# cree lumina 5.2 planted led



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

islanddave1 said:


> Hello.....again
> 
> I feel like such a pest here.....but no one tells.me to go away. Not yet!
> 
> ...


Yes you can compensate for width w/ optics but you generally compromise depth penetration..
W/ a 36" wide tank, and wanting fairly good overall coverage, your options are not going to be cheap DIY w/ multi-chips of this nature.

The native lensing (no supplemental lens) is usually around 120 degrees..That is what the ind. chips usually have attached..

A single chip needs to be approx 10" off the water line for fair f/b coverage of 36"

Point is you "can" cover a 60"x32" tank w/ 2 chips.. but at what PAR is dependent on tank depth. 

to be honest, your cost will probably approach this depending on your light requirement:
https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/photon-48-long/

advantage goes to the lumina in more channels and less fussing w/ doing a custom spectrum w/ the reefbreeders, and cost.
advantage goes to the photon for overall consistent coverage and plenty of PAR to raise it the required height...

Can't imagine a 2 chip Lumina build w/ retail parts going for less then $300

Reef version but PAR will hold close:
24x24 area:
89/107PAR and pretty consistent..
Review of the Lumia 5.1 - PAR readings, pics, etc - Lighting Forum - Nano-Reef.com Forums


> The heatsink is exactly 24" above the bottom of the tank, which is a rimless 24" x 24" x 12"


photon at 24" is 250PAR 

8ft x 3ft x1ft reef tank








http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2128756&page=159

177 pages of using 100W "dreamchips" very similar to the CREE Lumina (if not exact in some cases)


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## islanddave1 (Jul 5, 2013)

Hello Jeffkroll

I beleive that I am going with two chips per side. I am not going for crazy high par levels but would like to hit 100 @ 25"....I think that this will do it.
Critique my order list. I still need drivers, power supplies that they seem to be out of......and what else? Any recommendations?

https://www.ledgroupbuy.com/cart.php


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

islanddave1 said:


> Hello Jeffkroll
> 
> I beleive that I am going with two chips per side. I am not going for crazy high par levels but would like to hit 100 @ 25"....I think that this will do it.
> Critique my order list. I still need drivers, power supplies that they seem to be out of......and what else? Any recommendations?
> ...


I can't see your list BTW..

Out of curiosity, and since you are considering 4 chips (420W of theoretical power)
why wouldn't you just consider the reefbreeders photon 48 L (215w theoretical)?
The 2 channels can be tailored to match the 5 channel fw Lumina pretty easily..

Don't mean to discourage any DIY but there is a practicality to this...
PAR of the reefbreeders will match your requirements easily:









250PAR 24" 90 degree optics.. Switch to 120 degree (option)
Sorry, not trying to make a sale for reefbreeders since it means nothing to me one way or another..

Remeber a point source of light at 120 degree spread covers 1.73" X 2 for every inch away from it..At the most the light needs to be 34" from the substrate..Less if you cut down on some of the spread at the surface..
The RB is 8.5" wide (assume 6" diode to diode center). This row width cuts down you height needs by a few inches..8 inches or so off the tank.

300W even over that large of a tank is a lot of light. you will be running 4 Luminas at low output..


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## skanderson (Jul 25, 2010)

how deep is the tank. that will make a lot of difference.


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## islanddave1 (Jul 5, 2013)

The tank is 27" deep so with substrate it will be 24" and it has a very thick top trim about 11/4" so I don't have to fill it to the top to avoid having a water line visible.

I guess I thine the flexibility that the lumina would afford as well as the single source point of light. I already have kessil 360 we's on my 125 and love the shimmer which only single point source of light can give. Plus building it would be a blast.
Reef breeders seems to be an excellent option though I don't relish having to pay for then replace most of the emitters for suitable ones....plus having to pay for those as well. .....unless they provide customers spectrums? Also I would tend to think that I would encounter "disco effect " with the reef breeders. I know I did with my build my leds.....could.not stand.it!

I'm not look for crazy par either. I'm going to be doing a nature.style aquarium so I would.think hitting 100 par at substrate would.be good enough. I like the shadowing that single.sources provide makes it look.realistic providing that there isn't so much shadowing that it will.efect plant growth. But I feel the a comprise can be struck.

Hey Jeff

Just took a closer look at the reef breeder photon.48".......I wonder what the difference is btwn the 48 and 60 aside from length same amount of leds....I wonder if they are just spaced out wider? Also 44 leds would have to be changed on channel.1not a deal breaker really but still. I wonder if it will have enough spread front to back re 36" ? Questions to ask them I guess


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

islanddave1 said:


> The tank is 27" deep so with substrate it will be 24" and it has a very thick top trim about 11/4" so I don't have to fill it to the top to avoid having a water line visible.
> 
> I guess I thine the flexibility that the lumina would afford as well as the single source point of light. I already have kessil 360 we's on my 125 and love the shimmer which only single point source of light can give. Plus building it would be a blast.
> Reef breeders seems to be an excellent option though I don't relish having to pay for then replace most of the emitters for suitable ones....plus having to pay for those as well. .....unless they provide customers spectrums? Also I would tend to think that I would encounter "disco effect " with the reef breeders. I know I did with my build my leds.....could.not stand.it!
> ...


rb builds to "spec". You want all whites...done..

Here is a rb custom config:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/12-tank-journals/941866-60-gallon-starfire-dutch.html











83% whites of var.color temps

as to shimmer, not really saying much on that. Personal choice, Most any LED will produce some...


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## islanddave1 (Jul 5, 2013)

Hello Jeffkrol

I' getting ready to pull the plug on some Lumina's. Take a look at my component list and see if I'm on the right track please? I'm going to going with the 18" heatsink to increase the spread. 

I may want to further add some uv chips in between the two pucks does it seem like this should be doable? 

Also what about a controller? Should I go with one of theirs or would an apex be better? I guess with an apex I could control other things if I wanted to.

Thanks davd


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## astex (Aug 13, 2009)

I'm looking at building a similar setup (4 Lumia's) so it will be interesting to see if you have everything on your list.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

islanddave1 said:


> Hello Jeffkrol
> 
> I' getting ready to pull the plug on some Lumina's. Take a look at my component list and see if I'm on the right track please? I'm going to going with the 18" heatsink to increase the spread.
> 
> ...


Seems fine. I'd go w/ bigger gauge (but stiffer) power wire 24ga is too thin for my taste, if that is what you are using for the power supply to puck cable. 

As to controllers, it is a fine starting controller.. I'm going to assume it is 8bit dimming though. Might want to check. 256 steps is plenty but 10bit is smoother (Storm-X, Bluefin) 
The Typhon I used is also 8bit but I "may" have reprogrammed it to 10bit. Bet your wondering that if I can't tell..then why??? don't know..  And I borrowed the code.. 

APEX needs added parts to work w/ LDD's and is way over-functional for what I want/need..YMMV. 

Oh and why a manual dimmer??


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## islanddave1 (Jul 5, 2013)

> power wire 24ga is too thin for my taste


good call.....can also be bought locally aswell....save on shipping



> Oh and why a manual dimmer??


Yes....I have debated that myself! I just feel like it might be some redundancy in the name of a failsafe in case the controller takes a dump...pretty unlikely eh?

If I left the manual dimmers out......and scrapped the Apex which controller would you go for the Stormx or Blue Fin or Makers

Makers CONTROLLER - Sunrise / Sunset controller for MakersDRIVER - LEDGroupBuy.com
Storm-X LED Controller - LEDGroupBuy.com
Bluefish LED CONTROLLER - With Phone App - LEDGroupBuy.com

By the way what are the "break out" boards for the with the Bluefin? AND would there be an advantage of going with a different PCB with any of the controllers?

Thanks david


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

islanddave1 said:


> good call.....can also be bought locally aswell....save on shipping
> 
> 
> Yes....I have debated that myself! I just feel like it might be some redundancy in the name of a failsafe in case the controller takes a dump...pretty unlikely eh?
> ...


If the controller dies you just run the Ldd's wide open..on a timer. Of course if your board had the pull down resistor you will have to bypass it..

Breakout boards are just for ease of connections..

I really, really, really, like the Bluefin.. I really, really hate it is a cloud based app...


based on that the Storm-x is another option but not wireless. 

both the above are an upscale choice and not necessary.

so based on none are perfect, I'd probably go cheap as long as the controller matches the driver..(Which is what I did/do for now)

Next generation.. Oh and the Makers (based on an Aduino platform most likely
could, be added to and reprogrammed.. but that is a bit of a longshot

hmm, makers is only 3 channel so that is out..
so Storm-X if you anticipate many outputs.
Bluefin if you donn't mind being slave to the cloud..
Typhon from Steves LED if you want a 4 channel "makers"

There is one more mid-priced option and that is the Sonular from BML.. Does PWM, though their lights do not.. 
Looking at your bottom line is one added shipping charge that much??? 

SoLunar Controller - Build My LED, LLC

I might go w/ that one.. At least you get a case.... 
OPP's 3 channels.. See the dilemma?

Bluefin mini (not full blown bluefin yet.)... App programming trumps many factors for me.
Keep in mind it is small and case-less..

Now you got me tied in knots .. 

Here, get this one (1/2 serious)
http://ferduino.com/
http://ferduino.com/product/ferduino-mega-2560/

I'm not responsible for missing anything..


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## islanddave1 (Jul 5, 2013)

What else would I want to connect with the break outs......I'm a little dense!

And what would need to run an apex?


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

islanddave1 said:


> What else would I want to connect with the break outs.....


The example is just to hook 2 drivers to one control circuit..

Lighting Controller DIY Breakout Board (2 Channel) - LEDGroupBuy.com


islanddave1 said:


> And what would need to run an apex?


Apex output is 0-10V so to use LDD's you need conversion boards on the output..
Converting the 0-10v signal from an APEX to a PWM signal - Reef Central Online Community

Or use drivers that have 0-10V dimming built in. Problem is most of these types don't "dim to zero" so you need a secondary turnoff such as a timer of relay powered switch.


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## islanddave1 (Jul 5, 2013)

Finally found some pictures on a Lumia build. Judging on what I can see it does look kinda yellow. Ofcourse I have no idea about what % I am looking at or what channels are on and to what degree they are being used but atleast it is a start. 


Could be the substrate that makes it look so yellow too. look more white in the empty tank. Water change make the water look cloudy too. This guy is in Australia.....new build trying to get other pics out of him nicely.0


Says the only down side so far is the fan noise. Could use bigger fans with higher cfm more surface area but lower rpms would quiet it some
"The Creek"


Dave


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Pretty sure that most of the yellow is tannins from the wood..


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## islanddave1 (Jul 5, 2013)

jeffkrol said:


> I can't see your list BTW..
> 
> Out of curiosity, and since you are considering 4 chips (420W of theoretical power)
> why wouldn't you just consider the reefbreeders photon 48 L (215w theoretical)?
> ...


Merry Christmas jeffkrol! 
Hope you're having a good holiday.
I just found this which might be ideal for me. It is local, it isn't reef centric. It is cheaper for me than a reef breeders with currency exchange (25% ouch!) I believe that the reef breeders are basically evergrow but with usa warranty...so this should be able to be tweaked if needed with reef breeders leds.
What do you think of this led combination? Too cool? should I be able to grow red plants?
EverGrow D2120 16" Dimmable LED Light Fixture - For Freshwater Planted Aquariums - 120 Watts // Aquarium Supplies Canada - Pond Supplies Canada - Reptile Supplies Canada // Pets & Ponds


thanks David


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