A light for skimmy

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justforfun said:
if he builds it there are chanches of it burning up and there goes all his money and time
Click to expand...

EXTREMELY unlikely. There is a chance that one driver might burn out, or a single LED will burn out, or a chance that a driver will burn out a whole string of LED's but a very small one. The chances of "it" burning up and being a total loss is non existant.

But in reality, there is a chance that my computer will catch fire when I post this reply.:tongue:
 
Well, since its a bit tedious and time consuming work that's virtually impossible. AFAIK everyone building these is soldering and testing one circuit at a time.

Having said that.

Last weekend I was building a 12LED unit for my fuge and wasn't paying attention to my work. I was drinking a couple, working hard at removing a virus from my computer and soldering my string together on the heat sink. Not paying attention, I soldered the driver up backwards. When I plugged it in nothing lit up. I quickly realized my mistake and wired up the driver properly and when I plugged it in only half the string lit up. Instead of using my electrical tester to find the problem (the right way) I disconnected the hot side of the driver while it was plugged in. I blew up all 12 LED's when it arced out trying to test it in a hurry before bed.

The driver still works, the fans are still good, the heat sink is fine, my wires are all pretinned cut shaped and ready to resolder. All I have to do is order 12 more LED's and Im ready to go. Sure mistakes can happen during a build, but if you watch what your doing, dont take shortcuts, double check your work and dont rush your project. Ever thing should be fine. There are a lot of tutorials to help these projects along. I was just being cocky and stupid with my small project.
 
what if u soldered everything together and crossed all the circuits?
Click to expand...

LOL what ifs?? if you follow a simple method of doing it your not going to do that. Also you dont even have to do any soldering?? I think its only .15 to .25 to make all the leds plug in??

Mike
 
well, my main concern with diy over manufactured is aesthetics,
and saving a couple hundered bucks.
i can go to fry's and build a computer from scratch, so i doubt ill have issues with the actual build.

this is the first enclosure that i've seen that looks pretty sleek, so this is why i decided to do a DIY.
the only thing now, is im wondering if i can conceal the wiring on the bottom of the fixture with a plate
of stainless steel or pvc with holes to allow the led optics to go through.
mike thought this would cause too much heat...
 
I don't think that piece of black acrylic with holes cutout a bit bigger than the optics and then held flush with the front of the optics would cause heating issues.. It might be tricky to attach it to the fixture in a sleak way. I can guarantee I could come up with something if I saw your fixture in person.

I do have to say though, I don't recommend looking at the bottom of the fixture. They are very bright and painful.

You should swing by to take a look at my fixture Mark. I'm sure you will be sold on DIY if you see it.
 
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Remember Skimmy you can make the box/hood/fixture out of anything you want. Anything from a box made out of black acrylic, to an old tiffany lamp shade?? lol

Mike
 
Thank you guys for posting in such detail in this thread. I am NOT a DIY guy, so for me the plug and play units are the only way I could go. I like the many options you have with the DIY fixtures though.

Mark, I agree with you about the look of the units. I have seen some very nice looking tanks that are showcased, but when it comes to them showing off their DIY LED fixtures they look like a complete mess to me. If they are concealed in a canopy that's one thing, but we don't have one.

We loved the look of our PAC SUN units and have been sold on LED's ever since. It's just to bad they were the First generation and had their fair share of problems.


So for now, until we can find that unit that is just right, simple to use, and a great Value we will just stick with our T5's. It does suck having to replace our bulbs every 6 to 9 months. In our experience, LED's are the best value. Considering the cost of maintanance of the bulbs, the electrical consumption, and the amount of water evaporation. Believe it or not, we cut our evaporation by 75% when we switched from our 250 watt halides to the PAC SUN units. We ran that tank with an open top using both units.

Great thread, that's why I choose this as my Home Site!!!!
 
Mark, if it's not to much to ask, will you please keep this thread up to date. I am very interested in what your final product turns out to be, as well as the costs. I would like to use your build to be the deciding factor for which direction I will be going. My bulbs will need to be changed in 4 months. Will I replace them 1 more time, or do just take the opportunity to upgrade my lighting. We tend to keep a lot of the same kinds of corals, have the same ideas when it comes to the Look we want, and I believe we have close to the same size tank.

Since my surgery, I have had LOTS of downtime, and I am using this time to focus on what I truly enjoy, My Reef Tank.

Thanks for your time and input. This truly is the best hobby for soo many different reasons. But the Quality of people on this Forum is what keeps me coming back!!!!
 
Hey Shane. We would totally be willing to walk you through your build if you decide to DIY. You are right down the hill so that makes it really easy and you were the first one who jumped at helping us out when we first came into this hobby 2 years ago. I will PM you.
 
Thanks for the kind words guys. I am still in the research stages of what would be best, not only for the tank, but for simple controllability. I am recovering from a total knee replacement on the right leg. I have had my share of complications with this, a bad infection that nearly ended my life. But thanks to the quick thinking of my best friend, My Lovely Wife, and Me being as damn stubborn as I am, I am still here today.

I am still considering all of my options, but I know I don't have the
skills to try to tackle this type of Project myself.


Reefing is not only my hobby, it is my passion. I am truly blessed to be a part of such a Great community.

Now let's get this thread back on track!!! This is about Marks build!!!!!

Mark, keep us posted on this:)
 
mkay, hovering on the edge here...
just cant seem to decide between DIY or prebuilt...

im also looking at a combination of 2 panorama 19w royal blue/magenta modules
and 1 UV stunner strip that i would add my existing 12w blue/white panorama module to,
for a total of 56 watts (remember this is a 12" tall tank), i would also have the dimmer switches for them,
as this fixture would just rest on the top of the tank. this option would cost me $285

as well as the mazarra X fixture coming out next month, (master and slave units plus hardware for $500)

and the kessil 20k 35w cannon ($265)

and the new evo light 36w cree nano fixture for $219

it also occures to me that i dont need 36 3 watt cree in my fixture... i could probably do with half that many, and just 2 dimmable channels, and no controller..i have a pile of digital timers... :)
 
LOL its a chunk of change no matter how you slice it Skimmy so take your time and so you feel good about your choice. If you decide to go down the DIY unit I would be willing to put it together with ya.


Mike
 
Skimmy said:
thanks buddy...
for making my decision harder :)
its looking like im going to go that route anyway.
im looking at doing something different with the housing though..
ill post pics
Click to expand...

Mark, if you need to borrow a solder gun or anything related LMK.
 
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