# Nicrew Light strip timer mod..



## joemomma (Oct 12, 2006)

Interested in this for sure....I have a single Nicrew LED+ on the basic timer. I wish there was a way to do more than just a simple ramp up/down that it offers.


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## BOTIA (Dec 23, 2003)

joemomma said:


> Interested in this for sure....I have a single Nicrew LED+ on the basic timer. I wish there was a way to do more than just a simple ramp up/down that it offers.



Does yours have the switch that allows you to go and turn off the white lights? If so not too complicated to separate the two circuits and you would get to keep your power supply.
Since I'm Combining teo light strips Single larger output power supply is required.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

joemomma said:


> Interested in this for sure....I have a single Nicrew LED+ on the basic timer. I wish there was a way to do more than just a simple ramp up/down that it offers.


Are you referring to this model when you say plus?


https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Aquar...ated/dp/B07PFHD1G1?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1


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## BOTIA (Dec 23, 2003)

jeffkrol said:


> Are you referring to this model when you say plus?
> 
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Aquar...ated/dp/B07PFHD1G1?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1




Pretty sure he means classicplus or he would not be using basic timer.


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## joemomma (Oct 12, 2006)

BOTIA said:


> Pretty sure he means classicplus or he would not be using basic timer.


Correct - this is the one I have. It didn't come with a fancy remote. So this might not work for me.


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## DaveKS (Apr 2, 2019)

joemomma said:


> Correct - this is the one I have. It didn't come with a fancy remote. So this might not work for me.


What other controls do you need besides intensity and duration? The RGB led look horrible on their own.


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## BOTIA (Dec 23, 2003)

joemomma said:


> Correct - this is the one I have. It didn't come with a fancy remote. So this might not work for me.


Ok so the mod I'm doing will work for you  
Your light same wiring etc as mine. I'll draw up the circuit shortly and post it.

Bump:


DaveKS said:


> What other controls do you need besides intensity and duration? The RGB led look horrible on their own.


Yes not loving the rgb on their own, I am actually going to swap out some of the led's and replace with some Pink grow spectrum ones. Just have to decide configuration.


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## joemomma (Oct 12, 2006)

DaveKS said:


> What other controls do you need besides intensity and duration? The RGB led look horrible on their own.


I was hoping to get sort of a "moonlight" effect for evening viewing.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

joemomma said:


> I was hoping to get sort of a "moonlight" effect for evening viewing.



Hook it to a TC420 or 
TC421..









You can program a "night period"..

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32836591673.html


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## DaveKS (Apr 2, 2019)

joemomma said:


> I was hoping to get sort of a "moonlight" effect for evening viewing.


Just get that multi channel controller Jeff linked to above, put nicrew on one channel then just get you a little light like these and mount it up in your canopy and just run it on it’s own channel/time at lowest intensity.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C3KP268/ref=twister_B07GRFKZCL?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

With canopy like yours, I’d get that white one, mount it pointed up into canopy and then put a white or sky blue colored flat reflector above it so light bounces off that and fills tank with nice soft even glow. Will actually look like real moonlight not that fake looking blue bulb crap. 

Light coming from moon is not deep blue in color.


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## BOTIA (Dec 23, 2003)

jeffkrol said:


> Hook it to a TC420 or
> TC421..
> 
> 
> ...



These will not work with nicrew light.
They have common negative, the tc421 etc require a common positive.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

It will work if you use 1 channel global dimming.
You can reverse it fairly easy to do multi channel at a bout $3 extra per channel..
Feed a PNP Mosfet w/ the negative pulses out of the TC...

https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/10-lighting/1135130-beamswork-tc420-need-some-help.html






Only difference was Finnex wasn't naturally split into channels






If you combine the Nicrew to one channel you can run it simply as designed..

This is a PNP MOSFET but high current and high gate
https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/datasheets/1794datasheet.pdf
https://www.adafruit.com/product/1794?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9eOsyoPG5gIVOffjBx2VcAI0EAkYAiABEgJAV_D_BwE

Think the orig was an NTE2373 but those are relatively expensive..


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## BOTIA (Dec 23, 2003)

Here is a rough sketch of circuits to control white and rgb of the nicrews classic separately using two of there cheap ramp timers.
I prefer the basic one for RGB for long-term viewing during the day. The pro one has six intensity adjustable time blocks that you can set , I'll use that one for the white to get a nice curve to simulate daytime.

The bottom one is the circuit just to use for one strip


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## BOTIA (Dec 23, 2003)

jeffkrol said:


> It will work if you use 1 channel global dimming.
> You can reverse it fairly easy..
> 
> https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/10-lighting/1135130-beamswork-tc420-need-some-help.html
> ...




fyi the nicrew in Question has two channels one is all white the other channel has red green and blue on together. But no way to separate they control the red green and blue as they are in the same circuit.

If you want separate channels for RGB circuit and white you need to add the MOSFET to reverse the outputs.
By the time you add up the cost of the MOSFETs and that timer still way cheaper to buy two of the night crew ramp timers , However I do like that option better since you could get the Wi-Fi one in control it with your phone.
I would definitely go the mosfet route If I was to do it again for another tank but I already had the ramp timers so it is a simpler way to go.
Thanks for the great link


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

BOTIA said:


> Here is a rough sketch of circuits to control white and rgb of the nicrews classic separately using two of there cheap ramp timers.
> I prefer the basic one for RGB for long-term viewing during the day. The pro one has six intensity adjustable time blocks that you can set , I'll use that one for the white to get a nice curve to simulate daytime.
> 
> The bottom one is the circuit just to use for one strip





Great idea.. thanks..
As to pricing..
I've seen tc-420's as low as $15..There are lower priced ones but not sure how much I trust them..
Need a windows PC though for programming. which in this day and age may be a bit problematic.

Tc-421 $26.80 inc. shipping
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...VDfDACh0uqQ9uEAkYDCABEgLW_PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


not sure of the time points in the Nicrew, or other like timers but the tc seems to have more flexibility.. a do I need it basis though..


Got to say it's very odd that the Nicrew uses a negative ground since that means their controller uses a PNP switching circuit internally.
Orig, like all the miles of strip lights ect that was very uncommon..
PNP Mosfets are more expensive and less efficient than NPN types used in all the other controllers..


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## BOTIA (Dec 23, 2003)

jeffkrol said:


> Great idea.. thanks..
> 
> As to pricing..
> 
> ...




Negative ground is annoying, I was going to use a rgb strip light bluetooth controller originally that uses an iOS app to control..Did not take apart the light until after it came. I'm just going with simplest solution for me at this time. If I had to do it again , probably do it differently... cest la vie


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## Fizbi (Sep 26, 2011)

I just installed a new Fluval AQUASKY 48" LED light controlled by my Andriod (and IOS supported) app via Blutooth. Simulates day storms, moon, gradual ramp up/down daylight conditions. The app is free and it updated the LED driver firmware on the fly.



I'm very pleased with it.


The app controls endless light settings.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

BOTIA said:


> Negative ground is annoying, I was going to and rgb strip light bluetooth controller originally that uses an iOS app to control..Did not take apart the light until after it came. I'm just going with simplest solution for me at this time. If I had to do it again , probably do it differently... cest la vie



I might need to get a dimmer just to see what MOSFET they use.. 

https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Channel-Aquarium-Digital-ClassicLED/dp/B0814C7THC?ref_=ast_sto_dp


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