Toby Flenderson Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Just got my heat sinks from heatsinks USA. Took 2 days to get here, not bad. I got 2 18" by 8.5" aluminum heatsinks. I am still waiting for my rapid led kits, they may arrive today. So now I am just sorting out how I want to lay out my colors. I've got 20 royal blues, 13 cool whites, 2 greens and 1 red per fixture. I saw a picture of someone using coins to help with the layout, seemed like a good idea. Pennies are blue, dimes are white, nickels are green the the quarter is the red. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Z Reef Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Nice, that color mix is gonna be really nice! Did you do solder-less or regular? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Looks good so far. I can't wait to see the colors with it setup. If you did the non solder-less kit it's still really easy to do. Just precut all of the wires, tin them with solder, and then tin the led's. It sounds like a lot but it goes fairly fast. DIY Walkthrough if you haven't been into it yet. http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?30718-DIY-Rapid-LED-walkthrough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 I went with the solder kit. I've got plenty of experience soldering. I'm kind of looking forward to it. And I can't wait to see what this color spectrum will look like, should be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 The LED's never showed up so they will probably be here Tuesday, too bad it would have been a great project for this weekend. I decided to do a little over due deep cleaning of the tank and ended up removing four large rocks and im really happy with the tank now. Ive been battling some GSP and palys and I have contained them to two rocks now. All the rocks are in my sump now except one that got sold. I took a FTS so i can compare it later after the lights and a close up of a frag that's been growing nicely to see the growth difference in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefnjunkie Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Nice looking config on the colors there James, I think I might have changed the one row thats all RB and swapped a few whites in there, like take the 2 dimes next to the quarter and on the bottom row make the 3rd nickel in from each end a dime-petty perhaps but just a thought to break up all the RB Those fixtures should really make the tank look great, you love the LEDs I bet I just added 2 reds and 2 greens to 2 of my 24" 60 bulb units to see how I like it before I add more to the other units I have-So far so good, I'm liking the look and its funny how just 2 different colors added change the overall look. Reefledlights has never been a fast shipper IME, but they have gotten better-I'm ordering one more nit to build for the newest frag tank I plan to plumb in. Congrats on the LED plunge I did not put optics on them so they will blend in more. Not sure if you had thought about it either way but you may want to go without optics to see how it looks, having the larger spread may be nicer-Just a thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHash-fish20 Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Wish I had the cash for some LEDs lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Nice looking config on the colors there James, I think I might have changed the one row thats all RB and swapped a few whites in there, like take the 2 dimes next to the quarter and on the bottom row make the 3rd nickel in from each end a dime-petty perhaps but just a thought to break up all the RB Those fixtures should really make the tank look great, you love the LEDs I bet I just added 2 reds and 2 greens to 2 of my 24" 60 bulb units to see how I like it before I add more to the other units I have-So far so good, I'm liking the look and its funny how just 2 different colors added change the overall look. Reefledlights has never been a fast shipper IME, but they have gotten better-I'm ordering one more nit to build for the newest frag tank I plan to plumb in. Congrats on the LED plunge I did not put optics on them so they will blend in more. Not sure if you had thought about it either way but you may want to go without optics to see how it looks, having the larger spread may be nicer-Just a thought I think your right about that last row blues, I'm still tinkering so I may switch it out still. As far as the optics, I've seen tanks so far with and with out. Im frankly not sure if I can tell a spotlighting difference or not so I'm going to try the optics. I've been reading a lot about optics latley and the data is there to prove they pump out the light. This can allow me to dial back the intensity getting the exact color mix i want and still get the preformance I want from them. Or it will just look funky and I'll snap them off. The canopy maker came over today and took measurement for a new top. Should be done in a week. I'm going to have the fixtures sit on beveled edges on top giving me a suggested 12" above the water line. Also got an idea to make a box around the fixtures on top and have a fan on one side and a vent on the other, this would make a nice cooling tunnel ,cooling both heatsinks with one fan. It would also do well because I can hide the drivers and wiring behind the box. Should have some actual LED parts pics tomarrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefnjunkie Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 I think you have the LEDs close enough they will blend fine with optics and no spot light effect. I never ran optics on any of the first builds I did but added them later.-It was just this last weekend I added optics to the last fixture on my tank. I was only suggesting not running optics on the red/green so you got more of a spread from those colors Anyway you do it I'm sure it'll be nice and you'll like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Oh I see, I was planning on running 80 optics on the 4 greens and no optics on the reds. I may have to change my splash guard design to accommodate. I could always just run optics on one fixture and not the other and see if there is a difference, that would be the scientific way. I haven't been this excited about a package coming in the mail since I was 8 years old.(scary) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Z Reef Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 I would do a mix of optics on some of the whites and blues but leave them off the rest. My fixture has 90 degree optics and it still seems pretty focused, but it depends on how high up you are able to mount it. The reds and greens would probably be best w/o optics so there is less spotlight/disco effect and better overall mixing. I really like having the red and greens in the mix, it really makes some of the colors pop even more! UV is also nice if you want a little extra purple in the mix. Overall the beauty of LED is being able to change out for new colors later to tune to your liking. My clam also seems to be loving them, so yours should too (rock2) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Z Reef Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Edit - Double post...LEDS rock! (rock2) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 Very exciting, the kit came. I got the optional remote for the controller, not thrilled about the 80's antenna on top but what ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 Got some work done on the fixtures last night. So far i have all the stars tinned as well as the wires. All the leds have been glued down and one of the fixtures is wired up. This kit is stupid simple. I think i spent more time on laying out the grid and getting my spacing down than anything else. Here are some pics of the progress. I was lucky and they sent me 2 free non dimmable drivers with my order, im thinking of using these for a UV addition. Final LED Lay Out Here are just royal blues Royal Blue and Cool White Testing one string of blues Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 I bought 2 18x 8.5 pieces of black acrylic from tap plastics last week. I saw a picture of a similar splash guard online and I made my own version. I marked and drilled out the holes. Here is a test fit with all the optics temporarily in place unglued. I think it turned out nice. I'm going to flip it on final install onto the nice unscored side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuttleFishandCoral Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 That looks really slick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefnjunkie Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Dang dont I feel ghetto, I got 2-8.5"x24" clear pieces and mounted them over all the LEDs. Looking good, very clean looking, also love the subliminal lessons on the human body (rock2) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Leeeegit! Looks good man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 Dang dont I feel ghetto, I got 2-8.5"x24" clear pieces and mounted them over all the LEDs. Looking good, very clean looking, also love the subliminal lessons on the human body (rock2) Ha ha, Don't worry brad. I don't think there are many reefs like yours in the "ghetto". I just wanted a little eye candy for my efforts. I might even switch the panels to white to go with the inside of the canopy. I got my drivers all dialed in. I'm running the whites full on at 1.3 amps and the green red and royal blues are set to 900 ma. I hooked up the controller and ran a test, this is one bright fixture. I'm still seeing spots. (drooler) I'm at a stopping point unfortunately until my new canopy is done. Once I get that I can get the drivers and controller mounted nicely and hang this bad boy. I was planning on running program 1 which is a 6 hour light cycle at 50% power to begin with. Does anyone have any tips for coral acclimation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefnjunkie Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Looks great! What rating are the whites 1.3 sounds high to me. I cant remember which of the many threads I've read on adjusting levels but the difference in output (par) was nominal from .75 amps to say .9 or 1 amp but the LED's life span drops quite bit at the higher amps I used to overdrive all my LEDS until I ran across that. I mean they are rated at 1 amp right so if I run them at .95 I good(clap) LEDs have changed quite a bit but had to ask maybe you have the 5watt whites vs 3 watts??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 These are the 5w LEDs. I went in the upper end of there recommended setting. This is the info I used. I am always down for a second opinion though. http://www.rapidled.com/led-university-1/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badxgillen Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 the way you have your optics and lack of are you getting good spread?oh and this does look like it will be optimal and pleasing to look at:)doesnt get much better than this..NICE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 7, 2012 Author Share Posted September 7, 2012 the way you have your optics and lack of are you getting good spread?oh and this does look like it will be optimal and pleasing to look at:)doesnt get much better than this..NICE! I don't know about the spread yet, I've just been blinding myself so far. DOH! There's no way I can wait a week or two till the canopy is ready to try these out so I'm making a really rough top to sit on my existing hood. I'm a really sh*tty carpenter but I can make two wobbly holes with a jig saw. One nice thing is that the light will be even higher for the time being (19" off water line) this and starting very slow with my dimming percentages should help ease the acclimation as I go down to 12" with the new top. Thought I would throw in a picture of my helper. Assistant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Can't wait to see the corals under that bad boy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 7, 2012 Author Share Posted September 7, 2012 Can't wait to see the corals under that bad boy! Yeah me to. I think as usual the photo never really translate the true colors but I'm going to try to mess around with my real camera and get it as close to what I'm seeing. Good Craigslist catch by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.