DIY LED light idea

[adriggsvt]

So, an electrical storm knocked out a few of the fluorescent fixtures on my 125g... perfect time to upgrade!!

I want LED's. You can't beat the operating cost and the shimmer effect is amazing. The only downside is the initial cost, solution: DIY.

So here we go, my fixture will be made of two punched & formed aluminum parts. Currently the design has 117 10mm LED lamps: 50 6,500k, 50 10,000k, 17 470nm blue. Each lamp has 5 chips and produces 285,000 mcd at 40 degrees running on 100mA and 3.4v. That's 107 lumens per lamp for a total of 12,519 lumens. Not bad considering the Cree 3W lamps put out 107 lumens on 350mA, and cost literally 10x more! I'm going to build my own driver with solid state relays and an Arduino microcontroller. This way I can dim the LED's with a PWM signal. Also I will be able to write the software to control the light schemes and timing, no more instant sunrise! I'm also going to add switches and pots to allow manual control. Cooling via 2 120mm fans, also controlled by the Arduino with a temp sensor. I think I can run the entire thing on about 55 watts with all the lamps on.

Here's my first pass at the fixture. You can see the fan and vent cut-outs in the top as well as the switch and pot holes in the side. I still need to add the power port and USB cutouts.




Top panel:


Bottom panel:


End views showing how they fit together and the cutouts



Over the 125:


With 40degree beams from each lamp:


View from below:


Side:



I've already started purchasing components, and it looks like the final build cost should be under $300.
Let me know what you think, I appreciate any and all input. Look for the build thread soon!!!

 

[SouthernJustice]

i made a similar one.. didn't go through all of the light spectrum .. mine was crudely simple... about 8 replacement 1157 LED brake light bulbs (each has 20 leds clear) light.. soldered the bulbs so that they were switchable tail / brake or both .. plenty of light, shimmer as you stated amazing.. so it allowed me to have a low, med, high light settings.. i used a strip of blue led interior trim lights along the light housing for night time use.. wired it with small flat phone cord. installed a 3-way switch(hi med low) and a single switch for blue. it all powered from an old cordless phone charger.. turned out great at a cost of about 50.00. tucked all inside the florescent light housing with still room for the original bulbs to remain. again i am sure it isnt the correct light spectrum but i have no live plants. .. i like your design.. should work well.

 

[burky_tc]

I would skip the small LED's and go with some 3 watt LED's. They may be more expensive per LED but you will use a lot less and it will be brighter. There is a reason the top LED light manufacturers use 3w LED's instead of 1w LED's.

 

[yodaLBC]

interesting project u got there,ive always wanted to do something like this but thought ill wait til someone on here do it first so i can copy lol,,cant wait for the outcome....

 

[Clay]

Looks like someone's been reading reefcentral.... Make sure to give credit where it is due (der_wille_zur_macht and the rest of the gang put a lot of effort into their work). There are some extensive threads with a lot of BRILLIANT information. It's quite a collection of ideas and how-tos written by some very smart people.

So, my thoughts on this project:
- 3w LEDs are probably a better choice for the project. Not necessarily Cree, but maybe a package from Stevesleds.com. 3w penetrate deeper into the water and will ultimately give you a better look. Also, you'll use fewer of them.
- Optics on the end LEDs only spill light outside of the tank. Consider removing optics from the end LEDs or removing them entirely. This will give your tank a better look and avoid light spillage. Light spillage is wasted because it's not illuminating what you're looking for.
- The aluminum plate to which these are attached does not appear to have any fins. While they aren't necessary to transfer heat, they are necessary to direct the heat, and help greatly to pull it from the LEDs. I would consider adding a few inside the fixture. As I'm sure you know (from RC), heatsinkusa.com sells some products that are perfect for this project.
- Also, you may want to consider 2x36" fixtures instead of 1x72". It will give you more flexibility should you have to change, have failure, etc.

Overall, it looks solid. I'm interested in the Arduino controller (I want to build one myself), so I'll be following along. Make sure to post lots of updates!

 

[earthstudent]

I am very interested in this project. It would be great to see a build thread with lots of pics.

 

[zaq]

very interesting, I prayed more pictures with the plan to work because I'd done something similar for my aquarium

 

[GrossGraphix]

I have been wanting to build a led light system myself also. Just could not collect all the information need to do it efficently. So i will also stay tuned. Very interested in how it turns out. I would like to make two four foot fixtures myself to cover my 8 ft tank.

 

[zebvance]

Very Nice! I would love to have a fixture like this. One question though, What is the length? Also once you build it and it turns out good Start making a 8 foot one for my 240 haha, No really let me know how much it would cost and I would love one exactly like yours, If your up to making some extra cash.

 

[Chefken]

I am in the middle of a canopy build with exclusively LED lighting....There isn't room for anything else and I love the look of the light. I am not so electrically inclined so I picked up a customer return Marineland 48" double bright off Ebay for 85. I am going to mount it directly into the hood. i also have two white and one blue True Lumen LED moonlights linked together to mount directly into the canopy wood. I will put up pics when the lights are all installed: the moon lights I have, the other en route. I will need more lights eventually.....but no plants.(the dats will love the low light for bit!)
I wish i could have the dimming possibities but budget and talent constrain me!! Thanks for the inspirational build!