Designing and Building a LED Fixture

[VisionQuest28]

Originally Posted by 691175002

I know what you mean, I actually disliked the spectrum of the cool white LEDs so much that I have about a hundred 5mm leds in yellow, red and green to even out the colors.

You can see the reflection of the light in the water:


If I were to do this again I would buy a random selection of cool, neutral and warm LEDs to have as varied a spectrum as possible.

This is an idea ive been considering. How do you feel adding in all those 5mm LED's worked out? Are you happy with the appearance? Do you have a FTS with them? Even better...a FTS with just the white LED's and another with the multiple 5mm adding in for comparison???

[kev82]

buckpucks are not similar to this, they are buck regulators. They get the same (similar) end result, but with significantly different means.
http://www.controleng.com/blog/Ask_C...ator_work_.php

[VisionQuest28]

Originally Posted by kev82

buckpucks are not similar to this, they are buck regulators. They get the same (similar) end result, but with significantly different means.
http://www.controleng.com/blog/Ask_C...ator_work_.php

I must admit, reading through that...its almost like a foreign language, but i guess i understand what they are saying, just not why. haha But knowing these will work and will eliminate a lot pieces/connections/solder points...thats what i really want to know. And im willing to pay for it. Im confused though....are buckpucks drivers AND power supplies? Ive seen tech data referring to these as power supplies and ive seen others in this thread say you would still need a power supply if you used these. Do they mean the AC/DC adapter?

[Hoppy]

Originally Posted by VisionQuest28

I must admit, reading through that...its almost like a foreign language, but i guess i understand what they are saying, just not why. haha But knowing these will work and will eliminate a lot pieces/connections/solder points...thats what i really want to know. And im willing to pay for it. Im confused though....are buckpucks drivers AND power supplies? Ive seen tech data referring to these as power supplies and ive seen others in this thread say you would still need a power supply if you used these. Do they mean the AC/DC adapter?

You have to provide a DC voltage to the buck puck. It maintains a constant current, which you select, through the LEDs that are connected to it. The "weakness" of using buck pucks is that each one will only control a fairly small number of LEDs, so you need several buck pucks, and they aren't very cheap yet. They most definitely do make hooking up LEDs easier and more likely to work as you expect them to.

EDIT: http://shop.ebay.com/items/?_nkw=LED...armrs=1&_from=
If I had found this before I made my light, and wanted to spend the time figuring out how each one would work, this is how I would have obtained drivers for the LEDs. Some pretty good prices here.

[VisionQuest28]

Originally Posted by Hoppy

EDIT: http://shop.ebay.com/items/?_nkw=LED...armrs=1&_from=
If I had found this before I made my light, and wanted to spend the time figuring out how each one would work, this is how I would have obtained drivers for the LEDs. Some pretty good prices here.

Care to point out one or two that you think are a good buy? Would some of the higher wattage drivers be able run all of the LED's, instead of having to use several buck pucks? I think 3 buck pucks can be had for about $50, and from what i saw the higher wattage drivers looked to be around the same price. Any other benefit to using one driver instead of 3?

[Hoppy]

Originally Posted by VisionQuest28

Care to point out one or two that you think are a good buy? Would some of the higher wattage drivers be able run all of the LED's, instead of having to use several buck pucks? I think 3 buck pucks can be had for about $50, and from what i saw the higher wattage drivers looked to be around the same price. Any other benefit to using one driver instead of 3?

I didn't study the listings well enough to decide which I thought were the best buys. And, I have some more learning to do before I would attempt to recommend one anyway. The pictorial circuit diagram is just one way to connect 45 of those LEDs and power them. There must be another 10 ways, some of which would be better, and some not so good. And, a lot would depend on how important low cost is to you, and how willing you are to take some risks as you learn.

Until this lighting method gets a lot more standardized, I think any of us who try it will need to do a lot of studying to be sure we understand how any circuit we use works, so we can recognize most of the dumb mistakes we would otherwise make. I was willing to make mistakes, and did make many, and I wanted to learn as much as I could, so that didn't bother me either. But, I also wanted to go about as cheaply as I could, which isn't everyone's desire. And, that last was the reason for most of my mistakes.

[VisionQuest28]

Hoppy...i hear what you're saying. Not exactly that im going to just have to figure it out for myself, but kind of. lol And thats cool. Im somewhere in between wanting to learn what i can from this AND being willing to spend some extra cash to avoid all the potential mistakes that i KNOW i would make.

This corner bowfront is such a weird shape, and its pretty tough to get an even spread of light over it. Thats one of the main reasons im considering the LED route. But im also very intrigued by it, and think thats the way everything will be heading in the years to come. As far as costs go i was looking at MH lighting, possibly supplemented by either florescents or T5's...so i was prepared to drop some $$$ on my lighting. Ive yet to sit down and figure the rough costs of attempting the DIY LED's using as many premade parts as possible, but as long as its in the same ball park as going the alternative route i had planned, im happy with that.

Im actually in the process of getting myself enrolled in some new career training for becoming an electrical maintenance technician. Classes start the end of August, so this hopefully wont all be so foreign to me soon. I might just get a good head start on a lot of what im going to learn from researching this. Thanks for evereything...

[Hoppy]

Originally Posted by VisionQuest28

Im actually in the process of getting myself enrolled in some new career training for becoming an electrical maintenance technician. Classes start the end of August, so this hopefully wont all be so foreign to me soon. I might just get a good head start on a lot of what im going to learn from researching this. Thanks for everything...

When you start building your own LED fixture, please post a DIY article as you go along, so we can all learn from your experience. Reading about other's projects was what helped me the most in my adventure. Notice, I didn't say "if" you build your own - I sense another fellow LED addict in the making

[VisionQuest28]

Originally Posted by Hoppy

When you start building your own LED fixture, please post a DIY article as you go along, so we can all learn from your experience. Reading about other's projects was what helped me the most in my adventure. Notice, I didn't say "if" you build your own - I sense another fellow LED addict in the making

I think you're definitely right Hoppy, i have been bit by the bug for sure! I will definitely start a thread,i agree with you. I think everyone who does this should make it available to all of us...the more people who see it and want to do it, the more ideas and brains we have to make it better. Once i finish putting my co2 system together i think im going to but the LED's..then there will be no turning back i will HAVE to do something with them. lol

[VisionQuest28]

Just cuz this has been quiet for awhile now...i start my electrical maintenance classes in 2 weeks, and once i get a decent background going i will definitely be starting to work on some LED project!

I have been using a PowerBrite LED strip over my 37g non planted (technically doesnt fit this category any more) to light an area where i am attempting to keep java moss and fern. I would really like to pick up a couple more of these, i REALLY love them. Im torn between buying them now while they are still on sale or waiting until i can build my own. I might just end up doing both! lol

[Hoppy]

There was a news article today, on Yahoo, about some group learning to make LEDs as a very thin sheet, so they could be used as a contoured tail light for a car, or an advertising sign on a bus, right over the windows, since they are so thin you can see through them. Of course, my mind wandered off to thinking about covering the sides of an aquarium with such a LED film, so you look through the lights to see the tank.

But, back to the real world, my LED fixture just keeps on working. I'm now running it only at the low light setting on the switch, since I'm trying to convert the plants to growing in a low tech, low light environment. No CO2 now either. I plan to use the fixture on a 65 gallon tank to be set up as a riparium in a few weeks.

[CL]

Sweet sauce! And you can run them at full blaze for the plants to soak up the lights, and you won't have to worry about the heat wilting the plants!