DIY Macro Reactor

[reefs4life]

Hey guys, I know most of us have seen the new Pax-Bellum Macro Reactors and I was wondering if anyone has attempted to build their own.

I have an old Precision Marine RF4 Calcium Reactor chamber which I will be converting into something very similar to the Pax-Bellum reactor by the weekend just as soon as I get all my materials in during the week.

I would love to see if anyone has done anything similar and how they did it.

Thanks,
Fortunato

 

[reefs4life]

So far I have the reactor chamber of course with the old calcium reactor

ordered a flexible 5630 LED strip with power supply from Amazon

order a 1/2" aluminum rod from HD to wrap the LEDs around and use as a heatsink

a 1" ID acrylic tube to put the LED rod in

and 1" ID rubber grommets and Weld-on, still haven't decided whether I'm going to glue the light rod to the cap or if the grommets will provide enough of a seal for me to slide it in and out

 

[QueensRob]

Guys keep in mind this could be a copyright issue. Also you need about 300 par led. That's the key for macro algae. I use 50watts of led in my fuge.

 

[reefs4life]

Guys keep in mind this could be a copyright issue. Also you need about 300 par led. That's the key for macro algae. I use 50watts of led in my fuge.

Honestly, I don't see how it's copyright. For one, I'm not trying to sell them and two, everyone makes things on their own in this hobby hence why there's a whole sub-forum dedicated to DIY (Do-It-Yourself)

Rapidled.com should have been sued a long time ago since they're all about DIY and they have heatsinks and kits that allow you to make fixtures that look exactly like AI Sols

 

[lnevo]

It wouldn't be copyright.. It would be patent and he's not selling it. Now if someone takes the design and makes a business out of it then it could be an issue.

 

[Nottick]

I believe they were diy the exact way the company makes them before the company made them. Randy at Pratt has been running one for a while now I believe.

 

[Pax-Bellum LLC]

Technically it is patent infringement. However I'm not going to sue over DIY guys trying to make there own ARID like system. If someone did start selling them that's another story. Common courtesy is to ask permission if you can use someone's intellectual property for your own use.

 

[Nottick]

Pax. Like I said I believe randy at Pratt reef has a product that was DIY long before this came out.

Just out of curiosity. Can you actual sue someone if they DIY the exact product you sell but they don't sell it?

 

[Pax-Bellum LLC]

I built and maintained Randy's first Chaeto reactor, it was one of my first prototypes.
Yes, a patent holder can sue an individual for even a one off reproduction. The ARID is a process patent and multiple design patents. Even if the design is differing slightly to avoid the design patent it would still infringe on the process patent.

Tristan

 

[Nottick]

OK I stand corrected. Great job on his reactor. When I spoke to him about it he praised it a lot.

I didn't know you could do that for a DIY. That's good to know since I like to DIY things myself and even make changes for the better in my eyes on some products. Thanks for the info.

 

[ScorpionSys]

http://glassbox-design.com/2009/patents-101-does-diy-infringe/ Good read

 

[reefs4life]

At the same time, it is patent pending so no infringiment occurs till the patent is fully granted. And like I said, not going to be making a business out of this.

 

[Pax-Bellum LLC]

Like I said before, not going into litigation over DIY guys building one offs for personal use. Have fun building it. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. "

 

[Nottick]

Good link. Thanks for the quick read.

 

[reefs4life]

Not that visual brightness equals good PAR but this string of LED lights that I just got in look like they'll be bright enough to get the job done

 

[reefs4life]

The soon to be reactor...

 

[reefs4life]

So one thing I'm having difficulties with is the fact that I did get an aluminum rod to wrap the LEDs around but I have found a way to make a head one it with fins so I can maximize cooling.

The one thing I have considered is buying one of those nitro car cooling heads and drilling it through it to make it 1/2" so I can stick the rod through it. My issue with that is, would that get the job done in terms of heat transfer or would it have to be one solid piece? If it's not a solid piece should I use that thermal paste used between LEDs and heatsinks to maximize heat transfer? This is what a hobby nitro car cooling head looks like:

 

[Nottick]

I think your really over thinking this. Those smd 5050 chips don't produce much heat at all.

 

[reefs4life]

I think your really over thinking this. Those smd 5050 chips don't produce much heat at all.

How am I over thinking it? I want to do a proper build.

They're actually 5630 chips. I left them on for 3 minutes to test them out and they were hot enough for me to believe they need a heatsink.

Also, the LEDs from the 'real' macro reactor use 37w for 120 LEDs which is about .31w per LED. The 5630 chip LEDs use about .5w on paper, haven't checked the actuals but even if it were skewed to double it's actualy consumption it would be at .25w per LED which is not too far off. So with that reasoning, why would I not need a heatsink?

 

[xclusive252]

I would just take the rod to a welder and have him weld a play to the top of the rod and add a CPU heat sink there small and very easy to get and if you wanted to could add the fan and max the cooling of it.