Next Generation LED Lighting

[KevinK]

Originally Posted by mike31154

Great post. Thanks for doing all the research and presenting it in a condensed format here.

I'm still on the fence with regard to LEDs at the moment. I think patience is the key. While I have the electrical training/background to diy myself a nice fixture, I'm really not all that keen on soldering an array of Crees together and then having to get the iron out again when one of them fails.

More screw in bulbs are appearing in stores every day and they're starting to come with higher power LEDs and dimming capability. No extra drivers, optics, heat sinks etc. required, they're self contained. Still a little pricey and you have to hunt around for something close to the colour temperature we require in our hobby, but I'm sure that will improve soon as well. There are a few forum threads on the subject of folks using PAR38 (parabolic form factor spotlights) with 7 to 12 LEDs in each to light their reefs. I think each bulb of the 12 LED variety is close to $100 still, so not inexpensive, but a lot easier to change out than a soldered up Cree array on a monster heat sink with a half dozen drivers.

I've also been keeping an eye on the small MR16 and GUI based LEDs designed to replace the halogen spotlights that have been used in that form factor for a long time. The MR16s are starting to appear in high power versions and I really like the two pin design that allows easy insertion and removal. I also like the fact that they are designed for DC voltage and one of the things I've been considering is splurging on an array of solar panels to run the lights straight from a DC source. LEDs are DC voltage devices after all and no matter how efficient AC to DC converters/drivers are, it would be so much more efficient and simple to run the LEDs off a DC source from the get go.

I've never been that excited about some of the other features of the high end fixtures like lightning, cloudy day simulation, wireless control et al. As long as the LEDs are dimmable to create a dawn/dusk effect and perhaps a moon phase option, I'd be content with that.

ever got to this:

I've been considering is splurging on an array of solar panels to run the lights straight from a DC source

[freezetyle]

New stronger pendants from Ecoxotic

http://reefbuilders.com/2011/03/12/e...0w-led-cannon/

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by KevinK

ever got to this:

I've been considering is splurging on an array of solar panels to run the lights straight from a DC source

Ha, ha, not yet. I keep spending all my money on backcountry ski trips in the winter. These frivolous trips actually serve as inspiration though, since most of the lodges, huts, chalets have some sort of solar array or water powered generator to provide power in the boonies. I always take a little time to drool over their panels and power management components. Since BC Hydro is poised to start cranking up their rates in the near future, I think I might cough up for a couple of panels in the 200 watt range this year to get the ball rolling. Purchased a wind generator on sale from Can Tire last year, but haven't set it up yet. Turns out the winds here in Vernon aren't really consistent enough for meaningful wattage out of a wind generator. But it is the sunny Okanagan and I'm thinking the solar panels will work well, with the wind generator as an occasional supplementary source to charge up the battery bank. I may end up supplying the majority of the lights in my house with DC voltage instead of 115 VAC and run LED bulbs in the fixtures straight off DC.

[KevinK]

Originally Posted by mike31154

Ha, ha, not yet. I keep spending all my money on backcountry ski trips in the winter. These frivolous trips actually serve as inspiration though, since most of the lodges, huts, chalets have some sort of solar array or water powered generator to provide power in the boonies. I always take a little time to drool over their panels and power management components. Since BC Hydro is poised to start cranking up their rates in the near future, I think I might cough up for a couple of panels in the 200 watt range this year to get the ball rolling. Purchased a wind generator on sale from Can Tire last year, but haven't set it up yet. Turns out the winds here in Vernon aren't really consistent enough for meaningful wattage out of a wind generator. But it is the sunny Okanagan and I'm thinking the solar panels will work well, with the wind generator as an occasional supplementary source to charge up the battery bank. I may end up supplying the majority of the lights in my house with DC voltage instead of 115 VAC and run LED bulbs in the fixtures straight off DC.

I in fact was gust brain storming a bit about this.

se if hydro is going up to 0.13 to 0.15 a kwh, pannels run from $ 100 to $ 200 (for DIY on ebay) it might be intresting.

what will bring it in the $$ is the batery's and converters, however if you would run a frag tank on the pannels, than it would not matter when the light is on ore off, and there must be a way to direct feed the led's from the panel.

this way the led will dim as sun is going down and go back on when there is sun/light, but this would not matter (cant get it more natural than this)

might still need a driver, but keep it as plain as you can, oterwise the $$ ad up to fast.

in fact same thing you can do with 24v DC pumps like I think the tunze.

so when evening comes, pump output would be low to non, and then when sun gets up in the morning, pumps start slowly to turn, and flow is variating during the day as light intensety is going up nd down.

again also with the pumps, you cant get it more naturalthan this (you do still need some pumps to run all day !!, ore go on only 16 houres a day)

all interesting to se how to do this, with as less technology (battery's and inverteres ) as you can

[abcha0s]

ReefTech PAR Numbers:



I know PAR isn't everything. However, it does give a relative comparison against other "like" technologies. PAR from one LED system can be compared against PAR from another LED system.

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by KevinK

I in fact was gust brain storming a bit about this.

se if hydro is going up to 0.13 to 0.15 a kwh, pannels run from $ 100 to $ 200 (for DIY on ebay) it might be intresting.

what will bring it in the $$ is the batery's and converters, however if you would run a frag tank on the pannels, than it would not matter when the light is on ore off, and there must be a way to direct feed the led's from the panel.

this way the led will dim as sun is going down and go back on when there is sun/light, but this would not matter (cant get it more natural than this)

might still need a driver, but keep it as plain as you can, oterwise the $$ ad up to fast.

in fact same thing you can do with 24v DC pumps like I think the tunze.

so when evening comes, pump output would be low to non, and then when sun gets up in the morning, pumps start slowly to turn, and flow is variating during the day as light intensety is going up nd down.

again also with the pumps, you cant get it more naturalthan this (you do still need some pumps to run all day !!, ore go on only 16 houres a day)

all interesting to se how to do this, with as less technology (battery's and inverteres ) as you can

In reality it's best to run any solar array, micro-hydro, wind powered or combination thereof system with a bank of batteries and control dimming/speed of your lights/pumps by other means. Daylight varies considerably at our latitude and cloud cover will also affect solar array output. Same with wind power, constantly fluctuating. Micro-hydro is probably the only way to supply a consistent amount of power 24/7. Check the link below for a pdf instruction manual for a micro hydro generator made by an Aussie company. Page 14 is a great diagram showing a hybrid system using all 3 technologies. There are also some good explanations of why batteries are pretty much a must have for any such system. Your ideas on having lights & pumps vary output/speed according to varying light conditions during the day are novel & interesting, but I don't think I'd want to leave it completely up to mother nature to do this for me on my marine tank. Great thoughts though.

More & more LED options are becoming available with high power Crees that are simple screw in replacements for the incandescents & CFLs in common use today. It's becoming less of a requirement to build your own LED array as these things come down in price. Much easier to replace a 3 watt screw in bulb when it burns out, than pulling the nice array you spent countless hours building, getting out the soldering iron again and replacing the dead LED.

http://www.rpc.com.au/pdf/HYD-200-Manual.pdf