Emitters
Forward Voltage
Forward voltage is the minimum voltage required for the LED to emit light. A typical high power LED used in reef lighting has a 3V (volt) forward voltage. It may be referred to a Vf on a datasheet. The forward voltage is summed when wiring emitters in series and remains the same when wiring in parallel. For example, three emitters in series will require a power source that outputs at least 9V (3 x 3V) and three emitters in parallel will require at least 3V.
Current
Brightness / Luminosity / Flux
Color
CRI
Optics
Packaging
Bins / Binning
Reading a datasheet
Comparison table of common emitters
Drivers and Power Supplies
Sizing
Drivers vs power supplies
Comparison table of common drivers
Cooling
Heatsinks
Thermal paste / glue / padding
Mounting emitters
Fans
Wiring
Design: livestock considerations
How much light for various livestock
Coverage and intensity guidelines for diff size tanks
Design: asthetic considerations
Coverage
Disco ball
Spotlighting
Color temp
Spacing
Dimming and color control=
0-10V vs PWM
Aquarium controllers Apex, DA, Profilux
Dedicated controllers: typhoon, nano-box
Manual dimming with knob
