DIY aquarium LED kits from Rapid LED are flexible and affordable
7 Comments
DIY kits for LED aquarium lighting are now easier than ever with the infinitely customizable packages from Rapid LED. Whether you want all white, all blue, or your own selectable blend of both colors, Rapid LED has the kits for that. Whether you want 40, 60 or 80 degree lenses, Rapid LEDs carries all manner of optics that you can mix and match to produce your very own flat field or spotlighting effect. The DIY aquarium LED kits from Rapid LED are very affordable with the majority of the full kits running for about $10 per LED but it does come with some trade offs. Unlike a retro-fit kit which can be pulled out of a box and slapped into a hood, the Rapid LED kits require a lot of wire connections and at least some cursory knowledge of electronics. The other major omission from the Rapic LED kits is some form of a heat sink. The longevity of LED is directly related to how cool they are kept and if you plan on buying and using one of these affordable and flexible LED kits, be prepared to spend some time on eBay or HeatSinkUSA trying to find a slab of highly finned aluminum that will suck all of your LED’s heat away.
I was going to comment to what a huge mark-up rip off this is at $10 an LED, then I decided to look at the site and they actually are priced fairly. The kits run about $10 an LED, but they come with drivers which would bump the price up.
Sweet deal, now if they’d just sell these buggers with pre-soldered wires to the circuit board I’d be set
December 3rd, 2009 at 6:41 pm
too bad no heat sinks. i bet the will offer when they pickup more business.
December 4th, 2009 at 12:23 am
This is freakin awesome. No heat sink? Pfft, Even better… Why? Heatsinks are like cars man, everyone wants and needs specific ones for specific apps.
December 4th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Its pretty silly to look at this as being $10 an LED with a “free driver.” This kit comes with a power cord, thermal adhesive, optics and some wiring nuts. Not to mention the Meanwell Driver that runs on Mains Power. In other words, the LEDs are probably about half the cost of the kit. It’s a great deal and one that you will be hard pressed to find in a package like this elsewhere. I have no interest in the company itself, but its a great deal.
December 4th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
“majority of the full kits running for about $10 per LED”
December 4th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Thanks RB for bringing this company to my attention. It is just the kind of reporting that makes RB so useful to me…
December 5th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I can’t wait to get mine!
December 6th, 2009 at 5:22 pm