Orphek LED revolution DIF100

Orphek LED revolution DIF 100
This is Part two in a series of articles and this article will focus on the development of the DIF 100 series and further improvements that were made in chronological order.


Orphek DIF 100 XP LED

March 29 2011 – DIF 100

Orphek engineers wanted to design and build a pendant that would allow hobbyists with deep tanks to take advantage of the energy savings of LEDs while providing an excellent PUR range while providing a high PAR level necessary for these systems. 


DIF 100 and DIF 100 B+UV




Tank with Orphek DIF 100

The DIF 100 was designed so that different lenses could be used depending on the user’s application.  Four different lenses are available in the following degrees; 45, 60, 90, and 120.

The 45 degree lens allows users to penetrate deeper tanks with the needed PAR level while the 120 degree lens offers more coverage for shallow aquariums such as coral display tanks.  And, all this is accomplished without the need of a cooling fan by using a revolutionary extruded aluminum heat sink.



The heat sink used in all DIF series pendants is fabricated by extrusion.  This process involves heating the aluminum bar stock and pulling it through a die to form the heat sink.  In general, heat sinks that are fabricated from a solid piece of metal will outperform heat sinks where the fins are bonded to the base with a bonding agent.  With this method, thermal transfer is inhibited by the bonding agent itself.  Die casting is another method of forming heat sinks but has one drawback.  As the molten metal cools in the die, it inherently expands creating voids in the structure. The porous interior weakens the structure, inhibits thermal performance, and is difficult to machine.  Orphek chose to use the more expensive method of extrusion and incorporates extruded aluminum heat sinks for all DIF series Pendants.  This method greatly increases the life span of the LEDs and electronics by efficiently dissipating more heat, and without the need of a noisy cooling fan.


April 2012 – DIF 100XP


Orphek’s engineers decided to improve the DIF 100’s performance by adding a new multichip which now include red and UV LEDs.


new orphek dif 100 XP LED

The new multichip LED is made up of:

60 – 18Kwhite
10 – 450nm blue
10 – 430nm actinic
10 – 410nm UV
6 – 590nm orange
4 – 660nm red



Power Supplies

            Model                          Dimming                 Power Supplies

DIF100 , DIF100 XP            NO                   Mean well CLG-150-36A

DIF100 , DIF100 XP            YES                 Mean well HLG-120H-36B

DIF50   , DIF50 XP              NO                    Mean well LPF-60-36

DIF50   , DIF50 XP             YES                   Mean well LPF-60D-36

This improvement boosted the spectral response in the PUR range which includes chlorophyll A and B. This offers better color, florescence, and improved growth of corals. To further improve the efficiency of the already efficient DIF 100, a new industrial quality driver was used. The driver is manufactured by Mean Well and features a constant current driver with EMI filtering and auto over current shut off. The voltage and current are regulated to within +/- 0.5 percent and the driver carries a two year warranty.



Reef Aquarium Photos with DIF100 :

Reef Aquarium with no corals 9000G

Tanks Size: 5m X 2,5m X 2,5m  = 16.4' X 8.2' X 8.2 H

3x DIF100 18K 90 Degree

2x DIF 100 18K 60 Degree

Total 500W

Reef Aquarium with no corals 9000 G


Reef Aquarium with no corals 9000 G

Reef aquarium Mix corals

2x DIF 100 18K 90 D

Total 200W


reef tank mix corals with 2x DIF 100 18K



Orphek DIF series units installed by Wet Work of New Orleans, Louisiana over a 42″ deep,
 479-gallon reef system replacing 1600 watts of metal halide.

2x  Orphek DIF 100 18k with 90 degree lens

2x  Orphek DIF 100 25k  with 90 degree lens

2x Orphek DIF 30  blue with 120 degree lens

Total 460W LED  VS 1600 W MH


42″ deep, 479-gallon reef system replacing 1600 watts of metal halide



Reef aquarium SPS corals

Tanks Size: 2mx1m = 6.5'x3.2'

3x DIF 100 XP 90 D

Total 300W

SPS tank with orphek dif 100 XP LED

SPS Corals Under Orphek DIF 100 XP

500 corals under DIF 100 XP

Related links:

ORPHEK DIF 50 XP LED PENDANT review

Orphek Drops a Pendant LED Bomb: DIF 100/50 XP

Orphek DIF XP Series Gets Refined Before Final Release

Orphek DIF30 Refugium Monster

Photos 500 corals - DIF 100 XP corals.no

Aquatic Exhibits International Dual 3,500gal

Orphek LED revolution PR156

Orphek LED revolution PR156

This is Part one in a series of articles and this article will focus on the development of the PR156 series and further improvements that were made in chronological order


2009

In 2009, Orphek designed and built the first LED fixture capable of growing all types of corals without regard to coral placement due to insufficient PAR levels at depths where other LED companies failed to succeed. The revolutionary PR156 allowed aquarists to freely aquascape their aquariums by placing corals where they looked best. There was no need to place light loving corals near the surface and graduating downward with corals requiring less light. The PR156 provided the necessary PAR/PUR at the deeper zones of the aquarium to support all photosynthetic life forms.

Orphek’s design goal was to provide good penetration by using lenses which would achieve high PAR/PUR values at depths over 36 inches. The lens was designed to narrow the beam which allowed better light penetration for tanks 36 inches and deeper. The idea behind this design was that multiple fixtures could then be used to cover longer lengths of aquariums while still providing high PAR/PUR levels to the deeper zones of the aquarium. Until the PR156 was developed, no other LED fixture manufacturer was able to do this.

Here are some examples of deep tanks illuminated by the Orphek PR156.


Here are some examples of frag tank Tank is 200cm x 120cm x 27cm
illuminated by the Orphek PR156 LENS OUT


Also here is PAR map provided By Sanjay Joshi, Ph.D.





The Orphek PR156 uses three watt LEDs but runs them at two watts to reduce heat and provide better longevity for the LEDs. Heat is a common enemy of all electronics and this method has proven itself as over 60,000 LEDs have been used in PR156 pendants with a very low percentage of failure due to heat…less than one percent. The PR156 was equipped with a two channel timer which allowed a sunrise to sunset effect by controlling the blue LEDs with one channel and the white LEDs with the second channel. There was no good reason to develop and use a dimming feature which would thereby increase the cost of the unit while providing no real benefit.

Orphek uses proprietary 16K white LEDs to increase the PUR value and reduce the amount of blue LEDs which have a very low Lumens per watt ratio. In this regard the PR156 provided the highest Lumens per watt on the market and arguably the best performer. The PR156 can also be custom ordered in any configuration of blue and white LEDs the customer may want.

Another design goal of the PR156 was to provide a slim unit with a separate power supply and timers incorporated into one control box. This allowed the electronics to be safely placed away from the harsh salt water environment.

PR156W

The first generation PR156 came equipped with 90 degree lenses which still remain the standard today. The PR156W incorporates a 120 degree lens which gives a wider spread of light which is more suitable for wider and shallower tanks. For larger tanks, the length, width, and height of the pendant will determine the number of units needed to provide effective PAR levels. For SPS coral growth in deeper aquariums, the PR156 is the recommended fixture.



2010

In 2010 a honeycomb lens was developed that did not change the light spread much but reduced the focus effect. This wider lens is also recommended for deeper tanks.

PR156UV

In 2010, Orphek added four UV LEDs to the PR156. The UV LEDs are high range and posed no danger to human eyesight. This development increased coral florescence and covered the chlorophyll A range.

2012 to Present

PR156 PLUS

At the end of 2012 Orphek launched the PR156 PLUS series which incorporated a better power supply and higher Lumens per watt LEDS. The Meanwell Power Supply offered better cooling and lower noise while still providing two channels of control.

PR156 PLUS XP

In addition to the UV LEDs, two red LEDs were added which increased the spectrum to include chlorophyll B in addition to the already present chlorophyll A which was added with the PR156UV series. This new development along with the new Mean Well driver increases the PAR and the PUR wavelength which provides even better coral growth and appearance. The color pop in red pigmented corals is stunning.



The PR156 PLUS XP is the culmination of two years of research beginning with the original PR156. Our latest model is also available as the PR156 PLUS XP Profilux GHL and PR156 PLUS XP Neptune Apex. These units are fitted with the proper connectors which will allow the LEDs to be controlled by either of the above controller’s external hardware. In the case of the Neptune Apex, connectors will be installed to connect to the Neptune Variable Speed Dimming Module. For the GHL Profilux controller, the PR156 will be set up to use with the GHL LED Control 4-Passive Module. They will be configured for two channel operation. One channel will control the blue LEDs and the other channel will control the white LEDs. Orphek can also provide the GHL EVG interface expansion module if needed.

As in previous models, the PR156 PLUS XP can be custom ordered with any color ratio of LEDs the customer may desire