calling all LED experts...
 

Hi,

Looking at the following project kits:

http://www.nanotuners.com/product_in...roducts_id=620

They use "3w Edison Opto emitters", are these any good?

How would it compare to CREE XP-E ? Same thing?

I haven't had time to make sense of the LEDs , and am looking for one stop shopping and parts list.

Thanks

Probably 75 to 80% as good as a Cree XP-E. The Edison Opto are fairly good emitters but Cree is still the leader in efficiency and output at the moment.

Hmm, okay so I might as well piece together a kit with the CREEs. Would you recommend a dimmer? Thanks again!

http://www.rapidled.com/servlet/StoreFront
They have retrofit kits that have everything you need in one package, I have not ordered from there but apparently they are one of the more popular sources and they do use Cree LED's.

Dimming drivers are preferable as you can then tune the colour temperature to exactly where you want it and also set up nice sunrise and sunset effects.

You can also try nanotuners/nanocustoms for Cree emitters, optics and Meanwell drivers etc.

leds
 

My company makes LED commercial fixtures. The most important thing is the heat sink. The amount of heat sink area needed is dropping on a almost weekly basis. You want to make sure you are getting the latest LEDS. We use rebel LEDS from lumileds. You need to find out the surface area per watt needed for the heat. The other problem is that if they run a little hotter than spec they may only last 5 or 6 years instead of 10. That is not a big deal. I use 1watt LEDS for my tank and have no noisy fans and they work fine. You can check out this site (nothing to do with my company). http://www.luxeonstar.com/, Good luck, Don:idea:

Good suggestions Don but it may not be that straightforward. The heatsink surface area will depend on the application. Heatsink requirements will differ depending on whether you have an open exposed heatsink in a relatively cool room or whether you have it enclosed in a hood or housing with little passive air flow. My best advice is use a heatsink with the most surface area you can given weight and space limitations etc. Low RPM fans are near dead silent and will help move air and cool the heatsink. Cooler is better and overkill in thermal management is preferable to overheating.

Also 1W LEDs will be limited in the maximum PAR and depth penetration so it depends on what ner'T' is trying to accomplish. You can always dim down or underdrive 3W emitters leaving additional headroom for future growth but you can't push 1W emitters beyond their limits if you need more light.

ner"T' maybe you can give us more info on your goals for livestock and your tank dimensions?

I recently ordered a small kit from Rapid LED and they treated me great!! They aren't the cheapest but the one stop shopping is very convenient. They also offer the heat sinks you would need and even pre-drill them if you want.

If you get one of their kits...make sure you remember to get optics for the XP-G's as they are not included.

Let me know if you have questions.

Thanks for the input everyone. Good to see some more supplier options too.

I might start out with my Biocube 8, but ultimately I want a fixture for a 20-24" cube setup. My current 20"x20"x24" has a 250w MH.

I didn't realize dimmer would change the K, I thought it would only adjust the intensity of light.

How expensive/complicated is a controller for simulated sun rise/set?

Thanks again

Many of the tank controllers out there have the ability to simulate sunrise/sunset. By using a dimmable driver, you give yourself the option of using one of those controllers to create that simulation. Remember that the controller has to have 1-10v control, so you are looking at an RKE, APEX, Profilux. Not sure if the older models can do this. It's also an extra purchaseable piece on every controller.

Wiring isn't tough...driver just has an extra set of leads that need to be wired to the controller.