FugeRay LED's Inaccurate wattage numbers

3022 Views 16 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Ghia, May 27, 2014

rainbowfishes

Discussion Starter · May 25, 2014

I purchased several (4 actually) 3 foot FugeRay "I" 7K LED fixtures from AquaVibrant and so far they've worked out well for my "40 breeder" 36x18x17 tanks. They make a very decent "medium light/glass covered/low CO2" planted tank (1 strip per tank). My "problem" with Finnex is that they have incorrectly labeled the actual wattage output for the Ray "I" LEDs. The 36 inch unit is supposed to only use 18 watts. Instead when measured with a "Kill a Watt" meter it lists the wattage as 29/30 watts, more along the line of the "FugeRay II" or at least that's what the tables say on the AquaVibrant site. The "Kill a Watt" meter has been quite accurate for other items that I've measured so it isn't a meter reading problem. For the FugeRay 3' "Planted + LED" lights I'm getting 27 watts. It has a few fewer of the white lights so maybe to be expected that it would be slightly lower. They don't list any stated wattage though for the planted LED light on their site. The problem is that if someone is thinking about electrical costs and then comparing the light output to other fixtures they would have inaccurate numbers unless they actually measured the wattage too.

Has anyone used a meter and measured the wattage of any of the "FugeRay II" 7K LEDs? The three foot is supposed to be 29 watts which is what all of my "I's" read. I know I didn't accidentally receive "II's" by mistake because they don't have the number of LED's listed for "II's". The difference of 11 watts per fixture may not seem like much but I was also thinking about doing all 16 of my 40 breeder tanks that way which would make the mistake an extra 176 watts/hour or 2.11 kwh per day based on a 12 hour lighting cycle. That really adds up over a year. It also makes it tough when people are comparing to other LED systems, not having the correct wattage information. Just be aware of the inaccurate information.

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fearsome

· #2 · May 25, 2014

11 watts / fixture is huge it represents over 30% out of spec, That is like claiming you have 45 PPFD at 12 inches but only having 30.

If you check out my thread on light values you will se contained within the spread sheet I have listed some measured electrical parameters for various lights for your reference.

Ghia

· #3 · May 26, 2014

Interesting...I have a 48" Planted+ incoming, and cannot find the actual wattage. Since I'm in Europe with a 220V grid, I'm buying a 220-110V transformer. Need wattage to get the right size transformer with enough continous headroom !

jeffkrol

· #4 · May 26, 2014

Ghia said:
Interesting...I have a 48" Planted+ incoming, and cannot find the actual wattage. Since I'm in Europe with a 220V grid, I'm buying a 220-110V transformer. Need wattage to get the right size transformer with enough continous headroom !

48" Unibody Ultra Slim High Output Planted LED
TRUE 660nm intensive photosynthesis RED LEDs
(180) 7000k + (96) 660nm RED + (12) Blue Moonlights
35.6 Total Watts

Amazon.com : Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 48-Inch : Pet Supplies

Have you checked w/ finnex? Many current products use "universal" power supplies (still need a plug adapter though)

Is the AC supports 220V? Mar 13, 2014
Yep, sure will.
11 days ago by Finnex (Howard)

http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Fugera...re/forum/-/-/1?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B00BP6QGIS

different product.. same principal..........

Ghia

· #5 · May 26, 2014

Yep, I did write to Finnex, asking about 220V. They said the unit was made for 110V...? That's why I'm planning to buy a transformer in the first place....

jeffkrol

· #6 · May 27, 2014

Ghia said:
Yep, I did write to Finnex, asking about 220V. They said the unit was made for 110V...? That's why I'm planning to buy a transformer in the first place....

That's annoying.. at least they are cheap........

rainbowfishes

Discussion Starter · #7 · May 27, 2014

fearsome said:
11 watts / fixture is huge it represents over 30% out of spec, That is like claiming you have 45 PPFD at 12 inches but only having 30.

If you check out my thread on light values you will se contained within the spread sheet I have listed some measured electrical parameters for various lights for your reference.

when you made your wattage measurements for the FugeRay II 36 inch, did you let it run for like an hour so that it was real time wattage measurements? Stated wattage for Ray II 36 inch is 29. Your table says that you measured 25.

Also the table says that a Ray "I" is supposed to have 168 3014 7000K LEDs and 12 Actinic LEDs. It actually has 176 LED's and 16 Actinic LED. The 36 inch Ray II is supposed to have 288 3014 7000K LEDs and no Actinic LEDs. Does it really have 288 in your 3' Ray II?

fearsome

· #8 · May 27, 2014

My ray 2 was not allowed to run for several hours, it had been running for 8 hours, I unplugged it briefly to move it over to the outlet that can measure electrical parameters. Do you see a difference depending on how long it runs?

I will try to check how many LEDs the ray 2 has. Mine would be a little over a year old.

And yes I am aware it measured 25 watts it surprised me as well. Down near the bottom their is actually another LED, the jungle dawn in which I measured 2 of them that are supposed to be the same and they had a difference. Maybe specs on these LEDs are just all over the place.

also keep in mind my only device for measuring is an mPower Pro I really don't know how accurate it is.

mrpixel

· #9 · May 27, 2014

LEDs (or circuitry to be exact) draws more energy the hotter they get. So you will get your most accurate reading when your fixture is the environment that it will be used and has been running long enough for the electronics to heat up to running temps. Maybe 5 minutes. The datasheet "should" have a running temp when giving current draw and such.
So at 65 degrees the fixture draws X Watts at X volts and X amps. So current draw will will be higher or lower depending on what temp your environment is. Hopefully that helps explain how one person can have one reading and someone can have a different one.

rainbowfishes

Discussion Starter · #10 · May 27, 2014

Yeah after I posted my second reply I thought about that and unplugged one of my 3' FugeRay "I's" and waited until it got good and cold, 2 hours. I turned on both the actinic and the white lights, it read 29 watts immediately, 11 watts over the stated spec. I figured if they were getting overheated and reading high then reading them after they had been cool should have brought the reading back down closer to the stated 18 watts. This didn't happen.

I have 4 of these 3 foot lamps and three read 29 watts and one reads 27 watts. That's after they have been on for several hours and the Kill A Watt meter plugged into them for 10 minutes or longer so a stable reading. This meter does seem to read true on other items at stated wattage so I don't think I have a meter problem. Some of the items, like 4 4 foot T-8 bulbs on the newer electronic ballasts average out at 27-28 watts per bulb instead of 32 plus, but that's a lower number than expected, not a higher number. So far the only light that I've measured that has been way off specs has been these 3' FugeRay "I's".

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Ghia

· #11 · May 27, 2014

2

My 48" Planted+ arrived today.
Judging from the powersupply, a transformer should not be needed. The person who replied to me was in error.

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mrpixel

· #12 · May 27, 2014

The transformer for that light is in that black brick that plugs into the wall. Any time input is in AC and the output is in DC, their is a transformer somewhere.

Ghia

· #13 · May 27, 2014

That IS a picture of the transformer ("the black brick").

mrpixel

· #14 · May 27, 2014

Ah. Sorry about that. I got confused with all the posts I've been reading. I guess something like

Should work.

acitydweller

· #15 · May 27, 2014

Ive used the belkin watt meter on my finnex lamps and have seen the advertised wattages. I no longer have the Finnex Fugeray lamp to verify your readings but could take a measurement on the 36" Ray II if of interest.

jeffkrol

· #16 · May 27, 2014

Ghia said:
My 48" Planted+ arrived today.
Judging from the powersupply, a transformer should not be needed. The person who replied to me was in error.

Yes I actually figured that .. their response of

They said the unit was made for 110V...?

was oddly suspect... if those were the exact words.. Glad you didn't need any more "parts".. that is always annoying..

Ghia

· #17 · May 27, 2014

jeffkrol : Exactly...very strange. Maybe the person who answered the mail had no actual product knowledge.
In the same mail, I asked about shipping to Norway, and got a very short reply saying that the unit wasn't meant for use outside the USA. BUT, when I asked if they could ship it to my Jetcarrier address in NJ, they were more than happy to sell me the unit, knowing that Jetcarrier would ship it to me in Norway.
Well, I'm just happy I got it, and even happier that I don't need to buy a transformer to run it

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