# 3 Watt Full Spectrum LED's



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

JeffK usually has something to say about LED's
Looking for opinions here.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

The BeamsWork thread has someone who switched them out.


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Maryland Guppy said:


> JeffK usually has something to say about LED's
> Looking for opinions here.



well, calling them "full spectrum" is a bit misleading.. 










Concept is sound. Blue LED w/ deep red phosphors..

400-840 is a stretch as well..


----------



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

I realize it is misleading.
Growth has really taken off and required dimming that channel.
Duckweed has since exploded. Netting a lot of it.
But these LED lamps do have something to offer.

I am trying now to blend them with 10K lamps.
New fixture attempt, you never know?


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Maryland Guppy said:


> I realize it is misleading.
> Growth has really taken off and required dimming that channel.
> Duckweed has since exploded. Netting a lot of it.
> But these LED lamps do have something to offer.
> ...


you can create "white" by adding a cyan LED next to it..


Ocean Coral White - LEDGroupBuy.com
royal blue/cyan/660nm red

Idea for some correction...
cyan and 4000k..









note it is still quite blue tinted (20000+ K).
MORE 4000k:










80 CRI 6945K


----------



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

All my duckweed has doubled in two days.
Easy 80% of the surface covered.
Unknown rotala has grown an inch.
These LED's have made a difference.
BBA has not been pearling either, like in the past.:laugh2:
It is an experiment again.
This new burst in growth is running @ 25% on the old UV channel.

When the UV's @ 385nm were at peak performance no BBA.
As they dimmed and degraded BBA at highest levels in tank began.
Maybe the swap to full spectrum will help?
When new the UV channel ran at full 700mA.

New fixture experiment is a 7 led heatsink disk.
It includes 3 full spectrum and 4-10K @ 24VDC @ 700mA.
It is much more pink than I would like @ 50% and under.
Once over 50% intensity it looks great.

Intended to use these on a 75 gallon newly acquired tank.
Building 3 fixtures with two disks each. 42 watts per fixture.
126 watts for the entire tank. I always over-build and dim though.
I don't try to target high light and use ferts based on water testing.
I have managed to avoid the algae farm method.

More 3 watt LED's coming, "The China Wait Game"


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

To balance color, it's important to understand that light is additive. It doesn't degrade or lose intensity when it's blended with other colors. Thus, a better color rendition will be attained not by using 10000K LEDs, which is a blue LED with very small amounts of yellow phosphor, but with neutral white LEDs, probably at a 8:2 ratio with the FS, with some supplementary violet and 470n, blue to balance out the low blue spectra.


----------



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Thought of this too.
I have some RB's, 4K, and 6.5K in house.
Not sure what will end up on these disks yet.


----------



## skanderson (Jul 25, 2010)

I would try adding lime leds to brighten it up and fill the gap those red/blues have left.


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

skanderson said:


> I would try adding lime leds to brighten it up and fill the gap those red/blues have left.












By 500nm you have little power left. not a good substitute for cyan/blue though a visual brightener to the human eye.
After 650nm not the best for deep red addition either, but not too bad for orangy-red...

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/356533-lime-leds-are-dubious/


----------



## skanderson (Jul 25, 2010)

good point maybe a couple cool blues as well. but I would try lime first as it seems to fill in about 90 percent of the hole in those other emitters spectrum.


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

skanderson said:


> good point maybe a couple cool blues as well. but I would try lime first as it seems to fill in about 90 percent of the hole in those other emitters spectrum.


not according to this composite. Peaks not to scale and horz. axis an approx but it will give you an idea.
no red, cyan,blue, or violet...












Best description would be eye candy..


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Maryland Guppy said:


> Thought of this too.
> I have some RB's, 4K, and 6.5K in house.
> Not sure what will end up on these disks yet.


Any progress on the discs and fs led's?


----------



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Some progress with 1st China batch.
Tested and didn't like the color, not appealing to the human eye.
I have to post more after work today with a pic.
Without a meter I feel as though I am working in the dark.

PAR meter that is.
Here is where it's at.
1 - 700mA LDD-H per fixture @ 48VDC
3 full spectrum, 3-10K, and 1-3K in the middle.
The spectrum is some what tolerable???
42 watts per fixture, 3 will go over a 75 gallon lo tech.
In the high tech the full spectrum are growing most plants like mad.


----------



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

jeffkrol said:


> Any progress on the discs and fs led's?


I edited my last post with a pic.
FS by themselves I would imagine would create growth like mad.
They would be very unappealing for viewing though.
I will be using more channels from my StormX to run this mess.
In the end the StormX was a deal, it will be running 4 tanks.
LDD-H drivers and a breakout board is cheap but very effective.
Only down side is when turned off to remove a canopy for working all tanks are off.
Who cares it is not that often.

New thoughts are CO2 tank and StormX control box go in a closet.
Tubing and wires go above drop ceiling to tank locations.

What do we think of distance for PWM wires to drivers?
Multi-conductor twisted pairs, max distance is 22 feet?

The most bizarre growth has been dwarf pennywort.
In 6 weeks 4 - 3" pieces given to me by a friend has
turned into about 24 feet balled up in bucket.
This will create a few mats for me.


----------



## Sorcerer (Sep 12, 2019)

Hell all ...

Good job anyway, I want to study it.

Regards
Serge


----------



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Maryland Guppy said:


> New thoughts are CO2 tank and StormX control box go in a closet.
> Tubing and wires go above drop ceiling to tank locations.
> 
> What do we think of distance for PWM wires to drivers?
> Multi-conductor twisted pairs, max distance is 22 feet?


The design has changed a bit after almost 4 years.
Every disk now has the perimeter of 6 occupied by 3-15K's & 3-FSpectrums alternating.
The center on one disk gets a royal blue and the other disk a 520nm green.

I've ran CAT5 cable as far as 50' to canopy drivers without issue.

CO2 has a manifold in a closet to feed all tanks, kept the controller in the room with the tanks.


----------

