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My homemade Aquasky with par data

gus6464

New Member
Joined
6 Feb 2016
Messages
18
Location
San Diego, CA
Tried to mimic the Aquasky design as close as possible as I like the look. No dimming just on and off. Tried to get as close as possible to the 602 when it came to output.

Bridgelux EB Gen 2 strips x2 5700K 80CRI
Meanwell APC-35-700 driver/power supply (supplies a fixed 700ma to strips)

These strips are designed to not require a heatsink. I tested them by leaving the light on for an hour and acrylic was barely warm. Don't mind the dirty tank and light. Have to clean it up and polish the acrylic on the light a bit.

Nice and sleek with crisp white light.
DGtX731.jpg


2 strips
JB0ltC7.jpg


Driver/power supply with quick disconnects
pihYTww.jpg


And the best part, the PAR data. Another fantastic thing about these EB strips is that their lumens per watt output is out of this world. The PAR data you are about to see is from a light that is only using ~27 Watts. That is less than half the 60W of an Aquasky 602.

Tank is a little taller than a standard 60P at 15.75 inches. The light itself is 5 inches tall. Distance from led diodes to bottom of tank is 20.25 inches. The middle readings are actually 9 inches above the bottom of tank so a little bit higher than mid.

bottom center
5UVeS43.png


bottom front
wwuYKNZ.png


bottom rear
cvlik2s.png


bottom front corner
u0mIkGb.png


bottom rear corner
QFnnMQO.png


middle center front
TKEacAI.png


middle center
cc0IWhR.png


middle front corner
rHWfIBh.png


As you can see the amount of PAR this thing puts out based on the wattage draw is outstanding. The light distribution is also dead even at the bottom. This tank is going to be an iwagumi with the carpet TBD.
 
Such clean design!! Love it.

1. Did you use a CNC to cut the acrylic?
2. I thought 5700k should be slightly warm rather than crisp white?
 
Such clean design!! Love it.

1. Did you use a CNC to cut the acrylic?
2. I thought 5700k should be slightly warm rather than crisp white?

I cut the acrylic by hand using table saw and routed the channels for the strips as well using a router table. My father-in-law has a huge woodshop so I have all kinds of tools at my disposal. As for 5700K being too warm I've found it varies by light. Light is definitely not as white/blue as the ADA as those are 8000K but I prefer it closer to 6000-6500K.

Sounds great but I can't see the pictures...

That's weird rebel can see them. I changed a setting at imgur but doubt it will change anything.
 
Well done

Have you measured PAR through just air or water as well?

Pictures loaded fine for me
 
Well done

Have you measured PAR through just air or water as well?

Pictures loaded fine for me

Just air as I just built the light. I am cleaning the tank up this weekend and setting up the stand. I will take some water measurements when I clean it up. Although the PAR should go up some underwater.
 
Nice! But 1 question? How did you mount the strips to the acrylic? I also made a few desings in the same material 10mm cast acrylic. 1 standing as yours and 1 hanging..

The thing is on the long term.. Note: Acrylic plastifies at a rather low temperatur, i believe it's about 110°C cast temp. I experienced that a constant 45°C that's about half the temp still makes the acrylic relatively softer than it already is. Than gravity will take it's toll and it might start to bend down in the centre.

For example i mounted the strips bolted with aluminium led strip profiles to the acrylic. The led strip is in the absolutely ridgid profile.. But i actualy miscalculated to screw position. After a half a year getting warm i saw the acrylic bend.

Actualy in your case if the strips are flexible and directly mounted to the acrylic than you can expect this to happen over time.

Naamloos.png


Than it's beter to place the led strip into a ridgid alu profile and glue this profile in it's intire legnth to the acrylic plate. The aluminium will not bend and prevent the warm acrylic to do so. If you screw the profile to the acrylic than put the outside screws as far outside as possible and one in the middle. I did put the scres 10cm from either side and the acrylic started to bend left end right from the screw. Only a milimeter but it did bend. The strip and profile never got any warmer than 42°C.
:)
 
Nice! But 1 question? How did you mount the strips to the acrylic? I also made a few desings in the same material 10mm cast acrylic. 1 standing as yours and 1 hanging..

The thing is on the long term.. Note: Acrylic plastifies at a rather low temperatur, i believe it's about 110°C cast temp. I experienced that a constant 45°C that's about half the temp still makes the acrylic relatively softer than it already is. Than gravity will take it's toll and it might start to bend down in the centre.

For example i mounted the strips bolted with aluminium led strip profiles to the acrylic. The led strip is in the absolutely ridgid profile.. But i actualy miscalculated to screw position. After a half a year getting warm i saw the acrylic bend.

Actualy in your case if the strips are flexible and directly mounted to the acrylic than you can expect this to happen over time.

View attachment 114001

Than it's beter to place the led strip into a ridgid alu profile and glue this profile in it's intire legnth to the acrylic plate. The aluminium will not bend and prevent the warm acrylic to do so. If you screw the profile to the acrylic than put the outside screws as far outside as possible and one in the middle. I did put the scres 10cm from either side and the acrylic started to bend left end right from the screw. Only a milimeter but it did bend. The strip and profile never got any warmer than 42°C.
:)

I can take a temp reading on the strip itself after running for a couple of hours and see. The Aquasky 361 on my daughter's tank has a heatsink that gets pretty hot during the day and I don't see the acrylic bending. I will let you know how it fares long term.
 
pretty hot during the day and I don't see the acrylic bending.

Than it likely is mounted correctly with something rigid. :) Could be the PCB.

Here you see what i mean and where i did the construction mistake. And it only shows after about a year of beeing operational.
But this is the hanging one, i made a same one standing as yours, but didn't use it long enough that one is still straight. :)

Acryic base and the leds are in the ridgid alu profiles.
DSCF9933.JPG


Here is the constructional mistake detail.

Right hand side the arrow points to the screw used to bold the profile to the acrylic. Horizontal arrow points the distance the screw is towards the centre of gravity and to the support point, in this case the cable set. At the left hand arrow you clearly see what gravity did after a year warming up and cooling down. Do you see the bend and the gap? The mistake was, not placing a screw at the end where the left arrow points.
DSCF9932.JPG


The standing fixture has the same flaw, but ii used it only a few months and is still ok, but i bet after a year it will show the same.

And as said this didn't get warmer than +/- 42°C. :)

If your led strip is a flexible PCB and glued directly to the acrylic, it probably going to do the same after beeing warm enough for long enough.
 
Than it likely is mounted correctly with something rigid. :) Could be the PCB.

Here you see what i mean and where i did the construction mistake. And it only shows after about a year of beeing operational.
But this is the hanging one, i made a same one standing as yours, but didn't use it long enough that one is still straight. :)

Acryic base and the leds are in the ridgid alu profiles.
View attachment 114016

Here is the constructional mistake detail.

Right hand side the arrow points to the screw used to bold the profile to the acrylic. Horizontal arrow points the distance the screw is towards the centre of gravity and to the support point, in this case the cable set. At the left hand arrow you clearly see what gravity did after a year warming up and cooling down. Do you see the bend and the gap? The mistake was, not placing a screw at the end where the left arrow points.
View attachment 114015

The standing fixture has the same flaw, but ii used it only a few months and is still ok, but i bet after a year it will show the same.

And as said this didn't get warmer than +/- 42°C. :)

If your led strip is a flexible PCB and glued directly to the acrylic, it probably going to do the same after beeing warm enough for long enough.

I didn't glue it. It's just attached with 3 screws and nuts with plastic washers in between the screw and nut. 2 screws are at the very ends of the strips and one in middle. This is a pic of what the strips look like up close. This is the Gen 1 and Gen 2 is what's on the light now but the housing strip is the same and Gen 2 just has more diodes.

o4wr8Lk.jpg

8qB6dG3.jpg


And then a side by comparison of Gen 1 and Gen 2. I routed channels in the top acrylic to seat the strips.
XjemEL0.jpg
 
That should do it.. :) Couldn't see on the pictures..
 
Temp after 2 hours.

First is directly on the strip itself.
108.2f so 42.7c

And the acrylic right above the strip.
91.4f so 33c

I think because then strips aren't glued on and just lightly bolted they are not passing much heat to the acrylic. I guess time will tell after running the thing 7 hours a day for a year.
3e7097a3bf493a03ea0e188672c5e496.jpg
49a7652be6006e419f473ee41a315e3b.jpg


Sent from my LGUS997 using Tapatalk
 
If the acrylic does bend over time just use a heat gun or a blow dryer and straighten it again job done. Btw good job and I'm sure you can control this light with a cheap tc420.
 
Good job, Looks really good,
My LED's runs alot hotter than that but I went down the smd route.

how did you measure PAR values?
 
Looks really good where did you buy the bits from?
I got the acrylic from a local shop that sells their scrap for cheap. The LED strips and the power supply I got from arrow.
Good job, Looks really good,
My LED's runs alot hotter than that but I went down the smd route.

how did you measure PAR values?
I used a seneye to measure par.

Sent from my LGUS997 using Tapatalk
 
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