can you beat this with a diy??

[nrosdal]

I am trying to find out if there is a good reason to choose a diy fixture over these lights. There are a few people on RC that have ordered them and i am gonna wait to see how they review them before i go ahead. Other then the fact the are new and only have a few people who have ordered them i can't really find a reason to build one myself when these are cheaper(other then it sounds fun). Or if there is some diyers that have some info that i don't on cheaper supplies ect.. let me know :)


http://www.aliexpress.com/product-gs/553435504-NOVA-A4-120W-LED-aquarium-lights-wholesalers.html

-it is a modular unit so burnt out leds or parts are easily swapped(similar to ai sol).

-i can light my 48x24x24 120gal for under $500

-240 watts of brigelux leds which is more then i would go in a diy for myself but still looking alot cheaper then the kits i am looking at.

-also, already put together and in pretty good looking boxes

-dimmable (i dont think u can control them with a controler)

[RuGlu6]

New LED's here as well.

http://www.reefshops.com/60cm-90cm-120cm-sunrise-sunset-intelligent-simulation-automatic-led-light-aquarium-for-coral-reef.html
Specification

1, Power: 120W,192W,264W Available
2, Size ( mm): 600x320x60mm, 900x320x60mm, 1200x320x60mm
3, Input voltage: 100~240VAC 50~60Hz work voltage: 12V or 24V
4, Infrared control distance: 0.5m~10m

5, Max Temperature of light: 65° C
6, Work Temperature of fan: 55° C
7, Bridgelux , Cree brand 3W LED bulb Available White10000k /White 14000k / white 18000k/ blue 460nm /moon blue453nm/ purple427nm Color Ratio Customized
8, Optional 30,45,60,90 degree view angle

[monocus]

New LED's here as well.

http://www.reefshops.com/60cm-90cm-1...oral-reef.html
Specification
this is the one i'm buying next week to try on my frag tank.i like the aspect that it is controllable

[RuGlu6]

New LED's here as well.

http://www.reefshops.com/60cm-90cm-1...oral-reef.html
Specification
this is the one i'm buying next week to try on my frag tank.i like the aspect that it is controllable

Sorry i did not mean i got it , i just meant that they have something new.
I looked at it and its kinda hard to understand what exactly is there in the fixture because they say "you can specify in the order".
Also it does not show very well on the picture if there are any other means of control other then the remote.
What have you decided to go with? (link does not work) size, Cree or Bridgelux, 60 or 90 degree optics?

[subman]

I am trying to find out if there is a good reason to choose a diy fixture over these lights. There are a few people on RC that have ordered them and i am gonna wait to see how they review them before i go ahead. Other then the fact the are new and only have a few people who have ordered them i can't really find a reason to build one myself when these are cheaper(other then it sounds fun). Or if there is some diyers that have some info that i don't on cheaper supplies ect.. let me know :)


http://www.aliexpress.com/product-gs/553435504-NOVA-A4-120W-LED-aquarium-lights-wholesalers.html

-it is a modular unit so burnt out leds or parts are easily swapped(similar to ai sol).

-i can light my 48x24x24 120gal for under $500

-240 watts of brigelux leds which is more then i would go in a diy for myself but still looking alot cheaper then the kits i am looking at.

-also, already put together and in pretty good looking boxes

-dimmable (i dont think u can control them with a controler)

looks good but the seller won't ship to Canada.

[The Codfather]

I am trying to find out if there is a good reason to choose a diy fixture over these lights. There are a few people on RC that have ordered them and i am gonna wait to see how they review them before i go ahead. Other then the fact the are new and only have a few people who have ordered them i can't really find a reason to build one myself when these are cheaper(other then it sounds fun). Or if there is some diyers that have some info that i don't on cheaper supplies ect.. let me know :)


http://www.aliexpress.com/product-gs/553435504-NOVA-A4-120W-LED-aquarium-lights-wholesalers.html

-it is a modular unit so burnt out leds or parts are easily swapped(similar to ai sol).

-i can light my 48x24x24 120gal for under $500

-240 watts of brigelux leds which is more then i would go in a diy for myself but still looking alot cheaper then the kits i am looking at.

-also, already put together and in pretty good looking boxes

-dimmable (i dont think u can control them with a controler)

I have heard that these fixtures have heat issues and the leds tend to burn out.

[nrosdal]

I have heard that these fixtures have heat issues and the leds tend to burn out.

hmm, i don't think anyone has even received their units yet as they are pretty new... but maybe

they are also listed as having a larger fan and heatsink then previous lines (which have been around for a bit of time and seem to be doing well).

now i just gotta wait and see if they will ship to Canada.

not much in the way of replys from DIYers.. am i correct in assuming that you can't build a decent led for a 48x24x24 tank for any cheaper?

[monocus]

i'm going with the 36"cree at 60 degrees.about $700 delivered

[bioload]

....not much in the way of replys from DIYers.. am i correct in assuming that you can't build a decent led for a 48x24x24 tank for any cheaper?

The rule of thumb I use regarding cost, is the price of a comparable. I don’t mind spending up to the price of a similar unit for a build. Cost savings isn’t my primary focus when it comes to DIY, but rather an added bonus if it should work out that way.

My primary goal is putting together a unit that has all the features that I'm looking for that may not necessarily be available in an off the shelf solution, and the satisfaction of doing it myself.

After a quick search lets start with these items:

http://img.lazerpoint.com/348X270/LX/LX549/LX549W.jpg

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Aluminum-Circuit-Base-Board-12pcs-1W-3W-LEDs-80-x-1-6mm-DIY-PCB-/220954068603?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3371e3867b

http://www.chinaleadgroup.com/images/products/20111125102542548w300h300ulingde/3w-white-bridgelux-45mil-170lm-chip-high-power-led.jpg

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/FREE-SH-BULK-100-x-3W-LED-COOL-White-Lamp-Light-High-Power-Chip-160-Lumen-D1-/330732507927?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d01319317

This would bring you to $100 so far for a comparable unit. You would then need to add in the drivers, lets go with 4 x Mean Well ELN-60-48D dimmable driver:

http://reefbuilders.com/files/2010/02/meanwell-eln-60-dimmable-led-driver.png

Bringing a quick total to $260

These seen to match nicely with the LED PCB:

http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/527073133/Computer-PC-VGA-Video-Card-Chipset-Heatsink-Cooler-Cooling-Aluminum-Fan-80mm-2-pin.jpg

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Computer-PC-VGA-Video-Card-Heatsink-Cooler-Cooling-Aluminum-Fan-80mm-2-pin-/110819155997?pt=US_Video_Card_GPU_Cooling&hash=item19cd56201d

So we're at ~$300 with the housing, and a few odds and ends remaining........excluding time, tools, mistakes, and modifications. If ones main focus for a DIY is cost savings I would almost always recommend going with the off the shelf solution when build quality and aesthetics are taken into consideration.

.....are these units CSA approved?

[StirCrazy]

another thing I noticed is they doctored there advertising photos. the all white one looks fantastic then the half white and half blue shows what the white realy looks like. if a company will do that to make the product look better, what else will they do.

one thing I don't like about a lot of the fixtures on the market is I realy can't see them lasting to much longer than there warenty period. when you DIY LED fixtures you have the opertunity to make the heat managment so much better which will give you longer life.

Steve

[nrosdal]

not really sure what you are talking about with the "doctored pics :confused:"

there are some arriving next week and the guy is going to pop them open to see how the heatsinks look as well as if there will be a way to get them controlled with 1-10v

here are some newer pics of the a6 model:

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d99/sheetmetal/novaa61.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d99/sheetmetal/novaa6.jpg

[StirCrazy]

not really sure what you are talking about with the "doctored pics :confused:"




gop look at the pics of the lights over the tank. the all blue is blue, the all white picture is like "Wow" everything popping, colors are looking about 13K lots of purple, definatly not a "all white" photo.

then go look at the one light blue and one light white. the white side of this is more what I would expect from 100% white only, not the previous.

Steve

[oupulino]

why don't try this web for DIY everything you need to get and to know how to do it is there
Commercial lights fixtures never gonna last longer that DIY if you do it right it is not that expensive but is better.
Imagine commercial led fixture last more than 10 years 12 hours a day they will go bankrupt
Check this web : http://reefledlights.com/
For good led fixture you have 2 option DIY led lights and save about the half of $ or buy commercial and pay fortune

[nrosdal]

that site has the total at 1200+ for comparable wattage and no enclosures... i could buy a commercial fixture and have quite a few options for that price.

[StirCrazy]

that site has the total at 1200+ for comparable wattage and no enclosures... i could buy a commercial fixture and have quite a few options for that price.

yup that site is quite expensive. try this one

http://shop.stevesleds.com/SPS-Grade-LED-Retrofit-Kit-Package-44-54-tanks-SPS-Retrofit-Kit-44-54.htm

or check out Milad's site.

only thing you need is an enclosure which I am sure you can make of get for under 100.00

Steve