Not worried about soldering or actually putting the fixture together i do refrigeration, just havent followed as far as good brands and essentially what works best with what. if that makes sense
simple but a bit err problematic (hp leds run in parallel systems can be problematic for reasons that are a bit
long to explain even though some are already built like that, like the long Orphek ones) is just find light bars using constant current and get a 2x current equiv driver and run the 2 bars in parallel..
If you get bars that are constant voltage ..just boost the current (wattage) and run them in series..
Orphek example:
[*]New OR 120: Input : Voltage:100V-240V AC .
Output : Voltage :35V-65V DC . Current :1A
Power Consumption: 65W+/_5%.
To run 2 bars just get a 2A constant current driver w/ 35-65V (or higher) output.
OR run 4 4ft bars in parallel w/ this and w/ added 10V dimming..
SUGGEST seeing if you can find an AB version though
There is a catch, but it's actually a pretty good one..@3500mA and 4 bars in parallal you only drive each bar at 3500/4 mA= 875mA
Should increase efficiency and longevity w/ minimal par loss.
Suggest adding 1A fuses to each bar to prevent thermal issues if one fails open though one only shunts the 3500mA over 3 bars 1166mA meaning you could change the fuse to 1.5a..still..1A fuses are best
biggest catch is you just bought 4 Orphek drivers and replaced them all w/ a $90 add on.
If you find constant voltage ones, say something that uses a 12V switching power supply at say 1A you just need to find a 12v power supply at say 4A and wire the bars in series..
(This does not force you to buy anything). -Color Temperature: 453nm Actinic Blue. - Power consumption: 18W. A common goal for ideal lighting in a reef tank is about 90-120 (mms) at the top of your sand.
www.ebay.com
Linkable with 'power in' on one end and 'power out' on the other end (up to 16 total feet of LEDs on one Power Supply/Dimmer)
