designing an LED lighting fixture

[darklcd]

good day all

I am just wondering if anyone can tell me how to design an LED lighting fixture. I have herd they are really good and are even better then mh set ups for some people. I just don't have 2500 bucks for a lighting fixture and I am wondering if anyone can tell me how to design one of have any info on how to

thanks

 

[DonW]

good day all

I am just wondering if anyone can tell me how to design an LED lighting fixture. I have herd they are really good and are even better then mh set ups for some people. I just don't have 2500 bucks for a lighting fixture and I am wondering if anyone can tell me how to design one of have any info on how to

thanks

I looked into it. The leds for this sort of fixture are expensive and you wont save a whole lot by the time its all done.

Don

 

[NaH2O]

I didn't look into it for building myself, but after talking with some folks about it, I agree with Don. If you were going to make a set-up like the Solaris, you'd end up spending as much as the fixture costs to purchase.

 

[morgan]

i wouldnt not of thought an led light fixtuer could support a reef
ive wanted blue leds for moon lights and im sure that would be just a vist to dick smith or tandy for basic electircal crap or a quick kit

 

[NaH2O]

morgan - here is a link to the LED light fixture we are talking about: Solaris LED Hood. Different than an LED moonlight.

and an article: Product Review: A New Horizon in Lighting: PFO's Solaris LED System

 

[dhnguyen]

The Solaris fixture is expensive and nice but I wouldn't agree that LED is better than MH. Maybe some day but not as yet. This is a new technology and yet to be matured. There are still problems with it.


D.

 

[tamarindthai]

The Solaris fixture is expensive and nice but I wouldn't agree that LED is better than MH. Maybe some day but not as yet. This is a new technology and yet to be matured. There are still problems with it.


D.

i'm totally agree,,

 

[dhnguyen]

Also PFO may have a competitor in the LED lighting market soon enough The more manufactureres, the better for us consumers

http://www.aquaillumination.com

 

[plack]

" There are still problems with it."

WHAT PROBLEMS ?

Some people in this club have one already or are going to buy one very soon !!

As far as i knew -when I saw it in person -the only dis-advantage's were the cost and the par . The par was at that time only as bright as a 250 watt halide but they were supposed to get it closer to a 400 in a matter of 2 months approximately ! Aquaillumination only has a 2 year warranty and is only pre selling currently. It's exciting to see competition. Eventually many will go this way as the cost comes down and electricity prices go up.



Paul

 

[dhnguyen]

" There are still problems with it."

WHAT PROBLEMS ?

Some people in this club have one already or are going to buy one very soon !!

As far as i knew when I saw it in person the only dis-advantage's were the cost and the par . The par was at that time only as bright as a 250 watt halide but they were su[pposed to get it closer to a 400 in a matter of 2 months approximately !



Paul

You just said it.

Problem 1. par is not as good as MH
Problem 2. QC and build quality is an issue given the high cost.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1080494&perpage=25&pagenumber=4
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1080494&perpage=25&pagenumber=5

 

[darklcd]

A friend of mine was looking into it for me hes into computer stuff and lighting and all that sutff I told him what I was looking for and hes going to look into it and see what kind of price I am looking at.

I had a look at the Aquaillumination fixture. It looks really good just wondering on a price and I mean come on who needs a bluetooth connection on a lighting fixture lol

 

[dhnguyen]

Well a bluetooth connection will allow people to write software to control the fixture remotely from the computer. That's actually a great idea. But then again I'm a geek so.... :lol:

 

[darklcd]

lol me too but I am not that into it.

 

[dhnguyen]

The Aquaillumination fixture looks like it could be a better design than the Solaris. Just for the fact it is modular so that you can add on more light as you need. With the Solaris, you are stuck with whatever you bought.

http://www.aquaillumination.com/upgrade.html

 

[Skimmy]

if solaris would mix there new 400w arrays with some t5's i think they'd have a winning ticket.
i personally was very impressed with these...
they will be just like computers, you will buy one, 6 months later they will come out with led's twice as powerful...etc, etc...
but, just like a computer, if it is powerful enough to do the job, and works for your application, who cares if they release better ones??? you buy what works and use it until it dies, then buy a new one.
and not having a chiller or having to buy m.h. bulbs every 8 months will save you some cash as well.
all in all, i think they are great, just wish i could afford it, mabye in another year after the chinese get their hands on it.

and that aquaillumination unit looks waaay better than than the solaris... i hate the way the solaris looks

 

[dhnguyen]

Yeah but that's just it. From everything I have read about the Solaris, it isn't up to par (pun intended) with MH or T5HO

The new LEDs from Aquaillumination looks promising on the PAR though

We'll see...

 

[dhnguyen]

One thing that I DO like about the Aquaillumination unit better than the Solaris is its modular design. That way you can add to your existing unit as you need unlike the Solaris. With the Solaris if you bought a 48" unit and later upgrade your tank to 72" you're screwed....You have to buy a whole brand new fixture for the 72". Not so with the Aquaillumination as from what I read, you can simple add on another section instead.

 

[-=dieseldave=-]

All the studies I have read is there is a large drop off in the LEDs intensity as it heats up(10-20minutes). Several of the hight powered LEDs 1w-3w require heat sinks even with the heat sinks there is a drop off of 40-50%. When the current LED systems out for aquarium industry are tested do you think they have the intensity drop off ? Do you think the figures they are posting are before or after the drop off? Just some food for thought when looking at a huge investment on a lighting system.
Thank you,
David

 

[dhnguyen]

I'm not sure about the manufacturers' tests at all actually. For all we know they may be before the dropoff. Actually knowing how most manufacturers are about their product ratings, I wouldn't be one bit surprised that the test results were before so as to their advantage.

All the more reasons why I stated that this is a new technology that is yet to be matured or stable enough for us to compare against MH and T5


D.

 

[sfarid123]

Aquaillumination LED question

All the studies I have read is there is a large drop off in the LEDs intensity as it heats up(10-20minutes). Several of the hight powered LEDs 1w-3w require heat sinks even with the heat sinks there is a drop off of 40-50%. When the current LED systems out for aquarium industry are tested do you think they have the intensity drop off ? Do you think the figures they are posting are before or after the drop off? Just some food for thought when looking at a huge investment on a lighting system.
Thank you,
David

Hi,
My question concerns if there are any light intensity loss due to LED heat production. Some of the online reef community forums suggest that there is a 40-50% intensity loss after 20 minutes of usage even with all the heat sinks and fans. Could you please verify ?
Thank you.

Aquaillumination Reply:

There is an inherent loss as the LEDs warm up and equalize, however it's more like 10%. The measurements on our website are taken after at least an hour to get the LEDs up to a stabilized temp to give a more realistic reading.

If the fixture is designed poorly, it is possible to see that great of a loss. We spent the better part of a year designing the thermal management of this product, to ensure an acceptable temperature is maintained.

Please let me know if you have any other quesitons.

Best regards,
-Chris


Chris Clough
President
Key Devices, Inc.