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Thread: How to use strip LED's

  1. #1
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    How to use strip LED's

    Hello everyone,

    This is my 1st post here and I am new to the Apex, so I will try to be as clear as I can.

    First if all, I know nothing about LED's or electronics, hence I need some help!

    Here is what I would like to accomplish:

    I have kessil lights (a160we) and an Apex controller planned for my 65 gallon freshwater planted tank.

    What I want to do, is find some sort of inexpensive RGB strip LED lighting to use as accent lighting only. Mainly, using them to create a sunrise and sunset effect (since the kessil a160we can't really color shift that much).

    I would like them to be controlled by the Apex controller along with the kessils (separate of course). They will also need to be placed strategically, so they will not block the kessils light path. The tank will have glass tops.

    If I were to use the Neptune's Systems breakout box (or the varaspeed ports - I am not sure which is the better or correct option), they probably need to be run through a 0-10 v dimmer (I think that is what I read).

    I just don't understand any of this to be able to make any decisions on what to buy or if I need anything other than what I have purchased already. I don't have a breakout box, but I can purchase if needed.

    I have looked at LED clip lights and strip lights, but I don't understand how it all needs to works .

    I have read alot of materials online to try and figure it out, but I don't understand electricity at all.

    If anyone can help direct me in what to do or buy, listing the things I will need to accomplish my goal.

    I hope I have made some sense of what I am looking for :/

    If you need any more information, please let me know.

  2. #2
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    You'd need to power them with a power supply / driver that accepts the 1-10v input, I'd use a mean well, the breakout box is for inputs only so you'd need to use the outputs on the apex brain or get a vdm. In order to do rgb you would need 3ch worth of output.

    It's fairly complicated, if you are handy and able to pick up stuff easily you can do it. It's not too easy though.


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  3. #3
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    Thank you for the reply.
    Here is what I had planned: (I hope I don't break any rules by putting links. I cannot show what I need without them)
    Led dimmer driver:
    http://m.ebay.com/itm/371399847027

    Lights:
    *http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ASFEXH3Y1YT2D

    Connectors:
    *http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=A7DC3EDEBQG4S

    Could using the VDM module make my life easier?? If so, what would I need?
    Please include links for all parts, if you don't mind. As stated above, I am a beginner to all of this.

    If there is anything else I need or change, please let me know.

    To wire this, I am going to try and find a drawing or schematic online to show me how to do the wiring.

    I appreciate any help I can get

    Thank you all!!

  4. #4
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    Hi everyone,
    I thought I would bump this up.
    I would like to order what I need soon.
    I would appreciate any and all help.
    Thank you very much

  5. #5
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    Skip the connectors. Use solder instead. Those connectors have only given me headaches. I wouldn't expect the to last very long in a marine environment either.

    Amazon sells lengths of the wire. It probably show up in the suggested list.

    I'd want to get a meanwell ul listed driver. Get a constant voltage one, it looks like the rgb strip is 5a/16' so if you are going to use less than that I'd get the 5a driver. If you plan on using all of it I might go for a 6a driver.


    The apex brain has two 0-10v ports. You should only need three to drive rgb LEDs. If you need more ports you need a vdm.



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  6. #6
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    Hi,
    Thank you for your reply.
    I have 2 eb8's, so will this be enough?
    What do I need to order for the 0-10v plugin's on the end of the wires that go to the Apex brain? If you have suggestions and links that would be appreciated too.
    These lights are RGBW lights, does this matter?
    These light will be used in a freshwater environment.
    Thank you very much

  7. #7
    Regular Vistor
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    This is what I found out about the drivers:

    "they are constant current drivers (mostly) and don't work w/ "strips" unless specifically designed (not common) . And you would need one for each channel..
    The strips are run in constant voltage mode.. A completely different "concept"..
    There are constant voltage Meanwells (well b/4 the amp saturation output range) like these but, one driver per channel..
    and a 1.6A limit per strip..

    What you have to understand is that the strips don't really have "drivers"..
    The "driver" is the resistor built into the strip that limits the current getting to the led's (one every 3 led's for 12V strips)
    The strips run off constant voltage at 12V
    3 diodes per group at 3 volts (+/-) = 9v. Resistor drops voltage to 9. Then groups of 3 are run in parallel.. so the current (say in 1 group is 60mA,determined by the voltage getting to the LED) adds up.
    Current adds in parallel.
    Voltage adds in series..
    Say you have 200 LED's in a roll.. 100 "groups" of 3 at 60mA per group...060 Amps x 100 = 6 amps total



    You dim them by "flickering": the on/off period of the power supply. HOW this "flickering" is CONTROLLED is dependent on the driver ect. In the case of the Apex, since it is 0-10V analog output the driver or contrloller needs to accept this "signal".. and convert it to the "pulses" the LED actually sees.
    (there is a bit more to this but I'm referring to the "most common" method)
    That dimming is called PWM (pulse width modulation) and can be accomplished by PWM, 0-10V or a resistor/potentiometer.
    It gets confusing since sometimes one is talking signal or output."

    This is why this diver was selected.
    Having 3-4 of these are out of the question for my budget.

  8. #8
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    That's correct. I use the single color strip all the time for work and at home doing accent and work light. This stuff is all constant voltage.

    The LFS owner showed me some reefbrite strips that he was going to change over to for his fish system. They were for fowlr, so low powered, and I want to say around $100 for a 4' section. He'd said that they were making an apex interface for them as well. That might be a much better solution for you, frankly, at that price it would not be worth my time to try and make the same thing. It was in a nice AL channel and everything.


    The led strip is cheap at first but if you really want to get fancy with it the cost shoots up really fast.


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  9. #9
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    Thanks for the reply.
    2 questions from the above post that I am trying to find answers to:
    1. I have 2 eb8's, so will this be enough?
    2. What do I need to order for the 0-10v plugin's on the end of the wires that go to the Apex brain?
    If anyone could answer these I would be appreciative.
    Thank you

  10. #10
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    Does anyone have answers to my questions?
    If not, could someone tell me where I might find these answers?
    Thank you so much

  11. #11
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    1. Maybe. If the triac outputs will turn it off reliably that will work. If not you'll have to use your only relay outputs, might be better to just use an eb4 in that case.

    2. The 0-10v outputs on the apex are on RJ45 connectors. The easy answer it get an Ethernet cable and chop it in half. The info/pin out is in the "comprehensive manual" towards the end. (I'd do it this way)


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  12. #12
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    heel4you,

    If I understand your earlier post (#7), you believe that you need a way to produce pulse width modulated control signals to dim your strip LEDs. Beware, that is not a trivial task.

    That said, fortunately there is a printed circuit board (pcb) that might fill your needs to convert a 0-10 volt control signal to a pulse width modulated control signal. Check it at this link:

    http://shop.stevesleds.com/Aquarium-...8794102424.htm

    I have not used this board so I do not have first hand knowledge of it or of whether it will actually do exactly what you need. I have been told, at least, that this circuit board has been used for dimming control of LEDs from an Apex. I do not know whether any support circuitry is required to integrate with the strip LEDs and your Apex unit.

    Maybe someone on this forum has experience with this product and can help you with it. Also, you might be able to get help from the guy who makes this board and sells it.

    Now a for a friendly word of caution.

    It is often the case that what initially appears to be a simple DIY approach to solve a problem more cheaply than buying an off-the-shelf solution gets increasingly out of hand as details are uncovered. I have successfully become entrapped by this phenomenon myself more times than I will admit. Insidiously, as we get drawn in a little bit more each time a seemingly small obstacle arises, more cash outlay is required. Then, as they say, "rinse and repeat" a few times and you get sucked in even more. Some of my DIY projects ended up proving that an off the shelf product can easily be cheaper, not always but too often.

    You may have one of these situations on your hands here. I suggest you consider reassessing.

  13. #13
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    Hi,
    I believe I have an LED company that can make me a LED strip and interface that will work for my needs.
    The question is:
    Should I be using the controllers aquabus inputs or go with another Apex expansion module?
    I need to be able to instruct them on what type of input adaptors I will need.
    Thank you all very much for your patience and input. I have realized that I needed someone that knows what they are doing to put this together for me, so I will not burn my house down!
    I look forward to your replies.
    Thank you again

  14. #14
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    The 0-10v outputs are rj45. It's the same on the vdm and the apex brain.


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  15. #15
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    So, to be clear the LED's will need to be plugged into the varaspeed ports?
    What can be plugged into the Aquabus ports?
    Can the LED'S use the Aquabus ports if they have the proper "USB" connection?
    If not, I will have to purchase the VDM module. I would not have enough varaspeed ports for the Kessils and new strip :/

  16. #16
    Master Control Freak RussM's Avatar
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    You cannot connect the strips to the variable ports - you connect the dimming control inputs of the LED drivers to them.

    You should NEVER connect anything but an Apex module to an Aquabus port. They look like USB but are not.
    Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.

  17. #17
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    @RussM
    Thank you for your reply and making this clear.
    I will have them build the unit with the rj45 jacks, 0-10v dimmer driver (so it will plug into the VDM module 1st , then the LED's last). Is this correct?
    I will need to purchase the VDM module for the extra jacks I need.
    Thank you very much!!

  18. #18
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    Make sure it will turn off all the way with the 0-10v otherwise you'll need a eb8 outlet as well. Some don't fade all the way out.


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  19. #19
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    Depending on your requirements, you might be able to get some red/amber LEDs on some of those cat's eye / halo things they put in car headlights. Mount those on the Kessils pointing down. Then just power them with a 12 volts wall wart that you plug into the 4rth or 8th outlet on the EB8. Do your normal Kessil intensity ramp and have the outlet that these fire up on to turn on for a half hour or so to give you that red/orange glow. You could also do the same for some moonlights, possibly on the same ring just making a different circuit.

    Another option may be to just throw an LED strip behind the tank and have it hit the wall with the yellow/orange/red light and the backlight effect might be enough to do the trick, if you have a solid tank background then it would only light the wall above the tank and that may not be enough to really give the right effect. You'd get a rosy glow above the tank and a weak blueish or yellowish light in the tank as it ramps up. A tank without a background might work though.

    Either way, you'd be looking at some simple wall wart 12V transformers on the relay controlled outlets. You won't be able to control intensity, but if you're just shifting the color it might be enough to do the job and you'd be dealing with considerably less complexity in wiring and programming. You could also use this trick to add a couple of blue/red LEDs to provide a little extra kick for fish like neons and cardinals, not really enough for you to notice the red/blue light, but just enough to give a little extra "pop" when the fish swim under them. I've seen public aquariums do this and if it's done right it's very subtle but impressive.

    -
    S

  20. #20
    Frequent Visitor mebeknob's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by heel4you View Post
    @RussM
    Thank you for your reply and making this clear.
    I will have them build the unit with the rj45 jacks, 0-10v dimmer driver (so it will plug into the VDM module 1st , then the LED's last). Is this correct?
    I will need to purchase the VDM module for the extra jacks I need.
    Thank you very much!!
    Did you ever get this figured out?
    I'm wanting to do some accent light strips behind the tank and not break the bank.

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