# Aquarium Led Dimmer



## Cody's Planted Tanks (Jun 2, 2014)

Does anyone here know of a plug and play type of light dimmer/ timmer? I have a finnex planted plus led light strip and I am looking for something that will turn on and off 2 times in a day and that simulates sunrise and sunnset each time it turns off. If there is nothing like this can I DIY it?


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## benealing (Jan 9, 2015)

A Neptune Apex will do that and more. I am not well versed in this sort of tech though. Others will have input.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Cody's Planted Tanks said:


> Does anyone here know of a plug and play type of light dimmer/ timmer? I have a finnex planted plus led light strip and I am looking for something that will turn on and off 2 times in a day and that simulates sunrise and sunnset each time it turns off. If there is nothing like this can I DIY it?


no not plug and play.. hack and pray maybe..


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## Cody's Planted Tanks (Jun 2, 2014)

jeffkrol said:


> no not plug and play.. hack and pray maybe..


Lol ya. I am comfortable with doing a little soldering but not creqting a whole circut bord like one pearson did.


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## Cody's Planted Tanks (Jun 2, 2014)

Could I use a Current USA controller and just cut the wires and hook them to my light?


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## lee739 (Oct 12, 2014)

Cody's Planted Tanks said:


> Does anyone here know of a plug and play type of light dimmer/ timmer? I have a finnex planted plus led light strip and I am looking for something that will turn on and off 2 times in a day and that simulates sunrise and sunnset each time it turns off. If there is nothing like this can I DIY it?


You can DIY it with a basic microcontroller like an Arduino and a MOSFET big enough to switch your LEDs.... it isn't that difficult, just not that elegant!


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## Cody's Planted Tanks (Jun 2, 2014)

lee739 said:


> You can DIY it with a basic microcontroller like an Arduino and a MOSFET big enough to switch your LEDs.... it isn't that difficult, just not that elegant!


Son on arduino could I potentially create a timmer that would ramp up my leds slowly and then dimm them when I set the timmer to do so?


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## lee739 (Oct 12, 2014)

Depends on how your LEDs are dimmed - if they use a pulse-width modulation signal, will be easy. Then you just program it how you want it to go.
I do this with a smaller LED module, to simulate a 28-day lunar cycle, with a similar microcontroller....

For your lighting LEDs, you would probably find a better commercial solution, cheaper if you look around.

I have one of the ones I pictured, came with some LEDs I bought here - this image is from ebay, so you can get them elsewhere..... you'd need to ascertain how your LED fixture is dimmed, and what voltage is runs on of course....


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

lee739 said:


> Depends on how your LEDs are dimmed - if they use a pulse-width modulation signal, will be easy. Then you just program it how you want it to go.
> I do this with a smaller LED module, to simulate a 28-day lunar cycle, with a similar microcontroller....
> 
> For your lighting LEDs, you would probably find a better commercial solution, cheaper if you look around.
> ...



Problem is the Finnex is not dimmable per se.. But this is how you do it.

In this case substitute the timer you posted the picture of to this manual one..
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=796442

The second problem for the user is doing 2 time periods on one channel so to speak..

Only way i see that possibly working is using 2 channels on the dimmer/programmer going to the same 1 channel light. Each program dos not over lap "on periods".. I
have no idea if this will work.. 
1 wire hooked to 2 channels one "on" say 8-12 Second channel "on" 2-8..


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## Cody's Planted Tanks (Jun 2, 2014)

I have decided to just go with the current usa ramp timer. I will just have to deal with it only haveing 1 time period which is fine since having 2 time periods was not a necessity.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Cody's Planted Tanks said:


> I have decided to just go with the current usa ramp timer. I will just have to deal with it only haveing 1 time period which is fine since having 2 time periods was not a necessity.


There are cheaper alternatives w/ same functionality..

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...ght-emitting-time-for/708942_32216524143.html


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## Cody's Planted Tanks (Jun 2, 2014)

jeffkrol said:


> There are cheaper alternatives w/ same functionality..
> 
> http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...ght-emitting-time-for/708942_32216524143.html


The one I was looking at was only 30 bucks but will look into that website.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Cody's Planted Tanks said:


> The one I was looking at was only 30 bucks but will look into that website.


At $33/one channel you still can do better..
Thought you might have been referring to this one for $90 ish:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/current-ramp-timer-pro-with-wireless-remote


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## Cody's Planted Tanks (Jun 2, 2014)

jeffkrol said:


> At $33/one channel you still can do better..
> Thought you might have been referring to this one for $90 ish:
> http://www.thatpetplace.com/current-ramp-timer-pro-with-wireless-remote


Do you know any where to find one better for that price?


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Cody's Planted Tanks said:


> Do you know any where to find one better for that price?


http://www.vtkledlight.com/dc-12v-2...d-strip-lights-and-other-rgb-light-p-525.html
That is a wholesale but do a flee bay search.
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...ized-brightness-adjust/426232_1951850063.html
5 channel, no remote but computer programmable.


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

Cody's Planted Tanks said:


> Son on arduino could I potentially create a timmer that would ramp up my leds slowly and then dimm them when I set the timmer to do so?


By the way, if you look towards the end of my dimmer-hacking thread (that was previously mentioned), I have shifted to using an IR controlled dimmer...

I'm currently in the process of decoding the IR codes for that dimmer so I can arduino it. The IR dimmer only gives me control in 10% increments, and makes a pretty fast 1-2 second ramp when changing modes, but that's good enough for me to do a step-up type cycle...


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