chinese led lights

[coralsurfer]

Ola! My wife just got her lights this morning (3 units for her 125g). I do not have the time to read throught the entire thread here, so I will ask this now. How do you acclimate these? Does someone have any suggestions?

[bhazard451]

If the stock driver doesn't work for 0-10v from the driver, the replacement drivers that I think I'm going with will be:

Model WSB series
Rated Power 60W
Current range 0.28-1.8A (adjusted to 600 or 700mah)
Output voltage 18-150V (55-100)
Input voltage 90-264Vac
Power frequency 47-63HZ
Power factor 0.95 0.95
Typ.Efficiency 88% 88%
Waterproof level IP67 IP67
Dimension(L*W*H)mm 164*72*36
Net weight 750g
Warranty 3 years
Dimmable Time control, PWM, 0-10V
case material aluminum

It isn't this exact model, but looks like this:

http://szwintek.en.alibaba.com/produ..._dimmable.html

Cost with express DHL shipping around $80 for both, less for slower shipping. Still getting pricing.

[WinnipegDragon]

Originally Posted by bhazard451

@WinnipegDragon

I just brainstormed something. You tested from the Pot..

There are 4 wires going into the red connector which connects to the leds from the driver. They would be LED+ DIM+ (Red) and LED- DIM- (Black). Did your friend ever test the return voltage from there? Remember, we want to bypass the pot completely. The pot output on the driver might be screwing things up. It is non-standard compared to a meanwell driver.

If it actually takes the 0-10v signal, we would divert those two wires (DIM+, DIM-) from the red connector to the apex port via the apex dimming cable. Thoughts?

This would solve the fan issue, save $$ on drivers, and would make my day.

Yes we did check, and it's absolutely not taking 0-10v. That's what I was hoping for, you'd get, say, 12v on the line and the pot would vary resistance and return 0-10v, but that's not it. I don't recall the exact numbers, but it wasn't anywhere close.

[biecacka]

I have a 220 softy lps tank and a DIY fixture would cost much more than 3 of these lights. Not to mention I don't know if I could DIY. I don't have the time(could make it tho) the tools or know how. I wish I did
Corey

[Chicago]

The question now is which one. Why did you chose their nova. The site shows designs with Cree LEDs also. Or did I miss that in the 70 pages to this thread

[bhazard451]

Originally Posted by Chicago

The question now is which one. Why did you chose their nova. The site shows designs with Cree LEDs also. Or did I miss that in the 70 pages to this thread

The most common chinese ones are the Cree designs (around 24 leds), the 55x3watt running at 2-2.5w, and the Nova design running at 2-2.5w. Go for the dimmable ones, as they are great for acclimating corals or light control in general.

These aren't low quality Odyssea fixtures either. These are quality boxes, and they look beautiful. Everyone who has seen mine has been very impressed with it.

Crees are the better leds, but they cost more, and there are less of them in the fixture. The other designs use Bridgelux leds, which aren't as powerful, yet are cheaper, they use more of them to equal the crees output, and they are tighter placed for a bit better spread.

The $165 55x3 is the best value if you just plan on plug and play, and never modifying the fixture. 3 of them could cover a 125 gallon tank and grow just about anything, which is just an insane value in this hobby. $165 would cover the year's cost of replacing 3 250w Metal Halide bulbs alone, nevermind the electricity.

I also just couldn't bring myself to spend $750 on one fixture. Sure a Radion is nice, but what is the value in it when I can get a comparable light without "thunderstorms" for 1/5th of the price?

The Nova is better if you are looking to have a fixture with semi-diy capabilities. It is easier to open, everything is connected with a quick connect for easy replacement, has a heatsink, and is modular. I'm already looking into ways to allow the fixture to be controllable with an apex, arduino board, or any other reef controller. It is very much possible with a driver swap.

Just think, the 2x72w Apex controllable AI Sol fixture is $900. With a driver swap, that Nova becomes a comparable Apex controlled fixture (with less software features obviously) for $300 or less, as long as you're willing to do some DIY work and accept the risks involved. I've been waiting years for leds to become affordable, and this is the best way I've found outside of DIY.

If Crees become much cheaper in a few years, or if more efficient leds come out, it would be easier for me to swap them on the Nova unit.

[bhazard451]

Getting closer to finding the right drivers at a good price, customized. One quote was even for $52 shipped for both!

The fans might be screwing up the output voltage however. It may be taking 2x 12v on its own. If we removed the stock driver and have to wire the fans seperately, we might have to take the voltage into account. Running at 700 mah will produce more heat too, but will be brighter.

Specs on the latest find:
Input voltage : 90-264Vac
Output voltage: 68-86Vdc
Output current:700mA
Output Frequency :47Hz-63Hz
Dimmable:0-10V
Efficiency :88%@230VAC
Power factor:
PF>0.95/230Vac,PF>0.98/115Vac
Cables : Ac cable: 650mm ,
Dc cable:500mm without waterproof
connector Weight:0.75Kg
Dimmension: 170*80*40mm(L*W*H)

[boz151]

What do you guys think about this config for the A6 lights. I'm working with Sam now, and he told me that Royal Blues are available. I would like something on the bluer side, but figured I could adjust the dimmers to get the effect I'm looking for. I also like the blend of the Blue with the more purple royal blue (or would violet be better to achieve the look of blue and VHO Super Actinic)? I"m planning 3 x A6 Nova for my 180g tank (6 x 2 x 2)

Dimmer one: 18blue+6 Royal Blue
Dimmer two: 36white+12blue

[WinnipegDragon]

Originally Posted by bhazard451

Getting closer to finding the right drivers at a good price, customized. One quote was even for $52 shipped for both!

The fans might be screwing up the output voltage however. It may be taking 2x 12v on its own. If we removed the stock driver and have to wire the fans seperately, we might have to take the voltage into account. Running at 700 mah will produce more heat too, but will be brighter.

Specs on the latest find:
Input voltage : 90-264Vac
Output voltage: 68-86Vdc
Output current:700mA
Output Frequency :47Hz-63Hz
Dimmable:0-10V
Efficiency :88%@230VAC
Power factor:
PF>0.95/230Vac,PF>0.98/115Vac
Cables : Ac cable: 650mm ,
Dc cable:500mm without waterproof
connector Weight:0.75Kg
Dimmension: 170*80*40mm(L*W*H)

I found the fans on my A4 a bit noisy anyhow. I would think they are easy to replace and wire to a dedicated adapter anyhow, since they appear to be stock 80mm fans.

For $52? Sign me up! Are these through Sam or another supplier?

[bhazard451]

Originally Posted by WinnipegDragon

I found the fans on my A4 a bit noisy anyhow. I would think they are easy to replace and wire to a dedicated adapter anyhow, since they appear to be stock 80mm fans.

For $52? Sign me up! Are these through Sam or another supplier?

From a led driver supplier. I contacted multiple, and trying to get the best price.

For the fans, you can just get two quiet 80mm or 120mm fans and wire them in parallel to a 12v 1amp AC/DC adapter (both reds to + on adapter wire, both blacks to - on adapter wire). Just cut the wire on the adapter and attach. If you use one of those universal adapters with multiple voltages, you can control the speed of the fans by sliding to lower voltages like 9 or 5, which would be a new feature I might end up doing this anyway, otherwise the fans will stay on all the time with the controller.

[dunc101]

Originally Posted by bhazard451

From a led driver supplier. I contacted multiple, and trying to get the best price.

For the fans, you can just get two quiet 80mm or 120mm fans and wire them in parallel to a 12v 1amp AC/DC adapter. Just cut the wire on the adapter and attach. If you use one of those universal adapters with multiple voltages, you can control the speed of the fans by sliding to lower voltages like 9 or 5, which would be a new feature I might end up doing this anyway, otherwise the fans will stay on all the time with the controller.

http://www.rapidled.com/dual-fan-kit-w-o-fans/. This will hook 2 fans up for you which you can control variably. The 90 mm fans use .9 volts I believe, therefore you should be able to hook 10 fans up together (just buy more dual adapters such as http://www.rapidled.com/fan-y-adapter/ to hook more than 2 together with what I showed above). I currently have 3 fans hooked up with the above.

[bhazard451]

Originally Posted by dunc101

http://www.rapidled.com/dual-fan-kit-w-o-fans/. This will hook 2 fans up for you which you can control variably. The 90 mm fans use .9 volts I believe, therefore you should be able to hook 10 fans up together (just buy more dual adapters such as http://www.rapidled.com/fan-y-adapter/ to hook more than 2 together with what I showed above). I currently have 3 fans hooked up with the above.

I actually have the parts from old PC equipment to make that. Good find.

If you don't want to cut wires or have speed control, you could just attach two fans with molex connectors to this too. Very easy.

http://www.jab-tech.com/12v-DC-Power...r-pr-3776.html

[Mussin]

Does anyone know what kind of heat these put out? Me and a friend who is really good with acrylic are thinking about making an acrylic "lamp shade" if you will around the boxes since I have no canopy and I dont want to be blinded by the light. Im thinking about using 1/2" black acrylic, maybe a 4-5" shade on the front and two sides, angled out @ 45degrees. Are these boxes warm to the touch after hours of use? Just dont want to melt the acrylic.

[icecool217]

Originally Posted by dunc101

http://www.rapidled.com/dual-fan-kit-w-o-fans/. This will hook 2 fans up for you which you can control variably. The 90 mm fans use .9 volts I believe, therefore you should be able to hook 10 fans up together (just buy more dual adapters such as http://www.rapidled.com/fan-y-adapter/ to hook more than 2 together with what I showed above). I currently have 3 fans hooked up with the above.

You can probably find some arctic cooling fans or thermaltake fans with temperature sensors on them so that it turns on when the heatsink becomes too hot.

Also, the larger the fan, the less noisy it becomes. 120mm preferred over 60mm, etc.

I bought a cheap usb hub with power supply, spliced usb cords to link to computer fans, and plug them in. Have 3 fans plugged in without issue. Just another inexpensive option.

[bhazard451]

Originally Posted by Mussin

Does anyone know what kind of heat these put out? Me and a friend who is really good with acrylic are thinking about making an acrylic "lamp shade" if you will around the boxes since I have no canopy and I dont want to be blinded by the light. Im thinking about using 1/2" black acrylic, maybe a 4-5" shade on the front and two sides, angled out @ 45degrees. Are these boxes warm to the touch after hours of use? Just dont want to melt the acrylic.

The light directs downward. It really isn't blinding at all. You may not need them.

Yes, the boxes get a bit warm, but not scalding hot.

[xCry0x]

I got my 24x3w from eshine before they jacked up prices, has been going strong for a little over 6 months. Fan is loud as hell, but I have been too lazy to replace it with one of the MANY case fans I have around so it is obviously not that annoying.

Had been considering re-doing the fixture with dimmable drivers so interesting to see other people working on that now. I threw a few sheets of window screening over my fixture to dim it which has worked fine.

As others said, these fixtures have a lot of value. They are not some POS odyssea fixture, they are a solid design. I think I got mine for $180 shipped which is a damn good deal for a fixture with 24x3w LEDs essentially built to order with the color combo I wanted.

[joeyman15]

So do the Nova's offer cree leds? I see that the 55x3 watts for $165.00 use cree leds but only running them at 2.2 watts. Am i understanding that correctly?

[bhazard451]

That's a good price. The EShine's are almost twice the price now.

The Nova and 55x3 doesn't use Cree, that's a misprint. They have a 24x3 Cree fixture though.

[Amoore311]

Originally Posted by Amoore311

Any ideas for a 36 x 36 x 18H?

I'm strongly considering foregoing the whole apex control aspect at this point.


Edit: SPS need to be ok growing on the bare bottom glass as well.

Anyone with some insight?

[bhazard451]

Originally Posted by Amoore311

Anyone with some insight?

Any of the fixtures will penetrate deep enough. It starts to be a concern at 24" or deeper.

One of the 55x3 boxes may or may not be enough to cover 36", you might need two. Or, you could get one of the larger Nova units, the A6 or A8.

[mudguard2005]

Travis , so where are the pics

[nrosdal]

Originally Posted by bhazard451

This is the end result:

Can you post pics of tank under the light can't remember what ratio you ordered. I am about to order and wanna see someone that got the uv and or violets before i do it myself. also wondering why nobody has put a couple reds in with the uv/violets. Is it because there is just enough red with the uv or violets added? i do remember a thread from not to long ago where a guy put a couple reds in his eshines ad ended up covering 1 up.. but with just one it seemed astheticly pleasing (but if i remember correctly they were only 1 watt red leds that were added).

[Travis1787]

Sorry lol I won't be installing the light till tomorrow so pics will come then lol been to busy to take the canopy down and undo the old light and figured out how it the heck to mount this unit lol

[bhazard451]

Originally Posted by nrosdal

Can you post pics of tank under the light can't remember what ratio you ordered. I am about to order and wanna see someone that got the uv and or violets before i do it myself. also wondering why nobody has put a couple reds in with the uv/violets. Is it because there is just enough red with the uv or violets added? i do remember a thread from not to long ago where a guy put a couple reds in his eshines ad ended up covering 1 up.. but with just one it seemed astheticly pleasing (but if i remember correctly they were only 1 watt red leds that were added).

My pics are on pg 64. I ordered the standard 1:1 ratio, and bought 4 true violet leds separately to install. I wanted to wait and see how people like them before adding them in.

Reds are not really needed. You would fuel more algae growth than coral growth, and the red spectrum desired is covered by the blues and whites.

[Bcamp]

Originally Posted by bhazard451

From a led driver supplier. I contacted multiple, and trying to get the best price.

For the fans, you can just get two quiet 80mm or 120mm fans and wire them in parallel to a 12v 1amp AC/DC adapter (both reds to + on adapter wire, both blacks to - on adapter wire). Just cut the wire on the adapter and attach. If you use one of those universal adapters with multiple voltages, you can control the speed of the fans by sliding to lower voltages like 9 or 5, which would be a new feature I might end up doing this anyway, otherwise the fans will stay on all the time with the controller.

Sam said they just about have the controllable aspect worked out!