Recommend a diy led
- Thread starter Trebor
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ReefLEDLights
Valuable Member
I would go with a 24"x 8.46 " Heatsink with 45 LEDs.
This with carclo optics driven at 700mA will give you the same PAR as a 250 watt MH
The Mix of LEDs I like using three Hyperon or Inventronics Drivers is
24 XT-E Royal Blue Binned close to 450 nm
6 XP-E Blue
15 Xt-Cool White Binned at 7.5K
Bill
This with carclo optics driven at 700mA will give you the same PAR as a 250 watt MH
The Mix of LEDs I like using three Hyperon or Inventronics Drivers is
24 XT-E Royal Blue Binned close to 450 nm
6 XP-E Blue
15 Xt-Cool White Binned at 7.5K
Bill
ReefLEDLights
Valuable Member
Trebor
There is a lot of LED info out ther a lot is fact, much is misguided opinion and too much is opinion.
I like the Carclo Optics best as they tested well under our PAR evaluations.
Optics are a variable and comparing them to Chinese Optics is like comparing apples to oaranges.
Carclo does not label their optics by degree as that's rather ambiguous. Here is their chart for my favorite the 10209 Ripple Wide.
Is this a 45 or 60 Degree optic???
Efficiency of different optics can range from 60-87% which is huge considering all the spill from a 100-110 degree naked LED.
There is no set standard so I chose field test different ones, and prefer the snap on ones with the BJB solderless connector...Gluing is a hassle and on my personal fixtures using Loctite or Plumbers Goop I have a couple I have to redo after a year in service.
This optic on a 8.46 wide Heatsink w LEDs will give optimal coverage at 12" above the water for a 30" tall tank. With limited spill on the glass.
If your new to LEDs look at it like buying a car...Fiat, Chevy, Ford, BMW...You more often than not get what you pay for...Reliability, also consider the Art of lighting a reef tank Bins Matter and a little differences in spectrum make a huge difference in looks.
Most Likely 99% of MH users going back to MH did not choose their Bins Well. Like a Chile Recipe a few little differences can make a huge difference in taste...
Bill
There is a lot of LED info out ther a lot is fact, much is misguided opinion and too much is opinion.
I like the Carclo Optics best as they tested well under our PAR evaluations.
Optics are a variable and comparing them to Chinese Optics is like comparing apples to oaranges.
Carclo does not label their optics by degree as that's rather ambiguous. Here is their chart for my favorite the 10209 Ripple Wide.
Is this a 45 or 60 Degree optic???
Efficiency of different optics can range from 60-87% which is huge considering all the spill from a 100-110 degree naked LED.
There is no set standard so I chose field test different ones, and prefer the snap on ones with the BJB solderless connector...Gluing is a hassle and on my personal fixtures using Loctite or Plumbers Goop I have a couple I have to redo after a year in service.
This optic on a 8.46 wide Heatsink w LEDs will give optimal coverage at 12" above the water for a 30" tall tank. With limited spill on the glass.
If your new to LEDs look at it like buying a car...Fiat, Chevy, Ford, BMW...You more often than not get what you pay for...Reliability, also consider the Art of lighting a reef tank Bins Matter and a little differences in spectrum make a huge difference in looks.
Most Likely 99% of MH users going back to MH did not choose their Bins Well. Like a Chile Recipe a few little differences can make a huge difference in taste...
Bill
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ReefLEDLights
Valuable Member
Its a crisp 15K as long as your Cool Whites are binned at 7.5-8K.
Its what I have on my Tank and like the look. My Whites are on full only for 4 hours part to simulate a High Noon Effect. In the evening I have them dialed back for a 20K look
Bill
Its what I have on my Tank and like the look. My Whites are on full only for 4 hours part to simulate a High Noon Effect. In the evening I have them dialed back for a 20K look
Bill
Curtie44
Active Member
Trebor
There is a lot of LED info out ther a lot is fact, much is misguided opinion and too much is opinion.
I like the Carclo Optics best as they tested well under our PAR evaluations.
Optics are a variable and comparing them to Chinese Optics is like comparing apples to oaranges.
Carclo does not label their optics by degree as that's rather ambiguous. Here is their chart for my favorite the 10209 Ripple Wide.
Is this a 45 or 60 Degree optic???
Efficiency of different optics can range from 60-87% which is huge considering all the spill from a 100-110 degree naked LED.
There is no set standard so I chose field test different ones, and prefer the snap on ones with the BJB solderless connector...Gluing is a hassle and on my personal fixtures using Loctite or Plumbers Goop I have a couple I have to redo after a year in service.
This optic on a 8.46 wide Heatsink w LEDs will give optimal coverage at 12" above the water for a 30" tall tank. With limited spill on the glass.
If your new to LEDs look at it like buying a car...Fiat, Chevy, Ford, BMW...You more often than not get what you pay for...Reliability, also consider the Art of lighting a reef tank Bins Matter and a little differences in spectrum make a huge difference in looks.
Most Likely 99% of MH users going back to MH did not choose their Bins Well. Like a Chile Recipe a few little differences can make a huge difference in taste...
Bill
Can these optics be hot glued directly to the star without using the BJB holders and solderless connectors?
greg0385
Valuable Member
glamisracers
unregistered
I just ordered mine and going to follow his steps but going to change a few things but pretty excited about this kit
Sent Via the R2R Forum APP
ReefLEDLights
Valuable Member
Yes
What I like about these the most other than their quality is they rely on holders. Holders details
You can hot glue the holder then later with a different setup you can simply change the optic to a Medium or even a wider reflector.
I've used Chinese optics before and once they are glued down you my ruin the LED if you decide to change them. Also their quality has much to be desired.
Bill
jedimasterben
Bubble coral sting good
Cree has spent too much effort trading spectra for efficiency on their cool white chips, and color rendition has gone down with a CRI that's actually near or below 70. Notice that Cree's 'normal' cool white XT-E, bin H51, group R5 (highest output) in 6200K does not even have a minimum CRI (see here for XT-E binning and labeling). CRI is just as likely to be in the 60s as it is in the 70s, you'd need to order a 70- or 80-CRI minimum special, and I'd imagine the cost on those are higher. (be aware that CRI doesn't apply much for what we need, however, it is a 'quick glance' so-to-speak for spectral quality, higher is better, especially when it's the difference between your corals showing their true colors or not)
The more I read on them, the more I want all of my LED arrays to be based off of Bridgelux ES rectangle array chips, specifically the BXRA-40E950-B. 80 CRI minimum, superior phosphors to both Cree and Philips, and 2000+ lumens at 1000ma (about 22w). Cost is about $5, optics are another $4 or so for quality Ledil reflectors (they are measured FWHM, so the 50 degree optics are actually 100 degree, so on). Surround those with eight Rebel ES or Cree XT-E royal blues at 1000ma with matching optics and that will make for a canon build that will destroy halides in punch, even with such wide optics. Clive Bentley threw four Bridgelux N1203 (an older model) with 32 XR-E royals (again, older) on a heatsink. Pulled 194w and threw over 1500 PAR at 18", and 350 PAR at 48" (raw numbers). Smashes the living crap out of a 400w halide with less than half the wattage, not to mention more fluorescence. Make the same array today using the newer chips and it will best that by a good margin.
A little experiment
- Page 2 - Lighting Forum - Nano-Reef.com Forums
Nanocustoms prototype is not messing around
Evil's 200 watt monster. - Lighting Forum - Nano-Reef.com Forums
More 'modern' arrays featuring newer chips.
The 'Evil Cluster' revisited - Lighting Forum - Nano-Reef.com Forums
Building an evil cluster - Lighting Forum - Nano-Reef.com Forums
And Bill, not choosing good bins isn't what drives people back to halides or T5 - it is cool white LEDs as a base. I've got some of the best-binned cool white XT-Es around to test (~6000k, R5 bin) and they look just plain bad when only combined with royal and standard blue. A neutral-based array puts them to shame.
The more I read on them, the more I want all of my LED arrays to be based off of Bridgelux ES rectangle array chips, specifically the BXRA-40E950-B. 80 CRI minimum, superior phosphors to both Cree and Philips, and 2000+ lumens at 1000ma (about 22w). Cost is about $5, optics are another $4 or so for quality Ledil reflectors (they are measured FWHM, so the 50 degree optics are actually 100 degree, so on). Surround those with eight Rebel ES or Cree XT-E royal blues at 1000ma with matching optics and that will make for a canon build that will destroy halides in punch, even with such wide optics. Clive Bentley threw four Bridgelux N1203 (an older model) with 32 XR-E royals (again, older) on a heatsink. Pulled 194w and threw over 1500 PAR at 18", and 350 PAR at 48" (raw numbers). Smashes the living crap out of a 400w halide with less than half the wattage, not to mention more fluorescence. Make the same array today using the newer chips and it will best that by a good margin.
A little experiment
- Page 2 - Lighting Forum - Nano-Reef.com ForumsNanocustoms prototype is not messing around
Evil's 200 watt monster. - Lighting Forum - Nano-Reef.com Forums
More 'modern' arrays featuring newer chips.
The 'Evil Cluster' revisited - Lighting Forum - Nano-Reef.com Forums
Building an evil cluster - Lighting Forum - Nano-Reef.com Forums
And Bill, not choosing good bins isn't what drives people back to halides or T5 - it is cool white LEDs as a base. I've got some of the best-binned cool white XT-Es around to test (~6000k, R5 bin) and they look just plain bad when only combined with royal and standard blue. A neutral-based array puts them to shame.
Trebor
Active Member
ReefLEDLights
Valuable Member
Jedimasterben
I prefer the 0C or 0D bin which is a bit cooler at 7.5K I consider the 6-6.5K or 1C & 1D Bins perfect for a High Noon effect to add a slightly warmer more full spectrum. I also consider it very important to choose a bin well and yes the plain or most available XT-E R5 and just any Royal blue will not look optimal...I cannot say bad because I've seen some bad looking MH that needed a task force of Actinic VHO to look OK.
There are a lot of good recipes out there and most grow coral well. Others make corals pop more than others.
I know what works for me and prefer the Cree simply for these four reasons.
-Cost
-Looks
-Efficiency
-Reliability
One can look at spread sheets or pdf data sheets and say one is better than the other. I've been using LEDs for longer than most and have found what drives people back to T5 or MH is either a Cheap LED Fixture or a Flat Yellow Looking DIY Fixture.
For the record I'm not a fan of using neutrals as they are yellow looking. Your much better off using a couple warm without optics to get that 10K Full Spectrum look. I personally prefer a 17-20K Reef Spectrum look as do most of the vendors at fragswaps.
One can argue all day long on who is better looking Ginger or Mary Ann. Either way the only way to tell whats best is to see the recipe over different corals. Then measure the PAR and Current draw.
Blog Posts and Forum Posts simply do not blow my skirt up. Actual hands on field testing with a side by side comparison do.
Not blowing my skirt up Sound Clip and Quote - Hark
One of many classic quotes.
Bill
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