48" LED Array - Up and Running...Mostly
 

Well I now have most everything I need to build this so here goes. I'll start with pics of the parts. Here's the housing (an old Hamilton housing with acrylic splash shield) the array will go into along with my 3 heatsinks and two lengths of aluminum angle to mount the heatsinks in the housing.

http://hotimg23.fotki.com/a/70_70/25...DParts1-vi.jpg

And these are the 8 Meanwell ELN60-48P drivers for 80ish LEDs (each can drive up to 13 LEDs), 80 Cree XR-E emitters (half cool white, half royal blue) and a bag of 60 degree optics. I do actually have some 40 and 80 degree optics to experiment with but I think 60 will be the way to go.

http://hotimg23.fotki.com/a/70_70/25...DParts2-vi.jpg

I forgot to throw all the nice stainless steel bolts I picked up into the pictures. What I still need are fans when I decide exactly what the configuration of those will be and some Arduino bits to make a controller. The plan is to program it to gradually bring the blues from off to full illumination over 15 to 20 minutes and then gradually bring the whites up over another 15 to 20 minutes for a nice gradual sunrise. Sunset will be the opposite.

So now to start drilling and tapping the aluminum angle...

what are you using for a soldering gun Ron?

Steve

Should be a nice setup when your done. Could you keep us updated on costs and suppliers too.

OOHHHH Nice :D

very nice where did you order the kit from?

Bill

Steve, just a plain jane handheld soldering iron. If I can remember where I put it when we moved in December :)

Hillbillyreefer and bvlester, the supplies came from different places. LEDs, drivers and optics came via the nano-reef.com group buy (better pricing that way). The housing was a freebie that was going into the trash elsewhere. Heatsinks were salvage/surplus from eBay (they aren't the prettiest but they were a third the price of buying a new heatsink and they'll do the job). Angle aluminum from a metal supply shop (Metal Mart; half the price for the same stuff at home depot etc. and they cut it to length for me). Stainless hardware came from Airarms (fastener supplier). The stainless bolts were like one third the price of the same thing at home depot :(

I really recommend buying supplies anywhere but one of the big box stores if you can. The stainless bolts were a great example. They were something like 40 cents each from an actual fastener supplier and $2.50 for a pack of 4 at Home Depot. Same for the aluminum angle. IIRC an 8 foot length at HD was $40 plus tax. Paid $20 at Metal Mart.

So all in so far I think I am in for around $1000 in parts, most of that being spent on the LEDs, optics and drivers. A couple of fans will cme from computer suppliers; probably NCIX or similar and the Arduino parts will probably be ordered from robotshop.ca.

Hmm...

LEDs, drivers, optics:

www.ledsupply.com - US
www.cutter.com.au - Australia, more choice

Heat sinks:

www.heatsinkusa.com - US

Arduino, mechanical bits, etc:

www.robotshop.ca - Canada

I'll be building an LED rig this summer, using Cree MC-E whites and XR-E blues. I have yet to decide which driver will be the best for my needs though, so I'm still in the research phase.

I'm actually considering building a plant growth rig with XP-G whites, partially to see how these new LEDs are and partially because I don't have enough window space for all my seedlings... maybe I'll build that first and put it on my 10 gallon when the seedlings move outside.

Either way, hope it goes well for you... can't wait to see how it works when you're done.

I would add nanotuners.com for LEDs and drivers as they have slightly better prices than ledsupply and also carry the Meanwell drivers which are a good choice. The Meanwells are nice because they come in dimming versions, run off AC power so there is no need for a separate power supply and can drive a good number of emitters.

Heatsink USA is not bad if you want a brand new heatsink. But the heatsinks I bought are actually wider at 12" than heatsink USA's widest at just over 10" and for a similar length of the 10" wide from heatsink USA it would have cost well over $200 with shipping. I have 45" x 12" of surplus heatsink at a total cost with shipping of $75. So keep your eyes on eBay as there are lots of used heatsinks available. If you are patient you can find what you need at a good price.

I'm not sure the MC-Es offer a huge advantage over the XR-Es. Yes, they have more lumens but they also generate more heat since they are essentially 4 emitters on one die. Also, are there any good choices in optics for MC-Es? I feel that the XR-Es with good optics provide more than enough PAR and if you need more for say a deeper tank than the XP-G may be a better option at this point.

Some progress. Here are the two aluminum angles mounted in the fixture:

http://hotimg25.fotki.com/a/70_70/25...Placing-vi.jpg

And then I lay the three heatsinks on top to figure out spacing and where to drill my mounting holes:

http://hotimg25.fotki.com/a/70_70/25...Spacing-vi.jpg

Now because of the shape of the housing the aluminum angle had to be mounted pretty much flush with the bottom of the housing but I need clearance for the LEDs and optics so the heatsinks have to be raised a bit. So I cut some nylon spacers to place between the heatsinks and the angle.

http://hotimg23.fotki.com/a/70_70/254_23/Spacers-vi.jpg

And here it is all assembled:

http://hotimg23.fotki.com/a/70_70/25...hAssemb-vi.jpg

So now that the mechanical engineering part is more or less sorted its on to the electrical engineering :biggrin:

what are the milled squars for? is that the bottom or the top?

Steve

The heatsinks came like that. Probably held some components or something. They are only 1/16 of an inch deep so a few emitters will sit 1/16 inch higher than the rest. I figured 1/16 inch won't make an appreciable difference in PAR and coverage etc. and given the cost savings of the heatsinks vs. something pristine I could live with it. It won't be visible inside the housing anyhow.

Heatsinks cleaned and polished a bit and 80 emitters mounted:

http://hotimg23.fotki.com/a/70_70/25...Mounted-vi.jpg

next up, wiring...

tagging along..

looking good so far!

Aha, forgot about nanotuners... they also carry some other cool stuff. LEDsupply carries Meanwell drivers also, I'm sort of leaning towards non-dimming since I no longer have the patience to experiment with PWM controls. That may change in the near future as I need a temperature controller and Arduino may be the ticket.

I really just meant to list some websites that I had found for such things. Ebay can definitely get you a better deal on just about anything (though I don't trust cheaply built Asian anything). I like the idea that people could salvage good aluminum heatsinks from computers and put them to good reuse as lighting equipment also (though this only works in nano-sized situations).

The MC-E's only advantage is that they are basically 4 XR-Es on a single die that can't be run as hard as the XR-E because of their higher 'thermal density'. There are just as many optic options for the MC-E as the XR-E. I am choosing them because they offer exactly that, more power with less space. If you're using more than 12 LEDs though, I doubt there is any reason to even glance at the MC-E. XP-Gs seem to be the most efficient, but any of the high powered LEDs will do the trick with the right optics (and optics are made for all of the popular LEDs), no matter the depth of the tank. I'm pretty sure that with 8 degree optics you could get good coverage on the bottom of a very deep tank.

My setup personally will consist of about 10 LEDs, so MC-Es = more light, less space when working with PCB stars.

EDIT: I meant to post this earlier this week but forgot... check out the 'Relative Spectral Curve's for the MC-E RGBW chips. http://ledsupply.com/docs/cree-mce1.pdf Shouldn't the curve for the 6.5K be heavier in blue than in red than 4K, rather than the other way around?

I don't think the MCE are a good choice at this point. there white will realy over power blue and you won't be able to get as good of color variation as you can with the other ones right now.. well at least till they make a blue chip not a color chip. the color curves are right, remember a K temp can be made a thousand different ways so yes you could have a overall higher K temp with less blue as well as less red and green.

Steve

I only mentioned the RGBW in passing, I have no intentions of using them. I'll be using a 6.5K version. If they could fit 4 XR-Es into a 2" square, they would be a better option for my needs at the moment than the MC-E. I'm also considering using a 'light engine' and modifying it to my needs, rather than using the MC-E, but part of the reason I want to use the MC-E (with optics) is because it's something I haven't seen it done yet and I need this light source to be as compact as possible.

Calvin, what are the dimensions o f the tank you are trying to light? The XR-E is plenty up to 24" with optics. 40 degree optics will probably put you between 250 watt and 400 watt metal halide PAR. I'm actually going to do some PAR testing when I have the array up and running so that will give us all some real numbers to look at.

As for heatsinks, eBay can be good for all sorts. Mine were definitely not from any computer. I am using three that are 12 inches by 15 inches and weigh 15 to 20 pounds each. they were industrial heatsinks of some sort. Lots of industrial heatsinks show up on eBay which is what I was looking for. You can find large heatsinks for any application on eBay, especially if you don't care how pretty they are. I was more concerned with size and functionality as they won't be visible in the housing. If they will be exposed and you want them to look nicer then Heatsink USA is a better, albeit more costly, option.

Yours are definitely not from a computer :lol: Curiously large heatsinks anyhow.

Hmm, I'll give you some background on my plan. I had a mysterious tank crash or illness take a few of my zoa colonies October / November, then I moved in December and lost my firefish and hermit crab. My goby is MIA, so assumed dead... So I'm left with 5 surviving coral colonies that I want to move into a second 10 gallon where I can better control the conditions (what I have now is pretty good for macros and crabs, but a little unstable for good coral growth).

The plan is to use a single 'spotlight' sort of light highlighting a rock island in the middle of the tank. Basically, an MC-E star surrounded by XR-E royal blue stars. I don't really think I'll use optics with them. I'll get to that with the 29 gallon tank later this summer, where I plan to use XR-Es and T5. I want to get away from halides, they project a lot of heat and I find it hard to deal with even with only a 70W.

EDIT: Found and read this tonight... very interesting. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/2/aafeature2

Blue, from everything I have read the MC-E washes out the XR-E RBs which is why no one is using the MC-E in builds. maybe build it so it is easy to change out if you get that happening and want more blue. would be interesting to see how the PAR is on a MC-E with 40 degree optics.:mrgreen:

I saw that article befor.. I don't believe either of the LEDs use optics so it is a good test for showing LEDs with no optices are just as good as T5s

Steve

I would be really hesitant to use an MC-E over a 10 gallon tank. Even without optics you might burn your corals. Without optics you won't get much of a spotlight effect as the LEDs emit over about 120 degree angle. But even so they produce a hotspot under the emitter, even without optics. If you want a spotlight effect you would be better off using a small array of XR-Es with 60 degree optics. And as Steve said, the MC-E may wash out your blues. There is a reason that both DIY guys and commercial companies don't use the MC-E. I see what you're thinking but I have my doubts it will work as you plan.

I see what you're all saying. I'm sort of tempted to use a single MC-E as a plant grow light though, I'll bet it will make for some stocky seedlings (like metal halide)... something to explore. But I see what you're saying about having it over a 10 gallon... not enough depth, I suppose you would need a fairly deep tank to make it worth it.

Alright, XR-Es it is! I still want to run them at a lower mA though.

Have the first row of LEDs wired up:

http://hotimg25.fotki.com/a/70_70/254_23/Row11-vi.jpg

Here's a close up shot:

http://hotimg23.fotki.com/a/70_70/25...w1Close-vi.jpg

And the moment of truth...

The whites fired up:

http://hotimg25.fotki.com/a/70_70/25...iteTest-vi.jpg

And blues fired up:

http://hotimg25.fotki.com/a/70_70/25...lueTest-vi.jpg

They're bloody bright! Can't look directly at them.

Nice.

I run XR-Es at 350mA on my 3 gallon pico. So you could run probably 500mA with optics and have enough PAR for SPS in a 10 gallon. I will be borrowing a PAR meter shortly and will measure PAR in the pico running 350mA and no optics for reference.

hey Ron, have you decided how your going to run the maxwell dimming from the andurino? Never mind I see you used the PWM models. but how do you configure the signal from dimming in these ones?


Steve

Still needs a bit of extra circuitry as the Arduino puts out a 5V PWM signal and the Meanwell needs 10V. So it requires a 12V DC supply, a voltage regulator to get 10V, and a transistor that applies the 5V PWM from the Arduino to the 10V line.

Now I imagine you will ask why not just use a 10V DC supply without the voltage regulator? Most 10V AC/DC converters are not 10V. Some can be less but often they can be more; closer to 12V even. But the Meanwell dimming circuit is very sensitive and anything above something like 10.6 or 10.8 V will fry it so I want to make sure I have a steady 10V for the dimming. I may also use the same 12V converter to supply 5V with a voltage regulator to power the Arduino too rather than have a separate 5V supply for that.

leds
 

Hi, I own a company Sensa-Light Ltd. We do custom lighting. The LED set up you have looks good, but it looks like you have good heat dissipation from the heat sinks. If you can hook up a "K" probe ( most cheap ohm meters will have or use one) and test the heat you may be able to forget the noisy fans.

I am using 1 watt lumileds in blue and white combination to get about 14,000k
I think I have about 30 LEDS on a 55 gallon tank. The home made unit does not need any fans. Good luck, if I can help let me know, Don:idea:

NICE! Want to build me a 6' one?? ahah

Tagging along! Keep up the good work, lookin good!

looks great cant wait to see how that works for you, thinking i need something like that for my next tank

Thanks. The heatsinks are probably overkill but that's good. I will probably still run fans as they will be in an enclosed housing and I also want to put the drivers in the housing so it is all self contained. So extra cooling will be good. I plan to run the array for up to a few hours after it's all wired up and see how hot the heatsink gets.

Well, if you aren't in a hurry stay tuned as I have something brewing :wink:

Thanks. I can't wait to see how it turns out myself :lol:

Ron, computer power supplys put out 5V and 12

It's a good idea but it's to big and overkill for the need. I will just need a small 12v wall wart and then the voltage rectifiers. That way it will fit in the housing. I wouldn't be able to squeeze a computer PS into it. I can actually probably run my fans off it too as the Arduino and PWM circuitry won't draw alot of current.

How many amps at 12V do you need?

um, thats stupid, I figured the PWM models would be based on 5V as there is only need for a pulsed signal not a voltage.. oh well.

Steve

Ron, what about using a 10V power supply to power the arduino, and then taking the power from your 9V out wich will actualy be 10V. this will eliminate that need of another power supply as I can't imagin you need much of any current for the PWM.

Steve

Only a couple of amps. The Arduino itself uses very little current, it dependes on what is plugged into it. I will probably only be using it to generate the PWM signal and power a real time clock circuit so it will likely only be using a few hundred milliamps at most. the three fans will probably use more and fans typically draw around 300mA; maybe a little more. So a 2A power supply will likely be more than enough.

Yeah, but I guess they did not design it with microcontrollers in mind. You can apparently use lower voltage but it will not go to full brightness. I am using a 9V battery for test purposes just to get it to fire up. It lights but is probably not a full brightness. It is basically using a 10V signal for full bright that is then chopped up for the dimming.

You are correct. I am still figuring out the Arduino and assumed it needed 5V in but it can take 12V in as it has it's own voltage regulator on board. So I can use a single 12V supply for the fans, the Arduino and then with a voltage regulator to supply the PWM. I don't see a 9V out on the Arduino, just a 3.3V and 5V outputs.

there is a pin labled Vin it can be used for a hardpoint voltage supply or you can take off there to power something else and it will be what ever power you are feeding your board with.. so if you are using a 12v adapter (which is probably what you should use. it will be 12V out. then you can step it down to 10V as you lose about 0.7 of a volt. so that out with a 12V adapter will actualy give you about 11.3V

Steve

I guess it's 6 of one half dozen of another. I still need to run that through a voltage regulator and then a transistor switched by the 5V PWM from the Arduino. So whether it originally comes off the 12V out from the Arduino or right off the 12V power supply probably makes little difference functionally. Although I may be able to do something more compact with a proto shield on the Arduino itself using the 12V Vin as you suggest.

Quick update. Got all the LEDs wired and test fired. All work fine. Now I need to get some connectors and wire up all the drivers. I am also short a few 60 degree optics. For some reason I thought I had more of them so I have to order up a few more. Arduino parts are ordered and I should have them by the end of the month.