Exploring DIY LED fixture to replace 3x MH 250w (10kK) + dawn/dusk + moonlights

[Ashlar]

Thanks! I've been in contact with Bill and Rick from reef led lights. I've got some LEDs coming from them, as well as rapid (deep red, cyan, warm white..)

[SapperChris]

Keep us up to date on your findings after testing. This is something I have been planning on trying in the near future. If you could post some pictures that would be even better. Thanks

[Ashlar]

Will do! I need to be sure to set the white balance on my camera so that it comes close to looking like what my eye sees.

I figure I'll riddle the heat sink with holes at different spacings so that I can kind of test that, too.

[Ashlar]

Well, the first shipment of toys came in, and I've got a stumper..

I picked up some meanwell ELN-60-24Ds, and I have a handful of LEDs, so I thought I'd wire up one, just to test.

According to the meanwell spec, http://www.meanwell.com/search/eln-60/eln-60-spec.pdf

When there is no signal sending to the control wires (open circuit between the two control wires), the power supply
unit will operate as 0V (D-type) or 0% duty (P-type) of input signal and hence the output current will be zero.

Except it's not.. I'm getting light even when there's an open circuit between the two control wires (I pulled my 10k pot out of the mix thinking I might have miswired it, but no.)

Any ideas?

edited to add: I think I have an overzealous LED.. the forward voltage on this one is typically 2.20v, but this one is firing at 1.73v.

I'm just surprised the meanwell would fire at all with an open circuit.

edited to add more: Apparently it's a known issue with the meanwells that you'll always get a dim glow, even with 0v on the control lines.

[DarinSchmidt]

That is a considerable amount of white to blue ratio. Esp with using DR LEDs. You are going to have a pretty redish looking tank assuming you are running them all at the same mA. I would recommend using XPG's, i believe they make NW in that series, and use the DR's to tune into that natural look you like. You can always dim the blues or brighten the whites. XPG's can crank up to 1.5A and produce a lot more lumens than the XPE's, so it's not hard to wipe out over bluing your tank. Whites will always be the brightest and then the other colors suppliment to your liking and add to the PUR value. Your vertical and Horizontal spacing is 1.768" which is good. Tighter optics than 80 degrees IMO should only be used on tanks with water deeper than 30" unless you have some really light demanding corals near the sandbed (very the types to create brighter and darker areas). My tank is 26" deep and if i crank the LEDs all the way up i can get about 600PAR at the sand bed. Cranked down to 7-800 and im at ~300-400. I have some of my LEDs set to be dimmer than others for the types of corals i have.

I use a standard 48v PSU with dimming control on it, much like the meanwells but cheaper and they come with a 3 or a 5 year warranty.

Cyan tends to make corals POP more than anything because thats around the majority of their Fluorescent glow spectrum (other corals have a different fluorescent  spectrum, huge article on Advanced aquarist about it, i'll see if i can find you the article later, should be in their archive back in 2005)

[Ashlar]

Okay, looks like the magic ratio is 1:1:1 (natural white:XPG cool white:royal blue). The natural white's give a bit of warmth that was lacking with just CW.

That duplicates what looks like my XM 10kK bulbs.

Meh.. too much work to DIY this stuff. So.. does anyone make custom LED fixtures that you can specify the ratio of white : blue when they build it? I'd rather not have a 1:1 fixture with the blue turned down to 50%.

[DarinSchmidt]

I build them

[micki]

Randy is putting together a strip for Russell's 10 gal hex. I think he has 12 leds, 4 bright white, 4 soft white and 4 blue.  He laid it on top of our 150 and it was INSANE!!!  I can't wait until he has the entire thing up and running.  I think Russell will be able to keep the anemone he wants now!