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Programmable led floodlights

RoasterToaster

RoasterToaster

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Hi guys, just wondering if anyone has ever managed to add a programmable controller (possibly WiFi/smartphone compatible) to standard dimmable led floodlights?
Been looking at floodlights for my big tank (6x2x2) and hoping to get some control over their schedule.
Cheers
 
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RoasterToaster said:
I have found these which are 0-10v dimmable (100W), but I have zero idea about electronics!!!
Anyone know if these could be wired to a controller? Thanks again
Click to expand...
Yes, 0-10V dimmable is usually a 5 wire system. The light itself requires 230V live a neutral which would be supplied from the mains. Then there’s a control pair wires which uses a 0-10V signal to control the brightness (0v being very dim/off and 10v full brightness). The fifth wire is your Earth if the light needs it.

The 0-10V control can be as simple as a rotary dimmer switch but you can also get programmable controllers which will vary the voltage for you. You could use one of these to get the job done:

 
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RoasterToaster said:
I have found these which are 0-10v dimmable (100W), but I have zero idea about electronics!!!
Anyone know if these could be wired to a controller? Thanks again
Click to expand...
There are a number of 0-10v led controllers out there.
As to the light you found:
The 5000k 90 degree lensing is nice.
Using Lumileds is nice.
150L/watt is nice
7 year warranty is nice

Having 70 CRI is not nice.

Full Bluetooth, Apex, and GHL are all able to program/control 0-10v lights.
Keep in mind many 0-10v don't dim to off at all or smoothly. One needs like a wall timer to shut the lights off completely.

There are also "converters" to change 5V PWM (common in cheaper controllers) to 0-10v.
Hurricane, Storm X, Bluefish mini


The current permutations of controllers/remotes/standards have exceeded my ability to care about 0-10v..or Tuya, or Zigbee or DALI, or DMX or ect.. 😉
 
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oreo57 said:
Keep in mind many 0-10v don't dim to off at all or smoothly.
Click to expand...
This is a good point. In fact, many controls or lights will describe themselves as 1-10V for this reason. You certainly can get drivers which cut the 230V supply once the signal drops below a threshold but, as the driver is built into this LED I couldn’t tell you whether it would do that or not.
oreo57 said:
One needs like a wall timer to shut the lights off completely.
Click to expand...
yeah this or a controller with a 230V relay built in (the one I linked to won’t do that).
oreo57 said:
The current permutations of controllers/remotes/standards have exceeded my ability to care about 0-10v..or Tuya, or Zigbee or DALI, or DMX or ect.
Click to expand...
I think this may be about cost though? If money was no object I wouldn’t bother with this either.
 
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simon_the_plant_nerd said:
This is a good point. In fact, many controls or lights will describe themselves as 1-10V for this reason. You certainly can get drivers which cut the 230V supply once the signal drops below a threshold but, as the driver is built into this LED I couldn’t tell you whether it would do that or not.

yeah this or a controller with a 230V relay built in (the one I linked to won’t do that).

I think this may be about cost though? If money was no object I wouldn’t bother with this either.
Click to expand...
Yes but that IS the catch... Cheap lights and expensive controllers...
This is about the cheapest, easiest to obtain 1-10v controller "I" know of.
store.aquariumcomputer.com

ProfiLux Light WiFi

Aquariencomputer zum Steuern von Licht, Pumpen, und vielem mehr, mit Netzgerät und USB-Kabel
store.aquariumcomputer.com store.aquariumcomputer.com
Can program and control 4 floods or 4 channels in one light. Probably can dim/control more than one per port, till you run out of current.

Honestly I believe one can go to about $50 with a deep search for "possible" controllers.

One can use a $9 converter board and a hacked cheap $25 Chinese strip controller (need to solder one wire per channel internally to the unit, search "modify tc-420")

It is "almost" cheapest to start from scratch.

If you go manual dimming many of the 0-10v units can be dimmed with a $2 potentiometer.
Or a 10v wall wart and pot.
Depends on the design. Many meanwells dim w/ 10v analog, 10v PWM or a 100K potentiometer.

Over time I've understood the potential of using say stage lights and the ability to program using DMX ect.
BUT that is a completely different universe and language that I don't care to investigate really.
On the surface it looks relatively cheap w/ open source software and actually cheap-ish floods.

DMX Controlled​

NOTE: The actual wattage is a bit cryptic here..
rgb or rgbw just like Chihiros..
Parts..
Nobody has taken my bait to document its viability.
I could be way off base here... Apparently stage lighting
managers and dj's don't "do" planted tanks.. 🙂
Anyways food for thought.
 
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Thanks guys, a lot of info to digest there!!! Yes you’re right, I was looking to go down this route as a cost saving solution. Off the shelf solutions for the tank would be putting me in the range of £700+ which I don’t want to fork out atm.
The Profilix looks like it could be a “plug & play” solution if I’ve understood correctly? And it could cope with 4 of the floodlight types I mentioned earlier? I’m assuming I’d have to wire the right type of connector onto the light cables (picture supplied on website shows bare ends, but only 3 cores - is that compatible?), as I said, electronics is something I have almost zero clue about, but I do have a good buddy that is a sparky who might be able to help.
 
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RoasterToaster said:
good buddy that is a sparky who might be able to help.
Click to expand...
Any electrician who has worked on commercial lighting will be able to wire this up correctly. It’s really not difficult. 👍🏻

No idea about the profilux. The Quinetic thing I linked to has an app on your phone you just program from there. It’s for commercial and residential lighting but would work.
 
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RoasterToaster said:
decent CRI to look for if 70
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80+ is what I look for.
Only a suggestion below for a type of light to think about, and I know not how to do the magic with wiring in dimming etc., I have never bothered, nor do I want to play about with spectrum.
www.smart-light.co.uk

120W Anti Glare LED High Bay Light Dimmable 5000K CREE LED Meanwell Driver IP65 160Lm/W UGR21

Order online our 120W Anti Glare LED High Bay Light Dimmable 5000K CREE LED Meanwell Driver IP65 160Lm/W UGR21 today. Free delivery on orders over £50. Trade prices available with dedicated support!
www.smart-light.co.uk www.smart-light.co.uk
 
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simon_the_plant_nerd said:
Any electrician who has worked on commercial lighting will be able to wire this up correctly. It’s really not difficult. 👍🏻

No idea about the profilux. The Quinetic thing I linked to has an app on your phone you just program from there. It’s for commercial and residential lighting but would work.
Click to expand...
Have you seen the app for this? It says on/off can be programmed and dimming can be controlled, but is that manual dimming via the app or programmed? Sorry if I missed something obvious just my sparky buddy brought it up when I showed him!
 
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RoasterToaster said:
Also, what would be a decent CRI to look for if 70 is not good? Thanks
Click to expand...
CRI is a 0 to 100 scale with 100 being the closest colour representation to natural light and everything below that tapering off. Where CRI is important 80 and above is considered good. The higher the number, the more you will see the true colour of your plants.
RoasterToaster said:
Have you seen the app for this? It says on/off can be programmed and dimming can be controlled, but is that manual dimming via the app or programmed? Sorry if I missed something obvious just my sparky buddy brought it up when I showed him!
Click to expand...
I haven’t used the app myself. I’ve installed Quinetic products and can vouch for their reliability though. I don’t know if you can program the dimmer to ramp up or down.

Try downloading the app and see what it can do?
 
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After looking at the profilux, it looks to have 4X 0-10V inputs. I’m assuming that these will only work with 0-10V input led units and not just any standard dimmable led floodlight?
Reason I ask is that I have found lots of dimmable led floodlights that don’t mention 0-10V input, and the only one I’ve found that says 0-10V input has a less than optimal CRI.
As I said, electronics are something I’ve never delved in to before so I am sorry for all the questions, especially if the answers are super obvious!!!!
 
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RoasterToaster said:
After looking at the profilux, it looks to have 4X 0-10V inputs. I’m assuming that these will only work with 0-10V input led units and not just any standard dimmable led floodlight?
Reason I ask is that I have found lots of dimmable led floodlights that don’t mention 0-10V input, and the only one I’ve found that says 0-10V input has a less than optimal CRI.
As I said, electronics are something I’ve never delved in to before so I am sorry for all the questions, especially if the answers are super obvious!!!!
Click to expand...
Yea " dimmable" can mean different things.
Many are dimmable by triac dimming on the ac side... You know like those sliding switch type dimmers.
So yes 0-10v is not compatible with triac dimming.

0-10 v shouldn't be too hard to find.. search UFO led dimmable.

Greater than 80cri... Getting there.
Know that getting 95+ costs you..
Like $200 for 100w.
 
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0-10v is an analogue signal system used in commercial lighting (and various other industrial controls). It doesn’t power the lights, it’s just a signal that tells the light how bright to be. The 10V in this system is not the forward voltage for the LEDs. In that floodlight the forward voltage for the LEDs could be anything really. The driver is built into the unit which converts the 230V AC into whatever DC the led needs.

However, the 230V and the 0-10v signal are completely independent so any controller that can provide a 0-10v signal will be able to dim the light, even if it doesn’t also control the 230V. From a really quick look at the profilux, the 0-10V is a control signal so I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able use it with the light you have linked. It will not dim three wire dimmable lamps as the supply voltage and control are in the same signal.

I would stay away from any unit that says it can be dimmed with a “traditional” dimmer personally. LED drivers typically work better with a nice smooth electrical supply and while some really well built driver designs are happy with a dirty electrical supply, they are the more expensive ones.
 
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Screenshot_20250201-093525.png

Hmmm that's a bit confusing. The "single" wires to the light are actually 3 and 2 wires.
I'll get a better pic. in the meantime....

EDIT: Green/White/Black is US colors. Green w. Yellow stripe/Blue/Brown are "Europe" for AC IN
 
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