New Custom LED is KILLER!!! DIYed by local friend (not myself)

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Originally Posted by ScubaSteve

My bad. Got lost in all those numbers before. I like the low profile look. Are the LEDs recessed or just mounted on the heat sink surface?

Also, who's the manufacturer of the 10W LEDs?

They are screwed onto the heat sink surface. My friend is going to add a 2" aluminum "shield" around the entire unit to block off the light so someone looking at the tank or walking by won't see the LEDs.

(more numbers to get lost in) Each emitter has a 100 degree spread which is perfect. 13 emitters per 5'8" heatsink and it's 12" wide, 2" tall. It's literally only 3.5" from the water surface, with good shimmer, full spread and no "spot lighting" or "disco ball effect". The two fans blow air up on the right side but most of the cooling is my conduction/convection. With all the lights on, there were still sections of the heatsinks that were cool to the touch and at most it was barely warm in parts. My friend will be adding pieces of aluminum on the open ends of the rectangular tubes which will make the fans more effective.

I can literally pick up the lighting unit with one or two fingers.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Just running the blues at half power and I've noticed one advantage of these LEDs is that even though none of the white lights have been on for at least 4.5 hours, many of my corals are still fully open. They usually closed up under the old moonlights within an hour or two of the MH going off. I'm liking this development

[Tom R]

Hi Anthony

The lights look great. You are definitely on the right track.

What a win win.

Better Par at half the juice.

I look forward to coming over for a real good look.

Tom R

[Reefgoat]

It's looking really nice. What manufacturer makes those 10w leds?

[The Grizz]

Sounds like a kick arse unit!! I would love to have a par meter to test out mine to.

[Reefie]

WOWZERS!!! Check this out, 100W LED! They also have 50W LED, but the 100W got my attention.
http://www.ledssuperbright.com/30w-l...ower-led-p-226

[tinman]

Very cool may i ask what the cost was on the unit and where on line did u find 10 watt units or will your guy build me one too!
Thanks

[mike31154]

Aha, I've been waiting for a build like this since I have 4 similar 10watt LEDs kicking around (cool white I think) that I ordered as samples to try out. Haven't done anything with them except hook a 9 volt battery to each to make sure they work. I'm assuming they're the same form factor as the 100 watt ones Reefie links to in his post? Would they look something like this?



Sounds like your friend has used aluminum channel to mount them with only a couple of fans? This is my plan as well. So no optics at all? I ordered mine with glass optics and some sort of plastic bracket the optic fits on to. If you end up having success without optics, that's a bonus. Also got a couple of heatsink/fan integrated gizmos that one of these 10 watters could be mounted directly on to. Might be more useful for the higher wattage arrays like 30 & above.

I'll be watching your progress with keen interest. I have seen threads on various forums that dismiss these 10 watt arrays as not having sufficient penetrating power, but going by your par readings, they may be talking through their hats. Some hobbyists have been beating the Cree drum for quite a while & it's nice to see positive results from something other than discrete 3 watt Crees or comparable Bridgelux etc.

The huge advantage I see in using these 10 watt LED arrays, is that the operating voltage is typically between 9 & 12 volts DC, so you could theoretically run them off a standard battery bank charged by solar, wind or whatever. Wouldn't need drivers or power supplies to convert AC to DC and dimming is possible with a simple variable resistor. Although for peace of mind, a current or voltage regulator to limit those paramaters if something goes awry would be a good thing. Definitely interested in more details of how your friend has constructed the fixture!

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by Reefie

WOWZERS!!! Check this out, 100W LED! They also have 50W LED, but the 100W got my attention.
http://www.ledssuperbright.com/30w-l...ower-led-p-226

These arrays have actually been around for a while now, but I think the 100 watters are a bit overkill for our application and they need a very good heatsink with fan. I would choose multiple 10 watt arrays over any other due to the 9-12 volt DC operating voltage. Makes it much easier to drive them and while they still need a decent heatsink, you might be able to get away with one fan for multiple units of these LEDs. The 100s need some weird voltage like 36 VDC to drive them and power supplies/drivers in that range are less common. Plus, with the 10 watters, your colour mixture can be better customized. Price is better as well & if one 10 watter burns out, it's not as much of a kick in the a$$ to replace. Make a mistake with the 100 & burn it out, it's a few $$s more.

[lockrookie]

you guys def have mad skills i would love to have someone buildme a light set for my 180. i have thought of tryngt build a set but lack the knowledge. of soldering maybe one day ill get brave lol. looks great tho maybe you and your bud shoudl make a side buisness and sell a few for us lest fortunate ones