BuildMyLED

The Apex system (made by Neptune) has two pieces of hardware that are used with our lighting systems.

The EB8 (Energy Bar with 8 plugs) is where you get the power for our drivers. You simply insert the 3-prong power cord into an open slot, and then you can tell the Apex software to turn this slot on/off to control the flow of electricity into our driver. This is a relay switch, which simply turns the light on or off.

The AquaController is the other piece of hardware from Neptune, and this unit plugs into the CAT5 dongle on our drivers with a CAT5 patch cable. The AquaController is responsible for sending the 0-10V dimming signal to our drivers, and you set this schedule through the software portal. If you send 10V to our fixtures, the output will be at 100%. By sending lower voltage signals, the analog dimming circuitry will start to lower the output current of the driver. Hence, the fixtures will start to dim. Our systems dim from 10-100%, so a 0V signal from the AquaController will generate a ~10% light level from the fixture. If you want to go to 0% light, you tell the software to turn the EB8 port (where you plugged in the power cord) off. This allows you to control our fixtures without the use of old school timers. We are fully integrated with the Apex controller, but some customers are asking us to find a way to eliminate the need to occupy an EB8 port to turn the fixtures completely off. The would allow them to use the EB8 port with another piece of hardware.

The specified Mean Well driver uses an internal relay in the dimming circuitry, but most 0-10V drivers don't use this design. We are discussing this with our OEM manufacturers, and it will be considered on future product releases.

Nick

Between 5-6:30 PM today? Just call me and let me know when you can stop by.

Nick

Sounds good. You can borrow our Super Actinic Reef fixture and the pure UV fixture. Both are 48" in 75 degree beam angle.

As for the cloudy look with the pure UV spectrum, my initial guess is it linked to the human eye's poor ability to perceive the short wavelength light. The brain is probably trying to overcompensate for the lack of visible light. I'll dig a little deeper and get an answer for you. Until then, remember that the UV fixtures are pumping out A LOT of light...even though they look dim. Never look directly into the exit face of the fixture.

Nick

Hi guys. Our drivers do not have a signal to turn the fixture off. Our drivers use the 0-10V dimming standard, which is a globally recognized dimming protocol. As a dimming control, our fixtures dim from 10%-100% via the 0-10V signals. If you want to turn the drivers completely off, you need to add a relay to the power line (i.e. timer outlet, ES8 from Apex, etc.). After working with the guys at Neptune, our fixtures now work seamlessly with Apex controllers.

Nick

Nick, to clarify, can you provide the specifics about the BML fixutures (quantity and spectrum)? It looks like you were comparing

• (10) HO T5 54w bulbs
  
• (2) 48" BML Custom Reef Spectrum
  

Is that correct?

We were comparing (10) T5HO 54W lamps vs. (3) 48" BML Custom Reef Spectrum. We dropped the load from 540 to 208 watts. Each BML fixture pulls ~70W, hence the 208W on the electric meter.

Nick

Thanks to Gary at AquaDome for helping us make a great video

Nick

Here is a quick comparison of our 400nm UV LEDs. Because most of their radiometric energy is outside of the range of human vision, the 400nm LEDs do not appear as bright as the 450/470nm LEDs. However, these LEDs produce way more fluoresce than the higher wavelength blue LEDs.

Nick

Would the Actinic or UV fixture produce much par or are they mostly for accent/florescence?

PAR is typically defined as radiometric power between 400 and 700 nm. Since our blue and royal blue LEDs are very efficient, they will produce a lot of PAR (micromoles/m2/s). However, a PAR meter that is calibrated to have a sharp cut-off at 400nm is not going to count any radiation below 400nm into the final PAR reading. Hence, even though our UV LEDs are extremely efficient, they will produce less PAR than an equivalent 450nm LED.

Nick

someone is lucky..

I have 2 LEDs that have gone out..

Is it one of our fixtures?

Nick

Ill trade you! Lol

Sounds good. I will build a 48" fixture tomorrow, and I will let you demo it on your tank. Does mid-afternoon work for you?

Nick

Nice pictures! I just built an all-UV 12" fixture to compare against the Super Actinic spectrum, and the result was really impressive. Here are the side by side comparison pictures, which were not edited for color. I will build a 48" fixture in all 400nm UV for ARC members to demo, if anyone is interested. The coral in the middle of this picture looked fake under the all-UV spectrum. After seeing the new fixture on our tank, I think I need to rename the Super Actinic to just Actinic

Super Actinic Spectrum (400nm UV, 450nm Royal Blue, 470nm Blue LEDs)

All 400nm UV LEDs

Nick

Check out our new Super Actinic Reef spectrum LED fixture, which uses our brand new high-power 400nm UV LEDs. I tried to capture the fixture's capabilities at Aquadome, but this video doesn't do the fluorescing colors ANY justice. We are using some of the world's most efficient UV LEDs, so you have to see this fixture in person. Hence, I am going to loan this fixture to ARC members starting on Black Friday. Juiceman is first in line, but let me know if you would like to borrow it next week for a 24 hour period. It is a 48" fixture with 75 degree optics.

https://vimeo.com/bu...8770/15a74af84f

http://www.buildmyle...m/super-actinic

Happy Thanksgiving,

Nick

Nice!!! I just took some video of our Super Actinic Spectrum (with UV) prototype at Aquadome. Wow. The guys were seeing colors they had never seen in their corals before. I'll let you borrow the fixture on Friday

Nick

We may offer a second UV-enhanced CRS. However, by adding these two LEDs, we now offer the ability to create 565 million spectrum combinations. We are seeing more people wanting to configure their personlized spectrum, so I don't know how many preconfigured spectra we will offer going forward.

I talked to Mike about hosting a spectrum design contest for ARC members, after which we would offer the winning spectrum as a standard product going forward.

Nick

The UV (400 nm) and Cyan (505 nm) LEDs are now in stock, so I need to get them added to our Configurator ASAP. The UV LEDs are some of the world's most efficient UV LEDs, so I think everyone is going to like the new combinations! They will carry a $1 premium per LED, but this is nothing compared to the UV alternatives on the web...especially considering the quantum efficiency of our LEDs. They are pushing 45-50% radiometric efficiency levels

If you are interested in buying before they are added to our website, just email me and I will process pre-orders for ARC members

More soon,

Nick

Bio/Tim/Robb...Can you guys give your impressions between the current Custom Reef Spectrum, Chris' updated Custom Reef Spectrum and the new prototype Custom Reef Spectrum that included the single UV LED? How did they look in the tank? Everyone has their personal taste for a complete reef spectrum, so I am curious in your feedback on the new fixtures.

Also, how many T5 lamps were on the existing tank?

Thanks,

Nick

Thanks for the new pics. Glad to hear everything went well. We should have the UV/Violet LEDs in stock within the next week or two, so they will be available for purchase very soon. We are also adding 505nm Cyan (blue/green) at the same time, so I think it is time for a spectrum design competition :-)

Nick

Hey guys. Randy is digging into this issue. Thanks for your patience as we work through the controls integration process. All of our drivers are 0-10V compatible, so we need to work through the specifics of the various control platforms on the market. We added the CAT5 dongle as a way to make your lives easier, so hang in there. If we need to rewire the dongle, we will post instructions or do it for free here at the factory.

Nick

It is REALLY hard to capture lighting quality on camera. We just filmed a product video at Aquadome yesterday, and I am really hoping the camera communicates the difference we made on their 120g show tank. Video will be done soon :-)

I will post some mounting options for you later today. Until then, you can see how this customer created a mounting system for $1.50.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=314394

Also, remember to properly vent your canopy. Our fixtures rely on natural convection to transfer heat away from the LED junction. In an enclosed spaced, you would create an oven that would expedite the flux depreciation process. The cooler the ambient temperature...your LEDs will produce more light and they will have a longer useful life.

Nick

I called and wrote to them and no replies at all.

Hi Joseph. I received your PM tonight, but I did not receive any emails through our website. I usually reply to everyone within 24 hours, so I apologize for not getting your questions sooner. I replied to your PM, but feel free to call the office tomorrow morning to discuss your project.

Thanks,

Nick

Yes, we are formally adding the 45 and 75 degree optics to the site this week. They are now live on the Custom Reef Spectrum page, and I will add them to the other products, including the custom Configurator page, later this week

Nick

Hi everyone. Sorry for the delays in getting the first orders out the door, but we finally have everything ready to finish the build process! One manufacturer was late, and that caused us to miss our internal build deadlines for you guys. All current fixtures orders will be ready by COB Monday. I will get in touch with everyone and confirm the details. Once you get your fixtures, we are looking forward to your feedback

Nick

Currently, you would need to use two 3' fixtures. However, we are designing brackets that will physically bridge the fixtures together, as we are exploring the option of pulling the cable through the back of the fixture (instead of through the end caps). So, you would have two cables for the 6' run. We give you eight feet of cable, so you could have a cord on each end, or they could meet in the middle of the tank and route over the center brace (if present).

Nick