DIY LED Build...

Ordered this from nanotuners.com:
1 x Nanocustoms Small Heatsink for AIOs
2 x Meanwell ELN-30-27D
12 x CUSTOM BERQUIST THERMAL PADS FOR XRE STAR
6 x CREE XRE-WG-Q5 on Star
6 x CREE XRE-RB on Star

For the dimming controls for my build I picked this up at radioshack:
1 x 12v 1000ma wall adapter (Part # 273-0316)
2 x LM317 (Part # 276-1778)
2 x Linear Taper 10k Pot (Part # 271-1715)
2 x 1k ohm Resistor (Part # 271-1118)
2 x 470 ohm resistor (Part # 271-1115
1 x Project Box (Part # 270-1803)
1 x 3 pk 22g Wire (Part # 278-1224)
1 x M solderable jack (Part # 274-1577)
1 x PC Board (Part # 276-0150)
1 x 2 pk Metal Knob (Part # 274-0424)
Here are some pics of the dimming box construction. Feel free to ask any question.





I spent about an hour polishing the heatsink because I like the bling. This is it ready for solder...


This is all the components completed and ready for install, which will not happen for a little while. Someone has already bought my BC14 with the LEDs togeather He is being very patient and letting me use it until my 65g is ready to accept its contents. It would not feel right to run lights he has already paid for. I am just going to install them when I get the tank emptied.

 

You could run much more LEDs than this with two meanwells

 

These are not normal meanwells. They are ELN-30-27D's and were actually kind of a pain in the ass to get. The most common meanwells, ELN-60-48s, would have been to much for this setup. This was designed specifically for a 14 gallon tank and this will be more then enough light to do anything you could want to do. I did not want to run a powersupply setup like the buckpacks but wanted to be able to individually control the blue and white LEDs.

 

Very nice build. Thanks for joining 3reef.
How is the heat output with these LEDs?
Any tank shots with this light?

 

LEDs transfer little to no heat to the water. The heatsink and thermal paste should keep the actual LEDs at low temperature to lengthen the already insane life of the actual LEDs.

Unfortunately I will not have any tank shots, some has already bought the tank they were going in and the lights as a pair.

 

Thanks for info. What are your plans now?

 

This is my current build. http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-of...4g-65g-upgrade-build-pics-quetions-85003.html I would love to put LEDs over it but that would be pretty expensive. Unless people started paying me to do custom setups, which I have had some local interest in.

 

I'm with you on that one. I'd love to make a a fixture for my 85g, but it would cost me far too much.

 

With the way you have it wired, how will you know which LED is out if one goes out? From looking at it, if one LED goes they all don't work.

 

Yeah, I priced out the fixture for my 65g, and was looking at about $700 in the materials by themselves.