So I’ve got a little theory crafting I’d like to run by you guys.
I recieved a nice 6’ waterproof led strip that I can glue underneath my canopy to add some night time glimmer lines. There are a bunch of LEDs on this strip, they can’t be more than an inch apart.
I’d like to maximize the glimmer effect in the tank without necessarily lighting the entire tank. I’m looking for lots of blue lines and minimal ambient lighting.
I did some research and can’t find any general rules comparing the amount of light sources versus the amount of glimmer that is produced.
My old complete metal halide unit only had 6 small led units that acted as moonlight. It gave exactly the effect I was looking for. This new strip contains 10 times as many individual LED sources and I have a feeling the number of light sources that are overlapping is dulling the effect.
My plan is to use electrical tape and just tape off a majority of the leds. I was wondering if anyone had a calculation that would give me an idea of how many leds i’m looking for to maximize the effect. I’m guessing there is some math that takes the height off the bottom of the tank (about 30") and can calculate the spread on a led with no lens?
Any thoughts?
All LED’s have lenses built into them. They may be incredibly wide (and inefficient), but they all have them. I’m not sure I completely follow what you’re looking for though… you’re looking for the shimmer that people talk about with MH vs LED? From what I’ve observed in making my own fixture and seeing subsequent commercial ones, you get the shimmer effect from the higher intensity overlapping bands. You can probably get some of that effect from spotlighting with fewer LEDs, but I don’t think the result will be the same.
As for the calculation, I actually wrote a simulator a few years ago that determines all of that… not sure if I still have it though. The calculations are really simple for single LEDs, but get a little more complex when you increase the number. For one, you can just assume it is a cone emanating from the center of the LED at the angle of the lens. The diffusion through saltwater is a known constant you can apply based on distance from the center of the LED.
Cool. That’s kind of the info I was looking for.
I don’t think I’m going to be able to determine the lens angle on these LEDS. The units themselves are encased in a clear rubbery plastic that supposedly waterproofs them to some extent.
I ended up using electrical tape to cover every other led in the chain. It didn’t quite give me the look I was hoping for. I might try covering some more of them and see if fewer individual points of light give me more of the look I’m after.
You can probably just assume 125 degree beam angle. It’s close enough. I don’t think individual LEDs are going to give you the effect you want. You need hard, non-circular bands of higher intensity lighting. How far apart is each LED?
[quote=“ClownfishSushi, post:1, topic:8096”]
So I’ve got a little theory crafting I’d like to run by you guys.
I recieved a nice 6’ waterproof led strip that I can glue underneath my canopy to add some night time glimmer lines. There are a bunch of LEDs on this strip, they can’t be more than an inch apart.
I’d like to maximize the glimmer effect in the tank without necessarily lighting the entire tank. I’m looking for lots of blue lines and minimal ambient lighting.
I did some research and can’t find any general rules comparing the amount of light sources versus the amount of glimmer that is produced.
My old complete metal halide unit only had 6 small led units that acted as moonlight. It gave exactly the effect I was looking for. This new strip contains 10 times as many individual LED sources and I have a feeling the number of light sources that are overlapping is dulling the effect.
My plan is to use electrical tape and just tape off a majority of the leds. I was wondering if anyone had a calculation that would give me an idea of how many leds i’m looking for to maximize the effect. I’m guessing there is some math that takes the height off the bottom of the tank (about 30") and can calculate the spread on a led with no lens?
Any thoughts?[/quote]
If you used any of the advise given to you, you wouldn’t have bought those lights. You are going to spend hrs trying to cut and splice and scream and curse trying to figure out what’s gonna work, and then probally not be satisfied with the outcome. You should send that roll back and buy actual moon lights and then none of this is necessary.
glimmer lines come from single source light. or few far between work the best. and you need some decent wave action on the surface to create the lensing effect to focus the light into brighter , moving lines.
Man, I hate when Jason is right. lol
Yeah, I should have listened. My DYI project did turn out really nice though. The tank has an awesome blue glow to it at night, the lights just aren’t high powered enough to get the glimer lines I was looking for.
I ordered 4 units plus a splitter and AC adapter. It wasn’t cheap but I’m sure it’ll be a nicer product in the end. I found some schematics online from the manufacturer that recommended 4 of these units to cover a 5’ tank.
I have 4 of those units on my tank and as long as the room has low light it all looks good.