Regular Member bagh Posted March 3, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 3, 2015 Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, Kokonuts! Today, I'll show you how to make an extremely bright (~4500 lumens), energy efficient (just 45 Watts) lighting for your planted aquarium for under $5, powered using a spare computer PSU. This lighting system has a very long life of >50,000 hours provided you make it correctly as shown, and the LEDs do not overheat. It would take you around 45 minutes to 1 hour to do it, and years to enjoy it. Commerical LED lightings can cost upwards of $150, and aren't nearly as bright as this one in the tutorial. This provides your planted tanks with metal-halide-like brightness, although not heating the water up, or making a hole in your pocket. In a 15 gallon tank, you'd get a fluorescent equivalent of 4-5 Watts per gallon of light.Another big advantage of this lighting over most commercial lightings is that you can control the brightness of the LEDs by using a 12V LED dimmer that costs less than 1 dollar. One like this:http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-Mini-3-Keys-Dimmer-Controller-For-Single-Color-5050-3528-Led-Light-Strip-/121377723486The best part about these PWM dimmers is that they do not lose any power to heat. So if you are at 50% brightness, you are consuming 50% electricity, and generating 50% less heat. LEDs are also more efficient when they are at less than full power. Two points to energy efficiency.All parts can be purchased on Amazon/eBay, except the 2 feet aluminium channel. It will be readily available in shops that make window panes and fits them in buildings. So, here's to metal halide brightness, minus the heat and plus the extremely high energy efficiency! And minus the lots of cash! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Jim_D Posted March 5, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 5, 2015 Absolutely excellent tutorial Thank you very much for posting it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Chai Posted March 5, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 5, 2015 Omg I have like four or more unused PSU just sitting in my basement. I have a potential project on my haaaaaands! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bagh Posted March 6, 2015 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 6, 2015 Absolutely excellent tutorial Thank you very much for posting it. You're most welcome! I should be thanking you for your wonderful comment! Thanks a lot! Omg I have like four or more unused PSU just sitting in my basement. I have a potential project on my haaaaaands! Yay for you! Thanks so much! Do post a thread when you have finished making it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Daniel Posted March 6, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 6, 2015 DIY LEDs are a really good investment, especially on larger tanks. Good job, Bagho. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bagh Posted March 6, 2015 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 6, 2015 DIY LEDs are a really good investment, especially on larger tanks. Good job, Bagho. Thank you very much, Dan! By the way, wonderful signature, Dan. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helper Arctic Mama Posted June 8, 2015 Helper Share Posted June 8, 2015 Bagho, you're a genius. That was a great tutorial - very clear and well done! Thanks for sharing! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bagh Posted June 9, 2015 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 9, 2015 Bagho, you're a genius. That was a great tutorial - very clear and well done! Thanks for sharing! Thank you so much, dear sweet friend! You are so nice. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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