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Thread: mean well led driver LPLC-18-700

  1. #1

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    mean well led driver LPLC-18-700

    https://www.jameco.com/Jameco/Products/ ... 108744.pdf
    I just bought this and 4 red rebel leds and 2 royal blue for a new planted freshwater tank. The will be used on top of an MMFI aquaricare algaescrubber that has been collected dust for a long time. The driver is only $14 and the leds were $7 apiece. I am hoping this all works might add more light after seeing how this setup does. I am far from an expert. Has anyone had experience with any of these leds, driver, or the MMFI aquaricare algae scrubber? (flow rates, light intensities etc) Thanks for any help

  2. #2
    kcress's Avatar
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    Re: mean well led driver LPLC-18-700

    Should be interesting!
    I don't see any major issues with what you're proposing.
    Keeping the heat off those LEDs is the main point.

  3. #3

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    Re: mean well led driver LPLC-18-700

    Hi:

    Which LEDs are you using?

    Thank you.

    John T

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    Re: mean well led driver LPLC-18-700

    Thanks for the replies. I have an old piece of copper 6.5 inches by several feet that is say 10 sheets of paper thick that I will be using as a heat sink. From what I have read so far the cooler you can keep the leds the longer they will last. The leds are luxeon rebels from philips that I bought off of ebay. They are very small but they are some of the best. I can not comment on much now because everything is in transit and please research any of these things before #1 burn down house #2 spend money on something that doesn't work. I am far from an expert. I am trying to do this on a budget and I find a certain satisfaction of doing things myself. There are several reasons that appeal to me for using leds. The life of a led is very long. The color shift of a led is very small. The light goes right to where you want it. The color leds i.e. red and blue are mostly what the plant/algae will use to grow. The major con price although if I can make this work $14 for the led driver, $7 per led, and a heat sink this matches fairly well with some over the counter hood lights I have seen especially considering the benefits that I have mention. I hope any of this helps I will post with how it works out. Thanks for any help.

  5. #5

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    Re: mean well led driver LPLC-18-700

    Just got them if anyone is interested in seeing what a rebel star looks like. Got them off ebay. Can't believe how small. The little yellow part is the led.
    [attachment=0:2f34hmke]nick2.jpg[/attachment:2f34hmke][attachment=1:2f34hmke]nick1.jpg[/attachment:2f34hmke]
    Wish I had ruler next to them. The whole star is about the size of a dime. Will post about how well they worked. The other 6 are cool whites for above the tank. I am thinking of spot lighting a large amazon sword. From what I gather from Santamonica faq I should use 210 gph because the scrubber is 6" wide although it is a horizontal scrubber if that changes anything. ? It seems to I should be concerned about too much light in any one small area. Maybe a diffuser? Any tips would be appreciated.
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Re: mean well led driver LPLC-18-700

    Looking forward to seeing your results. Can't comment on the fabrication as I've never done it myself. Is copper safe for freshwater fish and inverts? I know it's not in the water or anything but personally I wouldn't want it near my marine tank for fear of any corrosion, condensation etc dropping in.

    Good luck

  7. #7

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    Re: mean well led driver LPLC-18-700

    Thanks for the reply. Was not even thinking of that I guess mainly because the scrubber has a splash cover but condensation dripping off the copper might very well find its way into the tank. Thanks for the heads up. I am trying to find items around the house I could use instead of buying things. I have since found an Al square tube that I will use instead. I wonder if I could coat at least one side of the copper with lacquer? The copper piece I have would make an effective heatsink and it's free. Any help would be appreciated.

  8. #8
    kcress's Avatar
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    Re: mean well led driver LPLC-18-700

    You had better not have any condensation or spray reaching your panel!

    Look around for diamond diffuser sheet. It's the stuff they put in fluorescent light fixtures. It gets broken as it's fairly brittle so hardware stores sell it in sheets. Use that to both protect your panel and to diffuse your light.

  9. #9

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    Re: mean well led driver LPLC-18-700

    I used 3-up rebel stars for a section of my main tank lighting.
    I was not very happy with them.
    First, I had one of the tiny lenses simply fall off. No luck gluing it back on.
    And they are more than lenses. They have phosphors in them, to convert blue to white, so
    basically it became useless.
    Second, they seemed surprisingly yellow.
    Third, with 3-up, the local heat was a real pain. Made for a complex heat sink.

    I switched to the slightly older K2 TFFC ones for my ATS build (see in designs forum)
    Doing it again, I might use Cree.

    BTW: You sure got a good deal on that driver!

  10. #10

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    Re: mean well led driver LPLC-18-700

    I have 3 red rebels, 2 royal blues, and 1 cool white hooked up and running. Day 1 no pictures yet but will post soon. They sure seem bright.


    They only take up 1/3 of the space above the scrubber. So I order one of these $23 free ship

    http://cgi.ebay.com/1-PC-10W-WATT-STAR- ... 3071wt_939

    1 PC 10W WATT STAR HIGH POWER WARM WHITE LED 650 Lumen

    FEATURES:
    New !
    In excellent condition
    Long lasting (Last up to 100000hours)
    Low Power Consumption
    Intensely Bright
    Low Forward Voltage Operated
    Instant Light (Less than 100ns)
    More Energy efficient than Incandescent and most Halogen Lamps
    High ESD Protection (More than 3KV)
    No UV
    SPECIFICATIONS:
    Source Material:InGaN !
    Emitting Colour: 10W WATT STAR HIGH POWER WARM WHITE LED
    LENS Type:Water clear
    Color Temperature: Min:3000K Max:3500K
    Luminous Intensity-MCD: Avg: 600 Lumens Max: 650 Lumens
    Reverse Voltage:5.0 V
    DC Forward Voltage: Typical: 10 V Max: 12V
    DC Forward Current: Typical: 900mA Max: 1050mA
    Viewing Angle:160 degree
    Lead Soldering Temp:260°C for 5 seconds
    Intensely Bright
    Viewing Angel:160 Degree

    1.All dimensions in mm tolerance is 0.2mm unless otherwise noted.

    2.An epoxy meniscus may extend about 1.5mm down the lead.

    3.Burr around bottom of epoxy may be 0.5mm max.

    Absolute Maximum Ratings at Ta=25°C
    Items Symbol Absolute maximum Rating Unit
    Power Dissipation PD 10 W
    Forward Current(DC) IF 900 mA
    Peak Forward Current* IFP 1050 mA
    Reverse Voltage VR 5 V
    Operation Temperature Topr -40~85 ?
    Storage Temperature Tstg -10~100 ?
    Lead Soldering Temperature Tsol Max.260°C for 5 sec Max. (3mm from the base of the epoxy bulb)
    *Pulse width?0.1msec duty?1/10
    Electrical/Optical Characteristics at Ta=25°C
    Items Symbol Condition Min. Typ. Max. Unit
    Forward Dissipation VF IF=900mA 9 10 12 V
    Reverse Current(DC) IR VR=5V / / 10 uA
    Dominant Wavelength X IF=900mA 0.3 / 0.34 /
    Y IF=900mA 0.3 / 0.34 /
    Luminous Intensity IV IF=900mA / 600 650 Lumens
    50% Power Angle ?? IF=900mA 140 / 160 deg


    Anyone know any reason the mean well LPLC-18-700 would not light up one of these? The led will be slightly under powered but no big deal.

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