Vertex Lumina LED Technical Review Found

[TheDogFather]

By now you've probably heard about the Vertex Lumina LED fixture. The grainy youtube video is impressive but leaves allot of questions open. Due to the Orbitec patent this fixture (in it's current version) won't be sold in the U.S. but here in Canada we don't have to worry about Orbitec. Intrigued by the video demo I googled but little new information was to be found so I turned to German reef forums where I found the Official Technical Review document.

To my knowledge this is the first time that any vendor has published a detailed technical spec for a LED fixture.

I've gone ahead and ordered the 48" model and will review it here as soon as I receive it.

Stay tuned.

-TDF

[67Duster]

Thanks.

[TheDogFather]

Retail Specs:

*Fixture’s width 12"( 300mm). available length 4’ (1200mm)
*Fixture’s height; side 1.25"(32mm) / middle 1.77"(45mm).
*Length of cord from fixture to wall plug; 3 meters.
*Body / Heat-sink made out of Anodized extruded Aluminum.
*End caps, split box and other plastic pieces made from PC.
*Clear Cover made out of super clear PC rated for up to 125 deg C.
*Phillips Luxeon Rebel LEDs, White 105 lm/W, Blue and Royal Blue.
*64 White LEDs at 7000Kelvin, 32 Blue at 470nm, 32 Royal Blue at 450nm.
*40W consumption per pad, 16 LEDs per pad, 8 White, 8 Blue and 8 Royal blue.
*Expected LEDs life time 60,000 hours at 125 degree core diode temperature (Per Manufacturer).
*One of the highest Lumen maintenance factor available; LM80.
*80W per foot (300mm) / 32 LEDs per foot (300mm) / 2 modules per foot (300mm).
*Available auxiliary modules for fine color tuning available in RED, Green, and UV.
*Available in 90 - 270 V / 50 - 60Hz.
*SilenX fans less than 14dBm noise. Automatic, Always ON and always OFF modes available.
*Supplied with Single row wire hanging Kit.
*Optional Mounting Kit available.
*Meanwell drivers 2 year warranty, certified, UL/ CSA /TUV/PSE/EMC/ETL/GS.
*CE, EMC and RoHs Certified.
*2 year manufacture warranty.
*Designed by Vertex Aquaristik “Made in Austria”.

Design and technique:

*Thermovap heat-sink design, sleek yet most efficient in heat dispersion technology.
*Wireless communication between LEDs & controller. Communication via; IEEE 811.15.4 Sensor Net.
*Air-shaft heat-exchange design for maximum heat extraction.
*Optics-free design provides maximum coverage and ample penetration.
*Does not promote irregular growth patterns in SPS corals, due to use of optics.
*Totally modular, all parts are changeable by disconnecting connections, no need for wiring.
*Easy to upgrade and repair due to modular design of the fixture.
*User-friendly operating program and menus.
*Could be networked to other fixtures.
*Only one cord exits the fixture irrelevant of fixture length.
*Orange / Black, back lid LCD Controller.
*Available PC software for expert mode accessed via V-link USB stick. Communication via; IEEE 811.15.4 Sensor Net via USB stick.

Operating Data:

*Diodes running at 750 mA, consuming 2.5W, running them below recommended threshold to increase life and decrease degradation factor by a great value.
*Fixture Wattage: (1200mm: 320W),*
*Diodes approximate core temperature: 105 deg C.
*SilenX fans: 1.08W / 24CFM.


Controllability:

*LCD controller capable of demo, custom and light studio for advance color composition.
*Fully controllable by LED color group, modules, auxiliary modules and programmed custom groups...
*Programmable, sunrise, sunset, midday scenarios…
*Total weather simulation; clouds, rainy day, lightning…
*Optional fan shut-off mode via controller.
*Expert color composition, Seamless setting implementation via V-link.
*Real-time color sampling, watch the light color composed live in front of your aquarium via V-link.
*Synaptic 29,5306 day moon cycle control via V-link.
*Multiple lighting scenario custom or preset available via V-link.
*Could be linked to Vertex Cerebra wirelessly for additional total network management.

Upgrade and upkeep:

*Energy transfer via piercing contacts into integrated cables, no wiring or soldering modules.
*All diodes & components in network “with each other”,” within each module”, “between modules” and “modules and the controller” wirelessly.
*Easy to upgrade or replace modules, due to total wireless communication and unique energy distribution, no wiring or soldering modules.
*Auxiliary Modules available in RED, GREEN and UV, to further fine compose your light-out as desired.

Special Features:

*Capable of growing any type of corals, irrelevant of how high their demand of light.
*Equivalent to high Kelvin 400W MH bulb on E-ballast.
*50% less energy consumption.
*No spotting effect on sand, only natural shimmer light.
*EMC certified, will not affect other electronics or devices in close proximity.
*Effortless upgradability.
*Super sleek modern design.

[kc350twin]

Nice. Tagging along.

[larryfl1]

I want it.

[kc350twin]

It will be interesting to see your PAR numbers. I read the chart and their explanation of PAR output and still wonder if it will be a substantial drop from your ATI PM. What's the ETA on delivery?

Can't wait to see some real world testing.

[TheDogFather]

I'm confident that that the Vertex will be equal to or even exceed the ATI for PAR. My reseller is expecting the first shipment to arrive on the 15th and I should have it by Friday next week.

Cheers!

-TDF

[kc350twin]

Nice............

[trilinearmipmap]

I have been considering either this unit or the Aquaillumination unit.

I have a couple of questions. The AI unit has Cree LED's, this unit has Rebel LED's, my understanding is the Cree's have the highest light output per watt, is this correct or not?

Also does this unit come with a tank mount option? I have only seen it with a hanging kit in the pictures I have found online.

I would love to buy one of these but I am not keen to be the first one, I will leave it to someone braver than me to put up their three thousand dollars.

[TheDogFather]

Originally Posted by trilinearmipmap

I have been considering either this unit or the Aquaillumination unit.

I have a couple of questions. The AI unit has Cree LED's, this unit has Rebel LED's, my understanding is the Cree's have the highest light output per watt, is this correct or not?

Also does this unit come with a tank mount option? I have only seen it with a hanging kit in the pictures I have found online.

I would love to buy one of these but I am not keen to be the first one, I will leave it to someone braver than me to put up their three thousand dollars.

The Cree LED's may indeed produce more lumens per watt but my guess is that Vertex chose the Rebels due to thier supposedly better color rendition abilities. Cree is also currently involved in patent litigation that Philips just settled. If Cree loses the suit many of the current LED fixture manufacturers will be forced to switch to Rebels.

The Vertex will only be available with the hanging kit. From what I've hear, European laws require that aquarium fixtures are suspended for safety reasons.

The Vertex Illumina (recent name change) has been in development for just over two years so I'm confined that they got it right.

Cheers!

-TDF

[trilinearmipmap]

I read the review article and I have a problem with their thinking re: the amount of light entering a tank from LED without any optics (lenses).

The article states that without any optics, a combination of refraction as light passes from air to water, plus reflection as light bounces off the inside walls of the tank, will mean that essentially all of the light from the fixture will remain inside the tank. There are three problems with this line of thinking.

First, their statement about refraction of light as it passes from the air above the tank through the air-water interface at the top of the tank would be true if the water surface were flat. However with powerheads providing current in the tank, the water surface is not flat at all. In fact if you had a magnified view of the surface of a typical reef tank it would probably look choppy and full of waves. All the statements about refraction at the water's surface go out the window when the water surface is not anything approaching flat at a micro level.

Second, they state that the light will reflect off the inside surface of the aquarium glass, keeping most of the light inside the aquarium. This would be true if the aquarium walls were clean. In fact the back wall of most reef tanks is covered with coralline algae, reflecting a minimal amount of light. The side and front walls may appear clean but again on a micro level they are far from clean, with a buildup of algae and debris which impairs reflection. Overall I would be surprised if half the light striking the inside walls of the aquarium gets reflected back toward the corals.

Third, they ignore the fact that reflected light inside the tank takes a longer path through the water than light traveling directly down from the light fixture. So if fixture A, with optics directing the light downward, produces light that has to go 18" straight down to reach my coral, it is traveling through 18" of salt water. The saltwater is not completely clear as it contains contaminants and particles which discolour the water and obstruct the path of the light, in effect acting as a light filter. If fixture B has no optics and the light goes at a 45 degree angle downward, strikes the inside wall of the aquarium, then gets reflected back to hit my 18" deep coral, the path of the light will be substantially further than 18". Actually according to Pythagoras the distance the reflected light travels would be 25.4" if the coral is 18" deep directly under the light source and the light strikes the aquarium wall at 45 degrees. So the reflected light goes through 1.4 times as much aquarium water as the direct light and its intensity is diminished accordingly.

To sum up I find three reasons why the no-optics LED scheme will not perform as well as LED's with optics:

1. Irregular air/water interface at the surface.

2. Dirty non-perfectly-reflecting aquarium walls

and

3. Longer path of reflected light through tank water diminishing the light's intensity.

I am eagerly awaiting people's opinions of this light and I very well may end up buying one. I would like to see a head-to-head comparison of PAR measurements between the Vertex and AI units, and I'd also like to see people's experience with these lights over time, including coral growth over time, reliability of the units, etc. However just based on the principles behind the construction of the two competing light systems, I would tend to favour the AI unit over the Vertex until I am proven wrong.

[reeftec]

Originally Posted by trilinearmipmap

I read the review article and I have a problem with their thinking re: the amount of light entering a tank from LED without any optics (lenses).

The article states that without any optics, a combination of refraction as light passes from air to water, plus reflection as light bounces off the inside walls of the tank, will mean that essentially all of the light from the fixture will remain inside the tank. There are three problems with this line of thinking.

First, their statement about refraction of light as it passes from the air above the tank through the air-water interface at the top of the tank would be true if the water surface were flat. However with powerheads providing current in the tank, the water surface is not flat at all. In fact if you had a magnified view of the surface of a typical reef tank it would probably look choppy and full of waves. All the statements about refraction at the water's surface go out the window when the water surface is not anything approaching flat at a micro level.

Second, they state that the light will reflect off the inside surface of the aquarium glass, keeping most of the light inside the aquarium. This would be true if the aquarium walls were clean. In fact the back wall of most reef tanks is covered with coralline algae, reflecting a minimal amount of light. The side and front walls may appear clean but again on a micro level they are far from clean, with a buildup of algae and debris which impairs reflection. Overall I would be surprised if half the light striking the inside walls of the aquarium gets reflected back toward the corals.

Third, they ignore the fact that reflected light inside the tank takes a longer path through the water than light traveling directly down from the light fixture. So if fixture A, with optics directing the light downward, produces light that has to go 18" straight down to reach my coral, it is traveling through 18" of salt water. The saltwater is not completely clear as it contains contaminants and particles which discolour the water and obstruct the path of the light, in effect acting as a light filter. If fixture B has no optics and the light goes at a 45 degree angle downward, strikes the inside wall of the aquarium, then gets reflected back to hit my 18" deep coral, the path of the light will be substantially further than 18". Actually according to Pythagoras the distance the reflected light travels would be 25.4" if the coral is 18" deep directly under the light source and the light strikes the aquarium wall at 45 degrees. So the reflected light goes through 1.4 times as much aquarium water as the direct light and its intensity is diminished accordingly.

To sum up I find three reasons why the no-optics LED scheme will not perform as well as LED's with optics:

1. Irregular air/water interface at the surface.

2. Dirty non-perfectly-reflecting aquarium walls

and

3. Longer path of reflected light through tank water diminishing the light's intensity.

I am eagerly awaiting people's opinions of this light and I very well may end up buying one. I would like to see a head-to-head comparison of PAR measurements between the Vertex and AI units, and I'd also like to see people's experience with these lights over time, including coral growth over time, reliability of the units, etc. However just based on the principles behind the construction of the two competing light systems, I would tend to favour the AI unit over the Vertex until I am proven wrong.

Yes You are right about the water surface, however when you test parameters or values, you must have a set of standards first , which would be a perfect environment (No waves, coralline, clean glass). Then based on that, you will measure deviations from the values you have achieved through simulation by factoring in the other variables that you were not able to incorporate into the simulations or design studies. Such as loss of light at the water or percentage of light absorbed by the unclean glass…
Keep in Mind all the calculation you do see from LED manufacturers are done at 25 degree Celsius at the die, so adopting your way of looking at research; these numbers are worthless since we are using them in a different environmental range and application.
So far no other company has even made an attempt to back up their design with any type of argument, they are basically LEDs in a box. With Vertex at least seems like they have done so although you might not agree with all their design points.
Another point you have to keep in mind using optics will not eliminate the loss of light because of reflection from irregular water surface. So the optic design will also suffer from this as well as no-optic designs.
Lat point what they are explaining is that they designed the fixture trying to keep all the light in the aquarium if the fixture is placed 6" over a 24" wide tank, however the percentage of the light produced by the LEDs that we are talking about here is rather minimal. Also your argument about the light travelling a longer distance seems to be rather irrelevant here, this would be the same for light bounced back from sand-bed,....
Over all I am on the fence for all LED lights all together, however use of optics seems to be the wrong direction to go, instead stronger LEDs should be introduced to further push the light down as a single source of light out of each LED, rather than using many LEDs with Optics,....
I do disagree with you on your points, but same as you can't wait to see how this light stacks up against the others.

[trilinearmipmap]

I hope that I am wrong on my points. In fact I would like to buy this light. However I will not lay down $3000.00 to be the first one to buy it.

It seems enough people have posted their positive opinions about the AI light to conclude that is is a good light. The Vertex light is an unknown for now.

I can afford $3000.00 for a light if it will grow SPS well, colour up the SPS well, and last for 5 to 10 years. Maybe this light will fit the bill and maybe it won't. I will sit back and watch for a while and let others be the first to try this light out.

[Crustman]

It sounds great. Hope it works out. I hate forking out the money for the t-5's What is wrong with the tang in the video? It never really moves from one small area and is moved backward by the current.

[Ty1e]

Found this bulk reef supply vid.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vertex...d-fixture.html