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AQUA-PRO5 "AQUARIUMBAR™"

Aqua-Pro5 "AquariumBar™", retail $305.00 (www.ledtronics.com...)
Manufactured by Solar Oasis (www.solaroasis.com)
Last updated 02-27-08








The Aqua-Pro5 AquariumBar™ is designed to replace that hot, incandescent aquarium light on your fishtank.
You know, the one that eats energy and light bulbs like they're going out of style.
It is designed to be used *WITH* fluorescent "view" lights, not instead of them; though if you have both fluorescent and incandescent "view" lights, this product can replace the incandescent.

Its light sources are designed specifically to stimulate photosynthesis (the conversion of light into energy) in aquatic plants; there are a few LEDs of other colors to brighten the inside of your fishtank a little because just blue and red (what most plants need) might make the insides of the fishtank look a bit funny ("funny" as in queer; not "funny" like a clown).

The wavelengths generated are:
  • ~735nm (near-infrared)
  • ~650nm (red)
  • ~615nm (orange)
  • ~525nm (green)
  • ~468nm (blue)
Of those, the ~468nm and ~650nm wavelengths are the ones used by plants for photosynthesis; the others are there to make the aquarium's interior look more colorful.


SIZE



The AquariumBar™ does not use batteries, so it'll be ready to go as soon as you hook it up.

On the power supply "brick", you'll see a long thin cord. Plug it into one of the female receptacles on one of the sides of the AquariumBar™. Plug the female end of the included IEC cord (the AC power cord) into the power supply brick, and plug the other end into any standard (in north America anyway) 110 to 130 volts AC 60Hz receptacle.

You can also power it with 220 to 240 volts AC; all you would need to do in this case is obtain a power cord with the correct male end for the AC receptacles in your country.

Within a second or two, the AquariumBar™ should blaze to life.

You can "daisy-chain" two or more of the units together, using the included cord. Just plug one end of it into the vacant connector on the last unit in the string (this may very well be the first unit) and plug the other end of the cord into one of the two power input receptacles on the additional unit.

There are two ways to mount this to your fishtank: you can use the included suction cups (to suction it to a glass aquarium lid or wall) or use the included wood screws (to fasten it to a wooden aquarium lid). Regardless of how it's mounted, the instructional materials advise you to avoid mounting it in a location subject to water splashes from the aquarium.



This is meant to be used as a hood light on a freshwater or saltwater fishtank, not as a flashlight meant to be carried around, thrashed, trashed, and abused, so I won't try to drown it in the toilet tank, bash it against a steel rod or against the concrete floor of a patio, let my housemate's citty kats go to the litterbox on it, run over it with a 450lb Celebrity motorised wheelchair, stomp on it, use a large claw hammer in order to bash it open to check it for candiosity, fire it from the cannonada (I guess I've been watching the TV program "Viva Piñata" too much again - candiosity is usually checked with a laser-type device on a platform with a large readout, with a handheld wand that Langston Lickatoad uses, or with a pack-of-cards-sized device that Fergy Fudgehog uses; and the cannonada is only used to shoot piñatas to piñata parties away from picturesque Piñata Island), send it to the Daystrom Institute for additional analysis, or perform other indecencies on it that a flashlight might have to have performed on it.

So this section of the web page will be significantly more bare than this section of the web page on a page about a flashlight that was born to be a flashlight and nothing but a flashlight.

Temperature of the LED modules was measured at 142°F (61.1°C) after operating the product LEDs-up for approximately 4 hours.
This is a surface temperature measurement; the AquariumBar™ will not cause any measureable heating of the aquarium's water, regardless of the fishtank's size.

Temperature was measured LEDs-up for three reasons:
  1. I do not have a fishtank handy, and...
  2. One of the suggested uses of the AquariumBar™ is to be placed at the bottom of the tank facing up, and...
  3. Measuring temperature in this manner represents a worst case scenario - this is the highest possible temperature the AquariumBar™ can generate under any circumstances barring total enclosure of the product.
The part of the AquariumBar™ you can actually touch only feels slightly warm; this temperature measurement is of the PCB (printed circuit board) that the LEDs themselves are affixed to.

All internal parts of the AquariumBar™ are coated with a waterproof sealant that meets military specifications. So although the product is not actually *SUBMERSIBLE*, it is built to withstand the high humidity levels directly above a big tank of water (your aquarium, of course).

The AquariumBar™ is meant to supplement your aquarium's white "view" lighting with additional light energy; it is not designed to be used on its own. Things might look a little funny in the fishtank if the AquariumBar™ *IS* used with no other lighting.

I do not have an aquarium or even a terrarium; that's why there are no photographs of this product being used with one.



Photograph of one of the five LED arrays.


Same as above, but lit this time.
The LED that appears out is a NIR (near-infrared) LED; it is not out but its radiation is a bit beyond the camera's sensor range.



Beam photograph on the test target at 12".
Measures 89,200mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter.

This measurement is artificially ***VERY*** low for two primary reasons:
1: Light source area is *VERY* large compared to a flashlight.
2: At this distance, the beam is elliptical in configuration, not circular.



Photograph of the beam on a ceiling at ~8 feet (yes, it was on the floor for this photograph).

Those green spots are from a Laser Stars unit, and aren't produced by this product.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the NIR LEDs in this aquarium light.
The radiation appears to peak at 735nm to 740nm in the NIR region of the spectrum.
That hump at ~468nm is from the blue LEDs, and may be ignored.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the red LEDs in this aquarium light.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the orange LEDs in this aquarium light.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the green LEDs in this aquarium light.
That hump at ~650nm is from the red LEDs, and may be ignored.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the blue LEDs in this aquarium light.
That hump at ~650nm is from the red LEDs, and may be ignored.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs (all five LED types) in this aquarium light; spectra merged into one.
This compilation was made by a website fan and was used with his permission.


ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis.
Distance for this test was approximately 46 inches (116.8cm).

Performing beam cross-sectional analysis of the AquariumBar™ really wasn't necessary considering how the aquarium
light is intended to be used, but since I have the $9,000.00 ProMetric instrument at my disposal, I figured "why not".

Image made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.






TEST NOTES:
Test unit of the AquariumBar™ was sent by my contact at LEDTronics on 02-04-08, and was received on the afternoon of 02-08-08.

The power supply is rated to output 24 volts DC at 1.67 amps maximum.
Inner contact is (+) positive, outer can is (-) negative.

Although this is a swich mode power supply, the no-load voltage was measured at exactly 24.0 volts DC, so even if this light does somehow fall in the water and (for whatever reason) go out, neither you nor your fishies will get zapped.

Power supply's input is 100 volts to 240 volts AC at 50Hz to 60Hz, so (electrically anyway) it is universal and can be operated in any country on this planet. All you need to do is obtain a power cord with the correct male end for the AC receptacles in your country.
The power cord that comes with it is terminated with a female IEC connector at one end (this plugs into the power supply unit itself), and a three-prong grounded male plug for north American household electrical systems on the other.

FYI: An IEC connector is the same type used by most desktop computers in the USA.


This is a female IEC connector (plug).

Product was made in the United States of America.
A product's country of origin really does matter to some people, which is why I published it on this web page.


UPDATE: 02-10-08
I will be measuring the temperature again, because 142°F (61.1°C) seems maybe a bit on the high side.
So after 4 continuous hours (11:15am PST) I'll retake that measurement.


UPDATE: 02-10-08
No, you aren't seeing things.
Yes, a same-day update.
The temperature was measured at 140°F (60°C) after 4.5 hours of continuous operation.
This is of the PCB (printed circuit board) the LEDs are affixed to; the tops of the LEDs (where you can feel with your fingers) are just warm.


UPDATE: 02-10-08
No, you aren't seeing things.
Yes, another same-day update.
The temperature was measured at 144°F (62.2°C) after ~9.9 hours of continuous operation.

The temperature of the plastic exterior was measured at a cool 87°F (30.5°C).
Ambient temperature for these measurements was 74°F (23.3°C).


UPDATE: 02-13-08
I have disassembled this product insofar as to be able to see and access the bottoms of the LED clusters' PCBs. After several hours of operation in this state, I'll perform two temperature measurements: one with the noncontact IR thermometer I have and the other with my bare fingertips. ~140°F will "feel" hot, but it isn't so hot as to cause damage to the flesh in my fingers. Since the PCBs are now exposed to room air circulation, they'll *VERY LIKELY* measure cooler; but by how much is not known.


UPDATE: 02-13-08
No, you aren't seeing things.
Yes, a same-day update.
After operating LEDs-down for a couple of hours, the temperature of the bottom of the PCB measures 149°F (65°C); the solder traces on the bottom of the board felt uncomfortably warm to the touch. Not scalding hot, but I didn't want to hold my fingers there for more than 250ms (1/4 second) or so. This tells me that the LEDs in this particular unit are being overdriven.

My contact at LEDTronics tells me that the R&D dept. at LEDTronics will be measuring the temperature of another unit.
This will help determine if the particular unit I received is faulty or not.


UPDATE: 02-13-08
No, you aren't seeing things.
Yes, another same-day update.
After operating LEDs-down for exactly four hours (the "on time" duration I wanted to begin with), the temperature of the underside of the PCB measures 144°F (62.2°C); the solder traces on the bottom of the board felt uncomfortably warm to the touch. Not scalding hot, but I didn't want to hold my fingers there for more than 250ms to 333ms (1/4 second to 1/3 second) or so.





PROS:



CONS:



    MANUFACTURER: LEDTronics
    PRODUCT TYPE: Solid-state aquarium light
    LAMP TYPE: 5mm LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 185
    BEAM TYPE: Medium spot w/dimmer corona
    SWITCH TYPE: None
    CASE MATERIAL: Plastic
    BEZEL: Plastic; LEDs slightly recessed into five circular clusters
    BATTERY: N/A
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure (advertised as using a mere 6 to 9 watts)
    WATER RESISTANT: Very light splatter-resistance at best (humidity-proof though)
    SUBMERSIBLE: No
    ACCESSORIES: Power supply, IEC cord, "daisy-chaining" cable, two suction cups, two screws
    SIZE: 21.0" (533.40mm) L, 2.50" (63.50mm) W, 2.0" (50.80mm) D
    WARRANTY: 1 year

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





Aqua-Pro5 "AquariumBar™" * www.ledtronics.com...






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