PFO Solaris LED lighting to replace halides?

DarkXerox · 05/25/2006, 07:28 PM

Well I was reading the current advanced aquarist and I came along the editorial for may 2006:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/5/aaeditorial

Apparently it produces very little heat and the same output as a 250w halide. Plus it has moon functions, sunrise/sunset, color temp changing (6.5k to 20k), and other settings.

Does anyone have any info on this and if it is for real? Or if it can keep SPS happy? This is really interesting and has gotten my attention as much as that new vortech pump.

ambaratur · 05/25/2006, 07:30 PM

Here is a thread about it from the other day:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=851006

phishlet · 05/25/2006, 07:38 PM

They look pretty cool. Using a lot less electricity is a big plus in my book. I think I'll wait though and let others test them.

bone · 05/25/2006, 08:43 PM

Glad everyone likes the hood, I was the graphic designer behind the IMAC ad. The LED is a giant leap into the future of lighting our reef tanks. I don't have any first hand experience with the hood, but I only heard good stories from people that are testing it. Just like any new product Cars, bikes, etc etc there is always bugs and recalls to work out.

Aquaduck · 05/26/2006, 12:46 PM

There is one thing LED will not be able to produce..... The shimmer effects from a point source light. You can't get the intensity/volume of light with LED's as you can with metal halide. Using LED's your tank will look like it's lit with FL tubes because the LED is a large array. Maybe someday they will replace MH.....

monkeyreefer · 05/26/2006, 04:51 PM

Cool light output (no UV or heat energy)

off of the luxeon web site. interestin in that many feel coral color is directly related to uv exposure

BeanAnimal · 05/26/2006, 07:27 PM

I don't know where the "no heat" misconception comes. LEDs give off heat. Anything that uses electricity will give off heat. LEDs are not magic, they convert electricity into visible (and invisible) light, they therefore give off heat.

Lets put this another way. If an LED array and driver consumes 400W then it gives off 400W of heat. If a MH consumes 400W, then it gives off 400W of heat.

The PFO light is listed as equivelent to a 250W MH. That I highly doubt, but testing will show one way or the other. They don't list current draw for the unit, but assumbing it uses 50 3W luxeons and a driver... you are looking at round 200W of consumed power.

Also note that the measurements are in LUMENS, not PAR. There are plenty of high LUMEN output light sources that don't do squat for corals or plants.

I would live to see these thigns be as good as they are advertised, only time will tell. I have my doubts. The "magic" quality of LEDs has some people dazzled, but many of use don't see the as magic at all, we see them for exactly what they are; LEDs

Bean

Genetics · 05/26/2006, 08:42 PM

Personally, I'm a bit confused on defining 400W of heat. LEDs will give off heat but I thought the way they're engineered they have a more efficient way of creating visible light will minimizing the infrared (heat). So 400W from a MH is not directly equivalent to 400W from a LED right?

BeanAnimal · 05/26/2006, 09:11 PM

Filament and Discahrge lamps do produce a lot of heat in non visible spectrum (an incandescent bulb prodics only 5% visible light). LEDs produce light in a specific (sinlge) spectrum. People call this COLD light, but it is not really "cold". High output LEDs give off heat. The LED dies have HUGE heatsinks to move this heat away from the LEDs junction. They are more efficient in regards to creating light without waste, however the amount of light they create is rather minimal. The only way to put more light out is to make the dies bigger, with bigger heatsinks and push more current through them. The PFO light is an array of high output LEDs. They array has to be cooled, or the chips will overheat and die. So no, they do not radiate as much heat downwards as infrared, but their dies do emit heat.

Sorry if my post was confusing. My point was simly that these things are not "heat free" as many people keep suggesting. Lets put this another way, 5W luxeons get rather warm, esp when you have 50 of them piled side by side.

Bean

Bean

beefcake · 05/27/2006, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Aquaduck
There is one thing LED will not be able to produce..... The shimmer effects from a point source light. You can't get the intensity/volume of light with LED's as you can with metal halide. Using LED's your tank will look like it's lit with FL tubes because the LED is a large array. Maybe someday they will replace MH.....

This is a quote from the guy at PFO Lighting taken from another thread about the shimmer lines in their new units ....

Quote:

Just wanted to give you an update on our LED hoods. I have posted our IMAC flyer on our website as will as pricing for the IMAC show specials. So far the response has been great.

http://www.pfolighting.com/Aquarium-LED-Lighting.aspx

As far as shimmer effect. There is some shimmer effect. Not as much as Metal Halides but definately more than fluorescent. We are using 25 3 watt LEDs in a array of about 6" square per foot of hood.

We are taking preorders now and are expected to ship in early July. We have sold a number of them here at the show. Sanjay Joshi, Dana Riddle, and Mike Paletta are all taking hoods home with them to test them for coral growth and Par.

We should have some solid coral response from these Speakers shortly

Patrick Ormiston
PFO Lighting Inc

Interests: sales

PFO Lighting · 06/18/2006, 01:59 AM

I just wanted to let you know that we have posted a new website www.solarisled.com that talks alot about our new Solaris Hood.

This web site is a work in progress. The primary thing it is missing is the PAR readings. I will be posting them in a week or two.

Thank You,
Patrick Ormiston
PFO Lighting Inc.

pulse13 · 06/19/2006, 04:11 PM

I have a couple questions for you PFO:

What model of Luxeon do your fixtures use and what is the range of the brightness and color tint bin ratings for the LEDs?

I assume from the information on your website that says they have a rated life of 50K hrs at 750ma that you're using Luxeon IIIs? None of the Luxeon lines (I,III,V or K2) have blues or whites rated at > 50K hours at 700ma. Is the 100K hrs rating for the blues on your fixtures assuming that the fixture is being used in the lowest color temperature setting (therefore < 700ma)?

Are all of the LEDs in one fixture the same color tint bin? What are the bins used, and are the blue LEDs the normal blue (470nm) or royal blue (455nm)? What do you think about the lack of the violet end of the spectrum of LEDs compared with actinic 03 fluorescent tubes and MH bulbs, which usually have a strong peak ~420nm?

What is the range of brightness bins used? Only the highest binned Lux IIIs will break 50lm/w, and these are usually harder to obtain, do all of the LEDs in the fixture have a high brightness bin rating (ie T or U)?

PFO Lighting · 06/19/2006, 05:23 PM

I had one of my mini typos on the web site which are being corrected. We are driving at 700ma. Please see the life statement from Lumileds which states both the white and all the blue LED's have a life of 50,000 hours. I have updated our solaris web site.

http://www.lumileds.com/pdfs/DS45.PDF
Page 15 of data sheet

As far as binning. We are not able to absolutely state which bins we get because it depends heavily on what is available when we order. We obviously try for the highest light output available with the lowest Nanometers available.

On the issue of wavelengths. I have a standard policy not to discuss on forums which wavelengths or color temperatures are best for the corals. There are to many opinions and I will always be wrong in somebody's perspective.

I hope this answers some of your questions
Pat

05/25/2006, 07:28 PM	#1
DarkXerox Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 1,299	PFO Solaris LED lighting to replace halides? Well I was reading the current advanced aquarist and I came along the editorial for may 2006: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/5/aaeditorial Apparently it produces very little heat and the same output as a 250w halide. Plus it has moon functions, sunrise/sunset, color temp changing (6.5k to 20k), and other settings. Does anyone have any info on this and if it is for real? Or if it can keep SPS happy? This is really interesting and has gotten my attention as much as that new vortech pump.

05/25/2006, 07:30 PM	#2
ambaratur Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Flagstaff, AZ Posts: 776	Here is a thread about it from the other day: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=851006 __________________ "God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef

05/25/2006, 07:38 PM	#3
phishlet Premium Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,458	They look pretty cool. Using a lot less electricity is a big plus in my book. I think I'll wait though and let others test them. __________________ (reef a quar i um) n: Water-filled enclosure where a constant supply of money is thrown. Current Tank Info: 350 gallon Hex; 8 gallon nano

05/26/2006, 07:27 PM	#7
BeanAnimal Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 20,772	I don't know where the "no heat" misconception comes. LEDs give off heat. Anything that uses electricity will give off heat. LEDs are not magic, they convert electricity into visible (and invisible) light, they therefore give off heat. Lets put this another way. If an LED array and driver consumes 400W then it gives off 400W of heat. If a MH consumes 400W, then it gives off 400W of heat. The PFO light is listed as equivelent to a 250W MH. That I highly doubt, but testing will show one way or the other. They don't list current draw for the unit, but assumbing it uses 50 3W luxeons and a driver... you are looking at round 200W of consumed power. Also note that the measurements are in LUMENS, not PAR. There are plenty of high LUMEN output light sources that don't do squat for corals or plants. I would live to see these thigns be as good as they are advertised, only time will tell. I have my doubts. The "magic" quality of LEDs has some people dazzled, but many of use don't see the as magic at all, we see them for exactly what they are; LEDs Bean Last edited by BeanAnimal; 05/26/2006 at 07:37 PM.

05/26/2006, 08:42 PM	#8
Genetics Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ontario, Ohio Posts: 4,937	Personally, I'm a bit confused on defining 400W of heat. LEDs will give off heat but I thought the way they're engineered they have a more efficient way of creating visible light will minimizing the infrared (heat). So 400W from a MH is not directly equivalent to 400W from a LED right? __________________ Nate Current Tank Info: 15g Waterbox cube

05/25/2006, 08:43 PM	#4
bone Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 133	Glad everyone likes the hood, I was the graphic designer behind the IMAC ad. The LED is a giant leap into the future of lighting our reef tanks. I don't have any first hand experience with the hood, but I only heard good stories from people that are testing it. Just like any new product Cars, bikes, etc etc there is always bugs and recalls to work out.

05/26/2006, 12:46 PM	#5
Aquaduck Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Waterloo, Ont. Canada Posts: 1,076	There is one thing LED will not be able to produce..... The shimmer effects from a point source light. You can't get the intensity/volume of light with LED's as you can with metal halide. Using LED's your tank will look like it's lit with FL tubes because the LED is a large array. Maybe someday they will replace MH.....

05/26/2006, 04:51 PM	#6
monkeyreefer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: relocated cheese head Posts: 601	Cool light output (no UV or heat energy) off of the luxeon web site. interestin in that many feel coral color is directly related to uv exposure

05/26/2006, 09:11 PM	#9
BeanAnimal Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 20,772	Filament and Discahrge lamps do produce a lot of heat in non visible spectrum (an incandescent bulb prodics only 5% visible light). LEDs produce light in a specific (sinlge) spectrum. People call this COLD light, but it is not really "cold". High output LEDs give off heat. The LED dies have HUGE heatsinks to move this heat away from the LEDs junction. They are more efficient in regards to creating light without waste, however the amount of light they create is rather minimal. The only way to put more light out is to make the dies bigger, with bigger heatsinks and push more current through them. The PFO light is an array of high output LEDs. They array has to be cooled, or the chips will overheat and die. So no, they do not radiate as much heat downwards as infrared, but their dies do emit heat. Sorry if my post was confusing. My point was simly that these things are not "heat free" as many people keep suggesting. Lets put this another way, 5W luxeons get rather warm, esp when you have 50 of them piled side by side. Bean Bean

06/18/2006, 01:59 AM	#11
PFO Lighting Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 44	I just wanted to let you know that we have posted a new website www.solarisled.com that talks alot about our new Solaris Hood. This web site is a work in progress. The primary thing it is missing is the PAR readings. I will be posting them in a week or two. Thank You, Patrick Ormiston PFO Lighting Inc.

06/19/2006, 04:11 PM	#12
pulse13 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Ky Posts: 55	I have a couple questions for you PFO: What model of Luxeon do your fixtures use and what is the range of the brightness and color tint bin ratings for the LEDs? I assume from the information on your website that says they have a rated life of 50K hrs at 750ma that you're using Luxeon IIIs? None of the Luxeon lines (I,III,V or K2) have blues or whites rated at > 50K hours at 700ma. Is the 100K hrs rating for the blues on your fixtures assuming that the fixture is being used in the lowest color temperature setting (therefore < 700ma)? Are all of the LEDs in one fixture the same color tint bin? What are the bins used, and are the blue LEDs the normal blue (470nm) or royal blue (455nm)? What do you think about the lack of the violet end of the spectrum of LEDs compared with actinic 03 fluorescent tubes and MH bulbs, which usually have a strong peak ~420nm? What is the range of brightness bins used? Only the highest binned Lux IIIs will break 50lm/w, and these are usually harder to obtain, do all of the LEDs in the fixture have a high brightness bin rating (ie T or U)?

06/19/2006, 05:23 PM	#13
PFO Lighting Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 44	I had one of my mini typos on the web site which are being corrected. We are driving at 700ma. Please see the life statement from Lumileds which states both the white and all the blue LED's have a life of 50,000 hours. I have updated our solaris web site. http://www.lumileds.com/pdfs/DS45.PDF Page 15 of data sheet As far as binning. We are not able to absolutely state which bins we get because it depends heavily on what is available when we order. We obviously try for the highest light output available with the lowest Nanometers available. On the issue of wavelengths. I have a standard policy not to discuss on forums which wavelengths or color temperatures are best for the corals. There are to many opinions and I will always be wrong in somebody's perspective. I hope this answers some of your questions Pat