Hey everyone. So I currently have a 60" 4 bulb ATI Powermodule on a 72" x 18" tank and I'm finding the coverage a bit lacking. Prior to the Powermodule I had a 6 bulb Sunpower on the tank and though I love the blanket of light affect of all 6 bulbs firing on the tank, there were some downsides that made me switch over to the PW (the par was lacking a bit, there was the total absence of shimmer, I could not find a convenient way to add moonlight's the fixture, swapping actinics in for pop dropped par further).
So, much to the dismay of my loved ones, I've found this to be a very good excuse to get my DIY on. My plan is to swap the Sunpower back in and supplement the fixture with 2 60" strips of 15 LEDs. So here is my shopping list so far:
2(60" x 1") Heatsinks http://www.heatsinkusa.com/1-000-wide-extruded-aluminum-heatsink/
30 Phillips Luxeon ES Royal Blues http://www.stevesleds.com/Luxeon-ES-ROYAL-BLUE-3-Watt-LEDs_p_234.html
2 Mean Well dimmable ELN-60-48D ballasts
Misc. parts (wire, solder, screws, thermal paste)
I think it's probably important to list the bulbs I plan to use in the fixture:
2x ATI Blue+ CONSTANT
2x ATI True Actinic CONSTANT
2x ATI Coral Plus VARIABLE
2x ATI Purple Plus VARIABLE
From speaking with one of the guys over at Stevesleds.com I should be good running these without the need for active cooling so I'm skipping any fans. I plan on using my APEX to dim and time everything. I plan on skipping optics (good idea, bad idea???).
So if anyone can see any glaring NO-NOs or things that may be improved on I would greatly appreciate your help. I had considered swapping in some SEMILEDs Hyper Violet on the strips, but then decided to instead use actinic bulbs and keep the strips all royal blue. If anyone is wondering why I just dont buy an 8 bulb Powermodule, know that I did think long and hard on it. In the end the price is what did it. I can probably get this entire project done for right around 2 hundred bones and if I'm being completely honest I've been itching to start a new project
Thanks in advance guys!!! -Anthony
So, much to the dismay of my loved ones, I've found this to be a very good excuse to get my DIY on. My plan is to swap the Sunpower back in and supplement the fixture with 2 60" strips of 15 LEDs. So here is my shopping list so far:
2(60" x 1") Heatsinks http://www.heatsinkusa.com/1-000-wide-extruded-aluminum-heatsink/
30 Phillips Luxeon ES Royal Blues http://www.stevesleds.com/Luxeon-ES-ROYAL-BLUE-3-Watt-LEDs_p_234.html
2 Mean Well dimmable ELN-60-48D ballasts
Misc. parts (wire, solder, screws, thermal paste)
I think it's probably important to list the bulbs I plan to use in the fixture:
2x ATI Blue+ CONSTANT
2x ATI True Actinic CONSTANT
2x ATI Coral Plus VARIABLE
2x ATI Purple Plus VARIABLE
From speaking with one of the guys over at Stevesleds.com I should be good running these without the need for active cooling so I'm skipping any fans. I plan on using my APEX to dim and time everything. I plan on skipping optics (good idea, bad idea???).
So if anyone can see any glaring NO-NOs or things that may be improved on I would greatly appreciate your help. I had considered swapping in some SEMILEDs Hyper Violet on the strips, but then decided to instead use actinic bulbs and keep the strips all royal blue. If anyone is wondering why I just dont buy an 8 bulb Powermodule, know that I did think long and hard on it. In the end the price is what did it. I can probably get this entire project done for right around 2 hundred bones and if I'm being completely honest I've been itching to start a new project
Thanks in advance guys!!! -Anthony
