LED Design
- Thread starter giulianom
- Start date
My new Mean Well 185 Watt dimmable LED drivers have arrived - and they're HUGE compared to the normal 50 Watt chinese drivers.
These drivers are the ones that put out 5.2A at up to 36V with a 3-way dimmer circuit (100K potentiometer, 1-10V, 1-10V PWM) - perfect for three 50W LEDs that require 32-36V at 1700mA each (1700mA x 3 = 5.1A) with the LEDs in parallel.
IP67 rated waterproof, 18 gauge power input wires, hefty 14 gage output wires, and 18 gauge wires for the dimmer.
Cost was about $88 each, plus shipping.
The new Mean Well HLG-185H-36B:
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These drivers are the ones that put out 5.2A at up to 36V with a 3-way dimmer circuit (100K potentiometer, 1-10V, 1-10V PWM) - perfect for three 50W LEDs that require 32-36V at 1700mA each (1700mA x 3 = 5.1A) with the LEDs in parallel.
IP67 rated waterproof, 18 gauge power input wires, hefty 14 gage output wires, and 18 gauge wires for the dimmer.
Cost was about $88 each, plus shipping.
The new Mean Well HLG-185H-36B:
I picked up some 1" x 1" x 1/8" aluminum angle yesterday, along with a 10" metal-cutting cut-off saw blade, a pop-riveter, and some rivets.
Here's what I'm planning to do with the corners of the frame - rather than weld/braze it, I'm going to go with epoxy and mechanical fasteners (rivets), along with corner braces.
Once I cut the pieces to size, I'll epoxy glue the corners together with the braces, then I'll rivet them together for strength.
The small holes in the braces are 1/8" for the rivets, and the center holes are 1/4" for an eye-loop bolt to hang the frame from.
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Here's what I'm planning to do with the corners of the frame - rather than weld/braze it, I'm going to go with epoxy and mechanical fasteners (rivets), along with corner braces.
Once I cut the pieces to size, I'll epoxy glue the corners together with the braces, then I'll rivet them together for strength.
The small holes in the braces are 1/8" for the rivets, and the center holes are 1/4" for an eye-loop bolt to hang the frame from.
Came up with an idea for building a cover for the LED frame, out of 1/4" acrylic.
With the cover, the assembly is 4' 1/2" long, 5 5/8" deep, and about 3" tall.
I think I know some guys who can build me the acrylic cover... ;-)
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With the cover, the assembly is 4' 1/2" long, 5 5/8" deep, and about 3" tall.
I think I know some guys who can build me the acrylic cover... ;-)
I set up a 32 Gallon Brute today with some live rock, and since they need some light... I took one of the original 50W LEDs that is labeled as a "20,000K" color, and put one on top.
Here's a video:
<div class="gc_ifarem_title">50W 20,000K LED over Live Rock - YouTube</div>
The water's a little cloudy, as I just mixed the Salinity yesterday...
Here's a video:
<div class="gc_ifarem_title">50W 20,000K LED over Live Rock - YouTube</div>
The water's a little cloudy, as I just mixed the Salinity yesterday...
I picked up six of these 78mm diameter 60 degree lenses:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220878887592">http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220878887592</a>
These lenses are far larger than any of the others I've seen, and so they should do wonders with dispersing the light from the 50W LED chips.
And, the locator pins on the reflector match the LEDs perfectly.
Pictures:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/9UTZr.jpg>
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http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220878887592">http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220878887592</a>
These lenses are far larger than any of the others I've seen, and so they should do wonders with dispersing the light from the 50W LED chips.
And, the locator pins on the reflector match the LEDs perfectly.
Pictures:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/9UTZr.jpg>
And here's a model of the LED fixture, with new models added for the LED chips themselves, the reflectors, and the optics.
The LEDs are evenly spaced across the 4' long bar, but the perspective makes it look a little odd at the far end.
I plan to extend the blue acrylic cover down, and make a bottom with holes cut to let the optics poke out.
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The LEDs are evenly spaced across the 4' long bar, but the perspective makes it look a little odd at the far end.
I plan to extend the blue acrylic cover down, and make a bottom with holes cut to let the optics poke out.
And here it is, redesigned with the larger optics and a full-box enclosure with fan holes in the top, and slot vents on the sides.
Top:
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Bottom:
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Side:
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Inside, with the top being removable/removed:
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A few more tweaks, and I'll probably get SEA to build me the box.
Top:
Bottom:
Side:
Inside, with the top being removable/removed:
A few more tweaks, and I'll probably get SEA to build me the box.
Found some interesting statistics on PAR readings for the LEDs that I got, according to the eBay vendor.
50W 455nm Royal Blue Led Panel for Aquarium
PAR reading(Instrument: Apogee MQ-200): 920
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220811201050">http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220811201050</a>
50W 10000K High Power 4000LM LED Panel for Aquarium
PAR reading(Instrument: Apogee MQ-200): 1490
[IMG]http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-10000K-High-Power-4000LM-LED-Panel-Aquarium-/220887675646">http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-10000K-High-Power-4000LM-LED-Panel-Aquarium-/220887675646</a>
50W 20000K High Power 4000LM LED Panel for Aquarium
PAR reading(Instrument: Apogee MQ-200): 1308
[IMG]http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-20000K-High-Power-4000LM-LED-Panel-Aquarium-/270738329590">http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-20000K-High-Power-4000LM-LED-Panel-Aquarium-/270738329590</a>
The above measurements were taken 6" away from the LED panels, according to the eBay vendor.
50W 455nm Royal Blue Led Panel for Aquarium
PAR reading(Instrument: Apogee MQ-200): 920
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220811201050">http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220811201050</a>
50W 10000K High Power 4000LM LED Panel for Aquarium
PAR reading(Instrument: Apogee MQ-200): 1490
[IMG]http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-10000K-High-Power-4000LM-LED-Panel-Aquarium-/220887675646">http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-10000K-High-Power-4000LM-LED-Panel-Aquarium-/220887675646</a>
50W 20000K High Power 4000LM LED Panel for Aquarium
PAR reading(Instrument: Apogee MQ-200): 1308
[IMG]http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-20000K-High-Power-4000LM-LED-Panel-Aquarium-/270738329590">http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-20000K-High-Power-4000LM-LED-Panel-Aquarium-/270738329590</a>
The above measurements were taken 6" away from the LED panels, according to the eBay vendor.
alcatoe;708070 said:GiulianoM;700023 said:And here it is, redesigned with the larger optics and a full-box enclosure with fan holes in the top, and slot vents on the sides.
The box itself is/will be 48" long, 6" wide, and about 4.5" tall.
I'm still waiting on the box to be built by MRC, hopefully it should be done in a week or so.
My tank isn't up yet (still!), and I have nothing to compare it to in regards to a MH or T5's.
I may decide to bring it to the next club meeting in January to show it off, if it's done by then.
Some of the latest design changes I made to the box ditch the aluminum interior frame, and the heatsinks are mounted via 1/2" aluminum square bars, which will be screwed down into the acrylic box's frames.
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Last week I got some of the parts I needed - wires, fuse holders, 1.75A fuses (perfect for a 1.70A LED), and the 1/2" aluminum mounting bars.
I may have missed it. Can you summarize what you ended up going with in terms of color temperature (in K) for each of the 6, 50W chips? 3-10k and 3-455nm?
Also, there seems to be some price disparity between the eBay sellers. Who did you end up going with for the chips?
Jon
Also, there seems to be some price disparity between the eBay sellers. Who did you end up going with for the chips?
Jon
You got it, the final configuration is/will be 3 x 50W 10K, and 3 x 50W 455nm.
The ebay vendor I went with in the end for the LEDs and the optics was ac-rc:
http://stores.ebay.com/acrc">http://stores.ebay.com/acrc</a>
The specific ones I got were:
[IMG]http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-10000K-High-Power-4000LM-LED-Panel-Aquarium-/220887675646?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336dee72fe">http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-10000K-High-Power-4000LM-LED-Panel-Aquarium-/220887675646?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336dee72fe</a>
[IMG]http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-455nm-Royal-Blue-Led-Panel-Aquarium-/220811201050?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33695f8a1a">http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-455nm-Royal-Blue-Led-Panel-Aquarium-/220811201050?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33695f8a1a</a>
They also have some interesting hybrid LED panels:
50W version with 24 x 10k and 24 x 453nm LEDs
50W version with 20 x 10k and 30 x 453nm LEDs
100W version with 40 x 20k and 60 x 453nm LEDs
The LED drivers I'm going to be using are from Meanwell, in the HLG-series line, fully dimmable.
I ordered some Molex 2-pin .093 connectors from Mouser.com to use for connecting the LEDs and the drivers together.
You can get them at Fry's, but for these I ordered larger terminals that can accept a larger wire gague (14 GA), which is what the LED drivers use for their outputs.
They're friction-fit, and the little tabs on the sides are meant for panel-mounting the connectors.
You cut a square hole for the connectors to fit through, and the tabs fold back and hold the connector in place.
I have a piece of aluminum panel that I plan to cut mounting holes in, and attach to the back of the acrylic LED box.
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You can get them at Fry's, but for these I ordered larger terminals that can accept a larger wire gague (14 GA), which is what the LED drivers use for their outputs.
They're friction-fit, and the little tabs on the sides are meant for panel-mounting the connectors.
You cut a square hole for the connectors to fit through, and the tabs fold back and hold the connector in place.
I have a piece of aluminum panel that I plan to cut mounting holes in, and attach to the back of the acrylic LED box.
Today, I picked up some Acrylic Conformal Coating from Fry's in Duluth today, which will be used to cover and protect any of the exposed electrical contact points from corrosion.
It's a clear liquid that is brushed onto anything electronic you want to protect, can be re-coated in 2 minutes and fully cures in 24 hours.
It's a good insulator, and works on items that get as hot as 221F.
They also had versions there that were Silicone or Urethane based, but for this purpose there's really no difference.
Cost: $10
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Also, I'm picking up the acrylic box on Monday, fully CNC router cut and assembled.
Here's the top view of the box only:
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Here's the bottom view of the box only:
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Top view with the heatsinks shown:
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Bottom view with the LEDs and optics:
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With any luck, I may be able to get started on the wiring this week...
It's a clear liquid that is brushed onto anything electronic you want to protect, can be re-coated in 2 minutes and fully cures in 24 hours.
It's a good insulator, and works on items that get as hot as 221F.
They also had versions there that were Silicone or Urethane based, but for this purpose there's really no difference.
Cost: $10
Also, I'm picking up the acrylic box on Monday, fully CNC router cut and assembled.
Here's the top view of the box only:
Here's the bottom view of the box only:
Top view with the heatsinks shown:
Bottom view with the LEDs and optics:
With any luck, I may be able to get started on the wiring this week...
I picked up the acrylic light box from MRC the other week, and I'm (finally) making some progress on building these lights...
Here's the inside of one end of the box, with the top side of the reflector, and one of the aluminum support bars that the heatsink will mount to.
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And here's some of the other 1/2" aluminum bars, marked up for cutting to length.
They're supposed to be 5.25" long, and they're slightly longer - so I'm trimming the ends with a cut-off saw and a carbide-tipped 40T blade.
It cuts through the aluminum like butter</em>.
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Slightly larger view of the interior:
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Here's the inside of one end of the box, with the top side of the reflector, and one of the aluminum support bars that the heatsink will mount to.
And here's some of the other 1/2" aluminum bars, marked up for cutting to length.
They're supposed to be 5.25" long, and they're slightly longer - so I'm trimming the ends with a cut-off saw and a carbide-tipped 40T blade.
It cuts through the aluminum like butter</em>.
Slightly larger view of the interior:
Cutting jig on the miter saw.
The piece of aluminum is sandwiched between strips of wood, then clamped to the fence.
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The cutting blade - a 10" Diablo 80 Tooth (not 40) - spraying a little WD40 on the blade before the cut makes it much easier to cut through the aluminum - the lubrication is essential for metals.
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Here's the mounting bars in place for a test fit.
They'll be marked and drilled for holes next, along with the heatsinks.
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Edit:
Yes, there would be far too much current for 2 50W LEDs.
You'd need 3.4-3.5A to drive 2 LEDs at 1700-1750mA, at 30-36V DC.
You'll want a 120W, a HLG-120H-36(B) - 36V max, 3.4A constant current.
http://www.meanwell.com/search/HLG-120H/default.htm">http://www.meanwell.com/search/HLG-120H/default.htm</a>
The ones I got are 185W, driving 3 LEDs.
They're only 50W if driven at 30V, technically it's 60W at 36V.
It's the constant current range that's important, the voltage range is secondary (but still important).
The piece of aluminum is sandwiched between strips of wood, then clamped to the fence.
The cutting blade - a 10" Diablo 80 Tooth (not 40) - spraying a little WD40 on the blade before the cut makes it much easier to cut through the aluminum - the lubrication is essential for metals.
Here's the mounting bars in place for a test fit.
They'll be marked and drilled for holes next, along with the heatsinks.
Edit:
Yes, there would be far too much current for 2 50W LEDs.
You'd need 3.4-3.5A to drive 2 LEDs at 1700-1750mA, at 30-36V DC.
You'll want a 120W, a HLG-120H-36(B) - 36V max, 3.4A constant current.
http://www.meanwell.com/search/HLG-120H/default.htm">http://www.meanwell.com/search/HLG-120H/default.htm</a>
The ones I got are 185W, driving 3 LEDs.
They're only 50W if driven at 30V, technically it's 60W at 36V.
It's the constant current range that's important, the voltage range is secondary (but still important).
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