DIY led fixture for small algae scrubber

[thejuggernaut]

Yea they are 700ma LEDs. No, you need to look at the amperage of the driver to. If its too high they will destroy the bulb. You can get a driver that will do more that 700ma but you need to adjust it so it won't go higher than 700 ma. That is the beauty of those nano drivers. Just hook up between 4 and 15 bulbs and go with it. If you buy the larger meanwells you're going to have to adjust them down and worry about all that.

 

[kwandrsn]

Ok cool... yeah I guess ill buy the nano one and if I need more leds ill buy a second driver and use one for each side. What optics do you recommend. Heres a picture of the current lights i built for the scrubber. If 14 bulbs is more than enough ill be happy with it. I would rather have too much light and have to dim it down than be maxed out and realize I need more

 

[kwandrsn]

Duplicate post my phone has issues

 

[thejuggernaut]

The 0-10v is the input for the dimming. The 9-36v is the output to the LED and is the number you should use for figuring out how many of your specific bulbs it will drive. The number they listed is just a generalization because all LEDs have different specs. You can run 14 of either bulbs on a 36v driver. If you want to mix different bulbs on a string then just multiply those out then add them together and if they are less than 36v then you're good. Figure out exactly how many and of what bulbs you want and I can help you pick out the drivers you need.

Cree 14 bulbs x 2.3v = 32.2 volts

Philips 14 bulbs x 2.4v = 33.6 volts

You want to get them as close as you can and not use optics. As far as how many bulbs is more about spread than intensity. Check this thread out. Page 4 post number 78 specifically.

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/do-yourself-diy/63113-algae-scrubber-basics-4.html

HTH,
Taylor

 

[kwandrsn]

Im not sure how many leds I can install on the heatsinks I was thinking about buying

http://www.ledsupply.com/led-heatsinks/makersled-heatsink-kit?gclid=CK626o2-iMICFcLtMgod_wIA4A

I was thinking about buying 2 - 6" heatsinks. These come with fans and splash guards and hardware and require no drilling

Like I said I would almost rather have too much light and turn it down just incase. I know nothing about leds to know if 7 bulbs per side would be enough. Or how many I can install on each 6" kit

 

[kwandrsn]

And I will probably go with the philips deep reds mostly with a few royal blues

 

[thejuggernaut]

Sounds good. Check out that thread. It covers allot of the set up.

 

[kwandrsn]

Yeah lets say I want to run 12 leds per side looks like there will be plenty of room for that many. 16 philips deep reds and 8 philips royal blues. What driver would I need and obviously it will need to be dimmed but I want a driver that will run them wide open if I wanted

 

[thejuggernaut]

I've read that the blues should be used sparingly though. They say they can burn the algae if too many are used. But I'm not sure what the ratio of red to blue should really be.

But from an electrical standpoint, put 8 Red and 4 Blue on each driver and it should work perfectly

Philips Royal Blue 4 bulbs X 3v = 12 Volts

Philips Deep Red 8 Bulbs x 2.4v = 19.2 Volts

Total Voltage = 31.2 Volts per Driver

 

[kwandrsn]

I can use less blue... it was just a thought. I read to use 1 blue to 4 reds. So 8 reds and 2 blues maybe. I may go with 2 drivers... thatll give me plenty to play with

 

[thejuggernaut]

Sounds like a plan! To answer your question about the heat sinks. They should be more than adequate for that amount of bulbs

 

[kwandrsn]

And optics? They are gonna be pretty close to the scrubber

 

[thejuggernaut]

I wouldn't use any. You don't want hot spots. Look at all the commercially made ones. None of them use optics.

I'd try to emulate this one.

https://www.algaescrubbing.com/threads/the-turbo-l4-algae-scrubber-obsolete.41/

 

[kwandrsn]

I found this that mounts in the heatsink... kinda cool but its 1000ma. Ok cool I wont use optics thanks for all your help. I think 2 nano drivers and 16 reds and 4 blues is gonna be the route im gonna go

 

[kwandrsn]

http://www.ledsupply.com/led-heatsinks/makersdriver-2up-pro

 

[thejuggernaut]

Sounds good. Be sure to show us how it looks and works once you get it put together!

 

[kwandrsn]

Will do thanks again

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

Sounds like you have it covered but just in case, you don't need optics (hardly ever), use the Deep Red 660nm, not the crees (those are 630nm), and if you are going to run some blues, use very sparingly and if possible try to run them at a reduced current compared to the reds, or if that is not possible, don't put 2 of them directly across from each other. You can wire 2 blues in parallel within the series string and they will effectively be a current divider (running at 350ma each). Like this r-r-r-b=b-r-r-r

Meanwell LPC-35-700 drivers are like $16 and can run 14 LEDs, no problem - go for the simple solution.

Instead of Royal Blues, you might consider Hyper Violet from Steve's LEDs - but they have a dome lens that has them at 60 degrees, but it's rather tall and you can slice the dome off halfway up if you are careful and get a nice 120 plus distribution.

For the array, figure out your screen size you are going to use (length and width) and then divide that by 8 to get the minimum number of LEDs, or divide by 4 to get the maximum. This will get yo uin the ballpark of what will work - choose a number that makes sense and is easy to arrange.

For instance, if you are making a 6x6 screen, that's 36 sq in, 36/8 = about 5, 36/4 = 9, so between 5 and 9 LED should be good. 9 is an easy array, 3x3, but you could do 2 rows of 4, etc. On the MakersLED heat sink you can move them around if you decide to change later.

If you use the higher number, you might add a diffuser while the screen is maturing, then remove it once the screen has grown in.

Also the MakersLED heat sink comes with a fan, you just need to get a power supply.

 

[kwandrsn]

Screen is 9x9 but I was planning one using 6" heatsinks

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

For a 9x9 screen that would be 81/8 = 10 LEDs, or 81/4=20 LEDs. That's per side also.

Just to double check with you - the screen sizing guideline that is based on feeding says 12 sq in of screen for every cube of food fed per day. So 81/12=6.75 cubes/day, do you feed that much? If not, then you can leave the screen the same size and go with fewer LEDs (the screen capacity will be limited by light, not by size.

The main factors in determining a scrubber capacity are size, light, and flow. Any one of these can "limit" the upper capacity of the screen, which is fine, as long as you are aware of that limitation...that's why I bring it up.

On a 6" MakersLED heat sink, it's probably not best to cram too many LEDs on it just for the sake of meeting a calculation. Do what makes sense. Using 10 LEDs is probably ok, maybe 12. Also you have to consider that the LEDs will spread the light, but you might have some lower light areas on the outer edges. The LEDs won't be able to be placed right at the edge of the fixture, because the stand-offs for the splashguard and the endcaps will cut off the light. So you maybe have an effective 5x5 mouning area, maybe (I know, I use the MakersLED heat sinks, a lot, he lives 30m away from me and is in my local club). That means you have a 5x5 array covering a 9x9 screen. You might want to get a heat sink that is just a smidge longer, like 9" or even 12", and give yourself a bit more room to work with.

But get back to me on the feeding. And your tank size also, that can become a factor.

Here's one I made for a 12 x 4 screen