Reef Angel w/ DIY LED

[re_vogel]

I am looking at building a DIY LED fixture for my 75 gal and want to use the reef angel controller as a dimmer/timer. The setup will be two 36 led fixtures with 4 dimmable drivers each. so 8 dimmable drivers total. I will either use the newer XM-L or the older XP-G. What compenents wiould i need from Reefangel to do this. Also, Im new to LED's so any other input into the LED setup would be appriciated.

Thanks

[rimai]

How many channels of dimming are you planning on having?
You can have as little as 2 channels (4 drivers connected to the same dimming channel) and as high as 8 channels (each channel with its own individual channel).

[re_vogel]

Ideally 4. One for each of the two sides of white and one for each of the two sides of blue. But I might just start out with two. One for the whites and one for the blues.

[rimai]

If you only need 2 channels, you only need the RA and the PWM lead wires. When you are ready for more channels, you will need the PWM Expansion module.
Meanwell drivers would work just fine in for you.

[re_vogel]

Thanks. I am correct in saying that I dont need to worry about pluging the lights into the reef angel power module. Also out of curiosity what is the expansion hub for?

Thanks.

[rimai]

You don't need to plug the power cables from the drivers to the controller if you don't want to.
It's your choice.
The expansion hub is for when you want to connect more than 1 expansion module to your RA system.

[najluni15]

I just ordered an Aquastyle kit and am also wondering about the PWM connection. Can I connect the Dimming wires from the meanwell controller to a PWM connector and then plug that into the Reef Angel's PWM port? And if so, where can I get the PWM connector? Or is there another way to control the dimming function with the RA?

Thanks

[Sebyte]

I have retrofitted Aquastyle kit of parts to my tank hood, and I am very pleased with the results.

Can I connect the Dimming wires from the meanwell controller to a PWM connector and then plug that into the Reef Angel's PWM port?

As Roberto has said above, yes.

Depending on how many drivers you will be using there are two options.

1. Using the two channels on the main relay box (Actinic and Daylight) you can have up to 4 drivers per channel.

2. Using the PWM expansion module you can to expand your system with 6 more PWM channels, giving 8 in total. (or up to 32 drivers). You can further add up to 8 additional PWM expansion modules which can be connected simultaneously, for a total of 50 individually controlled channels. (200 drivers!)

Hope that is enough channels for you, with the right programming you could do a light show for an under water pop concert.

For each driver, or pair of drivers you need to order a Dimming Port Lead Wire - 2 Pack from the Reef Angel store.

Then attach the lead to the control leads on the driver(s) then connect to the PWM port.

I have two Meanwell LPF-60D-48, one for 10,000k white, the other for Royal blue. Each driver has 28 LED's in series/parallel circuit. I chose the LPF type of driver because it can accept an Analog Signal, PWM or a dimming pot. That means that it will work with either type of Reef Angel.

To save on the use of ports you do not need to have the controllers connected to the RA. Just make sure that the ramp down to 0%. In fact I have found that they shut off at 3%.

[binder]

How do you connect 2 drivers to one PWM channel? Any pictures you could post or diagrams? Would this work for the PWM to Analog cables too or is this only for straight PWM?

[najluni15]

I really appreciate the help. Thanks! Ill hook upmy lights to the included pots then order the PWM cables and change it over when I get them (shouldnt take long as I live about 20 miles from Roberto's shp)

[Sebyte]

Would this work for the PWM to Analog cables too or is this only for straight PWM?

Yes.

Providing the current drawn by the driver control circuit does not exceed the PWM/Analog Channel of 40ma, then connect them in parallel on to one of the RA PWM cables.

i.e. let's say the driver has two wires for dimming control. White for +, and Blue for -. Connect the two white wires together and the two blue wires together. Then connect the RA PWM + lead to the white wires and the - to the blue. You then have two drivers that can be connected to one PWM channel.

As long as the current drawn does not exceed 40ma you can connect several drivers? It is hard to find as it is not on their spec sheet what the current is for the control circuit. One person I spoke to said it was between 8-10ma.

Having said that, I do not take responsibility should a person connect drivers in this way. Individuals must check on their particular driver spec, and decide if they want to go ahead.

[binder]

Providing the current drawn by the driver control circuit does not exceed the PWM Channel of 40ma, then connect them in parallel on to one of the RA PWM cables.

i.e. let's say the driver has two wires for dimming control. White for +, and Blue for -. Connect the two white wires together and the two blue wires together. Then connect the RA PWM + lead to the white wires and the - to the blue. You then have two drivers that can be connected to one PWM channel.

As long as the current drawn does not exceed 40ma you can connect several drivers? It is hard to find as it is not on their spec sheet what the current is for the control circuit. One person I spoke to said it was between 8-10ma.

Having said that, I do not take responsibility should a person connect drivers in this way. Individuals must check on their particular driver spec, and decide if they want to go ahead.

Ok, cool. I've got some meanwell ELN-60-24D (analog version). I currently have them on their own channels. Then I've got another set of LED's as well that are non-dimmable but I might be able to convert them over. I'm going to look into their current draw and see if I can run them in parallel. Thanks for the info.