So I have been looking at adding some led chips to my existing fixture since they are very compact and have 120 degree optics. I think i will go with a 50 W 460nm chip. I am going to try 1 to see if it looks ok then possibly add 2 more for 3 total. I have a question about the drivers.
Here are the specs for LED & driver #1:
Lens Color: Water Clear
Emitted Color : Blue
DC Forward Voltage (VF): 30~35Vdc
DC Forward Current (IF): 1500mA
Viewing Angle: 140 Degree
Wavelength: 455-465 nm
Intensity Luminous (Iv): 1000~1500LM
Driver Quantity: 1pc
Input Voltage: AC 100V-240V 50/60Hz
Output Voltage: 30V-35V
Current: 1500mA
Operating Temperature: -20~80
Storage Temperature: -20~80
Application: Fit for 1x 50W High Power LED
Here is driver #2: CAN I USE THIS? It is much less money and looks like it would be ok. I want some opinions of people who have done DIY kits already
1 pcs 50W LED Driver POWER Suppy
Specification:
Material:PC & Aluminum
Input voltage: 85-250V AC 50/60Hz
Output power: 50W
Output voltage:28-40V DC
Output Current:CONSTANT CURRENT OUTPUT 1500mA
Driver working temperature: <75°C
Driver life: > 50,000 hours
Safety assurance: CE & RoHS and NO UV&IR
Waterproof: IP66
Ok I found a dim-able driver for a good price that might work. Here are the specs:
1 x 50W driver
Quantity: 1pc
Input Voltage: AC 100V-240V, 50Hz/60Hz
Output Voltage: 30V-36VDC
Output Current: 0-1.5A
Power Factor (PF): 85%
Package Material: Aluminum Alloy
Waterproof Rating: IP67
Dimensions: L130xW48xH38mm
Function: Open circuit, Short circuit and Over loading
Application: Fit for 50W Energy Save / High Power Led in any colors
When first using a LED chip how much should I start with to prevent photo-shock? Does anyone see anything wrong with using this driver on the chip listed on the last post? I think that I will add a cooling fan to supplement the existing one on the fixture as it is already near 500 watts. I am still debating all out replacing the metal halides with LED. I don’t think that i will be running both at the same time but that still remains to be open. Any input or suggestions on this? How big a fan is necessary? Can you run a cooling fan with the driver or does it need a stand alone power supply?
To my knowledge you cant dim the driver if it’s not made to be dimmed.it will burn up the driver. I am currently running mh with led,I have cut down the mh time since I got the led.no real noticable changes.
After talking to a couple of more experienced gentlemen :GEEK: about the addition of a dimmer the consensus is that it really is not a good or cost effective idea to add the dimmer. Most of them say go with a dimmer that was designed for that driver to prevent overheating and other issues. So the driver I am going with will have a dimmer already installed.
There is a number of heat sink options available but finding one that will physically fit in the existing fixture and be adequate is difficult. I have found one on ebay that has a fan attached and may go that route. If it will not fit on the heat sink inside the light fixture are fans more effective pushing or pulling air? The light has 3 large vents 1 of which has a fan on it already. Will it help to put the other 2 outside the fixture pulling air out or inside the fixture pushing the air out?
I am also considering hanging the fixture from the ceiling instead of using the legs it currently sits on. Question: How much light is lost moving a fixture 6" higher above the water? I would think minimal since it is just air not water.
Has anyone done a project like this? Most of the DIY LED projects I see are a stand alone fixture.
I just ordered a 50W 450nm blue led chip, heat sink, fan & dim-able driver for this project. I think that This is going to be an interesting project. Most of the DIY lights I have done before were from scratch so fitting this in an existing fixture will be the challenge. Since they are being shipped from 3 places it will be a while before building commences. Details to follow. If I am happy with the first led panel, more will be added.
After much waiting for parts to arrive, the project is finally moving along. I ended up with a 450nm “royal blue” 50W LED chip. The led is physically pretty small, less than 2"X2". A circular heat sink with maybe 75 “fins” is attached with thermal epoxy. The heat sink came with a 12 volt dc fan. The driver is 28-36 volts, 1500ma and dim-able with a knob (potentiometer). -spelling? The LED was wired up and tested (thanks Tim aka Dunk) and pretty bright. The par meter reads at the top of the scale at 6-10" from led on the work bench. At 8-10" of water and the LED about10" above the surface of the water (with water moving) it reads about 379. It may hit 390 or 320 depending on sensor placement. The chip currently does not have any optical lens giving it a spread of about 140 degrees.
Step 2: making it fit in the fixture
I was determined to make this go inside the coralife fixture I already have over this tank. It is a 48" 96W X2 power compact (actinic bulbs) and 150W X2 metal halide (14000K) and 3 lunar led. I will try to post pics of this part shortly. I opened up the fixture and found this was going to be a very tight squeeze. There are 3 aluminum panels that house the led moonlights, drivers, and cover the ballasts for the PC bulbs. There is a 4 or 5" cooling fan in the center of the fixture. I decided the best option was to remove a moon light & ballast to make space for this. I also had to re-route some wiring and move a part for one of the MH bulbs. LED goes in. The fan makes it about 3/8" too high. >::: So i took of the fan. Cut some of the panel for the light, drill mounting holes & install. It was frustrating to say the least. I put together and took it apart a few times and broke a PC bulb. ::hitsthefan:: I also removed the foam filter and screen from the main cooling fan to improve flow. Future plans include installing a few smaller 12 volt fans on the inside of the fixture (on the end) to supplement the larger one. Re assembled & installed to tank, looks good. Pics to come.
This part for the MH had to be moved to the center of the fixture. This required removing the MH socket & turning it the opposite direction so the wires were still long enough.
Removed the fan to fit bracket for MH parts, reinstalled fan w/o sponge filter for more flow.
OOPS!
LED installed. Sorry I missed a bunch of steps, taking pictures constantly was getting tiring.
The only parts not reinstalled. 2 moon lights & driver
Here is a couple of shots of the LED working. Not the best, taken with cell phone, no edit. Its hard to see the difference in pictures, but I love it. The pics are with and without the actinics. No MH bulb on.
The led has been working flawlessly for a couple days now. I put a Zoo Med aqua cooler fan blowing inside the end of the fixture for added insurance, it keeps it plenty cool. I still want to install a couple small fans inside the fixture. Maybe 2 on each end? I only have about 2" of clearance so that is why I will need multiple. Does anyone know a local place, maybe computer parts store where I can find a 2" 12v DC fan?
[quote=“dunk, post:12, topic:5412”]
I have those small fans. They’re 12v dc 40mm and 60mm you can have two. The 60 is 25cfm let me know.[/quote]
The 40 mm should fit, not sure if the 60 will. I guess I will try them. Where did you get them? I will try to swing by Comp USA & check out the selection there too.
So the 1st has been running about 2 weeks with no problems. So now I will try to jam another 50W LED into the same fixture on the other end. I took a trip to comp usa & found a heat sink & fan made for a computer CPU That should fit & keep it cool. They were very unhappy with me opening up every box to look at them. Then a nice guy helped me after the jerk left. The fan is also 12V DC and moves 29CFM, which is more than the one supplied with the kit I bought from the LED supplier. Now I need to decide do I get another driver just like the 1st one or go with a bigger one to drive both? The idea of dimming independently does seem good so I can keep lower light stuff on one side of the tank. The drawback is more stuff & cords to clutter up the underneath of the stand. It already has a zillion cords what is 1 more? So stay tuned for more hack, solder, drill & splice.
I like this idea a lot. I have a similar fixture with the 2x96" bulbs, but no MH so i feel like adding these in would be a great suppliment and a neat little project. out of curiosity, where did you find out about these 50W bulbs? have you talked to someone that’d used them previously? lookes like its been about six weeks since you’ve put it over the tank. have you seen any change in growth from the corals it’s showing on? my concern is that obviously now with only those two bulbs that i have, SPS is not really possible, which is why i’m looking for the boost in power. i’d like to hear if you think this kind of thing would be worth it.
Ok, update. I have noticed many of the corals have colored up better. and some responded with significant growth. Some started to bleach due to the intensity. Then a bad case of RTN hit when the A/C in the house cut out for a day, the tank hit 88. I lost a bunch of corals, but was able to save some with cutting them. Had I purchased the chiller I was looking at on ebay, this would have never happened. Hindsight is always 20-20. So there is not a good base for this. I can say that I am happy enough to where I will be installing a second one on the other side. It will have a separate driver and dimmer. I found a heat sink & fan at comp USA I will use as the first one is just a little too big to fit neatly. After the 2nd one is working, I will likely replace the 1st heat sink with a matching one. I origionally decided to go with the LED chip after Bill’s demo at the meeting last spring. I think he uses 3 - 100w chips with VHO’s on his tank. You can find the stuff on ebay for pretty cheap. Things are pretty bust right now but I will update when things get moving again.
So it has been a while since I did this. The original fan died 2 months in. I figured the main fan would be enough along with the heat sink. Wrong! 40 days later the led burned up. Project shelved. 10 months later, try again. Bigger fan & better heat sink from computer store. A little more solder, screws and up and running. Used led today for 10 hours, still cool to the touch. Don’t think this one will overheat. I might gut the moon lights on the other side for a second led but it will be a while. I wanna give this at least 90 days to see how it holds up.
