PDA

View Full Version : DIY LED lights and hood


Tooboot
10/27/2016, 07:58 PM
Sharing pics and hardware list of my diy project. Feedback welcome, although some things at this point I can live with. I am looking for mounting suggestions, specifically somehow wall mounting (studs are not centered to the tank so I need to run some braces across the wall) and I want some adjustability for hight and distance from the wall
32 x 3 watt leds, various wave lengths (390 to 420 to 450 460 and cool, warm neutral white)
360 watt power source, (48V 7.5A)
4 x 60mm 12v fans with a controller connected to a DC wall transformer
4 heat sinks connected in pair withave aluminum
LDDH driver board with 4 x 700H drivers
And a storm controller to control and program the lights.
I have acrylic as a splash gard that just needs some finishing
Up to the point where I need to install some of the power and control components, connect wires, and clean stuff (wires and holes with gromets) up.
This is going over a 40 gallon bow front, I think about 18" deep

NanoReefWanabe
10/27/2016, 11:58 PM
Sweet fellow canadian reefer. .. that looks like a nice little setup. .. where you get the leds and components from? Not sure what you mean by mounting. .. does this cannot not fit over the tanks rim? : you want it floating over the tank?
How heavy is it?

Tooboot
10/28/2016, 05:57 AM
I ordered the leds on ebay from different vendors depending on wave length. The heat sinks of amazon, the fan and control for the fans on ebay, along with the power supply for the lights, then most of the rest from rapid led. I ordered some arctic silver from amazon to secure the leds to the heatsink

Also had to attempt to solder for the first time, hats off to those that can do that well. Definitely not as easy as I had thought it would be, but got better with time.

The sizing doesn't exactly match the tank, I hadn't planned on just having it sit in top. So I guess floating it over the tank is the right term to use, but I don't want it hanging from the ceiling. Not sure of its total weight, I'll be securing the rest of the componentsame in it tonight, then will weight to get an accurate mesurement. There's also a top part (lid) but the woodwork didn't turn out as nice

Capt_Dan
10/30/2016, 07:43 AM
Thats a cool setup, good job!

Tooboot
11/05/2016, 06:58 PM
Update.
Finished hooking everything up. Tested the light and storm controller, all works well. I did have one led (violet cree) that did work and affected the series, so I spliced the wire and bypassed the one bad led. I can change it down the road.
I'll finish fitting the splash guard and temporary make shift light stand. Eventually I will hang it from the wall, found some bicycle hoists that look like they would work well, it definitely less than 30lbs.

Tooboot
11/27/2016, 10:50 PM
Wrapping up this LED build thread.
I went ahead and build a wall mounted hanger for the canopy, still not sold on the rails the chains are attach to but it works for now.
Had one light not working when I first mounted it, the LED was not properly soldered to the PCB, which affected the strand. So I did a quick solder job and voila.
Some pics to go along, the pulleys were inspired by a bicycle mounting/storage system.
On a auto daytime/nighttime cycle, night is completely dark, not sure if I should have my violets on at the lowest setting or nothing at all.