AliE LED bar vs. T5

[bishoptf]

What is your mounting height? These are the 90 degree versions I was debating on buying. Do you get any disco effect?

No disco effect at all, why I like them and the nicrews. The problem I have with the nicrews is the spread, I have a long tank. I can mount them higher but the light spill is just more of and issue. You get some shimmer if you have some current on the surface of your tank, but I'm not a fan of the Kessil and for me noopsyche disco effect, some like and some don't I am in the camp of do not like it...

 

[bishoptf]

Any mounting solution that keeps the lights out of the water is a good solution. Those who laugh need more hugs!


Why do you want to ditch the Nicrews? Regarding bars, three would probably work.

Are your power supplies constant current, maybe ~900mA, and variable voltage?

Here is a pic of the power supplies for the bars that I have listed above..

Looks to me to just be a plain 24v 2a power supply. One of the reason I went for these since they did not appear to be the same supply used by the populargrow lights.

Here is the inline dimmer/timer, just seems to change the output voltage for dimming.

 

[telegraham]

Here is a pic of the power supplies for the bars that I have listed above..

Looks to me to just be a plain 24v 2a power supply. One of the reason I went for these since they did not appear to be the same supply used by the populargrow lights.

Here is the inline dimmer/timer, just seems to change the output voltage for dimming.

That's so interesting! Thank you for sharing.

 

[oreo54]

Here is the inline dimmer/timer, just seems to change the output voltage for dimming.

It may look that way but it probably isn't.

 

[bishoptf]

It may look that way but it probably isn't.

Yeah understand, going tomtry to figure out how it's working since i would like to integrate with reef-pi, I have posted in the reef-fi sub forum and will hopefully be able to figure it out. All I have done now is take the voltage coming out and with the dimmer it ranges from 13v on the low side to 24v on the high side. The dimmer portion is not very big but again will dig into it and see how it works, I do know the power supply is different from the populargrow lights for sure.

 

[oreo54]

Yeah understand, going tomtry to figure out how it's working since i would like to integrate with reef-pi, I have posted in the reef-fi sub forum and will hopefully be able to figure it out. All I have done now is take the voltage coming out and with the dimmer it ranges from 13v on the low side to 24v on the high side. The dimmer portion is not very big but again will dig into it and see how it works, I do know the power supply is different from the populargrow lights for sure.

Like I said most meters do not take instantaneous readings of voltage..
So it averages over time
Not sure why yours is soo high though.
10% dim should average around 2.4V
24 v @ 10% 0f a measurement cycle.

What is the average value of a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal?

Answer (1 of 3): The average value of a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal depends on the duty cycle of the signal. The duty cycle represents the percentage of time the signal is high (on) compared to the total period of the signal. To calculate the average value, you need to multiply the maxim...

www.quora.com

The average value of a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal depends on the duty cycle of the signal. The duty cycle represents the percentage of time the signal is high (on) compared to the total period of the signal.

To calculate the average value, you need to multiply the maximum value of the signal (usually referred to as Vmax) by the duty cycle.

For example, if the maximum value of the signal is 5V and the duty cycle is 50%, the average value would be 2.5V. It is important to note that the average value does not provide a complete picture of the signal's behavior.

PWM signals are essentially square waves that alternate between a high and low voltage level, creating a time-varying average value. This characteristic is what makes PWM signals suitable for applications like controlling the speed of motors or the brightness of LEDs.

When considering the average value of a PWM signal, it is often used as a means to represent a continuous analog value, where the duty cycle corresponds to the desired level of the analog signal. By adjusting the duty cycle, you can control the effective output of the PWM signal and simulate a desired voltage level.

In conclusion, the average value of a PWM signal is calculated by multiplying the maximum value of the signal by the duty cycle. However, it's essential to remember that the true behavior of a PWM signal lies in its time-varying nature, allowing for effective control and simulation of continuous analog values.

Things can get a bit weird if you have the meter on AC instead of DC.
Reefi uses pwm and all you need to do is feed the pulse to an appropriate mosfet to turn on/off rapidly on the low side (negative).

Its all been worked out before.. The reefi sub will have all the needed info.
Consider yourself lucky that the "driver" is different.

Using 10v analog is more difficult as a diy for the most part. Or finding a replacement driver that can be dimmed and fits your bars.

 

[MarcosTacos]

No disco effect at all, why I like them and the nicrews. The problem I have with the nicrews is the spread, I have a long tank. I can mount them higher but the light spill is just more of and issue. You get some shimmer if you have some current on the surface of your tank, but I'm not a fan of the Kessil and for me noopsyche disco effect, some like and some don't I am in the camp of do not like it...

Thats good to hear! So what height are they mounted at?

 

[bishoptf]

Thats good to hear! So what height are they mounted at?

Lights are about 8" of the water.