RapidLED Oceanic BioCube 29 LEDs -- Need advice please

[wabooth555]

I'm ready to order the Biocube 29 Dimmable Retrofit Kit (24 LED) from RapidLED.

I have mostly SPS, but also some LSPs and a few softies.

The defaul bulb choice is 12 Royal Blue and 12 Cool White. Is this what I would want?

Also, its' asking me which driver I need: "D (1-10V analog)" OR a
"P (PWM)". I have no idea what this means.

If anyone has upgraded to the RapidLEDs, any help or advice would appreciated..

Thanks
Wayne

[wabooth555]

Another quick question. What else do I need to buy that doesn't come with the retro kit. I'd like to make just one purhase...

Thanks!
Wayne

[Tankjunkie0481]

I have a Rapid DIY kit on my 28G JBJ and all I have is the 12RB and the 12CW. The LPS and softies seem to like it just fine and i'm only up to 60% brightness. From what i'm told what you have will be fine for SPS as well.
The D(1-10V analog) means you will have to get a 10 volt power source and a potentiometer to adjust the reference voltage to control the brightness of the LEDs i.e. 1V=10% 5V=50% 10V=100%. If you want to have your lighting controlled by a programmer you will have to make sure it has analog outputs to control that reference voltage.
PWM stands for Pulse Width Modulation which is the preferred way to control brightness on leds since it will help take full advantage of the long lifespan of LEDs. With PWM the leds aren't constantly on. They are actually turning on and off at a frequency to high for the human eye to notice. The larger the pulse width the longer the led is on and the brighter the led looks. 50% pulse width= 50% brightness Half on/Half off for each cycle of the square wave signal. 100%= On all the time=Full brightness.
For my setup I used the PWM dimmable drivers and purchased the PWM controller to run them. The controller has pre-programmed lighting cycles to run the leds or you can control the brightness yourself. If I were you I would add some Blue leds and an extra analog dimmable driver to run them at night to you can still see whats going on in the tank.
Make sure you get the predrilled and tapped heatsink and use the thermal paste instead of thermal adhesive. Even though leds last a lot longer than other lighting they don't last forever. Do not use lead-free solder(if you're getting the leds that need to be soldered) Lead-Free solder requires a higher temperature to flow properly and you can risk damage to the leds.
Make sure you figure out the FINAL mounting place of your drivers and control devices before you run the wires from the leds to the drivers. Trust me on this one.
Make sure you start off with about 50% brightness and increment about a 5% increase each week until you are at the brightness you want so the corals have time to adjust to the led lighting. Also just a hint. The drivers have a max output of 1300mA(1.3A). The leds have a max forward current of 1500mA. So you would think you should go ahead and run the drivers at 1300mA right? Don't do it! Run them at about 1200mA and help extend the life of your drivers as well.
So far in my opinion the kits from RapidLed are excellent and I think you will be very pleased with the results. Good luck.

[wabooth555]

Great thanks - clear explanation.

I went ahead and ordered the PWM Dimmable driver and two Controllers. Also, I requested 12 Royal Blue, 6 Cool White, and 6 Neutral White. I am very excited!!!

[bugs713]

Rapid is always glad to answer questions either by phone or email. I emailed a question on a Saturday night, got a reply from Mike Sunday morning!
Great company, great products!
Good luck with your build!