FishKeepingNoob;4360675; said:
http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Syst...O863TZYF0C7N&s=generic&qid=1281438094&sr=1-10
DIY LED lights
- Thread starter Satchafunkilus
- Start date
http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Syst...O863TZYF0C7N&s=generic&qid=1281438094&sr=1-10
Here are a few photos of my tank w/ DIY LED Lighting. I will post some more detailed pictures of the actual guts of the system tomorrow. I will be adding alot more plants to the tank in the near future now that the tank has stabilized from being torn down and moved over the july fourth weekend. The stand of Java Fern responds very well to the LEDs by pearling with oxygen bubbles in just 20 minutes of the lights turning on 
. I am just waiting patiently for my dense carpet of Glossostigma to return.
I've been a lurker long enough. I'll answer any questions about LEDs that I can.
Thanks
O2surplus
. I am just waiting patiently for my dense carpet of Glossostigma to return.I've been a lurker long enough. I'll answer any questions about LEDs that I can.
Thanks
O2surplus
Impressive fern. I just got my replacement ferns a week ago. They look good....for now. 
I need light!!!
What kind of substrate is that?
I need light!!!What kind of substrate is that?
FishKeepingNoob;4367850; said:Impressive fern. I just got my replacement ferns a week ago. They look good....for now.
What kind of substrate is that?
Thanks for the comment on the fern. I used to have two more just like it, but I gave them away to make room for the glossostigma. The substrate is a mix of Flourite Black sand and CaribSea Tahitian Moon sand.
Heres a shot of the tank awhile back, when the Java fern had reached "Critical Mass".
[QUOTE='vspec';436801;1]Yeah im interested in the no undies approach. Pop the hood & lets see your craftwork.
Not bad bud, so what....your sitting at 70-75% load capacity @700fv? Did you cap your trim pots or can they potentially be taken to max?[/QUOTE]
Each of the LED arrays is connected to it's own Meanwell 24vdc 6.5 amp supply. The arrays consist of 5 strings of 6 Cree XRE-Q5 leds driven at 700 ma through an OnSemi CAT4101 constant current driver IC. Each Array only consumes 3.5 amps of the 6.5 available. So their running at a little over 50% of the supplies capacity.
There are no trim pots used. The current through the LEDs is controlled directly by the CAT 4101. The "Cat" is programmed to the desired current by connecting two of it's pins through a resistor of a certain value. To run at 700 ma, I soldered in a 768 ohm resistor. I could have max-ed it out at 1000 ma with a resistor around 500 ohms. The Leds can be driven up to 1000 ma, but I went with 700 ma to be conservative and hopefully the LEDs will last about 12 years. The "Cat" can be dimmed from 100% to 0% with a 5vdc Pulse Width Modified signal. I connected an ARDUINO DUEMILANOVE microcontroller to the "Cat PCBs" and it takes care of ramping the lights up and down at the beginning and end of each day's light cycle.
Here's a photo of the "CAT" driver PCBs and an Eagle file photo of the "CAT4101" IC pin out.
I was too impatient to learn "EAGLE PCB DESIGNER" sofware, so I used "MICROSOFT PAINT" instead.
Not bad bud, so what....your sitting at 70-75% load capacity @700fv? Did you cap your trim pots or can they potentially be taken to max?[/QUOTE]
Each of the LED arrays is connected to it's own Meanwell 24vdc 6.5 amp supply. The arrays consist of 5 strings of 6 Cree XRE-Q5 leds driven at 700 ma through an OnSemi CAT4101 constant current driver IC. Each Array only consumes 3.5 amps of the 6.5 available. So their running at a little over 50% of the supplies capacity.
There are no trim pots used. The current through the LEDs is controlled directly by the CAT 4101. The "Cat" is programmed to the desired current by connecting two of it's pins through a resistor of a certain value. To run at 700 ma, I soldered in a 768 ohm resistor. I could have max-ed it out at 1000 ma with a resistor around 500 ohms. The Leds can be driven up to 1000 ma, but I went with 700 ma to be conservative and hopefully the LEDs will last about 12 years. The "Cat" can be dimmed from 100% to 0% with a 5vdc Pulse Width Modified signal. I connected an ARDUINO DUEMILANOVE microcontroller to the "Cat PCBs" and it takes care of ramping the lights up and down at the beginning and end of each day's light cycle.
Here's a photo of the "CAT" driver PCBs and an Eagle file photo of the "CAT4101" IC pin out.
I was too impatient to learn "EAGLE PCB DESIGNER" sofware, so I used "MICROSOFT PAINT" instead.Jeez, by all means, if you feel the need to give some more away, I'll pay for shipping!!O2surplus;4368408; said:
FishKeepingNoob;4369586; said:Jeez, by all means, if you feel the need to give some more away, I'll pay for shipping!!
Ha ha.... Next time I do some plant trimmin', I'll keep you in mind. Its kinda funny.... I used to think that the Java fern I had, was a "dwarf" variety. All the plant books that I read described Java fern as "low light" and "undemanding". Now you can see what happens to it under "intense lighting", Carbon Dioxide Injection ( I roll through 20lbs. every 3 months, LOL), and heavy nutrient supplementation. I now get it to grow leaves 18" long.I'm gonna try to post some more "in-depth" pictures of my LED system this weekend for sure. Just in case someone may be wondering about the costs involved.... I have about $750 invested in the system to date.
Thats not too much money for the expected lifespan of the LEDs. I was facing the yearly replacement costs of $480- $600 just for the 6-130watt PC bulbs that I had, and my power bill is lower to boot!
O2surplus;4369748; said:
Sweet.
O2surplus said:
The initial hit is tough. Over time, like you said, it will pay for itself. Guess I might wait til a better time. Before I start dropping Bens on lighting, I'd like to have a nice, bigger tank. For me, right now, it would be like putting leather seats in a go-kart.