Kessil A350 - Page 19

chucko · 08/02/2012, 12:33 PM

How are the people that have had these for a month or two are still liking them? A local store is willing to sell them for $375 new, which is pretty good deal and I'm thinking of pulling the trigger.

sfmacguy · 08/02/2012, 01:53 PM

Still love mine, have had it for 2 months now.

Sharkdog22 · 08/02/2012, 02:53 PM

SFmacguy what coral you got growing with them? you got one of the 350w right on a redsea max 65 gallon tank?

dailydriven911 · 08/02/2012, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chucko

How are the people that have had these for a month or two are still liking them? A local store is willing to sell them for $375 new, which is pretty good deal and I'm thinking of pulling the trigger.

I have had mine for a couple months now and absolutely love it! I just started another tank so only a few corals and a clam but all are doing well. I got mine for 10% off so $360 shipped! The shimmer is hard to beat with 100% white it looks exactly like the sun over a shallow reef. You will be hard pressed to find a better light for the price. Only thing lacking is the control over dawn/dusk. I say go for it or save a little more and search online to save $$.

Big E · 08/03/2012, 06:14 AM

daily,

do you have the regular or the wide?

jerpa · 08/03/2012, 06:31 AM

I put two of the wides above my tank a little over 3 weeks ago. I've been very pleased with the performance of the light. It is a bit blue for my tastes when run at full power but I plan on supplementing it with a few white LEDs to tone it down. I prefer more of a 12k look though so YMMV. I had two of A150's with two T5 overdriven with an IceCap ballast over it previously. I haven't taken PAR measurements but the corals are reacting as though their is significantly more light. Under the old lighting I had about 150 PAR on the sandbed. As I've been increasing the intensity I've noticed my lower light corals, like Psammocora, have needed to be moved to partially shaded areas at the bottom of the tank.

madean · 08/04/2012, 12:36 AM

So I have been trying to find out if kessil is trying to develope a 350 that can be controlled by a third party controller instead of the two potentiometers (knobs on top). Does anybody have any info on this or have you heard anything about this being in betta. I asked some emloyees at a store that seemed to have a lot of info on these lights before they were released but they seem pretty tight lipped about any info and one employee suggested that maybe a light was in betta testing that would be controlled by a third party controller. This is the only thing holding me back from purchasing these lights. Luckily I am able to wait for some time, but not forever lol. So anybody with any info?

jerpa · 08/04/2012, 05:12 AM

I don't have any specifics but Kessil has said they are working on a controllable version. I doubt you will get a release date out of them though.

BeanAnimal · 08/04/2012, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madean

So I have been trying to find out if kessil is trying to develope a 350 that can be controlled by a third party controller instead of the two potentiometers (knobs on top). Does anybody have any info on this or have you heard anything about this being in betta.

Lets put it this way...

There is nothing to "add" to make them controllable. In our context, the 0-10V output of a controller IS NOT a 0-10V ouput and instead the device (fixture) sources the 10V and the controller acts as a sink to "pot it down". That is the controller is just a fancy potentiometer

So if you are DIY inclined, it would not be hard (at all) to tie one of these to a reef controller.

inktomi · 08/04/2012, 11:15 AM

I was thinking exactly the same thing. It would be pretty trivial in theory to desolder the potentiometers and attach leads for a controller instead.

Of course, do so at your own risk and I've not looked at the insides of mine to see if it's really that simple.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

madean · 08/04/2012, 11:34 AM

Beananimal, I understand how it works. I am trying to figure out if they are working on a controllable fixture or not. I could probably figure out how to make the current fixture controllable through a third party controller is apex, but I don't want to. I don't want to compromise the warranty. Before this light even came out there was rumors of kessil building a controllable light that was controlled through a third party controller, the dimming feature. I understand a third party controller can turn this light on and off, I was curious if anybody had heard if this was truly happening. I understand people are confusing what is manually controllable and third party controllable. My intent of my comment was not to confuse the manual dimming with being able to allow a third party controller to dim the kessil A350 light. At the moment I don't want to spend money on a light to modify it to fit my needs. I will wait or just decide on another light. But I have time to wait since my project is still in the works.

sfmacguy · 08/04/2012, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sharkdog22

SFmacguy what coral you got growing with them? you got one of the 350w right on a redsea max 65 gallon tank?

Hey Sharkdog,

I do in fact have the 350w on the RSM250. Right now in the tank I have some zoas, polyps, and a couple of BTA. The zoa's and polyps have started to spread pretty well. More so then the one in my stock biocube. So I am fairly impressed. The Anemone's seem to love the light as well.

dailydriven911 · 08/04/2012, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big E

daily,

do you have the regular or the wide?

The regular A350. It packs a pretty good punch considering how small it is. I would say it's close to a 250w m/h bulb on an e-ballast. It covers about a 24" spread but it's perfect on my 20" cube.

longranger · 08/05/2012, 12:51 PM

Finally put up my 2 A350 regulars on my 110 yesterday. Incredible lights. I am using more white than blue to please me eyes like so many others have described on this thread. Very very pleased. May put up a 150 W sky blue to get more even coverage and have a little better pop of reds and yellows in the tank.

I used the goosenecks. I had read that the screws were too short for the mount and sure enough they are. Could not find a suitable replacement screw so I improvised a temporary solution and will contact Kessil monday.

One curiosity question for the more technical individuals on this board. Has anyone looked at power consumption as the potentiometers are adjusted. Not really an issue with how efficient these units are but I may never run these at full

Moops · 08/07/2012, 04:00 PM

http://www.marineandreef.com/

The coupon code is Augustus10

Kessil A350 = $359.99

Vannpytt · 08/07/2012, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marco Madeira

Kessil white channel100%

Is the picture adjusted or auto adjusted by your camera?

BeanAnimal · 08/07/2012, 04:29 PM

Phots are 100% useless folks... there are just too many variables to account for. Reach up and push the "color temperature" button on your monitor and you can change the photo on your own monitor to the point that you are not sure what is "right".

Want to see what they look like? The only way is in person.

Vannpytt · 08/07/2012, 04:37 PM

The general idea of the light can be shown by a standard picture. For instance, if I took a picture of my Cree CW on 750mA 100% it would look like urine in my tank.

BeanAnimal · 08/07/2012, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vannpytt

The general idea of the light can be shown by a standard picture. For instance, if I took a picture of my Cree CW on 750mA 100% it would look like urine in my tank.

No, really it can't.

Sure we can tell "blue" from "pink" and "yellow" from "purple". We can tell that one photo is "bluer" than onother or "yellower" than another, but we can't discern the important differences on tonality, hue, saturation (color rendering and correctness) which is eactly what people are looking for.

While you may think the photo "looks real", your brain is telling you a lie to help correct what the eyes see. Again, lets ignore the numerous HUGE variables and just play with one minor variable. Reach up and press the color temperature button a few timnes on your monitor. You likely didn't even no it was there (maybe in a menu). Why the "new" color may look foreign, it only does so because you have not been looking at it for hours, days, weeks or months.

Sorry, but photos are 100% useless for the purposes of helping one to convery the "color" of their tank under x, y or z lights.

BeanAnimal · 08/07/2012, 05:09 PM

BeanAnimal · 08/07/2012, 05:17 PM

All of those photos look somewhat similar side-by-side, but the are really very different and look very different. Which is correct?

If you load the first image into your browser:

http://www.reeflogix.com/images/rc/a350/a3501.jpg

and then increment the last number from by one digit (all the way to a3508.jpg) then you can use the forward and back button in your browser to see them in what amounts to a slideshow. Notice the vast difference from frame to frame? What is the correct color?

chad p · 08/07/2012, 08:26 PM

Just set up my new A350 over my 28 gallon nano cube. I was previously using an A150. So far I really like the light but I'm struggling to fight the urge to crank it up to 100%.

Maybe I'm oversimplifying it but I figure that at about 33% it should be similar output to an A150 right? To me it looks more dim than my a150 sky blue at that output but it might just be me. I've got the blue set at about 40% and the white set at 50% for starters and then I'll slowly crank them up. I'm hoping my corals do well as I go because I'd like to get to 100% white and 80% or so blue to get it dialed in to my liking.

For those of you with more experience than me, how high do you guys think is safe to start the intensity at coming from the A150 sky blue without frying my corals? I've got a couple pieces of acro a little over half way up the tank, some euphylia a little lower than half way and acans, ricordea and zoas on the bottom.

Marco Madeira · 08/08/2012, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vannpytt

Is the picture adjusted or auto adjusted by your camera?

Hi Vannpytt...
Those pictures were taken by a Samsung Galaxy mobile. I didn't change anything on the pictures, they are not adjusted. I tried with a Canon Reflex and a Panasonic and the pics were bad. I don't understand how to take photos with leds, they never come out good using Reflex cameras!

The best ones were this photos from the Galaxy mobile, and for me, they are the ones that best represent the real colors of the kessilA350 compared with the other photos that I took.

BeanAnimal...
you are right... photos can be 100% useless, but those photos for me, are very very close to what I see from my tank.

BeanAnimal · 08/08/2012, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marco Madeira

BeanAnimal...
you are right... photos can be 100% useless, but those photos for me, are very very close to what I see from my tank.

On your monitor, with your "brain" doing the adjustments

Photos of LEDs don't work well because the leds produce a very narrow spectrum. The cones in our eyes fill in the gaps and create a smooth spectral response tha tis sent to our brains. We are tricked into seeing color that is not really there. The camera is not tricked (at least in the same way).

Look don't get me wrong, we all love seeing (and taking) photos. They just can't be used for the purpose that most folks want in these threads. The reason for harping on this is because so many folks assume the opposite

Sharkdog22 · 08/08/2012, 02:39 PM

Bean I will disagree with you on them being 100% useless, you are right on all the color and them showing different on different monitors. But Im not worried about that because "you" might like your white at 70% bright and blue at 100% bright, I like my tank with less blue and more white. So for the colors it does not matter much on what the pictures are really showing. Its more of an in general kinda of thing. Now what Im asking about and what the pictures are showing me is coverage of the light on a tank, and for me the pictures are showing me exactly what I need to see with out have the physical light on my tank. Now like I said I agree with you on being in person but even the lights over a tank in your LFS will look different than the light over your own fish tank. So to me the pictures are not 100% useless.

08/03/2012, 06:14 AM	#455
Big E Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: South Euclid, OH Posts: 4,281	daily, do you have the regular or the wide? __________________ 80g Rimless Acropora System reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2197142&page=31 Ed

08/03/2012, 06:31 AM	#456
jerpa Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 2,174	I put two of the wides above my tank a little over 3 weeks ago. I've been very pleased with the performance of the light. It is a bit blue for my tastes when run at full power but I plan on supplementing it with a few white LEDs to tone it down. I prefer more of a 12k look though so YMMV. I had two of A150's with two T5 overdriven with an IceCap ballast over it previously. I haven't taken PAR measurements but the corals are reacting as though their is significantly more light. Under the old lighting I had about 150 PAR on the sandbed. As I've been increasing the intensity I've noticed my lower light corals, like Psammocora, have needed to be moved to partially shaded areas at the bottom of the tank. __________________ Jer Current Tank Info: 40b basement sump, 40b refugium, 30g frag

08/04/2012, 05:12 AM	#458
jerpa Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 2,174	I don't have any specifics but Kessil has said they are working on a controllable version. I doubt you will get a release date out of them though. __________________ Jer Current Tank Info: 40b basement sump, 40b refugium, 30g frag

08/04/2012, 11:15 AM	#460
inktomi Aviator Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA Posts: 960	I was thinking exactly the same thing. It would be pretty trivial in theory to desolder the potentiometers and attach leads for a controller instead. Of course, do so at your own risk and I've not looked at the insides of mine to see if it's really that simple. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2 __________________ ----------- Check out my YouTube channel as well. Search "ReefMan". Current Tank Info: 275g AGE, 5 Radion Pro, 4 MP40

08/07/2012, 04:00 PM	#465
Moops Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: San Jose/ Monterey Bay Posts: 2	10% off everthing including Kessil lighting http://www.marineandreef.com/ The coupon code is Augustus10 Kessil A350 = $359.99

08/02/2012, 12:33 PM	#451
chucko Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 127	How are the people that have had these for a month or two are still liking them? A local store is willing to sell them for $375 new, which is pretty good deal and I'm thinking of pulling the trigger.

08/02/2012, 01:53 PM	#452
sfmacguy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: sf bayarea Posts: 127	Still love mine, have had it for 2 months now.

08/02/2012, 02:53 PM	#453
Sharkdog22 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Lakeland Fl. Posts: 102	SFmacguy what coral you got growing with them? you got one of the 350w right on a redsea max 65 gallon tank?

08/04/2012, 12:36 AM	#457
madean Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 994	So I have been trying to find out if kessil is trying to develope a 350 that can be controlled by a third party controller instead of the two potentiometers (knobs on top). Does anybody have any info on this or have you heard anything about this being in betta. I asked some emloyees at a store that seemed to have a lot of info on these lights before they were released but they seem pretty tight lipped about any info and one employee suggested that maybe a light was in betta testing that would be controlled by a third party controller. This is the only thing holding me back from purchasing these lights. Luckily I am able to wait for some time, but not forever lol. So anybody with any info?

08/04/2012, 11:34 AM	#461
madean Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 994	Beananimal, I understand how it works. I am trying to figure out if they are working on a controllable fixture or not. I could probably figure out how to make the current fixture controllable through a third party controller is apex, but I don't want to. I don't want to compromise the warranty. Before this light even came out there was rumors of kessil building a controllable light that was controlled through a third party controller, the dimming feature. I understand a third party controller can turn this light on and off, I was curious if anybody had heard if this was truly happening. I understand people are confusing what is manually controllable and third party controllable. My intent of my comment was not to confuse the manual dimming with being able to allow a third party controller to dim the kessil A350 light. At the moment I don't want to spend money on a light to modify it to fit my needs. I will wait or just decide on another light. But I have time to wait since my project is still in the works.

08/05/2012, 12:51 PM	#464
longranger Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 125	Finally put up my 2 A350 regulars on my 110 yesterday. Incredible lights. I am using more white than blue to please me eyes like so many others have described on this thread. Very very pleased. May put up a 150 W sky blue to get more even coverage and have a little better pop of reds and yellows in the tank. I used the goosenecks. I had read that the screws were too short for the mount and sure enough they are. Could not find a suitable replacement screw so I improvised a temporary solution and will contact Kessil monday. One curiosity question for the more technical individuals on this board. Has anyone looked at power consumption as the potentiometers are adjusted. Not really an issue with how efficient these units are but I may never run these at full

08/07/2012, 04:29 PM	#467
BeanAnimal Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 20,772	Phots are 100% useless folks... there are just too many variables to account for. Reach up and push the "color temperature" button on your monitor and you can change the photo on your own monitor to the point that you are not sure what is "right". Want to see what they look like? The only way is in person.

08/07/2012, 04:37 PM	#468
Vannpytt Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Norway Posts: 338	The general idea of the light can be shown by a standard picture. For instance, if I took a picture of my Cree CW on 750mA 100% it would look like urine in my tank.

08/07/2012, 05:09 PM	#470
BeanAnimal Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 20,772

08/07/2012, 05:17 PM	#471
BeanAnimal Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 20,772	All of those photos look somewhat similar side-by-side, but the are really very different and look very different. Which is correct? If you load the first image into your browser: http://www.reeflogix.com/images/rc/a350/a3501.jpg and then increment the last number from by one digit (all the way to a3508.jpg) then you can use the forward and back button in your browser to see them in what amounts to a slideshow. Notice the vast difference from frame to frame? What is the correct color?

08/07/2012, 08:26 PM	#472
chad p Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: San Gabriel Valley, Ca. Posts: 461	Just set up my new A350 over my 28 gallon nano cube. I was previously using an A150. So far I really like the light but I'm struggling to fight the urge to crank it up to 100%. Maybe I'm oversimplifying it but I figure that at about 33% it should be similar output to an A150 right? To me it looks more dim than my a150 sky blue at that output but it might just be me. I've got the blue set at about 40% and the white set at 50% for starters and then I'll slowly crank them up. I'm hoping my corals do well as I go because I'd like to get to 100% white and 80% or so blue to get it dialed in to my liking. For those of you with more experience than me, how high do you guys think is safe to start the intensity at coming from the A150 sky blue without frying my corals? I've got a couple pieces of acro a little over half way up the tank, some euphylia a little lower than half way and acans, ricordea and zoas on the bottom.

08/08/2012, 02:39 PM	#475
Sharkdog22 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Lakeland Fl. Posts: 102	Bean I will disagree with you on them being 100% useless, you are right on all the color and them showing different on different monitors. But Im not worried about that because "you" might like your white at 70% bright and blue at 100% bright, I like my tank with less blue and more white. So for the colors it does not matter much on what the pictures are really showing. Its more of an in general kinda of thing. Now what Im asking about and what the pictures are showing me is coverage of the light on a tank, and for me the pictures are showing me exactly what I need to see with out have the physical light on my tank. Now like I said I agree with you on being in person but even the lights over a tank in your LFS will look different than the light over your own fish tank. So to me the pictures are not 100% useless.