Led 101?

Does anyone know a site where i can learn all about leds from soup to nuts , thinking of going diy? I see some fixtures incorparate violet or purple and some have just blue and whites. whats the difference cree and reg leds? i have been checking outModular LED vs Boost leds mu v2 series.

 

Don’t know of any “Soup to Nuts” web sites… however I have done a number of projects using parts from both Rapid LED & Modular LED. Both companies have good complete DIY retrofit kits or you can just pick out the appropriate equipment.

My personal preference ATM is a mixture of Cree cool whites, Royal Blues, & Reds. I like a two to one ratio of whites, blues to reds. I.E. 16 White, 16 Blue, 8 Red. I will dial down the intensity of the red LED’s until I have the overall color combination that I am looking for. (I really don’t think the red are necessary, I just preferred the look with some red spectrum added).

I have been using a combination of Blue & White on tanks for years now and am very pleased with the overall results. The added red spectrum is a recent addition on my new SPS frag tank and I really like the look.

I think LED systems are still evolving so there is a lot of experimentation to be done. My next build will likely be using whatever Cree comes up with next, and who know what spectrum combinations will be available a year from now!

 

thank you , What do you think of boost leds mu series v2?

 

I don't have any experience with their products, so I really can't comment on their effectiveness.

You could easily do a DIY system for the same or less money and have complete control over the spectrums used. If you however do not want to go DIY – That looks like a fine product.

 

I believe boost led uses bridgelux leds. If you look at the lumens / par produced, it takes approximately 3 bridgelux leds to equal 2 cree leds. They are great leds and will get the job done for you, but it will take more wattage / power and leds than the crees. However, the up front cost will be a bit cheaper for the bridgelux. If you are considering those leds, you also may want to look at aquastyleonline.
For some great diy cree leds, I would check out rapidled. They have a new solderless triple puck kit with all cree leds that looks extremely easy to put together. The only downside is the lack of color options at the moment (1 rb, 1 b, and 1 cw in each 'triple puck') It is definitely more expensive than aquastyle, but it uses superior leds. 8 x Solderless Triple Puck Kit with Dimmable Drivers - Rapid LED.

Hopefully this helps =).