Another DIY LED lighting

[Jameshong]

LEDs on the way from HK and should get it by next week !

[orca]

Hi Bro Jameshong,

May I ask you for some advice pls. I am trying to diy a led light for my planned nano tank but am stuck with some issues. The layout I have in mind is as shown below:

I will most probably be using the SSC P4 Pure white and Royal Blue 3W leds. The white and blue leds will be separately clustered in series and separately controlled. Please advise:

1. Is my schematic below correct?

2. What currect should I be running through the white leds and blue leds?

3. Am I correct that blue leds should be running lower current than white leds? As such, I will need to put a resistor in front of the blue leds. So how many ohms should this resistor be?

4. What led driver do I need for this configuration?

5. Can lens be added later or do I have to purchase the leds with lenses upfront?

I am very sorry for asking you such basic questions but I don't have much electrical engineering knowledge and this is my first attempt at such a diy. Your kind assistance will be most appreciated.

Thank you.

andre

[Jameshong]

Hi andre,

Please refer my answer to your question in red .

Hi Bro Jameshong,

May I ask you for some advice pls. I am trying to diy a led light for my planned nano tank but am stuck with some issues. The layout I have in mind is as shown below:

Your layout is perfectly ok .

I will most probably be using the SSC P4 Pure white and Royal Blue 3W leds. The white and blue leds will be separately clustered in series and separately controlled. Please advise:

1. Is my schematic below correct?

Regards to your schematic and the LEDs connection, I strongly advice you to series the LEDs instead of parallel. In parallel circuit, you need mirror circuit to protect both strings of LEDs in case one of the LED string fails and current overflow to their string which may causes more LEDs to die off. Therefore, series connection is safer than parallel unless you have adequate knowledge on electronic circuit.

For ease of control, better to use 2 power supplies to control PW and RB LEDs individually so that corals and fishes will not get stress when the full lite suddenly turn on. Beside that it's very enjoyable to watch moon light effect in the nite time too.

LEDs in series.

2. What currect should I be running through the white leds and blue leds?

700mA~ 1A.

3. Am I correct that blue leds should be running lower current than white leds? As such, I will need to put a resistor in front of the blue leds. So how many ohms should this resistor be?

Not true. Both can run at 700mA~1.A.

4. What led driver do I need for this configuration?

Meanwell Power Supply. It come with LED driver integrated.

5. Can lens be added later or do I have to purchase the leds with lenses upfront?

Yes you can buy it later. I would advice you to plan ahead and decide what you want. If your tank's depth is more than 2ft and you have/intend to go into SPS, I strongly advice you to use 40~60 degree len otherwise no needs.

I am very sorry for asking you such basic questions but I don't have much electrical engineering knowledge and this is my first attempt at such a diy. Your kind assistance will be most appreciated.

It's Ok. We are here to learn and share our knowledge !

Thank you.

andre

[reefcrazy]

Hi andre,

Please refer my answer to your question in red .

Hi James,

Thanks very much for your answers to my questions. If I go for two power supplies (ie. two led drivers) instead of one and run 1A of current through both series of leds, which model of Meanwell power supply should i purchase baring in mind that I will be having 8 SSC 3W Pure Whites and 7 SSC 3W Royal Blues? How do I size it? I get very confused because sometimes you guys talk in amps, sometimes in volts and then there is also the 3W rating on the leds. I know that power = voltage x current but how do all these about driving at 1A, etc. fit into the formula? Would be really grateful if you can help shed some light into this confusion of mine.

Tx, andre

[Jameshong]

Hi James,

Thanks very much for your answers to my questions. If I go for two power supplies (ie. two led drivers) instead of one and run 1A of current through both series of leds, which model of Meanwell power supply should i purchase baring in mind that I will be having 8 SSC 3W Pure Whites and 7 SSC 3W Royal Blues? How do I size it? I get very confused because sometimes you guys talk in amps, sometimes in volts and then there is also the 3W rating on the leds. I know that power = voltage x current but how do all these about driving at 1A, etc. fit into the formula? Would be really grateful if you can help shed some light into this confusion of mine.

Tx, andre

Hi bro,

You got 2 account name leh ?

Anyway, LED is current driven not voltage driven so constant current is very important.

Your formula is correct, 1A * 3V =3W but SSCP4 can go up to 3.75V which meant It's 3~4W LEDs.

For your setup, IMHO...PLN-30-36 is the best bet !

Alternatively, you can look for sherman as he might have spare 1A Power supply driver to sell.

Regards.

[BarraCudaTM]

LEDs on the way from HK and should get it by next week !

Wow ... so fast and you are upgrading.

You are driving it at 700mA per die?

[orca]

Hi bro,

You got 2 account name leh ?

Anyway, LED is current driven not voltage driven so constant current is very important.

Your formula is correct, 1A * 3V =3W but SSCP4 can go up to 3.75V which meant It's 3~4W LEDs.

For your setup, IMHO...PLN-30-36 is the best bet !

Alternatively, you can look for sherman as he might have spare 1A Power supply driver to sell.

Regards.

Hi bro James,

Sorry about that. I was logged on under my father's nick to help him check for any pm when your reply came in last nite. In my haste to respond, I forgot I was logged in as reefcrazy which is my father's nick. Anyway, no harm done i hope.

Thanks again for the clarifications. I check the specs for PLN-30-36 and it says the rated current is 0.84A and current range is 0 - 0.84A. Does that mean the max current it can drive is 0.84A? If so, does that mean I will not be able to go for 1A as discussed?

Also, dc voltage is rated at 36V. Does that mean i can potentially use it to drive up to 12 3W leds? So for my project, am i right to say i should be using two PLN-30-36 with one driving 8 SSC Pure Whites and the other driving 7 SSC Royal Blues?

Where can I purchase the Meanwell power supply? Is there a local distributor? How much is one, roughly?

Any idea where I can purchase the meters for measuring LUMINOSITY, PAR and PUR? Are they expensive?

Sorry again for asking so many questions and thanks ahead for your kind assistance.

cheers,

andre

[Jameshong]

Wow ... so fast and you are upgrading.

You are driving it at 700mA per die?

hahaha...hand icky lor !

anyway..I'm driving it at ~600mA per die.

[BarraCudaTM]

hahaha...hand icky lor !

anyway..I'm driving it at ~600mA per die.

Going by yr current blue to white ratio, changing to P7 will shift the color temp more towards BLV10K and lower.

[Jameshong]

Hi bro James,

Sorry about that. I was logged on under my father's nick to help him check for any pm when your reply came in last nite. In my haste to respond, I forgot I was logged in as reefcrazy which is my father's nick. Anyway, no harm done i hope.

Thanks again for the clarifications. I check the specs for PLN-30-36 and it says the rated current is 0.84A and current range is 0 - 0.84A. Does that mean the max current it can drive is 0.84A? If so, does that mean I will not be able to go for 1A as discussed?

Also, dc voltage is rated at 36V. Does that mean i can potentially use it to drive up to 12 3W leds? So for my project, am i right to say i should be using two PLN-30-36 with one driving 8 SSC Pure Whites and the other driving 7 SSC Royal Blues?

Where can I purchase the Meanwell power supply? Is there a local distributor? How much is one, roughly?

Any idea where I can purchase the meters for measuring LUMINOSITY, PAR and PUR? Are they expensive?

Sorry again for asking so many questions and thanks ahead for your kind assistance.

cheers,

andre

Hi andra,

Meanwell dun have 1A driver as it either come with higher or lower amp

. So if you want higher, go for PLN-45-36 which is 1.25mA.

Meanwell

SM System Control Pte Ltd

No 2 Woodlands Sector 1

#05-06 Spectrum 1

Singapore 738068

Tel: 65-68532555 Fax: 65-68531555

For Par meter, I think Simlim tower/sq may have but you have source around. Price wise , not sure.

[Jameshong]

Going by yr current blue to white ratio, changing to P7 will shift the color temp more towards BLV10K and lower.

Yap...that what I'm afraid of but 12KK is acceptable. I may change the 4xUV to Royal Blue if the temp differ to much lor !

[BarraCudaTM]

Yap...that what I'm afraid of but 12KK is acceptable. I may change the 4xUV to Royal Blue if the temp differ to much lor !

Your previous ratio is ~1.4:1 white to blue ratio.

If you change it to P7, that would be ~5.5:1 white to blue ratio.

It will appear yellowish ...

[jc85]

Hi James, can I check what is the acrylic thickness you used in ur project from Dama?

Cheers

JC

[Jameshong]

Hi James, can I check what is the acrylic thickness you used in ur project from Dama?

Cheers

JC

Mixture of 4mm and 5mm.

[jc85]

Tks for the prompt reply.

Cheers

JC

[gp2700]

bro Jameshong,

How many LEDs can you connect in series using a 12v power supply?

Assuming the specs of 3.7v forward voltage and 350mA forward current per LED, connecting the LEDs in series means we can connect only 3 LEDs per power supply, am i right ?

When using the meanwell power supplies, is a resistor still recommended to protect the LEDs?

[Jameshong]

bro Jameshong,

How many LEDs can you connect in series using a 12v power supply?

Assuming the specs of 3.7v forward voltage and 350mA forward current per LED, connecting the LEDs in series means we can connect only 3 LEDs per power supply, am i right ?

When using the meanwell power supplies, is a resistor still recommended to protect the LEDs?

Yes, only 3 LEDs if it's constant current power supply else you may have to minus off 2v if you uses some external LED driver such as buckpuck.

No needs resistor as long you are connecting the LEDs in series !

[Jameshong]

Your previous ratio is ~1.4:1 white to blue ratio.

If you change it to P7, that would be ~5.5:1 white to blue ratio.

It will appear yellowish ...

How about below config?

4*P7 PW

12*P4 PW

19*P4 RB

[BarraCudaTM]

How about below config?

4*P7 PW

12*P4 PW

19*P4 RB

Have you considered using the CREE XPGs?

It peaks around 440nm

Min 114lm@350mA or min 285lm@1000mA (105lm per watt)

[Jameshong]

Have you considered using the CREE XPGs?

It peaks around 440nm

Min 114lm@350mA or min 285lm@1000mA (105lm per watt)

Any lobang?

[BarraCudaTM]

Any lobang?

Can get from www.cutter.com.au

[Jameshong]

Can get from www.cutter.com.au

Shipping fee is high If I'm wrong !

btw, CREE XPG only come with white only! Currently, I'm looking for a few pcs of Royal blue .

[BarraCudaTM]

Shipping fee is high If I'm wrong !

btw, CREE XPG only come with white only! Currently, I'm looking for a few pcs of Royal blue .

Free shipping for over $100.

Royal blues, you have to look at XP-E, which is what I have ordered.

[Jameshong]

Free shipping for over $100.

Royal blues, you have to look at XP-E, which is what I have ordered.

Free shipping from Au to Sg? What courier service isit and etd?

[BarraCudaTM]

Free shipping from Au to Sg? What courier service isit and etd?

I dont know you have to ask them. Mine was shipped afew days ago.