# Finnex powersupply burnt out :(



## theericafish (Apr 27, 2012)

Came home tonight to an unlit tank. I have 3 finnex lights and have been using them for about 2 years at 8 or less hours a day.

Taking apart the little power supply you can definitely see that it has failed and googling will show you this is a known issue. I was actually aware of this because it had happened to my friend and he had ebayed a new psu and soldered it back together to get it working again.

That all being said I do love the finnex lights and I need light over my tank. I was hoping someone could provide advice or possibly a new psu considering the lights are advertised at 10000hrs and its failed at at most 5840hrs.

Specs on the little device are 

Finnex Fugeray 20inch

AL-20WM
Input: AC110v-240v
Output DC15v
Watt 10w

While I'm ebaying parts from china if I can locate them I would appreciate a response from finnex, if I remember bear posts on here or some name similar.

By the way in my journal you can see what these lights can do. They are pretty great.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

theericafish said:


> That all being said I do love the finnex lights and I need light over my tank. I was hoping someone could provide advice or possibly a new psu considering the lights are advertised at 10000hrs and its failed at at most 5840hrs.
> 
> Specs on the little device are
> 
> ...


Ahhh "marketing" 101..
The diodes didn't fail (which is where they base their ratings on).

Enough of that.

Meanwell RS150-15

You can power 10 Finnex w/ it.. 
FUN thing is you can boost the voltage to up to 16.5V.. Then it will be much brighter.. BUT shorter lived.. 
Turning it below 15V and you can increase the diodes lifespan (at the cost of some output)
(NOTE GENERAL possibilities, not recommendations.. )
$25.25

RS-150-15 Mean Well | Mouser

Anyways any 15V 1A or greater switching power supply will do.

That said are you referring to the Finnex w/ internal PS?
If so I'd look to gut it to the bare board and run it from an external PS.
Thought only old RayII's were internal?

so I'm a bit confused here. PS's inside the light is not a good idea..

2012 Fugeray.. external brick:










IF the lights are close enough together to have up to 5 on one power supply (4A or better) may I suggest adding a TC420 to control each one.. 
http://www.leynew.com/en/productview.asp?id=544

It can handle 2A per channel (30W)

Make the Finnex what it is meant to be..


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## theericafish (Apr 27, 2012)

Thanks for the reply! I ended up getting a 15vdc psu with 800ma which turns out about 12w. I picked it up for 5$ at a local used computer parts store. Then soldered and shrink wrapped the connections for safety.

I ended up contacting Finnex about this issue too and the response was not exactly pleasing. I can understand the lighting being sold as 10000hrs for the diodes but some thought should be put into using a proper power supply not only for longevity but also because you are selling a consumer product that not everyone would know how to repair. It seems not uncommon that it burns out either and I think a lot of companies that honor their customers would provide a slightly better solution or at least an apology.

Finnex advised me to buy a new psu for 30$ shipped. Considering the light new cost about 70$ that means I'm paying close to half the cost of the light for a psu that could cost around 5$ locally or from elsewhere. I would still have to do the actual repair myself or pay shipping and handing both ways for them to repair the issue that is basically their fault to some extent. There was also no sorry or any apologies for the failure on their end. 30$ for a 5$ part is kind of greedy when you are at fault in my opinion.

Love the lights but I really wish I had something good to say about Finnex customer service except their speedy response.


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