DIY LED Fixture

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Emitters[edit]

Forward Voltage[edit]

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[edit]

Brightness / Luminosity / Flux[edit]

Color[edit]

CRI[edit]

Optics[edit]

Packaging[edit]

Bins / Binning[edit]

Reading a datasheet[edit]

Comparison table of common emitters[edit]

Drivers and Power Supplies[edit]

Sizing[edit]

Drivers vs power supplies[edit]

Comparison table of common drivers[edit]

Cooling[edit]

Heatsinks[edit]

Thermal paste / glue / padding[edit]

Mounting emitters[edit]

Fans[edit]

Wiring[edit]

Design: livestock considerations[edit]

How much light for various livestock[edit]

Coverage and intensity guidelines for diff size tanks[edit]

Design: asthetic considerations[edit]

Coverage[edit]

Disco ball[edit]

Spotlighting[edit]

Color temp[edit]

Spacing[edit]

Dimming and color control=[edit]

0-10V vs PWM[edit]

Aquarium controllers Apex, DA, Profilux[edit]

Dedicated controllers: typhoon, nano-box[edit]

Manual dimming with knob[edit]