Very nice. Thank you for getting the data and posting it.
Originally Posted by ReefTech
...the only thing i want to mention is the drivers your planning one using. the paper work that came with our leds recommended using a 1000mA driver to drive the leds and i noticed you said you were using something like 750 or 760mA drivers. so you might want to watch that cause these leds are very powerful. our power units get pretty warm cause the lights are pulling a good amount of power. again just wanted to pass that along cause i would hate to see something happen to your build.
Thank you for the warning. I'm a bit confused though... wouldn't a 1000mA driver push the LEDs harder and result in more heat and slightly shorter LED life? I could be all wrong about this but I think the 700mA driver will produce less heat and less PAR. I will post PAR values once the arrays are build and hung.
UPDATE: The hood is in the process of being modified to receive the heat sinks! Also the LEDs, drivers, pots, and adhesive pads should be arriving tomorrow.
LEDs arrived the other day! So far I've tinned all of the stars and laid out how they'll be arranged up on the heat sinks.
I also did a little wiring and may have the lighting system for my 2012 nano contest entry figured out. I just need to get a few PAR measurements and construct the housing.
Tom I'm so happy for me that knowing eventually you'll be posting some pics to go along with this build-it's like WTH are you all talking about-LOL
Thanks for the reality check! Here are the 3up stars.
The "star" is the white hexagon thing and the 3up refers to the three LED emitters per star. The emitter combo on each star is 1 CREE XP-G neutral white (green square) and 2 CREE XT-E royal blue (silver/clear squares). Tinning is the addition of solder to the pads located on the star. The pads are where the wires are connected to the pad.
Oh and the layout of the stars on the heat sink has changed. Initially I was planning to get to get 30 stars, each with a single emitter. But I changed my mind as I was making the online purchase and got 10 3ups instead. So, image the pic in the first post with 5 stars rather than 15.
I hope this makes sense... If not let me know and I'll do my best answer any questions.
Tom, I'm going to have to check out your build sometime. I'm planning a rebuild of my 75g's fixture soon plus possibly a small build for my contest pico.
Similarly to Tom I am also in the process of building a LED setup with the Cree 3up disk for my 36X18X18 rimless glass tank. I am not new to the reef hobby but pretty new to LED light options.
I spoke with a person over at LED Group Buy and he recommended 14 of the Cree 3up (evenly spaced across the heatsink),8 turquoise and 6 deep red exotic LED's to make the rest of the coral color spectrum "pop".
My question to the group and I apologize if my questions seem elementary to you all but:
1. What is the scheme for calculating the optics angels versus height of the LED fixture off the surface of the water?
2. What is the optimal PAR reading for corals and how would I measure the PAR reading at the bottom of my 18" deep tank?
3. My electronic background is limited but what I can remember from college physics is that if you run the LED's at maximum output at 1000mA would you increase the operating temperature and thus reduce life expectancy of the LED's?
4. Then should I run the driver at around 350 -400 mA as recommended by Cree?
Sorry but the LED industry is still trying to get standardized and I am confused as ****.
My initial questions were for Reeftech and his PAR numbers.
Thanks in advance for any insights you may provide.
Originally Posted by ReefTech
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There's nothing like being a Reefer!
If not let me know and I'll do my best answer any questions.
