Journal High-Tech 90P Build

[renesis]

So I've figured out my space limitation/controller mounting issues after going over dozens of scenarios.

In the end, it was simple, it's the LED psu/drivers that were the bulkiest and pushing everything else out, either the sump outward which cascaded onto moving everything else.

So, I changed the led box. Instead of one big box, I split the driver board and PSU, made both a lot slimmer, and allowed one to be mounted up top, and one on the back wall.

Old on top, new ones below.






Current state of the cabinet:



I also quickly put together the small fuge light with the leftover led strip. I didn't like the look of the printed white on the outside, so I also printed a thin black cover that slips onto this one.

 

[JayP]

Are you concerned about heat in those boxes or overall in the stand, plus moisture/humidity from the sump? It almost seems like you wouldn't need that heater.

 

[renesis]

Are you concerned about heat in those boxes or overall in the stand, plus moisture/humidity from the sump? It almost seems like you wouldn't need that heater.

Yes and no...

Most the electronics will run cold-warm, and wattages dissipated are not very high.

LED PSU - ~ 18W at full 100%
LED Driver - ~ 12W @ full 100% (NLDD Drivers are ~92% efficient, so we lose about 8% of the 146W as heat)
Backlight PSU - 7W @ full 100%
Powerbar - 5W
Controller - < 1W
Power Bricks - <2W

Total heat - 45W

Keep in mind that is all at worst case. Practically, the LED isn't going to be run that high, nor will all colour channels be on at the same time. Same thing with the backlight. In reality, it will likely be about ~30-35W of heat during daytime, and considerably less when lights are off.

Having said that, moisture + heat + enclosed cabinet is asking for a bad time, so I did add a ventilation fan + intake vent on the right side of the cabinet that vents into the desk kneehole area.



This will run on/off based on a temperature/humidity sensor inside the cabinet off the main controller.

Whether or not I actually 'need' the heater is to be seen. Winters do get quite cold here though. I'll post the data here once I gather enough of it after the system is running.

 

[renesis]

Am I doing this right? Photone wasn't a thing when I last made an led. How much will it drop when filled?

 

[JayP]

I know many here, are fans of photone, but I just could never get consistent trustworthy readings with it, nor do I like the idea of putting my phone in an aquarium.

I bought one of these VBR-Aqua IP68 PAR Meter for Aquarium and haven't regretted it. It may not be worth it if you only have one tank, but if you have many, what's another $100?

Edit to add: The reviews regarding the telescoping rod, no longer apply, as the one I received came with a 3 piece screw-together rod.