# Other Aquarium Forums > Equipment and Accessories > DIY Projects >  DIY LED set for ADA mini S (~30cm)

## Shadow

Just sharing my more presentable DIY LED  :Laughing: . My previous DIY LED was OK but not really presentable  :Razz: 

*Material:
1. 62x5cm aluminum plate, used as a heat sink (US$10)
2. CREE XR-E Q5 LED (US$3.95x3 = US$11.85)*
spec:
- 3.7V typical driving voltage
- Manufacturer Rated 228 Lumens at 1000mA input current:
350mA: 107~114lm
700mA: 171.2~182.4lm
1000mA: 214 ~ 228lm
*3. 900mA 10W Constant Curent Source LED (US$5.61)*
Driverspec:
- 10 watt high power LED driver
- Input voltage: AC 85~265V
- Output voltage: DC 9~11V
- Output current: 900mA4.
*Miscelaneous items: thermal paste, screw and bolt, cable and small housing for the LED driver*

The final light set is look like this


It made from 2 part, not sure how people normally name it, I just name it horizontal and vertical parts  :Razz: . It is made of Aluminium plate which will act as a heat sink as well. There is no fan needed because temperature generated never reach above 50C.

Vertical part is where the LED driver located. Also it has some kind of hook to hold the glass tank edge. There are many pairs of screw holes on top of the hook. That screw holes is to mount the horizontal part. It design to be movable, up and down.



Horizontal part is where the LED be. 3x 3W CREE LEDs are used. I'm using XR-E, they do have more efficient new model but it is more expensive  :Razz: 



Both horizontal and vertical part combine


The wiring is quite straight forward

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## stormhawk

Nicely done Robert. I like this, simple and efficient design. How much it cost you in total?

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## Shadow

around US$30. Actually, it might look better if it does not have adjustable height feature but then I do not know what is the optimum height yet  :Opps:

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## stormhawk

That's quite reasonable for a simple light set. That's about $38-40 SGD. I think heat generated would be minimal given the design.

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## Shadow

heat is not that bad, around 42C. The difficult part of the design is bending the aluminum. It is probably easier if using thinner aluminum. The one I'm using is around 4-5mm

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## stormhawk

42 C is quite good already, furthermore you have it in an open concept, so its well ventilated. If I made such a thing I'd get my dad to bend the aluminium for me since his workplace has the tools.

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## limz_777

nice and neat , what plants you intend to grow inside ?

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## mincedmeat

Well done Shadow! what are you planning to have in your tank?

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## Shadow

No plan yet at the moment, busy with other thing  :Razz:

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## mincedmeat

> No plan yet at the moment, busy with other thing


You made such a nice DIY LED light for your ADA tank, and now you tell us no plans for the tank yet. i bet you're just trying to poison us.  :Laughing:

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## neverwalkalone

Nice simple design Robert.

Question - how to you hide the wires given you're using just a simple plate? I'm also concerned the vertical part may scratch the side of your tank if you do not have any padding/softer material... 

3Ws XR-Es @900mAs will be very bright. Guess for a 30cm tank, you may not need optics. You may want to consider upgrading to a variable output (350-1000mA) driver if your current one cannot be adjusted and play around with that (brightness) to add to the varying of height as an added parameter..  :Smile: 

Waiting patiently now on your plans for the tank! :Grin:

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## Shadow

The wire was not hidden  :Opps:  can see the wire from top  :Laughing: . I'm more concern on the hook edge scratch the glass, this is the part that quite sharp. I did file it to make it rounder edge but may not be enough. I can add those soft fabric on the vertical part, should not be difficult to do.

The LED driver I used can be modify to have dimmer capability, but the idea of dimming always bring me to next bigger question. How bright is enough for plants? Tough question without the right equipment to measure. Observe plant growth might work but by the time you see differences, it already too late.

Really no plan yet, still empty tank  :Laughing:

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## stormhawk

Robert, try a mini paludarium for crabs.  :Grin:

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## mincedmeat

> Robert, try a mini paludarium for crabs.


Can't agree more with this recommendation!  :Smile:

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## Shadow

isn't it too small for crab? later crab climb outside  :Opps:

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## mincedmeat

I think it should be able to fit a couple of Geosesarma?  :Razz:

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## stormhawk

A pair of Vampire Crabs should be fine in here. Just need to craft a cover. I think egg crate should be sufficient since I doubt they can squeeze through the grid.

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## Navanod

I'm still toying with using XM-L T6 emitters, then run them at half power 1.5A or less. Should be just as bright and cooler.  :Evil: 
But I'm very limited in the metal works/DIY skills department, especially soldering... :Sad:

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## mincedmeat

> A pair of Vampire Crabs should be fine in here. Just need to craft a cover. I think egg crate should be sufficient since I doubt they can squeeze through the grid.



Could use 2 pieces of egg crate with a wire mesh in between to act as precautionary measure. The additional egg crate can also add in weight to the cover.

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## jaggedge

bro shadow..how much is the cost of your diy led light..i want to do also for my 10inch nano tank..is that easy to do..thanks

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## Shadow

about USD$30, for 10inch you probably need only 2x3W LED. Also you might want to use thinner aluminium which is cheaper, easier to bend and cut.

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## jaggedge

sorry for my sms lingo..forgotten..

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## Blue Whale

Shadow, more expensive but more efficient in the long run than CFL.
CFL setup is cheaper but the life span is shorter and the cost of running is more than LED.

Here is a comparison chart for those interested in LED, CFL, Incandescent Light comparison.
http://www.designrecycleinc.com/led%20comp%20chart.html

The CFL Readings is overly stated because at time of this chart, CFL wasn't that efficient. Nevertheless, it is still a good comparison chart.

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## Shadow

> Shadow, more expensive but more efficient in the long run than CFL.
> CFL setup is cheaper but the life span is shorter and the cost of running is more than LED.


That only theoretical limit, in reality no one knows. No one ever run 50000 hours yet, maybe soon  :Laughing:

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## Shadow

> is there any shop here in sg that is selling that kind of aluminium?where did u get the LED lights,is that suitable for growing foreground plants like HC and dwarf hairgrass?


You can get aluminium from some hardware shop, those near GC do sell.
I got my LED from dealextreem but you can also get it from ebay. I'm not sure if simlim sell CREE LED, probably do. 

The LED have been tested on following plants with great result on 2ft tank with 12x3W LED:
- Eleocharis parvula
- Hemianthus callitricoides
- Potamogeton gayi
- Rotala sp. goias (can produce red leaf  :Wink:  )
- Glossostigma elatinoides
- Rotala rotundifolia
- Juncus repens Michx
- Proserpinaca palustris
- Hygrophila sp araguaia

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## jaggedge

> You can get aluminium from some hardware shop, those near GC do sell.
> I got my LED from dealextreem but you can also get it from ebay. I'm not sure if simlim sell CREE LED, probably do. 
> 
> The LED have been tested on following plants with great result on 2ft tank with 12x3W LED:
> - Eleocharis parvula
> - Hemianthus callitricoides
> - Potamogeton gayi
> - Rotala sp. goias (can produce red leaf  )
> - Glossostigma elatinoides
> ...


thanks bro..i go simlim and try if they have..and thanks for the info about the plants that can grow on that light.. :Smile:

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## Shadow

Please note on the bulb wattage and brand, mine is 3W per bulb. different bulb will have different performance, in fact I wont go to something lower than 1W per bulb.

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## Blue Whale

> That only theoretical limit, in reality no one knows. No one ever run 50000 hours yet, maybe soon


cfl 8000 I 11years since yr 2000 still haven't change light yet.

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## Shadow

Picture of pink tip and creeping Rotala sp Goias. This was plant on my 60x30x36cm tank with 12x3W CREE XR-E Q5 LED


Very simple DIY, this how its look like, early generation  :Laughing:

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## stormhawk

That's one attractive plant Robert.  :Well done:

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## limz_777

> Picture of pink tip and creeping Rotala sp Goias. This was plant on my 60x30x36cm tank with 12x3W CREE XR-E Q5 LED
> 
> 
> Very simple DIY, this how its look like, early generation



whats that screws at the end use for ? also how you mount it up ?

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## Shadow

The screw at both end is to prevent it from dropping into the tank  :Opps: .

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## gamziazui

love your 12 led setup.. plain and simple. Thanks for sharing.

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## illumnae

Did you get the aluminium shop to bend and drill the aluminium for you? How about the hook? I'm interested in making one for a marine nano...9 LED bulbs instead of 3 spread into a grid. Just curious how to get the aluminium done.

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## ralliart12

> Did you get the aluminium shop to bend and drill the aluminium for you? How about the hook? I'm interested in making one for a marine nano...9 LED bulbs instead of 3 spread into a grid. Just curious how to get the aluminium done.


Perhaps another alternative method you can consider is suspending the "kit"? Anyway, if you are not mounting a lot of diodes, there are ready-made heatsinks with tapped holes that you may consider for your DIY-ing.

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## Shadow

> Did you get the aluminium shop to bend and drill the aluminium for you? How about the hook? I'm interested in making one for a marine nano...9 LED bulbs instead of 3 spread into a grid. Just curious how to get the aluminium done.


Nope, it is just neighborhood hardware shop, bot even helping to cut  :Razz:

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## Shadow

> Very simple DIY, this how its look like, early generation


Added stand on my first generation light set.

The materials are all from Daiso ($2 shop)


Cut into couple of pieces


Cut small hole to sit on the glass edge


Nail it together, top view


Side view


Place it on top of the tank

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## Rexxer

Great DIY. Maybe can tape up the wirings

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## mincedmeat

I would say give it a little colour too! Simple DIY but effective nonetheless!

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## Shadow

Fine with me as long as it work  :Laughing: , don't care about the beauty  :Laughing: 

10cm from water surface might be too high though. I might reduce it to 5cm, let see how the plants grow with 10cm

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