Building my own Compact Florescent Hood. [Updated. Complete]

[William]

I ran to ACE Hardware today and got the electrical equipment for my new hood. I figured if I was going to buy a retro kit online, it would cost alot since I'd need a balast no mater what I did. My steps are pretty ideal for a 10 gal, and total will cost about 30 bucks [ This price includes the screw socket Compact Florescent Plant bulbs you can get at DrFosterSmith or Wal-Mart ]

So, Here is what I did and pics to go with it!


Electrical Parts Rundown

3 Weatherproof Screw Sockets [ No built in on off switch ], $2.50 a piece
On Off Toggle Switch $3.00
Electrical Tape [ I didn't have any around ] $1.50
8 Feet of elecritcal cord, .20 Cents a foot, $1.60

Total = $13.60


As you can see in this picture

http://www.googlywoog.com/images/impulse 014.jpg

I stripped the wire every 5 to 6 inches, starting with the end of the cord and working back. I then too the wire ends of the weatherproof sockets and wraped them around the bare cord wires [ Making sure to keep all my black wires on the same side, and all my white wires on the other ].


I wrapped these connections with electrical tape, overlaping the cut about two inches down the cord with the tape just to make dern sure I then slipped the heatshrink [ Important, Don't do what I did. Put the heatshrink on first! or else you'll have to disasemble all your work.. ] and shrunk it on with a source of heat, Cigarette litter worked for me.

Repeat the same step above twice more and viola, you get this.

http://www.googlywoog.com/images/impulse 016.jpg

Then I took one of those simple connect cord ends, Follow the instructions on the box how to do that since each ones different.

http://www.googlywoog.com/images/impulse 015.jpg


Viola! The eletrical work is done [ Well, you need to add the toggle switch, but we do that after the box is built so we can optimally place it ]


This took me a total of 15 minutes to do, and its only the first step!


Tomarrow I will be measuring and cutting all my plywood [ I have spare laying around, so.. Freebie! ] and assembling it with 1x1 in all the corners and gorilla glue for strength.


Pics and more to come tomarrow.

 

[William]

Obviously, building stagnated.


Someone stole my saw.

 

[Thaiboxer]

Darn! I was looking forward to seeing your progress... I'm going to start a similar project.

 

[William]

I'm getting a Jigsaw from a friend later today, so it won't be stagnant much longer.


Altho a jigsaw won't make near as good or as pretty a cut as a skillsaw.


But hey, Wood Putty and Caulk make it what it aint. :?

 

[William]

Bout on the verge of saying %#@! with it.


The jigsaw is giving me a fit, the only blade I have is bent. The cuts arn't coming out good.


I'm thinking it may be fate telling me to say give up.

 

[William]

Ultra Quality Black Indoor Outdoor Enamel: 9 dollars a quart
Ultra Quality White Indoor Outdoor Enamel: 9 dollars a quart

18 bucks total.

I had all the hardware laying around from another project that got shelved.


Its a piece of crap, but what can you expect when your using nothing but a jigsaw that has a dull, bent blade?


It provides 30watts of Compact Flourescent light for my 10gal female betta tank.


it needs touchup I know, the white paint was thinner then water and ran all over the place [ I was not expecting this since the black was thick and inky. ]


But here it is, completed despite fates atempts otherwise

 

[WarOrks15]

are you a computer geek too? i see you have bawls in the fish tank. man that stuff is good.

 

[Thaiboxer]

Tee hee! William's gotta be a gamer... the only people I know who've even HEARD of Bawls are gamers...

 

[William]

Yes, I do tinker with computers and play the occasional game.