# finally built my own LED aquarium light



## chinamon

all parts were ordered from ebay. the LED driver is rated for 4-7watts. i used four 1watt 6500K LEDs. all connections are soldered and protected with heatshrink. the light is being used on a 5.5gal tank.


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## Kooka

Very nice, where did you get that heatsink?


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## chinamon

Kooka said:


> Very nice, where did you get that heatsink?


i picked it up from ebay. i would post the link but im not sure what the rules are on that here.


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## Jackson

chinamon said:


> i picked it up from ebay. i would post the link but im not sure what the rules are on that here.


You can post it as long as you're not advertising for them or work for them


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## chinamon

Jackson said:


> You can post it as long as you're not advertising for them or work for them


perfect. thanks!

kooka, this is where i got it from http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1x-Aluminium-Heatsink-5x3W-10x1W-led-Reflective-/170658389382


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## Scotmando

chinamon said:


> perfect. thanks!
> 
> kooka, this is where i got it from http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1x-Aluminium-Heatsink-5x3W-10x1W-led-Reflective-/170658389382


I'm impressed!

If you don't mind me asking, what did this setup cost? 
Did you get all the materials from the same guy? 
What was the shipping cost?

How do you like it? would you do anything different?

Thanks, Scott


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## chinamon

Scotmando said:


> I'm impressed!
> 
> If you don't mind me asking, what did this setup cost?
> Did you get all the materials from the same guy?
> What was the shipping cost?
> 
> How do you like it? would you do anything different?
> 
> Thanks, Scott


well, the heat sink cost me ~$12. LED driver was ~6. the 1W star LEDs were ~$0.50 each (depending on the quantity). the power cord i picked up locally from Sayal Electronics for $2.50. all shipping was free from HK sellers on ebay.

i just ordered 100 1W star LEDs and it was like $26 so its a bit cheaper than purchasing a smaller quantity. i really like this light and im planning on building another one for a 10gal tank but im just shopping around for a heatsink at a good price.


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## Kooka

chinamon said:


> perfect. thanks!
> 
> kooka, this is where i got it from http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1x-Aluminium-Heatsink-5x3W-10x1W-led-Reflective-/170658389382


That is very cool. Lets see how it looks like over your tank! I wonder if you can get the same heatsink but a little wider.


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## riggles17

Pm me where you bought it all please. If like to throw one together as well


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## chinamon

Kooka said:


> That is very cool. Lets see how it looks like over your tank! I wonder if you can get the same heatsink but a little wider.


Here it is.


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## chinamon

riggles17 said:


> Pm me where you bought it all please. If like to throw one together as well


you can pretty much find everything on ebay. i will list the parts for you.

-aluminum heat sink (purchase one that is the size that you want)
-star LEDs @ 6000-6500K or whatever colour temperature you plan on using. also decide whether you will use 1W or 3W LEDs because this will determine which LED driver you will need to get
-LED driver (they make ones that are for 1W and ones that are for 3W. you will also need to know the total watts of your light fixture before you buy this)
-18AWG wire
-power cord (you could just cut one off your existing appliance but i would not recommend that since you dont know if the jacket/insulation has deteriorated or damaged)

i think thats it! the first three items i purchased from ebay.


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## riggles17

Ok sounds good thanks a lot.


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## Scotmando

chinamon said:


> Here it is.


You're great! Thanks for all the info & awesome photo.


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## Fishfur

One of these days I am going to sign up for an electronics course so I can do stuff like this too. Don't know enough about it to do it with confidence, and besides, electronic is the wave of the future, might as well learn more about it. Soldering is not so difficult, it's knowing what to solder and in what order !


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## GAT

Fishfur said:


> One of these days I am going to sign up for an electronics course so I can do stuff like this too. Don't know enough about it to do it with confidence, and besides, electronic is the wave of the future, might as well learn more about it. Soldering is not so difficult, it's knowing what to solder and in what order !


they have solderless LEDs at rapid led now! they are cree leds and bit expensive though


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## DaFishMan

Light fixture's looking sharp !


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## someguy

Looks good man, waiting to see your 10g one as id like to try leds out too.


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## RevoBuda

So if you wanna make a 30" fixture do you pair up some of these heat sinks or do you find one made that size? I can't seem to find a 30" heat sink. I need to build a minimum 30 watt fixture or 60 watt fixture. Could you help me out?


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## chinamon

RevoBuda said:


> So if you wanna make a 30" fixture do you pair up some of these heat sinks or do you find one made that size? I can't seem to find a 30" heat sink. I need to build a minimum 30 watt fixture or 60 watt fixture. Could you help me out?


I ordered a custom size from heatsinkusa


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## lybrian1

i already ordered the parts for my led project before i saw this post. perhaps i should take photos to document my project here. i ordered 10 3w led and using a diy aluminum bar from homedepot as a heat sink.


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## DrBlueThumb

I like it. very crisp daylight white look.


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## boxboy

If your looking for more 1W 6500k LEDs Ive got 10 new, was planing to use them but never did. Also there is one new 1w 15000k led in the bag also, only one star however.

10x 6500k 1w
1x 15000k 1w
1x star
$5.00 + shipping from Kingston there yours.


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## chinamon

boxboy said:


> If your looking for more 1W 6500k LEDs Ive got 10 new, was planing to use them but never did. Also there is one new 1w 15000k led in the bag also, only one star however.
> 
> 10x 6500k 1w
> 1x 15000k 1w
> 1x star
> $5.00 + shipping from Kingston there yours.


Thanks but I just had a shipment of 50 arrive last week.


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## boxboy

Haha no worries, your tank looks crisp with color


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## chinamon

I'm still waiting for the LED drivers to arrive buyin decided to get some of the work done for now. Here is a pic.

edit: the black things at each corner of the heat sink are rubber feet so the LEDs do not sit in contact with the glass canopy. this raises my heatsink about 1cm from the surface of the canopy which will allow for slightly better cooling.


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## someguy

Damn thats a lot of LEDs is there any reason youre not adding more and spacing them closer? also did you get many duds in that pack?

It looks simple enough to try, keep the pics coming


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## chinamon

someguy said:


> Damn thats a lot of LEDs is there any reason youre not adding more and spacing them closer? also did you get many duds in that pack?
> 
> It looks simple enough to try, keep the pics coming


i havent checked the entire pack. i only check the ones that i am about to use.

this light is going on a 10 gallon tank so 8watts of LED is plenty. i even tried the 4watt fixture that i built and even that is enough light for a 10gal tank with some moss and shrimp in it.


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## chinamon

i built this one today as a gift for a buddy


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## AquaticPulse

is the reflector attached on top of the heat sink and the LEDs on the reflector?


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## teigan666

how many led's do you think i'd need for my 38 gallon tank?


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## chinamon

thinkshane said:


> is the reflector attached on top of the heat sink and the LEDs on the reflector?


the reflector is the heat sink. it is one piece.


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## chinamon

teigan666 said:


> how many led's do you think i'd need for my 38 gallon tank?


well, that would depend on how much light you want. i only need low light for mosses and shrimp so i would have no experience with brighter lights. im sure there are websites and threads around on various forums that would be able to assist you... or maybe someone here would know.


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## GAT

Depending on the width you can add 15-20 leds and control the brightness with a dimmer.


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## Kooka

chinamon said:


> well, that would depend on how much light you want. i only need low light for mosses and shrimp so i would have no experience with brighter lights. im sure there are websites and threads around on various forums that would be able to assist you... or maybe someone here would know.


I'm not sure which LEDs you're using, but in my fixture I use a mix of different ones. I find if you use a single type of LED you tend to get a dull coloration in everything.

Here is my borther's build of his shrimp tank with full spectrum DIY LED if you want to have a peek: http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37498


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## chinamon

Kooka said:


> I'm not sure which LEDs you're using, but in my fixture I use a mix of different ones. I find if you use a single type of LED you tend to get a dull coloration in everything.
> 
> Here is my borther's build of his shrimp tank with full spectrum DIY LED if you want to have a peek: http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37498


I used all 6500k for mine since I used to use 6500k fluorescents before.

What colours did you use?


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## Newobsession

lybrian1 said:


> i already ordered the parts for my led project before i saw this post. perhaps i should take photos to document my project here. i ordered 10 3w led and using a diy aluminum bar from homedepot as a heat sink.


Would definitely be interested in the DIY heatsink. Between E-bay and connections at work I can probley get my ahnds on teh LED's and controllers, but the heatsink issue is till the expansive part, especially when you're talking a 5 or 6 ft tank


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## chinamon

my 4-12watt led driver arrived today so i finally completed my 8watt light. 
here are the photos


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## chinamon

Just finished building myself another light. This time a 10w for my tank in the kitchen.

I think building these lights has become as addicting as keeping shrimp


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## thaile601

One 12V driver can handle how many 1W LED?


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## chinamon

thaile601 said:


> One 12V driver can handle how many 1W LED?


voltage and wattage are different.

each LED is rated for 3-4V. they are wired in series so if you wire three together then they will require a total of 9-12V. thats why LED drivers are often rated for a variable range in voltage.

not only do you have to look at the driver's voltage output, you also have to see how many watts it can support. it is says it supposed, for example, 8-12x1W it means you can hook up a minimum of 8 up to a maximum of 12 LEDs rated at 1W each. some drivers are designed for 3W LED.


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