Quote:
Originally Posted by phi delt reefer
the picture is decieving because it just shows the light "lighting up" the entire tank - but does not provide par numbers for the entire foot print. Think of all the freshwater tanks using a single t12 to light the entire tank. Yeah it looks bright but par numbers fall quickly as you get further from the centre of the diode.
In the DIY 3w led fixtures the users are running the diodes at like 1.x watts with good size heat sinks and fans and spreading them over the entire top of the tank to get great PAR all over.
Do the VERTEX units drive the LEDs at a higher wattage to increase par in the drop off area outside of the centre light channel? Great looking fixture but I am skeptical about the LED placement.
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The LED's are driven at 2.3W on the Illumina. The entire unit is a big heat sink with an internal dispersion channel that is cooled with SilenX fans (20+ CFM per fan).
The placement of the array was designed the way it was for a few reasons:
1. As a cluster, white light has better aesthetics as they mimic the single source intensity of a MH. Tanks look different under the Illumina than they do under other LED fixtures. The shimmer is also stronger.
2. Reduced light spill; putting an led 2" away from glass it is not really beneficial, unless you want to plant an SPS on the sand right up against the glass viewing panel. In which case, the Illumina apologizes for this constraint... lol
3. No spotting effect; with typical, spread-out arrays using lenses, often you will have a sterile uniformity over the length of the display with "hot spots" across the surface". The Illumina's coverage and spread is nearly identical to that of an MH fixture with good reflectors.