Need help finalizing DIY LED build plans

[MisterMiniS]

So, I am about ready to order everything that I need but still have some questions that I cannot seem to find an answer to. First, here is some background info.

The tank is 100 gallons with 60" x 18" x 18" dimensions. It is to be a reef tank and the LED lights are going to be 'full spectrum'. I have decided on doing 3x 12" MakersLED heatsinks (MakersLED Designer Heatsink Kit - Professional Grade - LEDGroupBuy.com) hung over the tank with some adequate spacing. I have chosen to use 108 LED's with the following breakdown and pattern.

9x - OCW - (470,495,660) - http://tinyurl.com/bxovzx7
21x - 3 UP - (450,450,5k) - http://tinyurl.com/a9qym3k
9x - Hyper Violet - (425-230) - http://tinyurl.com/ag9jxqb
9x - True Violet - 405nm - Hyper Violet Solderless LED

They will be in the following format (3 of these). Please note that there is an awesome spot for any missing LED's I might have forgotten at the bottom right.

The LED's will be running off of 5 drivers with the following configuration:

Driver 1 - Half of the Royal Blue's (21 LED's)
Driver 2 - Half of the Royal Blue's (21 LED's)
Driver 3 - Violets (18 LED's)
Driver 4 - Neutral White's (21 LED's)
Driver 5 - OCW's (27 LED's)

These are the drivers that I have chosen: INVENTRONICS(HANGZHOU), INC. or INVENTRONICS(HANGZHOU), INC....can someone please tell me the difference and explain why one is better than the other?

I want the lights to be dimmable with sunset/sunrise, so I am assuming that I would need something like the DIM4 (LED Sunrise and Sunset Controller) and a dimming module w/pots and knobs (4 channel dimming module - LEDGroupBuy.com). However, I want to run a Apex controller, so I am getting stuck on whether or not I need the DIM4 controller, because isn't that what this is...LED Dimming | Neptune Systems???

So, to organize and expand on my questions:

1) How does my number of LED's look?
2) For a full spectrum build, would you choose different LEDs? If so, what?
3) Can someone please tell me the difference between the two controllers I have linked and why one is better than the other?
4) Will whatever driver is better from ^ be able to handle the amount of LED's I have specified (they will be run in series)?
5) Do I need the DIM4 assuming that I have the dimming module from Apex?
6) Will what I have selected (Apex dimmer and possibly the DIM4) be sufficient for sunset/sunrise functionality?
7) I would like moonlights...will I be able to run those with what I currently have or will that require more LED's (likely to go into the open space at the bottom right) and another controller?
8) Have I missed anything? I know there are power supplies and what not, but of the main equipment have I forgotten something for getting what I am needing?

I will be x-posting this on some other forums to get as much feedback as possible. I will document the entire build and then produce a kick *** DIY guide and submit them to each forum I reached out to in hope that I can share what I have learned and contribute to the community. I am brand spanking new to SW tanks, LED lights, and everything related to them, so all the knowledge that I have gained is through a few specific forums and I would like to give back. Also, as I am sure there will be some concern, I am an engineer by trade, so my mechanical abilities (building, soldering, ect) should be sufficient.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Curtie44]

These are the drivers that I have chosen: INVENTRONICS(HANGZHOU), INC. or INVENTRONICS(HANGZHOU), INC....can someone please tell me the difference and explain why one is better than the other?

These link to the same driver. Did you mean from the list of drivers in the PDF? From the pdf at the bottom of the specs in the link you give, the differences in the drivers is the output current and voltage range. None of the dirvers on the pdf would be a good fit for your violets. You state a total of 18 voilet (9 HV, 9TV). The forward voltage of those is between 3-3.6V, so for arguements sake lets say 3.3V. 3.3V*18LED=59.4V. The recommended max drive current on the TV is 700mA and on the HV it is 500mA. I wouldn't run these on the same string unless the max current you planned on pushing thru them was the lesser of the 2. So, knowing that 500mA is the MAX you would want to put thru this string, you would look for a driver that matched that, or came close. On the Inventronics PDF, they list a driver that has a constant current output of 450mA, however the MINIMUM voltage output is 83V. 83/18LED's= 4.6V. That means in your string of 18 leds you would be pushing 4.6V thru them....not good. Nothing on the PDF fits your configuration for Violet. You would need to either select a different driver alltogether, such as this one 40w LED Driver | Power Supply or add more leds to the total untill the forward voltage added up to a little over the minimum driver output voltage and less than the max. You would need to do the same math for the rest of your color strings to select the appropriate driver.

I hope this makes sense.

 

[MisterMiniS]

Thanks a bunch. That does makes sense. I will look back into all of that and reconfigure. As for the identical links, they are different, but not by much. One is the EUC-075SxxxDV(SV) and the other is the EUC-075SxxxDT(ST). I do not know what the 'DT(ST) and DV(SV)' stand for. I assume something along the lines of constant voltage or variable voltage, but don't know.
Thanks again for the clarification, I helps a bunch.