Rabbut's Diy Led Rig

[mixmaster jay]

that is awesome mate

 

[rabbut]

Very nice setup dude! I am currently working on a setup which will house between 3-5 high output RGB leds controlled by the PIC 16f628a microcontroller. Although I find myself becomming overwhelmed with the coding side of things. Are you using the ATMega8 chip? How is it to program?

I want my project to replicate sunrise/sunset in a tropical tank. Also I after the sunset I want to fade in the blue spectrum for a moonlight. If I can pull this off I will be very happy, and so will my fish!

Are you planning on growing plants/corals under your rig? If so, using RGB to make white just shot you in the foot Coloured LED emitters emit one spectrum only, so don't have a full spectrum output in your "white" light, and hence little to no usable light (or PAR) RGB is great for mixing colours to get the effect you want and it looks good, but use them sparingly and use warm/cool/neutral white LED's for the bulk to get the full spectrum and hence some usable light for photosynthetic stuff under the lights Think of the RGB's as tools for changing the "Kelvin" rating, rather than as lights for growing stuff under

The Arduino Duemilanove uses an ATMEGA328 PIC for the control part. Up-loading code to it is easy on that project board, as you just plug a USB cable into the board and a Computer, select teh correct serial port from the Arduino's code development environment and then hit the up-load button. If you use this (or most other PIC's) separate from such a project board though, you'll need a separate hardware programmer, and usually you'll have to code directly in assembly rather that the "Java" above. Hardware programmers are extras and start from about £40... This is to do with how the PIC operates, the pins have to be connected to different places to let code be up-loaded onto the PIC. I was at one point thinking about a similar PIC to what you wnat to use, but the extra stuff I'd need for it and the complications of having to use Assembly to code it, made me go the Arduino route, as it's easier and more cost effective that buying a separate hardware programmer...

All the best
Rabbut

 

[FishBeast]

It is intended to create a realistic lighting environment for my fish. I am going to have a go at making a schematic for the ATMega8 controller. Chat later.

 

[SkiFletch]

Nice work rabbut. Is the rig still doing well for you?

 

[rabbut]

Yes, all corals looked happy and healthy after my week away. More will be reviled after lights on and an algea clean tomorrow afternoon (assuming, I don't turn off the lights to acclimate some Acan polyps) in my Journal. I may do a water change also, subject to water test results...

All the best
Rabbut