# DIY Cree LED lighting ideas



## James O (24 Jul 2015)

I've been looking at http://www.ledgroupbuy.com/index.php for ideas and controllers.  The closer the led diodes, the less disco effect. However all the smaller 1/2/3 led pucks are marine use, but I also want colour control.   They have larger single puck designs but at higher prices - $100 or £64 not inc shipping from the US

Then I stumbled across Led-tech.de

What do you think?

RGB - https://www.led-tech.de/en/High-Pow...eries/CREE-XP-E-RGB-Star-LT-1589_120_138.html

or

RGBW - https://www.led-tech.de/en/High-Pow...E-XM-L-Color-on-Star-PCB-LT-2074_120_170.html

both for around 17 euros or £12 not inc shipping from EU.  So I could get 5 of the LED =-tech Crees for 1 of the larger LED group buy pucks.

what thinks you?


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## ThunderWill (5 Sep 2015)

Hi? Has any one tried these RBG LED clusters? Do you really get white-ish light from them?


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## zozo (5 Sep 2015)

James O said:


> what thinks you?


What are your tank dimensions?  Nowadays the SMD led strips are getting quite powerfull with the hard rigid aloy strip, 12 volt, 8520 dual chip led.. Can give up to 65 lum p/led with 72 leds p/meter. 18 watt..  That's pretty strong and a lot cheaper and safer than cree leds which need much more powerfull controlers. I'm using a few of them since a while and have to dimm them down to 60% or else i have a lot to much light over a 54 liter tank.



ThunderWill said:


> Do you really get white-ish light from them?



Yes if you run all colors at 100% the inveronmental light will be Cool White..  Down the blue and it becomes more warmer yellowish light.. But you always need to look at the invironment not at the leds emitting color, they look more blue at all 3 colors 100% or less blue to get warm white they look green.
See this site http://www.december.com/html/spec/colorper.html the inveronmental light comes pretty close if you set the controller to emitt these percentages for each color. But again then look at the environmental light and not what color the leds are emitting.  you can make all these colors with RGB leds.. It's fun..


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## ThunderWill (5 Sep 2015)

Nice. Thanks for explanation. I already have XM-Ls on my tank an was curious about these RBG clusters


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