MTRC need help with a T5HO mod

ToXIc · Apr 27, 2011

MTRC need help with a T5HO mod UPDATE!: T5 out LEDs in

hey peeps.. i have a 48" Coralife Aqualight Pro and want to do a T5HO mod..
found a lil info via google about this one in particular from here.. Coralife Aqualight Pro mod - Page 2 - Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board
but i'm not too knowledgeable with this kind of stuff. can anyone help?

ToXIc · Jun 28, 2011

ok.. so the T5 out LEDs in..

here's a factory pic of the light

now i'm thinking 2 DIY LED bars... one on each side replacing the Compact Florescence..

Not sure the quantities of LEDs per strip.. the colors will be 2 RED; ? BLUE; ? Royal Blue

another thing guys whats with these abbreviations?
XP-E
XP-G
XR-E
XRC

poolkeeper1 · Jun 28, 2011

You can do what your saying but those Led Strips are just for Supplement lighting. You would need to do a DIY retro with a mix of your choice of Led's that will actually give the coral the proper Spectrum they need to grow. The different Led types that you listed are different color and types of Led's like Royal Blue, Cool Blue, Cool White, Nuetral White,High Noon White Etc. And certain Led's have different size Diodes
in the center that requires different type Optics to fit that particular Led.
There are many other people that can get much more into the Tech end of all the different Bulbs but basically you need Led's Optics Solderless Connectors (Optional) and Wire and fans and Drivers and the ability to DIY and your set. Also a good plan of how you will install them would help.
Bill
PS, Also forgot you will need a heat sink of some sort to keep the Led's from overheating.

Troylee · Jun 28, 2011

ToXIc said:
ok.. so the T5 out LEDs in..

here's a factory pic of the light

now i'm thinking 2 DIY LED bars... one on each side replacing the Compact Florescence..

Not sure the quantities of LEDs per strip.. the colors will be 2 RED; ? BLUE; ? Royal Blue

another thing guys whats with these abbreviations?
XP-E
XP-G
XR-E
XRC

not from mtrc but i would love to help.... 24 leds on each bar 2 in centers....i would go with all xpe leds there the newest and most efficient out.... as for colors i would go with 18 royal blues and maybe 6 blues.... i perfer all royal blues myself.... i just built some led bars for my new cube they rock man!!!!! check it out in club cube if you need any ideas....

ToXIc · Jun 28, 2011

troy i did look over your thread.. the strips made evertything look awesome.. just what i'm looking to do..
i'm not worried about the actual DIY part.. i just need help sourcing the correct inventory for the project..
my idea is having the MH as the main growth light and have the LEDs as supplement.

i think 24 leds per strip would be too much because the light fixture is only 5"-10" over the water...

mixer911 · Jun 28, 2011

How long would they be, 48" each? Are you just wanting to suppliment the actinics or add full spectrum also.

The XR-E are lower amperage than the XP-G. XP-G's can run at a higher amperage 1.5 mAh vs XR-E 1.0 mAh. XP-Gs are more efficient, meaning you can run them at a lower amperage to produce the same amount of lumens of the XR-E's at a higher amperage. The XP-Gs are used now as "High Noon" lights. They only come in Cool Whitea nd Neutral now and there are not to many lenses for them yet.

The XR-E's come in 2 types, so make sure for optics you get the same kind. There are Q5

and R5

The come in Blue, Royal Blue, Neutral white and Cool White. Lots of optics

ToXIc · Jun 28, 2011

i've been looking at reef led and rapidled but cant find a driver that can run 24 leds..

do they not make one?

gmoney243 · Jun 28, 2011

id advise getting one of the kits from Rapidled itll have all u need exept for heatsink .. also u dont really wanna run blues and whites on the same driver they run at different mA blues are like 750ma max and whites are 1500ma if using XP-G . also do u wanna run dimmable or constant current . im assuming dimmable like everyone else hehe .24 Ultra Premium LED DIY Kit with Dimmable Drivers these kits have all exept heatsink and they come with directions of use and how to run them together. but basically if u run the blues at 1050ma they will burn up .. if u run the whites at 700ma then u are only getting like 70% of the lighting out of the whites so u put them on seperate drivers and either tune them if dimmable or if using constant current drivers u just use the appropriate one.

well upon further inspection the XP-E blues are 1000ma i thought they was 750ma max its the XR-E that are 750ma as rick mentioned the XP-G whites have 1500ma max but ive read at 1000ma u get 100* light even if the max ma is 1500ma

ToXIc · Jun 28, 2011

not gonna run and whites..

Troylee · Jun 28, 2011

ToXIc said:
i've been looking at reef led and rapidled but cant find a driver that can run 24 leds..

do they not make one?

gotta run the strings parallel then you can have 24 leds per driver.... check out bills wiring diagrams at reefledlights... you will want to add a fuse and a 5w 1 ohm resistor to the mix if you run 24...

gmoney243 · Jun 28, 2011

ah ok if ur just going for actinic then make sure to read and find pics on the ratios u like the looks of cause i hear red are very strong and the blues give a purple look. i think also people arnt using optics with reds and are using very little blues to RB like 20RB to 4B.

i think for what u want u could do just 12 leds on each side .. being so close 5" from water u can space them further apart just use wider optics like 65* or i think they make some 80* optics since u r not using as a main lighting source just for extra color right?

poolkeeper1 · Jun 28, 2011

Troylee said:
gotta run the strings parallel then you can have 24 leds per driver.... check out bills wiring diagrams at reefledlights... you will want to add a fuse and a 5w 1 ohm resistor to the mix if you run 24...

Dosn't that cut them down to 350ma running them like that instead of 700ma each? Or am i missing something.
Bill

Troylee · Jun 28, 2011

poolkeeper1 said:
Dosn't that cut them down to 350ma running them like that instead of 700ma each? Or am i missing something.
Bill

in series it would but not parallel you run 2 strings of 12 positive to negative + - + -+ _ etc come off the first led on both strings with a + to the driver and come off the 12th with a negative froim each to the driver and it's fooled into thinking there is only 12 leds..... sorry not good at explaining it haha.... it works my current display is ran off 5 drivers i have a total of 150 3w crees 24 per driver....

per reef led lights below.....

This our preferred wiring for the dimmable Mean Well ELN 60-48 series of drivers. At 1.3 Amps this driver will overdrive your CREE XR-E LEDs when at full power in a single series. The solution is to run 2 parallel strings and essentially splitting the Amps. This will run two parallel strings of 12 at 650mA which is close to ideal for the CREE XR-E LED.

mixer911 · Jun 28, 2011

Troylee said:
in series it would but not parallel you run 2 strings of 12 positive to negative + - + -+ _ etc come off the first led on both strings with a + to the driver and come off the 12th with a negative froim each to the driver and it's fooled into thinking there is only 12 leds..... sorry not good at explaining it haha.... it works my current display is ran off 5 drivers i have a total of 150 3w crees 24 per driver....

per reef led lights below.....

This our preferred wiring for the dimmable Mean Well ELN 60-48 series of drivers. At 1.3 Amps this driver will overdrive your CREE XR-E LEDs when at full power in a single series. The solution is to run 2 parallel strings and essentially splitting the Amps. This will run two parallel strings of 12 at 650mA which is close to ideal for the CREE XR-E LED.

I've seen this on Bill's site numerous times and just since you posted it, it clicked :nerd:..... I am going to run my RB's this way and eliminate one of the ballasts..... Thanks Troy.

poolkeeper1 · Jun 28, 2011

Troylee said:
in series it would but not parallel you run 2 strings of 12 positive to negative + - + -+ _ etc come off the first led on both strings with a + to the driver and come off the 12th with a negative froim each to the driver and it's fooled into thinking there is only 12 leds..... sorry not good at explaining it haha.... it works my current display is ran off 5 drivers i have a total of 150 3w crees 24 per driver....

per reef led lights below.....

This our preferred wiring for the dimmable Mean Well ELN 60-48 series of drivers. At 1.3 Amps this driver will overdrive your CREE XR-E LEDs when at full power in a single series. The solution is to run 2 parallel strings and essentially splitting the Amps. This will run two parallel strings of 12 at 650mA which is close to ideal for the CREE XR-E LED.

Troy, Can I run the Inventronics 38W Driver like that doing 30 Led's instead of 15? And are all drivers able to be manipulated this way? One thing for sure you can learn something new every day.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Bill

Troylee · Jun 28, 2011

Pretty sure you can but might want to double Check with bill.... I haven't tried the new drivers myself so I can't say for 100 percent but I don't see why not personally...

poolkeeper1 · Jun 28, 2011

Troylee said:
Pretty sure you can but might want to double Check with bill.... I haven't tried the new drivers myself so I can't say for 100 percent but I don't see why not personally...

Thanks, I'll check with him and see what he say's, That would sure save some money in building a fixture.
Bill