LED Chip Conversion

[Cacopepo]

Any one of knowledge that can help me out... I got a 36" fixture with 2 rows of 1 watt led (18 white and 18 Royal blues). Each row is being powered by the adaptor in the picture(1 adaptor for each row). My question is, can I upgrade and change those 1 watt led chip to 3 watt chips using the same adapters or do I have to buy a new ones? And if I buy new ones, how much bigger in amp and watt?I want to add violets and also changing them because they're old. Below I have the new led info and old. Thank you in advance

 

[hubcap]

disclaimer: I'm not a pro.

watts= volts x current.
and brightness from an LED is directly proportional to the current across the junction.
so, more current = more "brightness."

If my understanding of that all works (admittedly, my knowledge isn't a professional level) if you went to 3W lamps up from 1W lamps, the current driver/power supply/adapter you have wouldn't suffice to get the full effect of the proposed 3W lamps. (the voltage and current appears to need to be increased if Im reading the supplied chart correctly.)
Basically, you'd be running 3W lamps with a 1W supply which wouldn't equate to more light output. (not sure if its PAR, candela, luminous flux, etc) But, you would need more power supplied, in the form of watts (volts x current) to get the full benefit of the proposed 3W lamps.

Do you know if the LEDs are wired in parallel or in series down the "row?"
(Easy to check with a meter)

Also, when you see terms like forward voltage and forward current that means.....
Vf (forward voltage) means that is the minimum voltage required to be applied to the LED to get it to light
If (forward current) means that's the current it draws when the LED is lit.
Ohms Law can be a handy tool to use as well.
Ohms Law is
Volts = Current x Resistance (or V = I * R)

and, as mentioned before...
Watts = Volts x Current

Im sure more seasoned pros will stop by and correct me if I am wrong, but, I'll offer that opinion up to get the conversation started.

-cap

 

[Cacopepo]

Besides what was talked about above, if I decided to leave all the led chips 1 watt... with the info given... is it possible to switch like 4 out of those 18 royal blue chips and switch just those 4 to violet 3watt and still make that power supply adapter work?

 

[blasterman]

Yes. The 3watt violet chips will work on a 1watt string. They will just be underpowered a bit.

Not sure why you are doing this. The violet won't make your corals grow better, and 4x1watt violet won't even be visible. If anything adding 4 460nm chips will produce better visible results, if you can find the suckers.

Also, the the pictures you posted just shows the base AC/DC driver, not the actual LED driver which is buried inside.

 

[Cacopepo]

Yes. The 3watt violet chips will work on a 1watt string. They will just be underpowered a bit.

Not sure why you are doing this. The violet won't make your corals grow better, and 4x1watt violet won't even be visible. If anything adding 4 460nm chips will produce better visible results, if you can find the suckers.

Also, the the pictures you posted just shows the base AC/DC driver, not the actual LED driver which is buried inside.

Idk....I read somewhere that violet is good for coral growth... I cant remember which one but they mention either UV or Violet at 420nm mix with Royal blues. I'm just trying to mix colors for a little more growth.

 

[Cacopepo]

Also looking for a little more brightness for the sps I have in there

 

[oreo54]

Idk....I read somewhere that violet is good for coral growth... I cant remember which one but they mention either UV or Violet at 420nm mix with Royal blues. I'm just trying to mix colors for a little more growth.

You'd probably be better off mixing in some reg blues and cyans than violets but that is a personal color choice.

Your light looks to run at constant voltage so each color strip should have a terminating resistor to limit the current.
Odd thing is if one assumes the above your numbers don't quite work out..
48V with 18 series diodes gives you an effective voltage per diode of 2.66.
Guessing one would assume around 3 to 3.6V each. So there is that.

Adding violets or UV could be problematic since generally their voltage needs are higher. 3.5-4V
As you can see on your list of diodes.
From the looks of it too many added may create a situation where there isn't enough voltage to light the string, light some diodes, or light them w/ sufficient brightness.

The 1W or 3W designation is more of a "class" rating meaning they can tolerate more current.
note the voltages are the same.
At equal currents they "may" be similar in photon output but at 750mA the "1W class" will prob burn out
from over heating.
Not sure how it really effects the lower end i.e a "3W class" diode run at lower current (1W class range)except you won't get "3W" light output. May not light at all but ????

For constant voltage strings this calc is kind of fun to play with:

LED series parallel array wizard

String voltage increase, there is an issue w/ mixing diode voltages so keep that in mind
Normally all should be close to the same forward voltages
Best answer.. usually not done.
AND in your case the oddly low calculated voltage /diode may be problematic if adding diodes w/ higher V(f)'s.
I need to find the answer to that.

:

Bottom line is your collective string voltage is more of an issue than anything else.
A solution would be to buy an adjustable power supply so one could tweak the output voltage a bit.
Only need a volt or 2..
Catch.. watch for an increase in heat..

LRS-75-48 will give you 43.2 to 53.8V range and 1.5A
$15..

LRS Mean Well Enclosed Switching Power Supplies

www.ledsupply.com

EDIT: Second catch is if your PWM dimmer circuit can handle th increased voltage..

 

[Cacopepo]

You'd probably be better off mixing in some reg blues and cyans than violets but that is a personal color choice.

Your light looks to run at constant voltage so each color strip should have a terminating resistor to limit the current.
Odd thing is if one assumes the above your numbers don't quite work out..
48V with 18 series diodes gives you an effective voltage per diode of 2.66.
Guessing one would assume around 3 to 3.6V each. So there is that.

Adding violets or UV could be problematic since generally their voltage needs are higher. 3.5-4V
As you can see on your list of diodes.
From the looks of it too many added may create a situation where there isn't enough voltage to light the string, light some diodes, or light them w/ sufficient brightness.

The 1W or 3W designation is more of a "class" rating meaning they can tolerate more current.
note the voltages are the same.
At equal currents they "may" be similar in photon output but at 750mA the "1W class" will prob burn out
from over heating.
Not sure how it really effects the lower end i.e a "3W class" diode run at lower current (1W class range)except you won't get "3W" light output. May not light at all but ????

For constant voltage strings this calc is kind of fun to play with:

LED series parallel array wizard

String voltage increase, there is an issue w/ mixing diode voltages so keep that in mind
Normally all should be close to the same forward voltages
Best answer.. usually not done.
AND in your case the oddly low calculated voltage /diode may be problematic if adding diodes w/ higher V(f)'s.
I need to find the answer to that.

:

Bottom line is your collective string voltage is more of an issue than anything else.
A solution would be to buy an adjustable power supply so one could tweak the output voltage a bit.
Only need a volt or 2..
Catch.. watch for an increase in heat..

LRS-75-48 will give you 43.2 to 53.8V range and 1.5A
$15..

LRS Mean Well Enclosed Switching Power Supplies

www.ledsupply.com

EDIT: Second catch is if your PWM dimmer circuit can handle th increased voltage..

I might just change to all new 1 watt chips instead of 3 watt... but I do have a question, this fixture have the row of white as 14k... I read that 6500k can grow coral better, is just not eye appealing. Can I add a few 6500k into the mix of 14k for better coral grow or is it just pointless? Thanks guys in advance for all the input.