AcroOptics is a spankin’ new LED light company based in nearby Boulder, Colorado which is undertaking a radically different approach to making the ultimate LED aquarium fixture. When we spotted one of their prototypes at Aqua Imports, an LFS in Boulder, we were transfixed at this totally different looking black box of an LED with a really different mix of LEDs, ports, and features.
Without knowing anything about it, our first thought of the AcroOptics LED light is that it was a really nice Chinese black box fixture but inspecting it for just a moment more reveals an exquisite attention to detail in every aspect of the design, materials, and features that the AcroOptics is offering.
The most obvious design departure of the AcroOptics is a near complete field of diodes which are each backed up by an interesting rectangular secondary lens the likes of which we have never encountered before, but which we have since learned creates “perfect” color blending at a distance of 9″ and greater. The five channels of LED control on the AcroOptics are also populated with an interesting mix of white, red, yellow, blue and UV LEDs although we’d still like to see a few different colors of blues on that channel.
The other nice feature of the AcroOptics LED is the onboard controller which is navigated by four very swanky looking buttons – all tactile buttons, none of this touch-sensitive buttons which make it hard to know whether an input has been made. The controller will eventually be programmed to do it all, firmware updates, custom Kelvin spectrum and even geolocated sunset, sunrise and photoperiod cycles.
Admittedly the AcroOptics is still in late prototype stages but even at this stage, the LED fixture has more potential before it is finished than many other mass produced aquarium LED lights. AcroOptics is not yet open for business but we’re really hoping they get this project wrapped up enough in time for a grand premier at ReefStock later on in February.
