Modern LED scrubber light

[rygh]

For thermal tape, sounds like there is even a pre cut version.
http://www.luxeonstar.com/precut-therma ... -p-457.php

[inkidu]

The washers might split? Now I am second guessing the

cheap thin washers, which I used for only 5% of my project. Thanks for the heads up

I mostly used the nicer ones,thicker, from Fastenal. They made it a several week project getting nylon washers.

It was always a wait to get them. How hard is it to cut out a washer?

At one point I got fed up and bought the washers from the local hardware store washers.

The local hardware store ones were much thinner. Nothing I can't correct.

Now I am happy that I used a low clutch setting on my drill.

[rygh]

I have certainly cracked cheap plastic washers on other projects.
They might melt if you do excess soldering while installed as well.
But good nylon ones should not be a issue.

But I use epoxy for LEDs, so no direct experience.
No idea how hard cutting your own washers would be.

I use epoxy (no silver) to build my sump as well, and my boat, and so on.
So a bit biased.

[rygh]

I am in for say $500 for the lighting.

Ouch, but such is the cost of R&D.

But a cost comparison, given all the new data, is probably a good idea.
Lets take the "gold standard" system to be SM's great pre built one.
- Standard 96W T5 setup.
Lets make the controversial assumption that LEDs will work, and be 1/2 the power used.
And lets estimate LED emitters alone are $150, and last 7 years (50,000 hours)
Power:
- Assume lights on 18 hrs/day. Assume $0.20/KWH. (cheap CA)
- Standard system = 96Watts * 18Hrs * 365 days / 1000 = 630 KWH/year = $126 per year
- LED is simply half that, at $63 per year.
Bulbs:
- Standard = Assume 4 new bulbs every 3 months. = 4 * $8 * (12/3) = $128 per year
- LED emitters = $150 / 7 = $22 per year
Ballast/Driver
- Seems roughly the same, and lasts about as long. Lets not bother.
DIY/Purchased
- Buying a T5 light and reflectors is not that expensive. Hard to estimate DIY cost. Again, best not to bother.

So LEDs save (126-63) + (128-22) = $169 per year.

[inkidu]

Thanks for the reply

I make to many mistakes to use epoxy. Duh disease

"How hard is it to cut out a nylon washer?"

You missed my sarcasm.

Thanks for any help.

[inkidu]

Trying not to think about the money spent but your post about how this might be saving me

money is encouraging. Maybe some more detailed #'s

(12) rebels and (6) 5 watt ledengin roughly $7 apiece =-----$126

(6) 10 watt deep reds ledengin $30 apiece = -----------------$180

(2) 10 watt ebay specials about -------------------------------- $35 total

(3) meanwell 18 watt drivers $14 apiece-----------------------$42

(1) meanwell eln 30 watt driver---------------------------------- $24

(1) meanwell clg 60 watt driver----------------------------------$50

(2) 10.5"x 7"x3" heatsinks $15 apiece shipped-------------------$30

(2) pc fans I had but lets just say $10 apiece-------------------$20

screws+washers+tap bits------------------------------------------?$40?

grand total $547

As far as power goes my digital aquatics controller says I am pulling between .9 and 1.o amps with my lights only.

Potential total of drivers 144 watts.

I feel confident that I am getting some serious cooling given the size of my actively cooled heatsinks so

if the data sheets are right the ledengin have a 90% radiant flux maintenance at 100,000 hours with the current I am running.

The rebels are not to far behind at 80% at 100,000 hours. Wow That is so over the top I feel like I will believe it when I see it.

edited the rebels one spec gives 70% at 50,000 hours but that is at a high temp. I think I will get more because I cool them well.

Still quite a long time

ebay specials, only 2, probably junk but they do look bright. live and learn

As far as this working after several weeks with only a power head running, which feeds the scrubber, and some

air pumps there is absolutely nothing that is filtering,besides the ats, my tank of 5 say 5" discus and some cardinal tetra.

My fish seem content(in fact I brought them back from the brink of death), I feed pretty heavily, the pea green water disappeared,

and I have no algae in my tank. Thanks for all the help guys, I am going to call this a success. Wish my camera wasn't broken.

There is still a lot to do just to make things look better i.e. background, tidy up wires and setup, add more plants etc...

Tank is still fairly new.

Hope this helps.

[SantaMonica]

Yes pics, after you clean up. Especially the screen before and after cleaning.

[rygh]

Yes pictures please.
Quite annoying that someone high tech enough for that many LEDs does not have a digital camera.

Well, just got off Newark Site. Ordered 8 deep red and 4 blue Ledengin 5W LEDs. $127.
I am going with just those, no whites, running low power at 700 mA, so 25W, for half the system, so 100 sq inches of surface area.
Running low power allows me more LEDs for better spread, and they should last basically forever. But costs more.
I will have 50W of CFL-floods on the other half.
But I am going to mount each one on an individual heat sink (usual cheap aluminum L/U channel), so I can reconfigure it easily.
All that on a moderately loaded 65G tank. I don't expect mass growth. But once I convince the wife on a bigger tank....

Putting it on my brand new Rev-2 ATS that I got running this weekend. (I need to update my other thread on that)

Guess what, LedEngin now has "far red", at 740nm.
But luminance seems to drop off there, so did not make sense to me.

Interestingly, the aspect ratio, area, and power, is just about right for the SM-100. If only it works.

[inkidu]

If not the white consider a little bit of red-orange or a regular red for some balance.

And a rebel royal blue with the peak of 447nm fits in nicely right where your ledengin blue falls off.

Still some ? in my mind about the needs of the different carotenoids.

There are some significant carotenoids that peak at the low 600 and the low blue.

Take a look at page 6 (book pages 106-107)

http://www.life.illinois.edu/govindjee/ ... apter9.pdf

Notice they mention the difficulty of getting in vivo #'s for the carotenoids.

Still thinking I could of used some reds and red-orange with the deep reds. The most common

absorption charts in my opinion over simplify the perception of what the plant needs, wants, or can use.

Just suggestions.

Hope this helps.

[Amphiprion]

Of course they oversimplify it. They mostly focus on peak spectral absorption. If you'll look at absorbance spectra graphs, you'll see it is more of a continuum than anything, with the lowest being in the greens. However, all photosynthetic organisms are capable of using other spectra and have various accessory pigments (like carotenoids, but many others as well). These can absorb other spectra and successfully transfer electrons, therefore being quite useful for photosynthesis. That is why I usually recommend full spectrum (or close to it). Yellowish-white light is most similar to full-spectrum sunlight and usually has the most PAR. It may not be the most efficient way to provide the the necessary spectra, but it is the most effective.