Wolffman64
Active Member
I have my tank controller (Reef Angel) switching the power to the PSU off during the night time.
Steve's LEDs
- Thread starter goma
- Start date
Hello, everyone. I am a long time lurker and a little embarrassed that this is my first post on the forum. I have had a RSM 250 for almost four years now. I have been debating the Steve’s led upgrade for about a year and finally pulled the trigger last week. I ordered the 99% complete system. Jeff said they will be shipping today, so I should have them by the end of the week.
I want to say thanks to Greg because I don’t think I would have done this without reading this thread. It’s incredible how much assistance he has offered to so many people. I usually build my own computers and I have installed many car stereos, amps and speakers, but I am still intimidated by the thought of tearing apart my aquarium hood.
Hopefully the installation will go without incident, but you might be hearing from me this weekend if I have issues. Either way, I will try to be a more active member.
I have one preliminary question. Will I need to have a wire crimping tool and connectors for this process? I have the tool but I would need to by some new connectors. Steve’s site seems to indicate that only a screwdriver is required but I have seen some posts where people mentioned crimping wires even when they had the 95% completed kit.
I want to say thanks to Greg because I don’t think I would have done this without reading this thread. It’s incredible how much assistance he has offered to so many people. I usually build my own computers and I have installed many car stereos, amps and speakers, but I am still intimidated by the thought of tearing apart my aquarium hood.
Hopefully the installation will go without incident, but you might be hearing from me this weekend if I have issues. Either way, I will try to be a more active member.
I have one preliminary question. Will I need to have a wire crimping tool and connectors for this process? I have the tool but I would need to by some new connectors. Steve’s site seems to indicate that only a screwdriver is required but I have seen some posts where people mentioned crimping wires even when they had the 95% completed kit.
First, welcome to RS!!
When I built mine, quite a while ago now, I did need crimpers and splices and a soldering iron. The design has changed and most of the pieces now are just plug and play. So I don't think you will need much additional but I cannot guarantee it. let us know if you need any help but you sound pretty handy so I think you'll do just fine!
When I built mine, quite a while ago now, I did need crimpers and splices and a soldering iron. The design has changed and most of the pieces now are just plug and play. So I don't think you will need much additional but I cannot guarantee it. let us know if you need any help but you sound pretty handy so I think you'll do just fine!
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
Welcome to RS, BigJim.
No soldering or crimping required for the 99% kit. You may want to keep a crimper and wire cutters handy just in case (depending on what you want to do with the dimmer switches). I retrofitted my RSM650 three months ago and it was pretty straight forward once I accepted the fact that I was going to gut the hood
No soldering or crimping required for the 99% kit. You may want to keep a crimper and wire cutters handy just in case (depending on what you want to do with the dimmer switches). I retrofitted my RSM650 three months ago and it was pretty straight forward once I accepted the fact that I was going to gut the hood
to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members
Start a new tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along - we love pics
+1 Greg (goma) been a tremendous help to many !
I received the lights and everything appears to be in good shape. I already have a question though. Connecting the power supply to the driver and typhon to the driver is all pretty clear to me. The molex connectors and typhon instructions make it pretty idiot proof. I'm not sure I understand the pre-wire to use the existing timer and moonlights.
I have a white cable with the pwm connector for the typhon controller. I have a white cable with molex connectors to power the lights. I also have a power supply with a three pronged plug. What should be plugged into the timer relay? Should the three pronged plug have been already set up with connectors for the relay? I e-mailed Steve's but I thought I would check here to see if someone already has an answer.
I have a white cable with the pwm connector for the typhon controller. I have a white cable with molex connectors to power the lights. I also have a power supply with a three pronged plug. What should be plugged into the timer relay? Should the three pronged plug have been already set up with connectors for the relay? I e-mailed Steve's but I thought I would check here to see if someone already has an answer.
Just go to Radio Shack, Lowes or Home Depot and get some crimp on connectors like these. You'll have to check the size. I think you can easily remove the relay and take it with you to verify the size.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104016
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104016
Thanks! That's the kit I purchased but I paid for the pre-wired cable. Based on that I was expecting a ten foot cable with ends that look like the image you posted above. I'm not sure if I'm going to have enough length with the existing power cord to just crimp on new ends. I'll check when I get home. If I do have enough length, that will be perfect. I actually have a box of assorted connectors and probably already have the right size at home.
I also have the power cord for the controller. I have a separate three pronged cord connected to the power supply. That's the one that should have the connectors for the relay. Thanks for mentioning that.
I haven't heard back from Steve's yet but I think I'm just going to do it myself. Greg, is the ground wire pretty obvious? It looks like you have a yellow and green wire crimped to a yellow wire in post 45 and 46 of this thread. I think that's my last question. For now at least. Thanks again for your help.
Thanks! It was obvious and that part is done. I guess I'm not as handy as I thought, because this has been a miserable experience and I'm not even close to done. It took me 45 minutes just to get the screw covers off. Now I'm back off to Lowe's because they only drilled holes for the mounting screws on one side of the heat sink and I don't have a bit that will drill through the aluminum on the other side. I managed to drill one hole but now that bit won't drill through butter. I'm not giving up! I'm not feeling a lot of love for Steve's LEDs though.
I was way too excited about my new lights and went for a midday hike to blow off some steam. I was much more patient when I returned and had a more relaxed experience. Everything is wired up and all the cables are routed. I tested the lights and dimmers and everything works as expected. I'm going to put everything back together tomorrow morning. Thanks again to everyone here because this thread made all of the wiring and cable routing very easy.