Diy "aqua Ray" Set-up

[rabbut]

Thanks for posting that CF. I'm having issues finding the thread mentioned without signing up, and I don't join forums that force you to sign-up prior to viewing the boards on a matter of principal I'm shure it would have been usefull, but never mind

Next round of thanks goes to SuperColey1, for finding my LED's for me. Well, he was making a LED unit for one of his planted tanks, and I asked for a link so I could see if the same lamps would be any good to me, and they are.... 2.6W each, 5 would be equivilant to a 150W halide and I'm getting 10 for the coverage. Being LED's, if they are too bright, I can just turn them down a bit I will be building my own driver for them though...

For Blues, I think I'll be doing some normal blue LED's, unless I can find some LED's of propper Atinic spectrum...

All the best
Rabbut

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Yeah was a handy thread that I'm still watching very closely as I really want to do this myself.

Please post up details of how you build the drivers and put everything together with as much detail as possible (so someone as stupid as me can follow along ).

 

[SkiFletch]

Well I can help little for UK suppliers but if your here in the States, have a look at ST Micro STCSI chip for a high-power LED driver. You can DIY one with transistors (MOSFET and NFET) and high-current resistors (go to instructables.com and look for LED drivers) but these are not efficient at all and end up wasting a lot of heat. Remember, the big thing with working with high-power LED's is that they must be current limited (thats the function of the driver). If they're not current limited they'll draw way too much and burn up.

Also, if you're here in the States (not sure about UK availability) have a look around for Cree or Luxeon LEDs as those are the big two names out there right now. US suppliers of DIY LED stuff would be LEDsupply, KaiDomain, and DealExtreme.

Yours truly will be building LEDs for his fuge and perhaps also for my nano

 

[rabbut]

Having had a poke arround, I've realised that it will be far easier to use an off the shelf driver for the LED's and then use a PIC chip to apply the dimming The only issue with this is I want to be able to fade them up over a time, then fade them down after a while of being on at full power... This will require a PIC that can handle many lines of code, and I would still need to find a way of writing the program to the chip, without having to buy any specialist gear....

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, that can be a bit of a bear without hardware to write to pics.

Btw, dealextreme.com and kaidomain.com "claim" they ship worldwide. Dunno how true that is, but hey the shipping's free.

 

[rabbut]

Thanks for that Ski. My White LED's are ordered now, but I'll look at them for PIC's, Drivers and Blue LED's

I've remembered some PIC program writing software that we used at school when I did my GCSE in Systems and Control Electronics speciality, that I should still have knocking about. To write to a PIC, you connected a Sirial lead to you computer, and two of the outputs were wired across an LED. This was attached to your PIC to upload the program, using an LDR... I may have the problem solved if I can re-make schools solution... I also wonder if Python Script (the computer programming language I'm learning at Uni) could be used for the programming, if the program was compiled to binary (its an interpreted language)... Just a thought, as that would make things a bit easier to me

All the best
Rabbut

 

[rabbut]

LED's arrived. 5X 3W LED's White, and 5X 1W LED's White. Not good, I've messed up and got a second set of the wrong wattage I've had to order another set...

Looking into the PIC's some more, I'm getting a bit lost on which one I need... I may go down the initial idea of capasitors to control a fade up, but I'd need a 40F capassitor (Very large. You can get them, but at like £200 each, for use in audio e.t.c) and hence I'm not going to get the 1 hour fade I want if I stay on budget. I can settle for 2.5 mins on and off tough with a series of 5 capasitors in parallel to get a 5C capasitance if the PIC's totaly loose me....

All the best
Rabbut

 

[SuperColey1]

Are you sure 5 x 3W = 150W MH?

I wouldn't have thought so although they are darned bright!!!

I am awaiting some proper heatsinks and lenses+holders made for the Luxeon3 and then I will be making a single series version for my new Nano. Shouldn't be many days waiting. the LEDs/driver are sorted. Just waiting for the lense/heatsinks so I can work out fixing them into my new acrylic luminaire. lol (Took 2 hours of scoring, snapping and gluing. Just got to spray it black now )

p.s. The actual heatsinks for the 3W are apparantly 2.5 inches across!!! Hope they fit in!!! I only have 6.5cm between the 'walls' of my new luminaire.

The heatsinks on my proper tank were small 1 inch memory chip ones which was OK because I have fans blowing through the luminaire but there's not going to be fans with this one so gotta go for the proper stuff


AC

 

[rabbut]

Are you sure 5 x 3W = 150W MH?

Based upon Lumen output alone, yes. PAR ratings for both halides and LED's I found rather hard to find, so I can't say here...

I am awaiting some proper heatsinks and lenses+holders made for the Luxeon3 and then I will be making a single series version for my new Nano. Shouldn't be many days waiting. the LEDs/driver are sorted. Just waiting for the lense/heatsinks so I can work out fixing them into my new acrylic luminaire. lol (Took 2 hours of scoring, snapping and gluing. Just got to spray it black now )

p.s. The actual heatsinks for the 3W are apparantly 2.5 inches across!!! Hope they fit in!!! I only have 6.5cm between the 'walls' of my new luminaire.

The heatsinks on my proper tank were small 1 inch memory chip ones which was OK because I have fans blowing through the luminaire but there's not going to be fans with this one so gotta go for the proper stuff

Good to hear progress on your second luminare is under way I will probibly go down the proper heat sink route with mine, and fans, but I'm a little short on funds ATM, so these LED's may be put on the back burner. If I do set-up a 3ft'er though, they will be used from the start, and I'll keep the old halide for an isurance plan...

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Nim]

QUOTE (SuperColey1 @ Jan 29 2009, 03:36 AM)
Are you sure 5 x 3W = 150W MH?

Based upon Lumen output alone, yes. PAR ratings for both halides and LED's I found rather hard to find, so I can't say here...

The Luxeon Rebels are rated at 180 lumens max at 700ma which makes 5 x 3W = 900 lumens. How does this compare to 4800 lumens of a 70W Halide?

Interestingly I am also in the process of getting a similar thing working as I do have plenty of DC Drivers sitting around (enough to make 10 Aquaray alikes) but having problems sourcing the Luxeon LEDs and directional lenses (to reduce the 140 degree beam to 50 degrees) and the european suppliers make the overall costs to near 50% of the Aquarays.

Can you help me where you sourced your LEDs from?

Any pics of the updated lighting would be great too

Nim

 

[rabbut]

Well, a Halide outputs over the full 360 degree's of it's surface. The LED's output over 120 degrees as you say. This allows you to use maths (or the converter posted on the other page) to work it into lux. The is the output per lamp, taking into account the area over which they output Remember that you loose a lot of output when you have to use a reflector, as half the light will try to pass back through the lamp if it's a rubbish reflector...

I sourced my LED's through Ebay, courtesy of SuperColey1. SuperColey1 used LED-world2007 for his, and I used his supplyer also. Quick service too

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Crazy fishes]

I am really interested in how this turns out. Rabbut if you build a functioning unit will you do another for me. PLEASE!! . I was looking at those aqua rays the other day as the LFS has a tank with some on. I must admit that I am impressed with them for five little LEDs that put out a decent amount of light. I wonder how they do with regards coral growth???

Anyway kindest regards

 

[rabbut]

The Aquarays I've seen runing were rather dissapointing they even appeared to be struggling to suport softies in this particular tank, though something else may well have been upsetting them

This DIY project is on the back burner ATM. Expect slow progress, but I will get there, eventually

 

[mutantbigman2000]

i would say that something else was the matter.

My aquarays are supporting zoas, mushrooms, toadstool, torch and trumpets.

I love them.

 

[rabbut]

That would be fairly possible, considering the "success" rate with fish from that shop...