like this build is going to be wrote about on the Marine Engineers Blog site :surprise:

[Nano]

Well it looks like this build is going to be wrote about on the Marine Engineers Blog site :surprise:

:mrgreen: good work buddy

[rhody605]

Soo much work. Glad to see great results for you. It looks fantastic.
Wish I had your skills.

[bauder1986]

Damn....I disapear for a year, come back and see this?

Shiny....Very shiny

[The Grizz]

Damn....I disapear for a year, come back and see this?

Shiny....Very shiny

You like that do ya? :biggrin:

[troni]

So I can't find it in your build but maybe I missed it, are you concerned with the electronics and the humidity above the tank? Or do you have a lid for the tank?

[The Grizz]

Not concerned at all as the back of the canopy is wide open, from one end to the other. When they go on the 300 gal there will be a complete acrylic splash cover & there will be 2 more fans added, 1 - air in & 1 - air out.

[BigAl07]

What an impressive build.

When you're running just Red & green LED does it give off an "Austin Powers" kind of "Oh yea baby" glow? I added a pair of Red & Green to my 34g build and when just those 2 colors are on it looks like you've eaten some bad mojo and you're tripping LOL!

Outstanding build for sure!

Are you running the latest PLC and Firmware from GHL? They've added some new "Tweaks" for LED in the latest version. I've not really dug into it yet but it sounds like it could be fun!!

[The Grizz]

What an impressive build.

When you're running just Red & green LED does it give off an "Austin Powers" kind of "Oh yea baby" glow? I added a pair of Red & Green to my 34g build and when just those 2 colors are on it looks like you've eaten some bad mojo and you're tripping LOL!

Outstanding build for sure!

Are you running the latest PLC and Firmware from GHL? They've added some new "Tweaks" for LED in the latest version. I've not really dug into it yet but it sounds like it could be fun!!

"YA BABY" :lol: it is a little trippy with just reds / greens but without them colors are a little dull IMO.

I'm running firmware 5.10 and PLC V5113, I think that's the latest versions. I tried playing around with some of the other illumination features but can't seem to get any of them to work like the cloud cover feature, that is one I would like to see with my build.

[The Grizz]

So I can't find it in your build but maybe I missed it, are you concerned with the electronics and the humidity above the tank? Or do you have a lid for the tank?

Not worried about that as I have acrylic covers just like the one I put on yours & my drivers are on the outside of the canopy.

[fishytime]

:hat: Ya me-an, that is one gnarly lava-lamp fursure:mrgreen:

[The Grizz]

:hat: Ya me-an, that is one gnarly lava-lamp fursure:mrgreen:

And I actually have 4, that's right 4 SPS frags that are doing very well :biggrin:

[fishytime]

And I actually have 4, that's right 4 SPS frags that are doing very well :biggrin:

you do?!?!?!..... thats great man, but dont jinx yourself:razz:

[es355lucille]

Nice lights Grizz! I need me lights like those!

[daplatapus]

Holy cow Grizz, that is one awesome fixture! I've been in the planning stages of one for the last couple months but have had issues with getting heatsinks that didn't cost me an arm and a leg to get to the island. I'm headed up to Calgary in Aug to visit my sister, I may have to PM you and run up there to check out your stuff if you're open to it.
Funny how I've had my tank almost a year and I just heard about Canreef about a week ago! Oh, and thanks again for the pump!

[The Grizz]

you do?!?!?!..... thats great man, but dont jinx yourself:razz:
Ya I do!! Check it out......
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/Corals%20and%20Fish/ddfc0b78.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/Corals%20and%20Fish/0f5de4bc.jpg

I have no idea what either of these are but they are both encrusting on the frag disks nicely

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/Corals%20and%20Fish/1849bf40.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/Corals%20and%20Fish/1b6a1c5f.jpg

Nice lights Grizz! I need me lights like those!

I was really surprised how easy they are to build once I learned a little about LED.

Holy cow Grizz, that is one awesome fixture! I've been in the planning stages of one for the last couple months but have had issues with getting heatsinks that didn't cost me an arm and a leg to get to the island. I'm headed up to Calgary in Aug to visit my sister, I may have to PM you and run up there to check out your stuff if you're open to it.
Funny how I've had my tank almost a year and I just heard about Canreef about a week ago! Oh, and thanks again for the pump!

Welcome to CanReef!! If your in the neighbourshood drop me a line & come for a look & your very welcome.

[troni]

Looks waaay better in person.

[michika]

Can I ask why you didn't put any red in your LED selection? I'm curious, there seems to be lots of back and forth about red and its benefits/detriments, but nothing firm on either side. Also why the green?

The fixture looks awesome!

[The Grizz]

There are reds & greens. If you go back to page five it shows them on at 1% by them self. I don't know what they do for growth to be honest but they sure make the colors look good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fishoholic]

I see red

Ok you asked for other colors so here are some more, all at 100%.

CW & NW HEW with just a few blues
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/27cd8d19.jpg

CW XPG's
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/b09c4d10.jpg

Blues & Royal Blues
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/0ec9b034.jpg

Reds
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/063143f0.jpg

Greens
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/ffbe675f.jpg

Reds & Greens
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/69e2f4a6.jpg

Reds, Greens, Blues & Royal Blues
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/17e2fc14.jpg

Reds, Greens, Blues, Royal Blues & CW / NW HEWS
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/63604409.jpg

AND THE WHOLE SHE BANG!!!
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx291/GRIZZtheWELDER/300%20gal%208%20footer/a75e87ae.jpg

[michika]

I think there is something wrong with my computer - I can't see any of those photos above in this thread. They look great though!