editkid Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Step two: COMPLETE. Step three: soldering LEDs in parallel: COMPLETE. Step four: Attaching LEDs to canopy with epoxy: COMPLETE. Step five: Wait until sun down... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editkid Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Verdict: needs about double the amount of LEDs! It's a very eerie light right now, almost dark and you can sometimes barely make out a fish. Blue is definitely the right colour though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editkid Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Okay, it seems I have wired it up all wrong :lol: LEDs are supposed to be in series, not in parallel. Back to Jaycar, to thank them for their lovely advice and heaps of stuff they sold me, and to get a completely different adapter, and more LEDs. If you want info on how to properly wire up LEDs, this page is quite nice: http://wolfstone.halloweenhost.com/Ligh ... gLEDs.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editkid Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 And after more research, I've decided to just follow this handy guide: http://www.instructables.com/id/Fish-ta ... nlighting/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 They can be installed either way, the critical thing is having the voltage right. All in parallel on about 3.5-3.7(iirc) volt or series of 3-4 on 12 volt so that each sees the correct voltage. The reason for putting them in series is that it helps limit the current if you get the voltage too high so you don't blow them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editkid Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Oh yeah, I see. Good explanation. I've just returned from the shop and spent about $80 on LED strips that take 12V. You can chain them as long as you have enough mA to support them. It's a bit more expensive, but should be heaps easier to install. I'll follow that Instructable that I linked up earlier, with the addition of a dimmer (potentiometer) so I can regulate the brightness of the LEDs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editkid Posted October 22, 2007 Report Share Posted October 22, 2007 Yeah, works a treat, that Instructable. I ended up using and paying: - 10 x "12VDC Flexible Strip with 3 SM LEDs- Blue" at $7.50 each - 1 x "24MM POTENTIOMETER LOG SINGLE GANG (A)" at $2.70 - 2m of audio (speaker) cable at $0.30 - 1 x little plastic box to put the potentiometer in at $3.50 - 1 x 20VCD adaptor at $20 - 1 x timer for the mains plug at $4.00 - some glue from the glue gun, solder... TOTAL: $105.50 and about 4 hours of DIY geekdom For that price you can buy one in the shop, of course. I did have heaps of fun building it. I'll post a pic soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editkid Posted October 22, 2007 Report Share Posted October 22, 2007 With both lights on, full strength. Only blue LEDs, full strength. Doesn't really come across... In retrospect, I might have benefitted from mixing white with blue LEDs. This is quite blue. It's cool though, it a "thousands of miles below the sea" sort of way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editkid Posted October 22, 2007 Report Share Posted October 22, 2007 Oh and the dimmer is definitely a bonus. I've just set it to the lowest possible setting, and the fish are really relaxed, slowly checking out the tank. It's very hypnotic sitting in the dark with that pale blue light and slow moving fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richms Posted October 22, 2007 Report Share Posted October 22, 2007 There are some blue led strips on dealextreme.com that may do the trick, not sure on their brightness however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editkid Posted October 22, 2007 Report Share Posted October 22, 2007 Oh yeah, they look good at first sight. And cheap! http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5111 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richms Posted October 23, 2007 Report Share Posted October 23, 2007 Oh yeah, they look good at first sight. And cheap! http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5111 I was thinking more like this one http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8345 looks to be a bit more finished then some of the others. Hard to tell from the pics, They shipping is quick tho so if its no good you just order some other one and put what you got up on trademe, and usually sell for more then you paid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editkid Posted October 23, 2007 Report Share Posted October 23, 2007 Oh yeah, that looks like it'll definitely do the trick. And I paid so much for all of this ha ha!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonman Posted October 24, 2007 Report Share Posted October 24, 2007 I was thinking more like this one http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8345 looks to be a bit more finished then some of the others. Hard to tell from the pics, They shipping is quick tho so if its no good you just order some other one and put what you got up on trademe, and usually sell for more then you paid just brought one so will be able to tell ya what it is like in a week maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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