First hands on with the AI Nano LED and mounting arm

By Jake Adams on Aug 17, 2011

It’s been a long time coming but after a year of anticipation it seems like the AI Nano LED light is finally here and shipping to resellers. The small AI Nano really deserves its nano moniker, measuring in at about a quarter the size of the AI Sol while putting out more than half as much light. We were pleasantly surprised to see the AI Nano LED ship with an included adjustable mounting arm which will allow the AI Nano LED to starting rocking solid state light over your reef tank right out of the box. The molded plastic mounting arm is a contrast to the higher quality semi-gloss white finish of the AI Nano’s exterior but is clamps onto half inch trimless glass tank edges while channeling the power cable out of sight.

Like its predecessor the AI Nano LED has Cree’s finest white, blue and royal blue LEDs including the insanely bright Cree XML. The AI Nano LED has built-in controls for adjusting the intensity of all three color channels but the internal controls are deactivated when the AI Nano LED is plugged into or daisy chained to the AI Controller. The touch controls on the AI Nano are incredibly sensitive and once you touch a button, the short flash of light from the selected color channel makes it easy to know which color you are adjusting.

There’s not much else to say about the AI Nano except that it is extremely quiet, small and simple to install – there’s just quite nothing else like going from the box to over a tank in five minutes without even having to crack open the directions. Stay tuned for a full review of the AI Nano LED over water and be sure to keep reading for lots more hands-on pictures of the AI Nano and comparison beside the AI Sol.

AI Nano LED

kineticac

Why isn’t the arm white!? yikes.
http://twitter.com/AMDPhenomX4 Jared Kaczynski

I sense a Sol update coming.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3PQR2S2EAZUDJKVYUCKLCWJ37Q Micheal

Yeah have to say that mounting arm looks kind of ugly the way it is.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=622465486 Ryan Thompson

That arm is hideous! That is the best they could do? Really? How about copying Ecoxotic’s LED arm? Just a thought.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001443324671 Patrick Jewell

Aww guys its not so bad! Once you put it on a tank it will disappear and you will see a shiny white fixture and beautiful corals!
Anonymous

For some reason, AI has always made less-than-stellar mounting accessories. I don’t see why they don’t just provide a better/more expensive mount. You’re already spending $hundreds for the light itself…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=608040062 Ioannis Mylothridis

Saying that fixture itself is absolutely stunning is probably an understatement! I need to get one of these..yesterday
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=608040062 Ioannis Mylothridis

Saying that fixture itself is absolutely stunning is probably an understatement! I need to get one of these..yesterday
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=608040062 Ioannis Mylothridis

hope you are right!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=608040062 Ioannis Mylothridis

hope you are right!
http://twitter.com/seahostler John W Ostler

Finally!!! WOOHOO!
Anonymous

That arm is the worst release I’ve seen in 2011.

It’s obviously an overlooked afterthought. Pity that it looks out of place with the sleek look of the AI Nano light.
Anonymous

facepalm

I can see installation instructions now.

Remove from box
Buy new mounting hardware and install
Lightly sand mounting arm with 1200 grit sand paper
Wipe down residue from sanding process with water or alcohol
Prime with light colored primer and allow 4 hours to dry
Paint with two coats of white high gloss enamel allow 4 hours to dry for each coat
Apply clear coat in light even layers allowing 4 hours to dry between coats (preferred 3 coats to match fixture)
Attach to light fixture then aquarium.

Thanks AI =/
Anonymous

facepalm

I can see installation instructions now.

Remove from box
Buy new mounting hardware and install
Lightly sand mounting arm with 1200 grit sand paper
Wipe down residue from sanding process with water or alcohol
Prime with light colored primer and allow 4 hours to dry
Paint with two coats of white high gloss enamel allow 4 hours to dry for each coat
Apply clear coat in light even layers allowing 4 hours to dry between coats (preferred 3 coats to match fixture)
Attach to light fixture then aquarium.

Thanks AI =/
Anonymous

facepalm

I can see installation instructions now.

Remove from box
Buy new mounting hardware and install
Lightly sand mounting arm with 1200 grit sand paper
Wipe down residue from sanding process with water or alcohol
Prime with light colored primer and allow 4 hours to dry
Paint with two coats of white high gloss enamel allow 4 hours to dry for each coat
Apply clear coat in light even layers allowing 4 hours to dry between coats (preferred 3 coats to match fixture)
Attach to light fixture then aquarium.

Thanks AI =/
Anonymous

facepalm

I can see installation instructions now.

Remove from box
Buy new mounting hardware and install
Lightly sand mounting arm with 1200 grit sand paper
Wipe down residue from sanding process with water or alcohol
Prime with light colored primer and allow 4 hours to dry
Paint with two coats of white high gloss enamel allow 4 hours to dry for each coat
Apply clear coat in light even layers allowing 4 hours to dry between coats (preferred 3 coats to match fixture)
Attach to light fixture then aquarium.

Thanks AI =/
Anonymous

facepalm

I can see installation instructions now.

Remove from box
Buy new mounting hardware and install
Lightly sand mounting arm with 1200 grit sand paper
Wipe down residue from sanding process with water or alcohol
Prime with light colored primer and allow 4 hours to dry
Paint with two coats of white high gloss enamel allow 4 hours to dry for each coat
Apply clear coat in light even layers allowing 4 hours to dry between coats (preferred 3 coats to match fixture)
Attach to light fixture then aquarium.

Thanks AI =/
Chris Clough

The picture doesn’t do the mount justice – it was designed to contrast the Nano’s white finish, and when mounted on a tank ‘disappear’, showcasing the light.

As jciotti pointed out, the other option that we planned was to allow the end user to finish the mount as they see fit.

The Nano’s design allows for easy mounting in a canopy, with two screws or can be hung using aircraft style wire.

We didn’t intend to include a mount when we announced the product last year. We decided to include it to allow the customer quick and easy mounting upon receipt. Like most things, one size doesn’t fit all.
Anonymous

I got Chris’s back on this one ya’ll. There’s lots of other LED lights that don’t ship with any mounting hardware. Most of all though, any other color but matte black would take attention away from the tank, you’ll see when i post pics of the AI Nano over EcoReef Two.
Anonymous

With all due respect, the poor design heavily affected the execution of the disappearing arm. I’m not a design authority, but I know what I like & what I do not like when I first see it.

Perhaps using thinner materials resembling thin bars (to form a matrix or frame arm) is what I was expecting to complement the Nano housing. Yes, it can be made in a matte black to make it unnoticeable to most perspectives at first glance.
http://twitter.com/alex93se alex nguyen

I’d rather build a nice mounting arm using t-slot aluminum than use that ugly mount. It takes away from the beauty of the AI nano.

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