Tank Journal Archive
Was planning on doing another 2 2ft heatsinks with 24 LEDs each, and add my first 24 LED kit into it all - so 72 LEDs in total. I think that should be more than adequate to send me bankrupt when I get the first power bill after turning it on. I figured having 3 lights going from front to back would give it good coverage, whilst stopping any one area getting too much light by having a more even spread.
It wouldn't be hard to drop the number by 12, and get it back to 60.
Would also wipe $100 off the cost.
Not have any specific plans with what or where in the tank. I suck at planning aquascapes, and don't have any specific plans of what will be in the tank (though no SPS any time soon), so need to allow for room to move.
Only other thing I can think of is go left to right, and keep it a bit closer to the front. The only issue I have with that is having some way of mounting the LEDs on something wide enough to get some reasonable coverage from the back to front. I can't mount the lights that high above the water...
Would also wipe $100 off the cost.
Not have any specific plans with what or where in the tank. I suck at planning aquascapes, and don't have any specific plans of what will be in the tank (though no SPS any time soon), so need to allow for room to move.
Only other thing I can think of is go left to right, and keep it a bit closer to the front. The only issue I have with that is having some way of mounting the LEDs on something wide enough to get some reasonable coverage from the back to front. I can't mount the lights that high above the water...
Hey MagicJ - I recall your LED setup used some metal tubing that you propped up in your hood. What type of tubing is it?
Been thinking about alternatives to buying heatsinks, and how I'm going to get something across 4 feet. I figure having 3 or 4 rows of LEDs, and I could rig up some type of hood that just sits on top of the tank, and have an internal ledge for the lighting runs to sit up on. Wouldn't be much of a hood - just timber edging all the way around the top, with some mounts on the inside. No actual lid on the top. Would keep the weight down, and would hide the ugliness of DIY lighting.
Been thinking about alternatives to buying heatsinks, and how I'm going to get something across 4 feet. I figure having 3 or 4 rows of LEDs, and I could rig up some type of hood that just sits on top of the tank, and have an internal ledge for the lighting runs to sit up on. Wouldn't be much of a hood - just timber edging all the way around the top, with some mounts on the inside. No actual lid on the top. Would keep the weight down, and would hide the ugliness of DIY lighting.
Sounds like you have a plan David ;)
50mm x 25mm x 3mm aluminium channel from Capral http://www.capral.com.au/ - they have a few outlets in Victoria.
It cost about $50 for 6m and they will cut it up for you.
Driven at reasonable currents (750ma) this gets warm (as heatsinks should) but not too warm to touch - I am satisfied with the outcome and don't see the need for active cooling.
This is how I did mine - it will look better once I finish off my new hood
50mm x 25mm x 3mm aluminium channel from Capral http://www.capral.com.au/ - they have a few outlets in Victoria.
It cost about $50 for 6m and they will cut it up for you.
Driven at reasonable currents (750ma) this gets warm (as heatsinks should) but not too warm to touch - I am satisfied with the outcome and don't see the need for active cooling.
This is how I did mine - it will look better once I finish off my new hood
Did you use the adhesive sticker things instead of trying to screw your LEDs in?
That's pretty much what I was thinking of given that the 3 x 2ft front to rears have had doubt cast upon them. I haven't seen a full tank shot of yours with the hood in it! Is the top of your hood covered, or do you just leave it open?
That's pretty much what I was thinking of given that the 3 x 2ft front to rears have had doubt cast upon them. I haven't seen a full tank shot of yours with the hood in it! Is the top of your hood covered, or do you just leave it open?
Also - just looking at RapidLED's website - if I order a 36 LED kit (so I wind up with 60 LEDs when combined with existing kit) - I've noticed that they come with 3 drivers.
Is the limit for the drivers 12 LEDs? Because I want to drive the blues and whites separately, obviously these numbers don't work if I'm limited to 12 per driver, so I'd need to order another driver. Not the end of the world, but just need to know if I need to spend the extra $30~
Is the limit for the drivers 12 LEDs? Because I want to drive the blues and whites separately, obviously these numbers don't work if I'm limited to 12 per driver, so I'd need to order another driver. Not the end of the world, but just need to know if I need to spend the extra $30~
I glued the LED's on with Arctic Alumina Thermal Adhesive - easy to use and works well. Used 2/3 of the amount for 60 LED's. Have not heard a lot about the adhesive stickers but not sure I would trust them long term.
I really don't see what is to be gained by screwing - seems a lot of work and you still need to use a thermal grease. Need to use stainless steel screws as well or they will rust. Yes, you can remove a LED if required but I am sure a swift hit with a hammer and chisel would work on one that was glued.
Yes, the top of my hood is open.
I really don't see what is to be gained by screwing - seems a lot of work and you still need to use a thermal grease. Need to use stainless steel screws as well or they will rust. Yes, you can remove a LED if required but I am sure a swift hit with a hammer and chisel would work on one that was glued.
Yes, the top of my hood is open.
I had the same issue ;). Do you have the Meanwell 60-48P drivers?? If so, the 48 refers to the supplied voltage - each LED has a forward voltage of around 3.5v => 48/3.5=13.7 i.e. each driver can support 13 LED's.
I ended up running 2 white strings of 12 leds, 2 blue strings of 12 leds and 1 combined string of 6 blue and 6 white.
Your call. I just turn my first white string off (fades over 30 minutes), then my second white string, then my mixed string, then a blue string, then the final blue string. Keep in mind that the Typhoon only has 4 channels anyway.
The minimum number of LED's you can use with that driver is 7 - is another driver going to solve your problem?? How many blue and white LED's will you have?
The minimum number of LED's you can use with that driver is 7 - is another driver going to solve your problem?? How many blue and white LED's will you have?
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