# Cree LED bulbs



## fishyfishy

Hello - I'm looking to build an LED fixture and wanted to know if anyone happens to know where I can purchase this type of LED in Canada?

http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/server6...s/554/2309/DSC_0355__77158.1475256567.jpg?c=2

I've found places in the U.S. and with the exchange rate at what it is now the pricing isn't too bad but I'm trying to avoid the shipping costs, and buy local.

Thank you in advance!


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## nanoreefwanabe

I would love to know too... that said I usually order from ledsupply.com, rapidled.com, ledgroupbuy.com the latter I find most reasonable


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## fishyfishy

I have yet to make a purchase but have talked to mike at rapidled several times. Still cant seem to find a canadian supplier though.


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## nanoreefwanabe

Yeah I know it sucks


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## sir.tie

I just got a bunch of solderless LEDs like this from AliExpress for $3 each. 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## fishyfishy

sir.tie said:


> I just got a bunch of solderless LEDs like this from AliExpress for $3 each.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


nice! let me know how well they work after you get them setup

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## sir.tie

Just received them, surprisingly they are very tiny witch is good. 









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## fishyfishy

sir.tie said:


> Just received them, surprisingly they are very tiny witch is good.
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> Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


yeah they are.. have you managed to get them up and running?

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## sir.tie

Not yet, but in a week or two

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## augustx

Thanks for sharing this project with us!
I will be very interested to see the development. It's a pain in the rear to find parts in Canada that's for sure...

Good luck with it and have fun


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## sir.tie

Ok, had some time yesterday and put them together with others solderless led strips. They work just fine though I feed them on .350mA drivers. They are slightly worm when at 100%























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## fishyfishy

They look great... How well are they lighting up your tank? 

The tank that I'm looking to build a fixture for is 36 inches deep so I'd need something pretty powerful to get the light that deep.


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## sir.tie

I use them on planted tank and they work great which is 20 inch high. For 36 you would need optics to focus all the radiation down the tank. 

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## giermoivi

sir Tie, are you happy with that pwm controller for your ldd drivers?

Im looking as my led build is almost ready to go.
Thanks!


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## sir.tie

giermoivi said:


> sir Tie, are you happy with that pwm controller for your ldd drivers?
> 
> Im looking as my led build is almost ready to go.
> Thanks!


Yes, I mean I don't do much with it. Set it and forget it. I had to adjust photo period here and there, the software is pretty much straight forward. I don't think you can get anything better for the price. I paid around $20 on aliexpress.


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## giermoivi

Perfect. Thanks for the reply. Yeah better than the like 100$ typhoon then haha 

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## Aqualien

*TC420 or TC421 dimming and LED's.*

I also use the TC420 but the powersupply is 24 V , looks like a laptop power supply.
I put 7x 1 watt (300-350mA) LED's in series for a total of 7x3.4V=23.8V
Each channel of the TC420 can handle 40W , so you can hook up 5 of these configurations to each channel without the need of secondary drivers as shown.
I have this running for about 4 months now without any problems.
As I use this on a 65 gallon tank(36"x18"x24") , I have only 42 LED's x 1Watt in various colors.
My plants are doing great and I don't use lenses to focus the beam.
I used star LED's purchased from EBAY (2012topdeal) for about $0.12 each.
Each configuration has 1x full spectrum(380nm~840nm) , 1x cyan(490nm) , 2x 6.500K , 2x 10-15.000K , 1x 4.000K
All I use as a heatsink are 2 aluminium sheets that fit the plastic profile of the tank and distribute the LED's over the full area so I don't create dead spots.
Make sure you shield the LED's from splatter and moisture.
24V-4A powersupply $13.82
TC420 about $25,- (not required if run on a timer)
LED's total $6,-
Other items needed , shielding/splash guard (aquarium cover)
Aluminium sheet as heat sink , I use 1.5 m.m. gauge , covering about 2/3 of the tank.
Single strand insulated copper wire (I use 18 gauge) , soldering iron , flux and solder.
I purchase these items from China mainly through E-Bay as most shipping is free and eliminating the parasite middleman that charges $20,- shipping and handling and marks up the product by 400%
Only disadvantage is the leadtime , so plan in advance.


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## fishyfishy

Aqualien said:


> I also use the TC420 but the powersupply is 24 V , looks like a laptop power supply.
> I put 7x 1 watt (300-350mA) LED's in series for a total of 7x3.4V=23.8V
> Each channel of the TC420 can handle 40W , so you can hook up 5 of these configurations to each channel without the need of secondary drivers as shown.
> I have this running for about 4 months now without any problems.
> As I use this on a 65 gallon tank(36"x18"x24") , I have only 42 LED's x 1Watt in various colors.
> My plants are doing great and I don't use lenses to focus the beam.
> I used star LED's purchased from EBAY (2012topdeal) for about $0.12 each.
> Each configuration has 1x full spectrum(380nm~840nm) , 1x cyan(490nm) , 2x 6.500K , 2x 10-15.000K , 1x 4.000K
> All I use as a heatsink are 2 aluminium sheets that fit the plastic profile of the tank and distribute the LED's over the full area so I don't create dead spots.
> Make sure you shield the LED's from splatter and moisture.
> 24V-4A powersupply $13.82
> TC420 about $25,- (not required if run on a timer)
> LED's total $6,-
> Other items needed , shielding/splash guard (aquarium cover)
> Aluminium sheet as heat sink , I use 1.5 m.m. gauge , covering about 2/3 of the tank.
> Single strand insulated copper wire (I use 18 gauge) , soldering iron , flux and solder.
> I purchase these items from China mainly through E-Bay as most shipping is free and eliminating the parasite middleman that charges $20,- shipping and handling and marks up the product by 400%
> Only disadvantage is the leadtime , so plan in advance.


looks great. are the LEDs you bought dimmable?

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## Aqualien

*1 of my systems with TC420*

Yes , if you use the TC420 , the TC420 is the dimmer/time controller which has a 5 channel ramp up/down and can be programmed to your liking.
If you want to go fancier , you could consider the TC421 which could be programmed wireless with your phone , I believe it's about $12,- extra.
You could also use dimmable drivers but it would be a manual input.


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## fishyfishy

Aqualien said:


> Yes , if you use the TC420 , the TC420 is the dimmer/time controller which has a 5 channel ramp up/down and can be programmed to your liking.
> If you want to go fancier , you could consider the TC421 which could be programmed wireless with your phone , I believe it's about $12,- extra.
> You could also use dimmable drivers but it would be a manual input.


Sorry for such a late reply things have been crazy! The lighting looks great.

I will look into those controllers.


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## flyingmomo

*looks great sir tie*



sir.tie said:


> I use them on planted tank and they work great which is 20 inch high. For 36 you would need optics to focus all the radiation down the tank.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


Really looks awesome and simple. Maybe you and fellow DIYers should make a nice video. I would love to build some but I am terrible at electrical engineering knowledge.


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