Aquapod 24 Lighting

[fayzane]

Just wanted to share some information regarding AP24 tanks if you're having issues obtaining replacement bulbs.

http://www.nanotuners.com/product_info.php?products_id=115

I found out we can order NEW endcaps so that different bulbs can be utilized. The AP24 has a 40watt ballast (model # 12014T), so if the endcaps are swapped out, straight-pin bulbs can be used instead of the square-pin bulbs. I plan on exploring this option and will let you know if any difficulties arise.

My plan is to get two straight-pin endcaps, drill holes to move them over towards the edge further, connect them to the existing ballast, and then use Coralife 16" 36 watt replacement bulbs. I want the endcaps moved over to prevent the longer bulbs from being too close to the opposing edge. This should give approx 3/4" clearance between the end of the bulb and interior hood. I am assuming I can continue to use the existing fans for cooling. The stock bulbs are 34 watts so I am hoping an increase of only 2 watts is not going to jack up the heat.

Let me know if you see anything disasterous with this plan, PLEASE! I am not exactly gifted when it comes to electricity

 

[slim_jim989]

You could also go led route if you wanted haha

 

[fayzane]

You could also go led route if you wanted haha

I considered that, but am trying to keep the cost as low as possible for now due to saving money for other household projects. They got an awesome looking LED upgrade:
http://www.nanotuners.com/product_info.php?products_id=619&osCsid=5krbihsrl4hq5ajdt3176t6nj3

I'm just balancing $10 vs $400 at the moment...I'd rather spend the $10 now and still go on vacation with my hubby!

 

[slim_jim989]

Haha yeah I know what you mean.

 

[freakin]

I just did a 28 led bc29 retro for ~$200. There are less expensive options out there besides absolute best quality

 

[fayzane]

I just did a 28 led bc29 retro for ~$200. There are less expensive options out there besides absolute best quality

Freakin, please do share! I'm trying to decide on whether to go with the Nanotuners upgrade, or DIY. Do you have any resources to offer?

 

[freakin]

Fayzane,

I chose to use a different brand of LEDs than the Cree or Luxeon everyone else uses. When most people run them at 30-40% power anyways I don't see the need to spend 3x the price to get a 20% improvement in performance.

A relatively new player is StevesLEDs.com. This guy is an engineer (i assume EE) by trade and loves LED aquarium lighting. He got samples from 7 or 8 different Chinese manufacturers and ran a stress test on all of them until he found the most reliable. He then contacted the factory and had them tweak their royal blue diodes to be a proper actinic output (455nm). They are 3W diodes that run at 700mA max and have similar output power to the Cree. His website is an absolute pile of crap with way too much information and not enough direction. I used him only for the diodes.

The best thing is they are only $2.15 each mounted on a star instead of $6+ like the Cree or Luxeon. It was an easy choice for me, especially since if I absolutely hated them it was only $60 worth of LEDs.

Here is what I ordered

~$50 - 1 nanotuners large AIO heatsink for BC29/NC28/etc
~$14 - 28 Berquist thermal pads from nanotuners.com for mounting diodes. I don't have a drill press and didn't want to deal with non-removable thermal epoxy. These seemed like a good alternative and made the install quite easy
~$60 - 28 StevesLEDs diodes mounted on stars, even white/blue distribution
~$70 - 2 Meanwell ELN-60-48P LED drivers. Unless you have a controller you will probably want to go with the "D" models instead of the "P" models as they are easier to build a dimming circuit for
~$10 - misc wire (22awg), solder, etc

It's a little over $200 when you add in shipping, etc. The hookup is also slightly different than most builds.

The Meanwell drivers are designed to output a constant current from ~1-1.3A. The StevesLED diodes run at 700mA max. What I did was tweak SVR2 so the Meanwell output 1.3A at 100% dimming, then run two parallel strings in series so each string gets 650mA. The normal problem with any parallel wiring of LEDs is that if a single diode burns up then the rest of the string absorbs the addition current, potentially overdriving the LEDs. This is mitigated with this wiring setup by using a "grid" layout where each LED of the string is paired with the LED in the parallel string. This way if one diode dies then only the other paired diode absorbs the additional current. If the paired diode also dies then both strings break, ensuring you would only ever lose 2 diodes before noticing. So instead of having 1 driver powering 1 string of 13 LEDs at 1A each, you have 1 driver powering 2 strings of 7 LEDs each at 650mA each.

The nanotuners AIO heatsink made mounting in my BC29 as easy as possible. The mounting holes were already pre-drilled and they provided screws and standoffs. After finishing the project I just gutted the hood and dropped it in.

As for dimming (which you almost certainly want with a proper LED setup) I am using an arduino based controller. You can build a simple circuit for under $10 to dim the Meanwell "D" type drivers that consists of only a few components. Alternatively you can get ballpark dimming by getting a variable voltage DC adapter usually 1.5/3/6/9v which roughly corresponds to 15%/30%/60%/90% dimming but I advise against this.

If you have enough 3W LEDs to cover your tank properly and run them at full power you are going to have way too much light. That is why dimming is so important.

That is a lot of info, I know, so let me know if you need clarification.

I included a few pictures so you can see my setup. There is one mistake in the wiring in the pictures which I actually just noticed (so I have a LED not connected)

I'm currently running my Whites around 30% and my Blues around 50%