LED Question

[matsout]

Hi everyone,

I just want to find out if anybody on here has used the kits from Rapidled in the US. I'm about to pull the trigger on this kit for my 6ft Mbuna display. My only question is will these lights just wash out the colours of my fish, I know they're dimmable but will the colouring of them potentially wash out the colour of my fish. I tend to think not since alot of guys use them on marine set-ups, but just thought I'd check if anyone has experience with them from the Cichlid community.

I love the idea of being able to dimm just the white or blue so I can adjust how blue I want things, the shimmer effect is another thing I'm looking forward to (I've been told it's something to see with this kit).

I've seen a few vids around on the net from guys using them and they look spectacular on marine tanks.

Regards Matt

[Willo]

Sorry, can't really help you with your questions - but I'll be very interested to see how it works out for you. I too am looking at a LED lighting solution for my 6ft tank. Only issue I have is I have a wooden hood, and by the looks of all the LED setups I get the impression I'd probably have heat issues within the hood.

[bimbo]

I just put a rapidLED 12 led premium kit over my 5x2x2 tank. I am running it at minimum ma and 9volts - dimming is provided by a variable voltage power pack which goes from 3-12volts. The kit is definatly at the bluer end of the spectrum but I like it and it provides a very crisp white colour. What I have done is only put the optics on the white LEDS which has created a very nice patchy light and shaddow sort of affect.

Here is a link to the ace thread - dappled lighting

Here are some pics without any water

both photos are only running the dimmer at 1.5volt (AA Battery)

I have only just filled the tank with water and need to clean the glass but will put some picks up if you are interested.

Personally I think that unless you want a really bright tank I would think that the 24 LED kit might be overkill but I guess if you arn't sure then you may be better buying the 24 LED kit and only setting up one. If you are happy with is sell the other 12 LED's and driver.

Cheers

James

[matsout]

Id love to see some shots of it with water, whats the ripple effect like? and which kit did you get? the premium or ultra premium? Knowing you have 12 makes me realise thats all im going to need as well. one more question how did you go about mounting them? if i can work out a good way to mount them and arrange them to get an even spread its a done deal.

Matt

[bimbo]

This is the tank/website that I got alot of my information/inspiration from. Cree over 125gal

I found it very dificult to find any information about the number of lights etc to put over a cichlid tank as all the information is on reef tanks.

My kit was the ultra premium using the xp LED's

Cheers

James

[matsout]

Ive seen that page on cichlid-forum, i think the idea of steel tubes insteadvofbheat sinks looks like a good idea. so you find they produce much heat? i have a closed in wooden hood with an open back and its only got about 20cm of height above the glass, putting fans in isnt a problem but i would like to avoid it if i can.

matt

[GRK-351]

I have LED's on all my tanks, but they are Piranha LED's which are low wattage but high light output. There is no need to use the high powered CREE LED's for freshwater as we don't need that power to grow corals etc.

The units I use are 1 metre lengths with 60 LED's at a total of 4.8W or 0.5m lengths with 30 LED's at a total of 2.4W. They produce pretty much no heat at all, apart from the driver that is used to power them, but that is near the power outlet so it has no effect on the aquarium.

I use specific LED Drivers/Transformers otherwise there is a chance of damaging the lights or the drivers. I calculate the driver I need based on wattage.

These lights create an awesome shimmer effect, but the key is surface agitation, so you need to have a reasonable amount of movement on the surface of the water to create the shimmers. I just direct my spray bars upwards.

I have a thread about a possible group buy with some images if you guys are interested: http://www.aceforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=50540

[Willo]

The issue I have with the piranha led solutions is the lack of blue LED strips as an option. I'm pretty close to biting the bullet and getting the 24 LED kit from rapid, but just need to come across someone who has successfully installed it within a hood environment.

Bimbo, how have you found the heat in your setup? It does look awesome, and I'm actually a fan of the blue bias in the lighting.

I'd be interested to know which way you are leaning matsout, as we appear to have pretty similar tank setups.

[matsout]

Hi Willo,

I pulled the trigger and ordered a 12 led kit on Sunday night I got a confirmation email yesterday telling me they had been dispatched and then another email today telling me they had left the USA. In total the kit, a moonlight kit and a potentiometer came to AUD$141.66 including postage. Not a bad price if you ask me.

I'll be installing mine in a closed hood, a dalbarb style one if your familiar with them, so I haven't got alot of room to work with.

I'm planning to not use the lenses at this stage to get a better spread of light since they won't be mounted very high.

My plan for mounting is at this point aluminium square tubing, I've borrowed this idea from this guy it's the same post as mentioned above. I'll be running two lengths of aluminium tubing from either end of the hood and mounting them to the hood with 90 degree brackets, Spacing between the tubing is something I'm yet to figure out again aiming to get a good spread. Then as you can see in that post I'll be placing the leds at certain intervals along the length to get the effect I want.

As a little extra thing I also ordered a 2 LED moonlight kit from Rapidled I'll be mounting them on another section of aluminium tubing running at 90 degrees to the other tubing so running from front to back of tank. The way it will attach will be between the two main tubes on a slight angle, the LEDS will therefore aim down at the water on an angle. At this stage I'll run with two leds and if it's not enough moonlight I'll order another two leds and throw them in the circuit.

Right... what else... Oh I'll be placing the driver and moonlight driver in a box in the cabinet to give a bit of protection from another water and what not and also so it looks a little tidy since I'm using a potentiometer to adjust the brightness as I wish. The use of some quick disconnect plugs mounted up at the back of the hood will make removing the hood easy if I wish without pulling all the drivers and whatnot out with it.

Anyway thats a basic rundown on my plan, I'm not sure if 12 is going to be enough I'm faily certain it will be but if it's not I'll just get another kit to add. My tank is 6x1.5x2 and I would like to keep the light drop-off at each end of my tank so my 12 leds will be centred around the middle of the tank. I'll be sure to take pics and keep you updated.

Heres a link to a guy on youtube who has used these kits on his marine tank, the videos are him documenting how he set these lights up from start to finish. I work with electrickery everyday so I just found them useful to see how easy these kits are to work with and to get his opinion on them.

Matt

[Willo]

Hi Willo,

I pulled the trigger and ordered a 12 led kit on Sunday night I got a confirmation email yesterday telling me they had been dispatched and then another email today telling me they had left the USA. In total the kit, a moonlight kit and a potentiometer came to AUD$141.66 including postage. Not a bad price if you ask me.

I'll be installing mine in a closed hood, a dalbarb style one if your familiar with them, so I haven't got alot of room to work with.

I'm planning to not use the lenses at this stage to get a better spread of light since they won't be mounted very high.

My plan for mounting is at this point aluminium square tubing, I've borrowed this idea from this guy it's the same post as mentioned above. I'll be running two lengths of aluminium tubing from either end of the hood and mounting them to the hood with 90 degree brackets, Spacing between the tubing is something I'm yet to figure out again aiming to get a good spread. Then as you can see in that post I'll be placing the leds at certain intervals along the length to get the effect I want.

As a little extra thing I also ordered a 2 LED moonlight kit from Rapidled I'll be mounting them on another section of aluminium tubing running at 90 degrees to the other tubing so running from front to back of tank. The way it will attach will be between the two main tubes on a slight angle, the LEDS will therefore aim down at the water on an angle. At this stage I'll run with two leds and if it's not enough moonlight I'll order another two leds and throw them in the circuit.

Right... what else... Oh I'll be placing the driver and moonlight driver in a box in the cabinet to give a bit of protection from another water and what not and also so it looks a little tidy since I'm using a potentiometer to adjust the brightness as I wish. The use of some quick disconnect plugs mounted up at the back of the hood will make removing the hood easy if I wish without pulling all the drivers and whatnot out with it.

Anyway thats a basic rundown on my plan, I'm not sure if 12 is going to be enough I'm faily certain it will be but if it's not I'll just get another kit to add. My tank is 6x1.5x2 and I would like to keep the light drop-off at each end of my tank so my 12 leds will be centred around the middle of the tank. I'll be sure to take pics and keep you updated.

Heres a link to a guy on youtube who has used these kits on his marine tank, the videos are him documenting how he set these lights up from start to finish. I work with electrickery everyday so I just found them useful to see how easy these kits are to work with and to get his opinion on them.

Matt

Thanks for the comprehensive response. I too had a good read of neogenesis' DIY job and it's looks like a good solution with the square tubing. Should be able to mount that with ease to the hood.

Out of curiosity, did you choose any blue globes? Assuming you got lenses with the order, what degree did you choose (40, 60 or 80)?

I was contemplating going with the 24 LED solution (like you, don't really know if 12 will suffice) and was going to get 6 blue, and the remaining white. I am looking for an even light across the tank and mine is 6x2x2 so possibly need a couple more LED's than your setup anyway.

I look forward to seeing how your little DIY comes along - from what i've seen it's a good solution, and great how you can dim the lighting to suit the environment/your mood and needs.

Edit: I placed the order. I decided to go with the 'P' driver which will be controlled by the PWM unit. I'm guessing you went with the 'D' driver as the potentiometer won't work with the 'D' units. With the lenses, I asked for 12x40degree and 12x60. I'm guessing i can then access which i like and possibly have different lighting affects though the tank. I also think i'll have surplus LED's which I'll use on another tank.

Are you planning on welding/connecting the bracket which will hold your moon lights to the two length of 'heat sink' that run at 180degrees?

Cheers,

Willo

[matsout]

I did order some blue LEDs they are actually part of the kit so you actually get 6 blue and 6 white LEDs thats the part I'm a bit concerned about as well that it may be too blue. But then again looking at James' pictures about he has the same kit I've ordered and it looks ok. The top picture is what I want. I may order some more white when I see how it looks, not sure yet.

Lenses... I went for the 60 degree optics but as I said I might not even use them, I want a fairly even spread to avoid spotlighting, and apparantly the optics are there to help penetrate deeper in to the tank so that would ultimatly create a bit of a spot light effect when you mount them as close as I am to the surface.

Good to see your giving it a crack as well, I've ordered the D driver, which may (looking back on it) have been an oversight because I want to maybe also get the PWM unit , I'll do some investigating, see if you can still run the D with the PWM, actually I'll email Rapidled direct and find out.

The moonlight bracket, well that was also something I realised last night when purchasing the aluminium wasn't going to work the way I intended. That way was with L shapend brackets but I obviously won't be able to get the nuts inside the long tubes to hold the screws going through the brackets so now I'm trying to think of a different way to attach it without welding because I don't have access to a welder.

One other option I've come up with is mounting them lengthways to my lid which is on a slope down towards the front of the tank, this way they will be on an angle facing towards the back. I'm still toying with this idea so I'll let you know how it goes.

Matt

[Willo]

If you find you need more white and less blue, let me know - I'm sure I can spare some for you. You'll mostly be restricted by the drivers i imagine.

As for the D or P unit, I made the same mistake as you. However I ordered the P unit with the pontentiemetre which i later read wouldn't work. I did also read that the PWM unit won't work the the D driver. Looks like you'll have to stick with the pontentiometer with the D unit.

Luckily I realised my error before shipping, so emailed them, paid the extra $29 to get the PWM unit rather than the DIY 2 Colour dimming kit and should get it sent tomorrow.

From what I read, the D unit should be slightly easier to wire up which will be in your favour. Only downside being the PWM unit has the ability to program different lighting sequences (sunset/dusk) etc.

In any case, if it's already on the way - you can either set it up and upgrade down the track, or perhaps they'll let you do an exchange - obviously costly with postage.

I like your idea of mounting the moonlights on the front of the hood that's already angled - you'll just have to leave slack in the wiring as if it's like my hood it's a moving part.

Happy days,

Willo

[Willo]

Ordered my rapidled kit last Thursday, and received it today. Super fast postage from the US for $35. can't wait to put it together.

Did you get yours Matt? I'm heading to Metal land to get my square aluminum 'heat sink' today.

[matsout]

Hey willo,

hmm thats interesting mine still hasnt shown up and i ordered last sunday. I am expecting it today or tomorrow however, ive been tracking it online and its at the 'foreign delivery unit' as of yesterday.

Anyway i attached my aluminium last night, took a few attempts getting the tubing all level and straight with each other. Ill chuck some pics up when i get home today. all in all im happy with the tubing. Hopefully i can get cracking with the lights tonight or tomorrow.

Oh you were right, the d driver doesnt work with the pwm but thats ok ill be happy with this setup to start with, might add a pwm and change drivers later on.

Matt

[Willo]

Hey willo,

hmm thats interesting mine still hasnt shown up and i ordered last sunday. I am expecting it today or tomorrow however, ive been tracking it online and its at the 'foreign delivery unit' as of yesterday.

Anyway i attached my aluminium last night, took a few attempts getting the tubing all level and straight with each other. Ill chuck some pics up when i get home today. all in all im happy with the tubing. Hopefully i can get cracking with the lights tonight or tomorrow.

Oh you were right, the d driver doesnt work with the pwm but thats ok ill be happy with this setup to start with, might add a pwm and change drivers later on.

Matt

Would love to see some photos - very interested to see how you attached it to the hood. Did the aluminum cost you much?

I guess I got lucky with the customs. According to the tracking log, it was only in customs for 11 minutes. Note, customs was the last entry, nothing to indicate it's been delivered (yet)

This is my log:

Detailed Results:

Bullet Out of Foreign Customs, June 06, 2011, 3:55 pm, AUSTRALIA

Bullet Into Foreign Customs, June 06, 2011, 3:44 pm, AUSTRALIA

Bullet Arrived Abroad, June 06, 2011, 3:43 pm, AUSTRALIA

Bullet International Dispatch, June 04, 2011, 2:40 pm, ISC SAN FRANCISCO (USPS)

Bullet Arrival

Bullet Electronic Shipping Info Received, June 03, 2011

Bullet Processed through Sort Facility, June 03, 2011, 8:05 pm, SAN JOSE, CA 95101

[matsout]

theres the problem mine was in customs for 20 mins anyway they did turn up today as expected, had a nte in the mailbox to go pick them up, Very happy with whats arrived so far. I've been flat out this arvo chasing up extras I need like wire (I'm mounting the driver and potentiometer under my stand so I need a bit of length there) and an extension cord to modify to attach to the driver.

Don't worry guys who are worried about safety I'm an Avionics Technician so I play with electrickery for a living albeit on aircraft it's still the same principals, and my father-in-law is a sparky so everything is safe. Safety is my biggest thing I'm taking into consideration with this project since it's around water and it will be left alone with no supervision for days at a time sometimes.

The aluminium cost me I think around $20 each and I bought two lengths so I don't think it cost me anymore than $40 odd. I got it from Bunnings. How'd you go with yours willo?

Go here for photos. Hopefully that works??

Matt

[Willo]

Looks really good Matt - I'll definitely take some ideas away from your photos. I had a quick look at the LED's supplied - they are VERY bright. Pretty sure the 12 you got should do the job nicely.

Didn't end up getting the aluminum. I will do it tomorrow hopefully. I have a pretty hectic schedule unfortunately, so will take a while to put the kit together.

How will you be attaching the leds to your aluminum? Reading Neogenesis' post he says he screwed them in, but i can't see how that is possible, other thank putting a couple of screws either side of the led. I'm guessing thermal adhesive is the way to go.

Keep us posted with your progress.

Edit: Disregard - I saw in the manual how they screw the LED's down. I might go this option - easier to change design if necessary.

[matsout]

Hey mate,

I kinda got impatient and built the whole thing tonight it looks great, I love the shimmer, I haven't done the moonlights yet I'll get into that tomorrow after I tidy up the wiring. I Definatly don't want any more than 12 LED's. I didn't even bother measuring the output current because I have it all dialled right down and it's bright enough for my taste.

I've gone ahead and used the thermal adhesive again I got impatient and just built the darn thing. I just want to cover the connects to the leds now to prevent any moisture coming in contact with them, and I'll figure that out over the next few days. I've mounted the potentiometer in a little plastic case along with some connections to protect against moisture.

I've got a few pics of them being trial mounted before I stuck them down but I kinda got carried away and forgot to take anymore pics, apart from soldering there wasn't much more to photograph. I'll definatly get some pics of the tank tomorrow and throw them up as well as pics of the completed job (well... completed for now gotta make some adjustments here and there).

Keep us updated with your progress and if you have any questions let me know.

Matt

[Willo]

I started my frame works yesterday. It's still early days, but I have the initial frame up. Tonight I will add a couple of pieces at 90 degrees to take the moonlights. Click here for pics.... I will get the 90degree brackets welded I think, but the bars connecting to the L-Brackets will be attached by wingnuts for easy removal.

I bought some screws to hold the LED's in place, but the head is too big, so will have to try and find smaller ones. With the adhesive Matt, would you be able to remove and replace the LED's, or is it pretty much attached for life now?

I'm contemplating putting a perspex splash plate over the lighting, but haven't really investigated that much yet. Have you any plans with this regard Matt?

I am planning on having two rows, one with 9 white LED's and one with 9 blue LED's. They will be controlled individually. Not sure how it will work yet, but hoping if i screw them in, I can adjust to suit.

Would love to see some more pics Matt... I can't wait to see them in action. From the quick test I did, they are super bright running off the x2 AA batteries!

[matsout]

Hey mate,

That frame works looking really good I wish I had of thought of the L shape along the edge, would have probably made it a hell of alot easier getting it all level etc.

The adhesive I'm not entirely sure but I have given them a slight tug to make sure they are attached and they are really on there but I don't think it's anything a flat blade screw driver couldn't pry off.

With individual rows I would consider mixing the white and blue in the two rows but still individually wired so they can be controlled seperately. The reason I say this is because you can really notice the difference when the fish swim under a blue light they really illuminate blue, unless you want that effect of course. I'm just thinking you may end up with an area of tank for example the back which is really blue and an area thats really white. I could be wrong but thats just something I'd look at, mine are mixed so it go's, blue white blue white and etc.

So I think screws would be a good choice if yo can find some small enough so hat you can change it if you don't like it, I'm just lucky I'm really happy with the layout I ended up with.

The perspex is something I'd like to look at so I'm keen to find out how this can be done, just simply to prevent any splashing that may come up while I have the lids open for example at feed time, my Mbuna certaintly make a splash.

Unfortanatly the pics just don't do it justice, it's not quite that purple more blue.

But anyway here's some Pics. I've included some shots of everything once I got it out of the box,some shots of when I was laying the leds out in the pattern I would finally go with and also some shots of my wiring after I cleaned it all up and made it neat.

I ended up just mounting the moonlights on the same tubing as the normal lights aimed straight down, which I'm still happy with. The moonlight is certaintly something to get use to, I had cold cathode lights in there before and they were blue blue these moonlight leds have a hint of purple to them but in saying that I'm still quite happy with them. They are actually called Royal blue.

Oh something elses I am happy with... the heat, with my 12 leds each length of tubing around the area of the leds is warm but not hot, not even close to being hot. so heat shouldn't be a problem.

You won't regret it trust me

[Willo]

The tank looks awesome Matt! I too am pretty happy with the lighting thus far. Although I've not put the hood on the tank yet, I completed works tonight (apart from getting a connector to allow me to separate wiring).

I will post pictures of the finished product tomorrow. I took your advice and mixed up the blue and white LED's, as opposed to having individual rows of colours. I also went with the adhesive rather than the screw option - I agree with you, think they should be able to separate easy enough.

I went with a bolt and wingnut solution, so if for any reason i need to separate the lighting from the hood, it's easy to do without removing the hood. Here is my work thus far Clicky

Basically, the front row is 5 white LED's and 4 blue LED's. The cross bars in the middle are 4 moonlights, and the back row is 5 blue LED's and 4 white LED's. I haven't added any lenses yet - will wait till it's on the tank to see how it looks. That's tomorrow's job.

[matsout]

hey willo,

how did the lights come up? ive since added the lenses to the white leds on mine the white now seems to stand out a bit more from the blue, i like the effect.

hows the heat go with your drivers? mine seems fairly hot.

matt

[matsout]

hey willo,

how did the lights come up? ive since added the lenses to the white leds on mine the white now seems to stand out a bit more from the blue, i like the effect.

hows the heat go with your drivers? mine seems fairly hot.

matt

[bimbo]

Haven't felt the driver for a while but it was warm from memory. I have lenses on just the white LED and found it looked great creating a bit of light and dark contrast without spotlighting areas. I tried them on the blue LED as well but it made the blue really stand out - blue patches - so I took them off and just left them on the white.

I am really glad I when down this route cause it looks amazing.

Cheers

James

[Willo]

Similar to bimbo, the drivers are warm, but not unbearable to the touch. I'm yet to properly mount them though, and when I do, they won't be enclosed as I was originally thinking. The PWM unit generates barely any heat. Edit: I did the mounting for the two drivers and PWM unit tonight. Used some spare offcuts I had lying around. Pics here and here

I didn't add the lenses at all, but given the two of you have found good results, I might revisit this decision and give them a chance.

I do love the lighting though, and my original concern of it generating too much heat under the hood is total unfounded. The aluminium heatsinks are warm to the touch, but in no way hot, and much cooler than i expected. The aluminium tubing is a great idea... all credit to an individual (neogenesis) who i don't know on another forum.

I get a lot of positive feedback on the clarity of light, especially the blue tinge. I'm a big fan of the shimmering effect on the rock background which is impossible to capture in a photo. Perhaps I'll take a movie tonight to 'show off'. If anyone is thinking of going down this track, go for it. . I haven't put a power usage meter on it yet, but my calculations have it running at about half the wattage of my 4x3foot T8 globes I had running - this is crude calculations though.

I probably spent about $300 all up to complete the job, but I didn't use all the LED's i bought (only using 18 out of 24). I did take a lot of man hours for me to do the soldering etc, but I was a lot more anal about quality than i needed to be. I hid all the wires etc, and that was very labour intensive (read boring).

Thanks for the inspiration to do the job!