Outta my league DIY LED

[metalsniper]

Okay, so since the new plan is 26 led, or probably 25 because I like that number better and can do a gridee of 5x5. So in terms of lights would something like this be good?

9 Royal Blue
4 Blue

4 Cool White
4 neutral White
2 Green
2 Blue

I've started trying to work out a mock-up of the chassis that I want to make in SolidWorks. Is there program to figure out what the mixing and spread with a given led arrangement will give?

If not I'm thinking something along these lines. I kinda want to break up the lines of blue though.

RB CW RB CW RB
NW Bl Bl Bl NW
RB Gr RB Gr RB
NW Bl Bl Bl NW
RB CW RB CW RB

By the way, does anyone know of a driver with the same specs as the ELN-60-48D but with a smaller form factor? Also do the meanwells go to zero by dimming or is the relay necessary? Because if they will go to zero on their own I could save money by skipping the relay circuit.
Also, how does the typhon diy controller compare to the dim4?

 

[Onedesign1]

I think that matrix looks reasonable. I might try to figure out how to get a white dead center because right now they are around the edges...takes some messing around. I usually use an excel spreadsheet for this purpose with the letters as you did and then color fill the cells.

I have seen layout of LED mix but not sure what programs folks use but they mock up their fixture and project the cones of light from each LED. I've never done that....just alternate the colors usually like you but if you look I'm sure you can find something if you want to lay it out in CAD program of some sort.

Form factor is about the same for that size driver, as you might expect, for the others I have looked at. You can always go back to the little buck pucks and a separate PS located elsewhere.

I do not have a hands on experience with the Typhoon but have looked at it and it seems to be one of those things that you can make a lot out of it when you build it....if you want....it also seems like a lot of work and hassle so I was on timers only until I found the DIM4. The alternative is most aquarium controller can run your LED dimming as well...if not stock then with an add on module...but thats alot more expensive if thats the only purpose you're buying it for....but if you have one or intend to get one its an option......

 

[CJO]

I mocked mine up in autocad, but the angles were just approximate because of the water's refraction.

The Meanwells go down to 5 percent and then drop to 0. This is controlled with a 0-10V signal you put on a pair of wires.

CJ

 

[metalsniper]

CJO, are you saying that with at a voltage of 0, the meanwells will not produce any light? Or do you still think it would be best to have a relay to cut the power to the drivers. It seems to me that the typhon and dim4 are essentially the same in use and the main difference is the relay associated with the the channels, but I don't know if that difference is worth 30$. Onedesign1, boostled has been selling already constructed modules for 45$ with capabilities for 4 channels at 10v or 4 channels at 5v.

Also, I don't know how much difference they make but I was considering swapping the two blues in my white line with two cyan if you think it would be good or make a difference.

RB Bl RB CW RB
NW Cy CW Gr Bl
RB NW RB NW RB
Bl Gr CW Cy NW
RB CW RB Bl RB

 

[Onedesign1]

CJO, are you saying that with at a voltage of 0, the meanwells will not produce any light? Or do you still think it would be best to have a relay to cut the power to the drivers. It seems to me that the typhon and dim4 are essentially the same in use and the main difference is the relay associated with the the channels, but I don't know if that difference is worth 30$. Onedesign1, boostled has been selling already constructed modules for 45$ with capabilities for 4 channels at 10v or 4 channels at 5v.

Also, I don't know how much difference they make but I was considering swapping the two blues in my white line with two cyan if you think it would be good or make a difference.

RB Bl RB CW RB
NW Cy CW Gr Bl
RB NW RB NW RB
Bl Gr CW Cy NW
RB CW RB Bl RB

I've seen that typhoon from boost but not used it personally so I can only comment on the differences from the specs and not how it works in real life. Relay outputs are one difference, PWM vs analog dimming is another, but the main difference is DIM4 enables you to drive directly off the channels if so desired...either small strings of LEDs up to 500ma or direct drive fans or some combo of all the above. That seems to be the main thing. Then personally I don't like the pin connections vs the lugs that are on the DIM4 either but thats getting into personal preferences.

Never used or seen cyans used so can't comment

 

[metalsniper]

I exchanged emails with the guys at boostled and got a bit more info. The typhon only drives at 100mA so it's not really feasible to run any more than two drivers in parallel, which the eventual goal will do. This is compared to the 500mA from the DIM4. That also gives me plenty of juice to run some fans.
On another related note, the form factor of the DIM4 is much more convenient for putting in a project box.
Got a few captures of a preliminary design. Any input?

 

[Onedesign1]

whats that wrapped around the center of the heatsink ... fin side?

I like it though!

 

[metalsniper]

That's an aluminum housing around the drivers. I've gotten lenses on now too

 

[metalsniper]

Ok, I decided on a redesign so I could get a larger fan on there. I think it has more cumulative area so it should move more air. Also, I think having the centered and solid heatsink will do better in the long run. The bottom looks the same so far, but I don't have covers on the meawells yet. I think I'll end up wrapping the whole thing in white acrylic.

 

[mcarroll]

I'm not an expert on DIY LEDs or electronic wiring, but...

Ok, I decided on a redesign so I could get a larger fan on there. I think it has more cumulative area so it should move more air. Also, I think having the centered and solid heatsink will do better in the long run. The bottom looks the same so far, but I don't have covers on the meawells yet. I think I'll end up wrapping the whole thing in white acrylic.

...common sense tells me you're going to want to rotate the heat sink 90deg so your fan(s) can evacuate heat along the whole length of the fins, rather that just directly under the fans, with the fins blocking airflow.

-Matt

 

[metalsniper]

mcarroll, I had considered that but I wanted the fan to push air over the meanwells and the un-heatsinked portion of the base. Also, I couldn't find a 5'' heatsink anywhere so it is kind of a practical consideration as well. Also, this way it is a little more convenient to route my wires between the fins under the fan to keep them hidden.

 

[mcarroll]

Perhaps a centrally mounted fan on a set of small stand-offs to allow the air to spread evenly under it? Wouldn't take much - maybe a washer or two?

I'm also outta my leage in this discussion, so i'll leave it at this and resume spectating.

 

[Onedesign1]

Just make sure air is moving along the heatsink and it will be fine. There are many many people utilizing just simple aluminum channel for a heatsink. So long as there's air moving it'll be fine.

 

[metalsniper]

Thanks guys, I've just finished the mock-up in solidwork. Does anyone know how to model the cones of light? I want to see how different lens angles will effect the overall mixing. Now for your viewing pleasure, some rudimentary CAD.

The power jacks are Neutrik powerCon with twist locking so the plug won't fall out into the tank and the data transfer are cat5; There are two because in the end I intend to run a few in series and I want to daisy chain them off of each other, that way I can utilize one controller for a few devices over one tank.

In actuality they will be wired in parallel, with the wires from the inlet jacks going to the outlet jacks and the drivers. The DIM4 puts out 500mA to on its control circuit, while the meanwells only need about 50mA as far as I can tell (the boostled guys with the typhon say the typhon puts out 100mA and can control two meanwells in parallel). Cat5 cables are made of AWG-24 wire which can handle .577A but I can't find out if the voltage drop would be too large to accurately control the lights over a 6ft tank. I did some basic calculations and it looked like I might lose up to 5% of my initial signal, does this sound too bad?

 

[metalsniper]

Alright, so I've gotten myself into a difficult place. My fiancee really wants the random events but neither of the excellent diy controllers I've found will work. As far as I can tell, the DIM4 had no means of changing the programming or else that would potentially be altered at a future date to suit my needs. It can, however, run more than a few drivers with its 500mA outputs. This leads me into the Typhon; the Typhon is based of the arduino and as such can be programmed by anyone with the know how. The downside is that the nice people at boostled have told me that it can run two drivers in parallel. No word about more, even with specific questioning.

What I find myself needing then is some cost effective mix between the two, or perhaps a way to boost the current of the pwm signal from the typhon. If I were to go from scratch I've found a number of helpful threads but what would I actually need; An arduino like the duemilnove, an rtc shield, and an lcd shield with buttons? If I'm trying to cut it down to just what I need to be able to run it and modify the leds from the lcd and control two channels of leds is there anything else I need?

 

[CJO]

Sorry, but I can't help you on the controller aspect. Personally, I think that the clouds and storm effects are something that you might use a few times and then grow tired of it. Any chance of talking your fiancee out of it? Can you just stand next to the fixture and turn it on and off a few times to satisfy her/him?

CJ

 

[metalsniper]

CJO, I agree. I know they are kind of a gimmick anyway. It was just a thought to see if anyone had any thoughts. Do you know if anyone has tested the current necessary to dim a meanwell? At this point I'm still pretty set on the DIM4 because I know with 500mA per signal I can certainly control multiple drivers in parallel.

 

[Onedesign1]

CJO, I agree. I know they are kind of a gimmick anyway. It was just a thought to see if anyone had any thoughts. Do you know if anyone has tested the current necessary to dim a meanwell? At this point I'm still pretty set on the DIM4 because I know with 500mA per signal I can certainly control multiple drivers in parallel.

Never measured but its not a lot......probably less than 50ma.....the dimming circuit is controlled by voltage and the current draw is minimal

 

[metalsniper]

Okay, so I'm trying to work out my actual wiring scheme now. Can you answer a question about the DIM4 onedesign1? If I were to run one power cord to the DIM4 with 12V and one cord up to the light with 120V would I need another source of power to run the dimming circuit or the relays? Also can you clarify for me, are the relays a separate thing or can I use the screw outs to power a fan? If you don't know I'll ask ledgroupbuy but I figured I would find out here first if I can.

Does this look right for the circuit?

 

[Onedesign1]

Okay, so I'm trying to work out my actual wiring scheme now. Can you answer a question about the DIM4 onedesign1? If I were to run one power cord to the DIM4 with 12V and one cord up to the light with 120V would I need another source of power to run the dimming circuit or the relays? Also can you clarify for me, are the relays a separate thing or can I use the screw outs to power a fan? If you don't know I'll ask ledgroupbuy but I figured I would find out here first if I can.

Does this look right for the circuit?

Sorry been tied up. The circuit looks right. Yes you use 1 12V source to power the DIM4. That will power all your dimming circuits and fan AND yes you use the relay outs for the fan. Those outs are simply 12V that switch on when its corresponding channel hits its start time.

The relays themselves are purchased separately if you want to use the DIM4 to power on the drivers....I purchased SSLs. In this case the drivers still go to 120VAC but the ACL (hot) runs "through" the relay. The 12V out of the DIM4 runs to the other side of the relay. The relay is simply a switch that closes the line to the AC and the DIM4 closes that switch via the 12V output. Many higher end drivers do not dim to off so this feature enables that.

I think I answered your questions...let me know!