LED GURU? driver/ballast recommendations.

fowlclay-boaeef? · 05/24/2010, 07:03 AM

i have super old lighting. gonna give the diy led stuff a go. any recommendations? i'm doing my own research into it...but i'm looking for a ballast/driver for a diy led set that is currently just in my head but will eventually become reality. the diy thing is still very feasable considering the cost of a prefab fixture. i don't wanna take out a loan to light my tank. lol

cost is very much a factor in this equation. dimming would be nice but not must have. would just a power supply be adequate or definatly go the ballast/driver way?

thanks in advance

ErikS · 05/24/2010, 08:05 AM

Here's a post that contains links to a ton of LED information -

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...postcount=3617

fowlclay-boaeef? · 05/24/2010, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErikS

Here's a post that contains links to a ton of LED information -

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...postcount=3617

thanks. did not see anything resembling a recommendation for driver tho. there is a diy driver build in the thread tho. it was quite a diversion. there goes 2 hrs i'll never get back. lol.

fowlclay-boaeef? · 05/24/2010, 10:18 AM

another hr L8R. lol. have found two examples in the above mentioned link. meanwell, and buckpuck seam to be suitable for the application. thanks. did not mean to sound ungratefull. i looked back at my earlier post..... i sounded like a smart a__. lol. well a little better than a dumb a__, i guess.

ErikS · 05/24/2010, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fowlclay-boaeef?

another hr L8R. lol. have found two examples in the above mentioned link. meanwell, and buckpuck seam to be suitable for the application. thanks. did not mean to sound ungratefull.

No worries, didn't seem that way at all

Yep, it's a lot of info - & you're correct the current favorites are meanwells & buckpucks. Meanwells if doing under 8 strings (12 LED ea) & buck pucks if going over 96 LEDs. Given the buckpucks run 6ea = 96 is 16 of those

Hard to find but there are other drivers.............just not as popular at the moment.

fowlclay-boaeef? · 05/24/2010, 12:22 PM

found a good deal on a meanwell. bookmarked it and will check it later after my brainpan cools down. the diy controller is very interesting as well. the price is so close that i may just go with the meanwell. if i did not have a ton of other things going i might diy the controller but... time = money 2.

fowlclay-boaeef? · 05/28/2010, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErikS

No worries, didn't seem that way at all

Yep, it's a lot of info - & you're correct the current favorites are meanwells & buckpucks. Meanwells if doing under 8 strings (12 LED ea) & buck pucks if going over 96 LEDs. Given the buckpucks run 6ea = 96 is 16 of those

Hard to find but there are other drivers.............just not as popular at the moment.

thanks for the link, very helpfull your not as bad as what they say you are... just kidding. i think i'm gonna dwell on it for a little bit. not 1 to jump the gun. thanks again. what ever i build it's not going 2 fail from proper planning. the design has begun in my head but is constantly being revised.

TheFishMan65 · 05/28/2010, 07:28 AM

Since you said cost was an issue. I thought Meanwell were running about $30 at the low end - you just looked them up so know. You can DIY your own for less. I designed a board that supports 48 LEDs that runs less than $40.

05/24/2010, 07:03 AM	#1
fowlclay-boaeef? Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: winchester, tn Posts: 142	LED GURU? driver/ballast recommendations. i have super old lighting. gonna give the diy led stuff a go. any recommendations? i'm doing my own research into it...but i'm looking for a ballast/driver for a diy led set that is currently just in my head but will eventually become reality. the diy thing is still very feasable considering the cost of a prefab fixture. i don't wanna take out a loan to light my tank. lol cost is very much a factor in this equation. dimming would be nice but not must have. would just a power supply be adequate or definatly go the ballast/driver way? thanks in advance __________________ Reality is an illusion created by an alcohol deficiency. No sherrif that there aint no still. It's one o' them new fangled fish tank filters. Quote from early cuyler "allow me to explain the contamination process... pine cones go in here... party liquors come out here.. and proceed too here. fights is fought. fingerprints is took. bail is made. court dates is ignored. cycle is repeated." funny show on adult swim. called the squidbillies. is about a family of land dwelling cephilopods "squids" that live in the north georgia mountains. check it out. very funny2me. Current Tank Info: 80 gallon fowlr with sump, antiquated lighting

05/24/2010, 08:05 AM	#2
ErikS Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: VA Posts: 2,199	Here's a post that contains links to a ton of LED information - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...postcount=3617 __________________ It's just my opinion & it's worth exactly what you paid for it

05/24/2010, 10:18 AM	#4
fowlclay-boaeef? Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: winchester, tn Posts: 142	another hr L8R. lol. have found two examples in the above mentioned link. meanwell, and buckpuck seam to be suitable for the application. thanks. did not mean to sound ungratefull. i looked back at my earlier post..... i sounded like a smart a__. lol. well a little better than a dumb a__, i guess. __________________ Reality is an illusion created by an alcohol deficiency. No sherrif that there aint no still. It's one o' them new fangled fish tank filters. Quote from early cuyler "allow me to explain the contamination process... pine cones go in here... party liquors come out here.. and proceed too here. fights is fought. fingerprints is took. bail is made. court dates is ignored. cycle is repeated." funny show on adult swim. called the squidbillies. is about a family of land dwelling cephilopods "squids" that live in the north georgia mountains. check it out. very funny2me. Current Tank Info: 80 gallon fowlr with sump, antiquated lighting

05/24/2010, 12:22 PM	#6
fowlclay-boaeef? Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: winchester, tn Posts: 142	found a good deal on a meanwell. bookmarked it and will check it later after my brainpan cools down. the diy controller is very interesting as well. the price is so close that i may just go with the meanwell. if i did not have a ton of other things going i might diy the controller but... time = money 2. __________________ Reality is an illusion created by an alcohol deficiency. No sherrif that there aint no still. It's one o' them new fangled fish tank filters. Quote from early cuyler "allow me to explain the contamination process... pine cones go in here... party liquors come out here.. and proceed too here. fights is fought. fingerprints is took. bail is made. court dates is ignored. cycle is repeated." funny show on adult swim. called the squidbillies. is about a family of land dwelling cephilopods "squids" that live in the north georgia mountains. check it out. very funny2me. Current Tank Info: 80 gallon fowlr with sump, antiquated lighting

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05/28/2010, 07:28 AM	#8
TheFishMan65 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,618	Since you said cost was an issue. I thought Meanwell were running about $30 at the low end - you just looked them up so know. You can DIY your own for less. I designed a board that supports 48 LEDs that runs less than $40.