Grizz's DIY Heat sink & LED build / showing all colors

[The Grizz]

Well I would say that building my own light system has saved me any where from $1000 - $4000 depending on what manufactured fixture you look at.

I wasn't going to build my own heat sinks at first, I was going to use Martins 6" x 12" heat sinks, join 2 together to make 4 - 12" x 12" heat sinks.

If I was doing a smaller tank I might have just bought something but I do like to build stuff. I would say the average guy or gal could easily build there own LED's with Modular LED & Martins help.

[martinmcnally]

Insane! Looks awesome. Will be out a little later today with the connectors.

[The Grizz]

Sound good Martin, need 2 start / stop & 4 of those silicone filled wire connectors.

[RyanJ]

Hey there grizz I love this light.. But I have Been looking at the pics of the the heat sync that you built... Now I have been thinking of doing this myself... I may not know my metals... But I have been around a computer for a few years... Fryed a lot of chips over overclocking CPUs due to overheating.. Now I'm looking your heat sync and there is only 8 spot welds on them.. That's really the only place that is bonded... And may cause hot spots and kill LEDs in certain places... Just my thoughts..I was just taught that the reasons heat syncs are one solid piece is to eliminate hot spots.. Now can aluminum absorb and disburse the heat as fast as them nice hot LEDs can produce it?? How hot dose it run??

[reef_rookie]

WOW!!
I can't wait to see pictures of this over your tank.

[The Grizz]

RyanJ - That issues was addressed a few pages back. I will be adding a Loctite Fixmaster Aluminum Apoxy into each slot to bond everything into one piece. If you try to weld more on each 1/8" x 1" flat bar you will end up with a real warped mess.

reef_rookie - Me too

[The Grizz]

So tonight Martin dropped by to help trouble shoot why I could not get my XPG's to fire up & if it wasn't for my blurred vision from my head cold I would have seen it right off. One of the connector wires was not completely seated in its clip & took Martin less then 5 min to find & solve, Thanks Martin.

Here's a few more pics.

Red's / Green's @ 1%



Everything but second set of XPG's ( forgot we needed 2 drivers for these )



One heat sink totally lit.



Temporary mounting of the drivers & EVG boards on the end of the cover. On the new tank they will be up in the top cupboard hidden from sight. The wife will probably make me build something to cover them with but for now this is the way it's going to be.




Just need to put the optics on the Whites/Blues & slide in the acrylic shields then it can go on to the 165 gal.

[MMAX]

Lookin real good Greg

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

Looking very nice Greg.now you need to test on your tank without the optics and then with them on

[The Grizz]

Originally Posted by MMAX

Lookin real good Greg

Originally Posted by Elias@caco3reef.com

Looking very nice Greg.now you need to test on your tank without the optics and then with them on

Thanks Mike & Eli, I was thinking of trying it without optic's first but man its really bright & I can only trust my Profilux controller as to what % it is at. With the optics they seem a little dimmer but you know me I will end up trying it without the optics .