crvz's hole in the wall
- Thread starter crvz
- Start date
camaroracer214
New member
yeah, i'm loving the frag tank. i'm gonna have to hook you up with something cuz i feel like i got a heck of a deal.Oh, in other news, I landed the remaining two pendants today. Hope Brandon enjoys his end of the bargain.
your fish room is awesome by the way. so much room in there. probably enough for a tv and a leather recliner.
crvz
Team RC
As cheap as it is to build your own acrylic projects, vs. paying someone through the nose for custom builds (not to mention shipping), you can see why I went ahead and figured it out. While I still need practice before I'm in the business of display/show tanks, functional projects are well within my grasp.
And thanks! I'm sure I'll cram plenty of crap in that room to eliminate the space for a recliner, but I am rather pleased with the floor space as it is. I think it's about 150 square feet, and the 9'+ ceiling makes it feel even a bit larger.
crvz
Team RC
Couple of initiatives moving forward.
First, I've settled on an AC solution. It may not be the most elegant, but I have high hopes. Josh donated to the cause (which is highly appreciated, everyone should feel encouraged to do so) and sent me this Johnson A419 temperature controller, which will give me a 15A relay on a thermostat. It has pretty sweet features, my favorite two are the selectable temperature differential and anti-short cycle delay.
I'll pair this with a Sunpentown WA1010m portable air conditioner. The best solution would be a mini-split, but I think this combo will be a very close second and at well over half the cost. The generic problem with portable AC units is that they run their fans constantly, which can be a big energy draw. By using the temp controller, I'll be able to shut power off to the entire unit, but since this AC has manual controls it will resume operation when power is restored. I ordered the AC today, so hopefully it shows up without any issue.
I also received a couple LED parts, but I'm still waiting on the aluminum frame and thermal tape before I really move forward on any of that.
And finally, I put a second pendant in place today. I'll very slowly bring it online, and then re-aquascape the tank to be more of a display until a real display shows up.
First, I've settled on an AC solution. It may not be the most elegant, but I have high hopes. Josh donated to the cause (which is highly appreciated, everyone should feel encouraged to do so
) and sent me this Johnson A419 temperature controller, which will give me a 15A relay on a thermostat. It has pretty sweet features, my favorite two are the selectable temperature differential and anti-short cycle delay.
I'll pair this with a Sunpentown WA1010m portable air conditioner. The best solution would be a mini-split, but I think this combo will be a very close second and at well over half the cost. The generic problem with portable AC units is that they run their fans constantly, which can be a big energy draw. By using the temp controller, I'll be able to shut power off to the entire unit, but since this AC has manual controls it will resume operation when power is restored. I ordered the AC today, so hopefully it shows up without any issue.
I also received a couple LED parts, but I'm still waiting on the aluminum frame and thermal tape before I really move forward on any of that.
And finally, I put a second pendant in place today. I'll very slowly bring it online, and then re-aquascape the tank to be more of a display until a real display shows up.
crvz
Team RC
Wow Chris - big changes! Sorry to read about the hiccups. The new tank plans look awesome though! The engineer in you is alive and well.
Good work on the AC unit. Kudos for considering and addressing stuff like this. :beer:
Thank you ,sir! Much to my wife's chagrin, I'm much entertained with the design and build of these types of projects. She simply enjoys the finished product.
Well, the instructors that have taught me, I guess. Maybe that's it, because as far as anyone else in my life is concerned I'm just mumbling.
It's been a few years now since I've worked with our Russian partners, so I'm mostly wasting brain cells by retaining those words in my head.Will do! I got everything the other trinkets for the build in the mail over the weekend, so hopefully I'll make some progress this weekend. I also need to get a vent fan to add on to my AC vent. I'll post pictures, but I want to run a vent fan on a timer to help with humidity concerns when the AC is off. I've considered getting a dehumidistat, but they don't have anti-short cycle protection, and Hop tells me he burned through fans too quickly due to multiple (and unnecessary) on/off cycles.
crvz
Team RC
Wait, start over, reverse that. It keeps it from turning on for a certain time period after turning off. Most of the dehumidistats that I've seen just have 1 set point, so when you get near that set point it will cycle on/off around that point, instead of having an operating range (like on at 50% RH, off at 40% RH) or the anti-short cycle protection.
crvz
Team RC
Alright, some progress pictures. First, this is the door in place. I'm not going to bother trimming it out until I get the tank in place, as I may have to remove it to get the tank in the room. I just stuffed the excess with insulation, and it seems to do well. A little too cool here to really determine if it's adequate, but it seems to be. I do have a few places around the wall (particularly at the baseboard) to work on before I'm perfectly insulated. This picture is from inside the room, and you're seeing the reflection of the tank in the door.
Also, here's the AC. It set it up on that little workbench so that it blows the cold air up higher. Also, I had to remove the thermometer for the thermostat from being clipped into the thermostat, as the thermostat actually warmed up a little (it ran about 3 degrees over ambient, probably due to the ~9 amps running through the relay). I'll build something to be more permanent for the AC unit, probably around the same time I figure out whatever vent fan solution I decide on.
Also, here's the (one portion) of light rack that I bought. All told, it only cost about $40 to get it to my house, including all the cuts. I'll need more than 3 times this amount for my light rack design, but it's a good starting process. I actually assembled it once, then had to get the mallet out to get it apart, as it was rather snug. But I wanted to see if I could get it apart. Obviously I can, but I won't plan on doing so again, as it wasnt easy.
If you look close, and I'll get more pictures of this later, I bought the end connectors so that they'll stick down and act as feet to keep the rack off the floor and keep the LEDs from ever being crushed. The idea is to stick 3 LEDs on each piece of aluminum, evenly spaced, so that I've got 12 LEDs per pendant. I think that will suffice, but I won't be certain until I get this built up. Here's just a quick shot of an LED on the aluminum. I was surprised how small the LEDs were.
Also, here's the AC. It set it up on that little workbench so that it blows the cold air up higher. Also, I had to remove the thermometer for the thermostat from being clipped into the thermostat, as the thermostat actually warmed up a little (it ran about 3 degrees over ambient, probably due to the ~9 amps running through the relay). I'll build something to be more permanent for the AC unit, probably around the same time I figure out whatever vent fan solution I decide on.
Also, here's the (one portion) of light rack that I bought. All told, it only cost about $40 to get it to my house, including all the cuts. I'll need more than 3 times this amount for my light rack design, but it's a good starting process. I actually assembled it once, then had to get the mallet out to get it apart, as it was rather snug. But I wanted to see if I could get it apart. Obviously I can, but I won't plan on doing so again, as it wasnt easy.
If you look close, and I'll get more pictures of this later, I bought the end connectors so that they'll stick down and act as feet to keep the rack off the floor and keep the LEDs from ever being crushed. The idea is to stick 3 LEDs on each piece of aluminum, evenly spaced, so that I've got 12 LEDs per pendant. I think that will suffice, but I won't be certain until I get this built up. Here's just a quick shot of an LED on the aluminum. I was surprised how small the LEDs were.
crvz
Team RC
me too. I spent some time drawing it up a little more yesterday, now that I know better how it will (hopefully) play out. For each pendant, I think I'll run 12 LEDs. I wasnt sure which colors would do best, but here's what I've got for a first attempt.
2 cool white
4 blues
6 royal blues
The idea is that the white LEDs would run across the middle of the tank. Expanded to the 3 pendants it would look something like this.
Padrino
New member
I really like the look of this. You might want to consider using an extrused aluminum. You could utilize a slot and be able to move the LED later on. Maybe not, i think your idea is a great one nonetheless. What reflectors will you be using and which ballasts?
Actually one thing that i just noticed. You are using the aluminum as a heat sink so to speak for the LEDs and also as a structure for the reflectors which will be VERY HOT. Would the heat from the very hot reflectors transfer to the aluminum heat sink/structure? Will you have a fan or any type of active cooling on top of or blowing over this fixture? If so regard those comments
Actually one thing that i just noticed. You are using the aluminum as a heat sink so to speak for the LEDs and also as a structure for the reflectors which will be VERY HOT. Would the heat from the very hot reflectors transfer to the aluminum heat sink/structure? Will you have a fan or any type of active cooling on top of or blowing over this fixture? If so regard those comments
crvz
Team RC
Active cooling is definitely in the cards on the reflectors (pendants, actually), but I'm already using them (lumenbright mini-wides) and they actually stay pretty cool. I just measured them again, and they're at 108F. That's still a bit warm for the LEDs, but I don't necessarily plan on running the LEDs at the same time as the metal halides, so it may not be an issue at all.
Padrino
New member
you are correct. im not sure if it will be an issue, just looking at all angles. There are so many options out there for lighting now with plasma lights and LEDs added to the list of favorites including metal halaides, T5 and VHO, its difficult make a decision. Sorry every time i read some of these large tank threads im constantly thinking of how i will build my upgrade. Great work. looking forward to seeing it all wired up. Also the bicycle hoist is a manual operation correct?
crvz
Team RC
Yep, the hoist just comes with a wall cleat to secure the line, though now that I think about it maybe I'll need a small, automated winch instead.
crvz
Team RC
Thanks, Brian!
Had a little more progress last night. I got everything for the LED rack wired up. I first taped off the locations for the LEDs (I didnt want to mark them), then drilled 1/4" holes next to each LED for wire routing. I also drilled 1/8" holes in the plastic end pieces to route wiring entirely inside the rack. Here's how it ended up inside the plastic ends. I ended up using 16 AWG wire, which is certainly more than necessary, but I wanted to use something with thick insulation and this fit the bill. I may still fill all the holes with something, but we'll get there down the road.
And then here it is all prewired before soldering. I used a couple of handy tools to get the wires where I needed them, particularly the picks and precision pliers. I used one red wire to make the polarity obvious coming out of the light rack.
I wired everything up with my 20W/40W soldering station, and it worked well. I don't have a ton of experience soldering onto circuit boards, but I managed. I much prefer using my butane iron (if anyone's shopping, I love this one in particular, which I've used for 5 years or more), but those type would have gotten way too hot for this application. Once done, and after leaving myself 6' of line for future expansion, I was ready to test it out.
And it actually worked! I've got a variable wall wart to give me an dimming input voltage, but it only gives me an option of between 4-9V for dimming. It's pretty crappy (it actually puts out 9.4V when switched on the 6V setting, so I've got to be careful when I use it). I'll get some more images of it once I hang it over the current tank.
Had a little more progress last night. I got everything for the LED rack wired up. I first taped off the locations for the LEDs (I didnt want to mark them), then drilled 1/4" holes next to each LED for wire routing. I also drilled 1/8" holes in the plastic end pieces to route wiring entirely inside the rack. Here's how it ended up inside the plastic ends. I ended up using 16 AWG wire, which is certainly more than necessary, but I wanted to use something with thick insulation and this fit the bill. I may still fill all the holes with something, but we'll get there down the road.
And then here it is all prewired before soldering. I used a couple of handy tools to get the wires where I needed them, particularly the picks and precision pliers. I used one red wire to make the polarity obvious coming out of the light rack.
I wired everything up with my 20W/40W soldering station, and it worked well. I don't have a ton of experience soldering onto circuit boards, but I managed. I much prefer using my butane iron (if anyone's shopping, I love this one in particular, which I've used for 5 years or more), but those type would have gotten way too hot for this application. Once done, and after leaving myself 6' of line for future expansion, I was ready to test it out.
And it actually worked! I've got a variable wall wart to give me an dimming input voltage, but it only gives me an option of between 4-9V for dimming. It's pretty crappy (it actually puts out 9.4V when switched on the 6V setting, so I've got to be careful when I use it). I'll get some more images of it once I hang it over the current tank.
prop-frags
SPS Slave
Awesome job Chris!!
That is sweet. Now I'm inspired to order the parts.
That is sweet. Now I'm inspired to order the parts.
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