sudz
Aquarium Advice Addict
6 years ago my dad and I whipped up a plywood box for my then T5HO and tiny LED light.
UPGRADE TIME.
And by upgrade, I mean, make it look better, and make it as small as humanly possible.
The finished product will give me an interior dimension of 48.5 Wide, 18.5 deep and a mere 3.25 inches tall.
The total dimensions are 50x20x5
I've made/am Adding my own DIY LED system (I have the 5000k Whites for the past 5 years) and yeah, I'm tired of it blasting the whole room with bright white light. (our TV is located above the tank too)
The Ultimate goal is to get this all controlled via a single seathed cable for the cleanest installation possible.
THE PLAN:
3/4 inch pine boards all 5 inches wide.
I bought 6 foot lengths as I can cut the 50 inch boards and still have enough to cut the side boards too. minimal wastage, and as a bonus, they fit in my honda easily.
Minimal ripping. I have ONE long cut to do.
I bought a Pine Laminated Hobby Board as the top. Basically I didn't trust my self to glue everything straight and square and all, so I bought a 6'X16'' solid pine laminated sheet i'll need to cut and rip. This is the "hardest" cuts I'll have to do.
Tools:
I just discovered Google sketchup yesterday, so I decided to draw it out as a test.
Top View:
Open Front:
I decided with these cuts, and having the front/rear panels as the larger overlapping panels to prevent light escaping and hitting us int he face as we watch TV. The hinge at the top will be a piano hinge, so the pivot point is actually about 1mm ABOVE where the two boards meet at the top. This allows this door to work without hitting the side pieces. If the hinge was under neath (like a cabinet door) it wouldn't work.
Underside:
This is where a lot of thinking went in. a tiny (purple) shelf for my automatic fish feeder.
Rear cavity has 2 80mm computer fans (basically disposable as they're not moisture rated, but they're quiet and I have dozens laying around in various computers)
The big box in the middle is a placeholder for my Lighting system. My Heatsync is only an inch tall, so I should have plenty of airspace around it. I made this box big just for good measure. If you look, there is a tiny space between everything and the top inside border. This is so I can slide glass or plexi in if I do have moisture problems. I don't want to do this, as then I'd have to figure out how to get fresh air to the tank. (another purpose for the fans) I will have to cut notches out of the rear for pipes, electrical etc. (not on design)
I may relocate the side fan closer to the front, and then put plexi on the back 5 inches, just to prevent bubbles from splashing the electrical area.
When is this going to get done? Probably at least a month. Heatsyncs are on order form Aliexpress, and We've got a lot on the go.
Also, What I have is "working" right now so there's no rush.
That being said... I've bought the supplies.
But other things hav eto come first. Currently giving some TLC to this tank in hopes that I can have the elusive Planted Discus High Tech tank.
Follow the master thread here
UPGRADE TIME.
And by upgrade, I mean, make it look better, and make it as small as humanly possible.
The finished product will give me an interior dimension of 48.5 Wide, 18.5 deep and a mere 3.25 inches tall.
The total dimensions are 50x20x5
I've made/am Adding my own DIY LED system (I have the 5000k Whites for the past 5 years) and yeah, I'm tired of it blasting the whole room with bright white light. (our TV is located above the tank too)
The Ultimate goal is to get this all controlled via a single seathed cable for the cleanest installation possible.
THE PLAN:
3/4 inch pine boards all 5 inches wide.
I bought 6 foot lengths as I can cut the 50 inch boards and still have enough to cut the side boards too. minimal wastage, and as a bonus, they fit in my honda easily.
Minimal ripping. I have ONE long cut to do.
I bought a Pine Laminated Hobby Board as the top. Basically I didn't trust my self to glue everything straight and square and all, so I bought a 6'X16'' solid pine laminated sheet i'll need to cut and rip. This is the "hardest" cuts I'll have to do.
Tools:
- I have a Skill saw,
- A Kreg Jig Mini,
- 100 X 1 1/4 Pocket Screws,
- Hole saw Kit,
- Wood glue
- 6 clamps of varying sizes.
I just discovered Google sketchup yesterday, so I decided to draw it out as a test.
Top View:
Open Front:
I decided with these cuts, and having the front/rear panels as the larger overlapping panels to prevent light escaping and hitting us int he face as we watch TV. The hinge at the top will be a piano hinge, so the pivot point is actually about 1mm ABOVE where the two boards meet at the top. This allows this door to work without hitting the side pieces. If the hinge was under neath (like a cabinet door) it wouldn't work.
Underside:
This is where a lot of thinking went in. a tiny (purple) shelf for my automatic fish feeder.
Rear cavity has 2 80mm computer fans (basically disposable as they're not moisture rated, but they're quiet and I have dozens laying around in various computers)
The big box in the middle is a placeholder for my Lighting system. My Heatsync is only an inch tall, so I should have plenty of airspace around it. I made this box big just for good measure. If you look, there is a tiny space between everything and the top inside border. This is so I can slide glass or plexi in if I do have moisture problems. I don't want to do this, as then I'd have to figure out how to get fresh air to the tank. (another purpose for the fans) I will have to cut notches out of the rear for pipes, electrical etc. (not on design)
I may relocate the side fan closer to the front, and then put plexi on the back 5 inches, just to prevent bubbles from splashing the electrical area.
When is this going to get done? Probably at least a month. Heatsyncs are on order form Aliexpress, and We've got a lot on the go.
Also, What I have is "working" right now so there's no rush.
That being said... I've bought the supplies.
But other things hav eto come first. Currently giving some TLC to this tank in hopes that I can have the elusive Planted Discus High Tech tank.
Follow the master thread here
