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ReeFi gen 2 high power LEDs


danlu_gt

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On 3/28/2019 at 6:37 AM, danlu_gt said:

Exploring more eco-friendly packaging, trying to eliminate styrofoam. Survived several drop tests at 4ft.236411a4e47ec81c76b1ae9809fb6ef8.jpg

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Oh yes the great drop test lol.  I got to do this with HP printers when I worked for them back in the 90's. Glad to see you going with more green alternatives for packaging solutions!

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ReeFi LED Gen2 uses newer and faster 2 cores microcontroller which allows more fun things to be done...

Just finished initial implementation of asynchronous webserver.  I'm bit geeky that I can get so excited about this.  Web pages load so much faster without long pauses waiting for graphics, java script, or data to load.

Also just implemented ReeFi-LED mesh wifi network.  Once setup first unit, additional units will automatically add itself to the mesh network.  This make configuration much easier and also extend the range you can place multiple ReeFi LED units (even some outside of your home WiFi range).  If you don't have home WiFi, multiple ReeFi units will create a single WiFi SSID to control all units.

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So I've setup a VPN server before I left for China, but apparently the Great Firewall can detect VPN packets and blocks them.  I read some people have success with proxy over SSH tunnel but I haven't been able to get it to work.  My Hong Kong sim card has just expired.  No more FB, Google, Whatsapp, Youtube, Netflix.  :(

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  • 4 weeks later...

After weeks and maybe months of drama, the first components I was sure to get first, came in last. So the company that I visited over a year ago tricked me that they are a PCB factory, but in reality they're just a trading company. When I visited "their factory", apparently they just go borrow someone factory and pretend to work there. So I am told this is very common in China. I guess that's not necessary a problem if we agreed on the cost and they have value added with their service. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The person that communicated between me and the actual factory have zero technical background. 90% of what she told me is possible turns out not being the case. This results in time for rework and more mistakes being made. Unfortunately, I had already prepaid in full so not getting that back. After much headaches, I'm now working directly with the factory engineer. Last week I spend two days on site getting him up to speed on testing my product to ensure all my issues are resolved. Yesterday, I finally got the first batch of the last pieces to my ReeFi LED v2.

It took a few tries to figure the order to put it all together without getting thermal paste all over myself. I think I got a few bucks worth of thermal paste all over my hands and ruined my shirt. Those first couple units will go on my personal tank. With all the delays, I've been here almost 2 months (hope all my fishes are still ok). I don't have time to finish all the assembly here in China. I've tested all the components and am finally satisfied with what I got. I will be loading everything in a container or two and ship over sea to US for final assembly. So I guess I need to order Made in USA stickers to put over Made in China. Haha

Few weeks ago I was like why did I start this adventure. So much time and money and all the drama and frustrating dealing with manufacturing. Worst is coming back after long trips to my prized arco and gold hammers completely dead. Maybe next time I'll need find a partner here in China that handles searching for custom materials and factories with proper capabilities and who will follow through with sampling, inspection and production. This time around, I did the entire supply chain from special copper on aluminum PCB to CNC heatsink solutions to eco-friendly packaging. So I can pass some of the savings to you guys. :)

I will see how many I can put in my luggage without over weight. Love to demo for you guys to see.3e5450765292d5508b290d6ffeaa7931.jpg22a6e65b86d0cea51614dcb1db29ba16.jpg7b92e33abf107e02d3ff9ae7e0cf9292.jpgce3b85bffdddfe8fc50c6b8d8cf05ab5.jpgdc8fe3079dee62ce995cbf08ed2a8ea9.jpg

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am very lucky to have scored two of the Gen 2 ReeFi Extreme lights. Daniel brought a few back in his suitcase from China and the rest are coming via ship.

My first impression is very positive. They have a sleek look and the individual reflectors almost completely eliminate lateral light spillage.

@goldenbasketreef suggested to Daniel that he try amber LEDs and I suggested that he try lime LEDS. He put both of them into the spectrum of the new lights and they make my corals look amazing. The full spectrum color reminds me of Rudy's custom LED bar that he uses for photography at Golden Basket.

I think these lights are going to be a hit!

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As with Lex, I, too, am very lucky to have scored 2 Reefi Extremes from Daniel.
Very nice design and sleek! The reflective/mirrored bottom panel, with the Reefi logo, is a very cool addition. Also, has a quality digital readout, to boot! Just by holding the unit, one can tell, it was built with quality in mind.
The 'amber' and 'lime' spectrums are very very nice. Makes my corals and fish 'pop', if that makes sense, with color. I barely add any whites to my spectrum, even when I had the v1's, as that is my preference, but with the v2's, I do not use any whites, the lime spectrum is so much better! Haven't played with the amber, yet, but I'm sure it is beneficial in some way...
As for the spread, with just one unit, it definitely covers my 3x3 cube. When I get the chance to borrow the club's par meter, I will post up my readings. I could tell you, though, with 2 v1's, on my display, I was hitting 1000 plus, just below the water surface. I imagine much more with 2 v2's, but we'll have to wait and see. Two of my v1's, are now over my frag tanks.
As I, do not own any radions, the V2 Extremes, are built to match, if not, exceed the radions. Again, I cannot compare the radions to the Extremes.
Price point is very reasonable, as well. Cheaper than radions, obviously, with less overhead. You even get a discount, if you previously purchased and own a v1. So, no, it doesn't cost $800 plus.

Anticipating the Reefi controller, which, hopefully, should be released sometime this year. It's supposedly, going to give apex, a run for it's money. We shall see...

In my opinion, thus far...well done, Daniel[emoji109][emoji109][emoji109]4d7df5c0cfff1cb02107646e9e2c696e.jpg4684de397465d3d3491f362ab5f9ea26.jpg13a6bbede86f348b82e60ef228eeb75e.jpg411759af427a8055df7aaf8896b4a977.jpg54352816016d8447c4ea781cc01ab6f1.jpg223589cd7b3231a6eff3508fd724032a.jpg

Sent from Atlantis 🤙

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I have a question. Do LED fixtures with all the diodes clustered together cause bright spots underneath them vs having all the diodes spread out evenly for a more even coverage of the tank? Or does it really matter?
Yo Crabby...
I'm not sure with other LEDs that are clustered together, but with the Reefis, I do not notice any bright spots or 'disco' effects. What I do like about clustered LEDs, are the 'shimmering' effect they give. Reefi Extremes definitely shimmer, which makes any reef tank a pleasure to look at...(for hours)[emoji1]
HTH!!!

Sent from Atlantis 🤙

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So..... 1 of these could take the place of 3 hydra 26hd over a reefer 350? Or are they more for extremely deep tanks due to the high diode count clustered tightly together? Just thinking of options for when the 350 is set up
I doubt one unit will cover a 350 but then again, I don't know the dims of a reefer 350. Most likely 2 units would suffice. Also, they are for all size tanks, not just deep/tall tanks.

As for cost, I just know for a fact that, it'll be less than radions at retail.

He mentioned to me that, he'll be doing a demo at the next meet, wherever that'll be. So, make sure you attend...
@danlu_gt ...wake up! I know you you still have jet lag, but I can't answer these questions with precision, lol

Sent from Atlantis 🤙

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