I don´t get it, Please Help

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victor5211

Guest
OK this is my situation, i have a pico and want to rig an led series of just one white and one blue to just grow zoos and mushrooms but i´m not understanding this math and what not.. resisters, amps... IDK.
I´ve done the research but not comprehending.
How can I do this as simply as possible.
Thanks
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Check out rapidled they have DIY kits and would take all the guess work out of it for you...Maybe Spanko, KingNeptune, or Tannersmith will chime in.....
 
V

victor5211

Guest
Thanks I look them up and the sell a kit called :

06 Ultra Premium LED Do-It-Yourself Retrofit Kit
it comes with:
on a small aquarium I'm sure this would be overkill but the price is pretty good, now i was wondering if hooking up just one of each emitter color type would be possible without burning my house down.(one blue and one white; instead of 3 blues and 3 whites)
 
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victor5211

Guest
Wait I think I found something better:
I found this on ebay it


DIY UltraBright CREE Q5 LED w/Driver HeatSink - 12v
Product Dimensions: L53mm x H36mm
LED: CREE Q5 LED
Emitter Color: White
Input Voltage: 6VDC - 24VDC / 10AVC-16VAC
Len Reflector: 10 Degree


f rom what I understand all i have to do is splice a 12v phone charger to this and call it done.
Is this possible and will this be enough light for zoos and mushrooms aa . Thanks
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Those actually look pretty sweet. Not sure about the power supply needed for the units. I would ask the seller for verification.
 
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victor5211

Guest
Ok I bought the ebay cree... now the difficult part: I´m sure this will still be alot of light for just zoos and mushrooms so is there a way to make it dimmible (easily)
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
I'm sure SCSInet or one of the electrical guru's will chime in.....Maybe PM KingNeptune. I'm pretty sure his setup is controllable.
 
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victor5211

Guest
Is this how I'm suppose to connect everything

Paint didn't let me write text for some reason so I will explain my madness:

  • Gray Circle is Heat Sink with LED in the middle

  • Black Box is the Driver

  • The Green Thing is the Potentiometer
    The Orange Rectangle is the 12V Ac
    The Yellow Squares are were things get spliced
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Hey Victor, appologies but I don't think you can actually dim that light because it's not utilizing a dimmable driver. There may be a way to still do it but I'm not sure. All of the builds that I've seen done use a POT with in conjunction with dimmable drivers. That's not to say that you could run the light with a dimmable driver...I just don't think it's going to work with the one that it came with. The POT it'self requires a 9v power supply which it then sends to the driver which tells it how much power to or not to put out as you turn the dial. You could get a Meanwell driver ELN 60-48D that is dimmable for about $35 and hook your lead up to that and then run a POT.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by victor5211 http:///forum/thread/382856/i-don-t-get-it-please-help#post_3344395
Thanks I look them up and the sell a kit called :

06 Ultra Premium LED Do-It-Yourself Retrofit Kit
it comes with:

[*]
3 Cool White Cree XP-G R5 LEDs
on a small aquarium I'm sure this would be overkill but the price is pretty good, now i was wondering if hooking up just one of each emitter color type would be possible without burning my house down.(one blue and one white; instead of 3 blues and 3 whites)
I know you already bought the other light but I kind of like the idea of the 6 bulb kit a little better. How big is this pico tank, dimension wise? If you went to that site and clicked on the link that says dimming accessories you could pick up a POT for $3.50 and a 10V power supply for $10. Then you would have the abillity to dim all of the bulbs. If you wanted to split them seperate the white and blues you could add a second driver to control the two colors individually with two POT's. Create a different look and feel for the tank.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
A single LED or a string of LEDs can be driven using a driver module or a simple current limiting resistor. I've always used resistors.
Drivers can usually acheive a bit more efficiency and can handle advanced functionality such as dimming or accomodating varying input voltage. However, if all you want to do is drive a few LEDs at a single brightness level, a simple dropping resistor will do the job. You need to know a few things:
1. Power Supply Voltage
2. Number of LEDs
3. Forward voltage of one LED
4. Forward current of one LED.
To power a string of LEDs in series, all LEDs should have the same forward voltage and current specification.
The sum of all forward voltages (or the forward voltage of one LED multiplied by the number of LEDs) must be added together. Current does NOT.
So, say you have:
1. 12v
2. 3 LEDs
3. 3.6v
4. 750ma
To calculate a dropping resistor, use this formula:
R = (Source Volts - Forward Volts) / Forward Current
Current must be specified in amps (1 amp = 1000ma). R will solve in ohms.
So, 3 LEDs @ 3.6 Forward Volts = 10.8v
R = (12 - 10.8) / .750
R = 1.2 / .750
R = 1.6 Ohms
I'd use a 5w wirewound power resistor for this purpose.
BTW... your wiring diagram above doesn't look right. It looks like your potentiometer will short out your power supply and do nothing but generate lots of smoke.
 
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victor5211

Guest
The tank is "approximately" 4in High, 5in Long, and 3in wide, I am guestimating. I lost my ruler
 
V

victor5211

Guest
Should I just go with the

JBJ Nano-Glo 4-LED Magnetic Refugium Light.
would this be a good alternative for me since i'm just planning on growing softies
Thanks
 
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