1ft diy led setup

This is not strictly a planted tank, but just thought I would show a pic of it with the aim of showing the DIY lighting. The only light going into the tank is from two 3watt leds. That are running at about 80% of maximum.

I will build a better fixture for the lighting and neaten up the power supply in a month or two, then move some gloss into the tank and see how it does...just needed to procrastinate!

 

any questions tips and hints are most welcome!

I have a question- Where can i get a very thin sheet of aluminium, need it to mount the leds on, as a heat sink....

 

Hi dougbb.
Good job.
Could you show a closeup of the components?

 

Hi darryn this is a drawing for now:



The resistor is a 1.5ohm one, ideally it would be 1.25 but couldn't get one, or a 2.5....

 

3watt LED's? Where did you get them and what did they cost?

 

I guess that is a normal PC power supply. Using the 12+v and the 5+v gives you 17v ??

 

@whipme, they are actually 3.7 watt, put out 228lumen with 1amp power supply. Got them online at dealextreme for just under $5. Worked at R33 when I paid. Can post direct link if u keen?

@Ace007- Yeah it is, I used yellow and black to give me 12volts but can combine to get what ever voltage one would need. In the end for the small tank i want a total of 6 leds, so about 18volts. But ill split it in two, so 2 series of 9volts...

 

That would be awesome if you could post a link
Can't you use a laptop power supply or a normal little electronics transformer like the ones you get for cellphones and battery chargers?

Oh, and how long did the shipping from DealExtreme take? Because there's a few things on there that I'd love to get, but haven't ordered from them yet...

 

Most standup pouches and sachets have 7micron foil in it.
PM me your postal address,I will try get you some.

 

@algae, know its a doff question, how thick in comparison is 7micron, like tinfoil or like cardboard? Will it function as a heat sink? But sounds good, aluminium sheets are everywhere, just not anywhere near me!

@Whipme ---http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2394, use bulk shipping to drop the price. The leds came in 2weeks, but still waiting for other things, shipped on 20th but have left hongkong, so will come this week... A cellphone charger ive used for smaller leds, but they supply very low current! and only at a set voltage. Could use a laptop as that would give you a regulated and higher current, but would still need to have current controllers in place to prevent over running the leds.. I just managed to get pc power supplies and the mods are easy to find on the net

 

cool. I think i may need something like 2mm or more, need it to provide some structural support too, and think it can also dissipate more heat away from the leds if its a little thicker.

 

2mm is more plate than foil.
you can get 3mm at Aluminium trading in Sebenza

 

ah yeah, a roll of 3mm aluminium would be rather interesting. Ill google them, thanks for the help Angus!

 

update: got a few off cuts of aluminium. Not perfect but think it will take a heap of time to get some really nice pieces together.

I had it working great then like an idiot forgot to put the controller in, hence blew the middle led and it now looks purple and is very weak
Might replace it later or tomorrow.
tank on left has 9w or 11w cfl. Right has 2 3watt leds, and 1 blown led





Underside of aluminium strip.


I've got a pretty cool idea for this. Have a set power supply, say 1amp 30volts so can power ten high powers in series. But each led is a separate piece that can be linked upto the next one, kinda like a lego type thing, but different

 

Looks real good

 

Looks nice...

Place the LED's over the other tank so that you can see the difference it gives in the same tank.

Price tag on this so far??

 

Looks real good, is it waterproof?

 

thanks. price for 3led r110 about.the power supply was free and r 50 for wire and connectors. the current controller is about r10 max,but think about r5,might still have the component receipt. it is in theory water proof but silicone over the connections onto led would then be perfect. ill switch it to other tank this evening,great idea for comparison thanks

 

some pics->


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next two show a comparison for tank on the left. Couldn't fit the cfl behind the left hand tank. But its pretty easy to see the difference.
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