is it wise to run ep-e led's at 1000 ma

[KevinK]

ok, I want to build a algae turf scrubber, for what i need 6 red LED's and it will be lit at night. the red led's are according to mod. led at 1000ma max

now I also would like some moon light on my tank, lets say 6 cree xp-e

as far as I know, and I have them currently running on my main licht rack at 800 ma, but than i se that the max ma also is 1000ma

so now i'm wondering, could I run 6 red led's + 6 xp-e led's all at 1000 ma.

reason for this is becouse I have a 1000 ma meanwell driver, so I could run it directly,

otherwise i have to get new drivers


what is interesting is that rapid led tells that there red cree's have a max driving current of 700 ma



beside this, if I have to buy a other driver, would it be ok to drive less than 12 led's on a 35-700 driver, this as I need the 6 red once for the turf scrubber, but 6 blue once for moon light is maybe a bit much, and 3 would be better (to avoid to have the entire tank lit)

[lenzh]

not sure aboiut xpe's but I have been running 72 Cree XR-E's for over 2 years (May 2010) at 1000 ma with buckpuck drivers on my 180 with no issues. that is maximum amps for them

[Snaz]

While I'm sure the LEDs will grow nice turf, so will a 4500K CFL bulb... Just saying.

My upflow ATS is running a couple of days now and I'm looking forward to seeing what grows. Very simple design; an air diffuser, #7 mesh and 18w CFL.

[martinmcnally]

1Amp is the absolute maximum for a a lot of those style LEDs. The reason for running them at 800mA is just a longevity factor. 800mA gives you a nice buffer zone where you can be sure the driver will keep the current below that 1A value. However if you increase the average output to 1A then you do risk burning out the LEDs because of fluctuation in the power during the day. Any kind of spike large or small would put the current above 1A and start to damage the LEDs or burn them out completely. Best to stick to slightly below 1A and perhaps add another LED or two.

Having said all that a good quality driver should prevent that from happening.