DIY Moon lights.

[lthaus]

I'm sure many folks have old AC/DC transformers around.
I even found the matching electronic bit, I should have tossed years ago..

I it was rated at 12vdc .3 amp. I metered it at 15v. So much for spec's.

Here is the catch, I wanted moonlights that were not 20$ or more to purchase and since I plan to re-build my 29G hood, I also wanted something that would work in the rebuild.

Enter AutoZone.

I found a 2 pack of Blue LED license plate bolts for 4.99.
They are a bit more narrow beamed then I would like, but for the sum total of 4.99 plus tax and use of electronic junk we all have, I now have a simple moon light set.

For only $10.00.. I could have three LED's already with resistors 12V ready... I'll post a picture this evening.



V.

 

[lthaus]

These are those...

But Autozone had them for 4.99

 

[badpacket]

fyi

fyi

there are a number of recent threads on leds. And its not unusual for any average wall wart to put out 20-25% greater voltage with no load. They are cheap and designed to supply stated voltage at the stated current draw. Put a 300ma load on that brick and its likely the voltage is real close to 12.

There are a number of "led calculator' site found with google, some even draw up the circuit for you, both series and parallel.

eBay is pretty good:
http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...os=ZIP/Postal&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=

 

[Chrsnwk]

Ok, I've been reading about the whole moonlight thing for quite some time now, and although the Blue LEDs are great for light light output and all, I've been thinking about a much lower tech approach, and why I've never seen it talked about anywhere.

The main purpose for moonlights as I see it, is to be able to observe goings on in the aquarium after "sunset" without having to resort to a flashlight. Over my AGA 125 I have a 6' hunk of blue "rope light" fastened to the hood with nylon wire clips, and I think it does a beautiful job of providing just the right amount of light, it plugs right into the wall, and if the light it too high, it can be dimmed with a regular dimmer switch, or x-10, or whatever.

Is there some reason I'm not grasping that this might be frowned upon?

 

[Black Mammoth]

Are you sure those LEDs are producing the correct light? The wavelength on blue LEDs will vary.

 

[AnimaliA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6855510#post6855510 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Chrsnwk
Ok, I've been reading about the whole moonlight thing for quite some time now, and although the Blue LEDs are great for light light output and all, I've been thinking about a much lower tech approach, and why I've never seen it talked about anywhere.

The main purpose for moonlights as I see it, is to be able to observe goings on in the aquarium after "sunset" without having to resort to a flashlight. Over my AGA 125 I have a 6' hunk of blue "rope light" fastened to the hood with nylon wire clips, and I think it does a beautiful job of providing just the right amount of light, it plugs right into the wall, and if the light it too high, it can be dimmed with a regular dimmer switch, or x-10, or whatever.

Is there some reason I'm not grasping that this might be frowned upon?

I do not know if there are other issues with using rope light, but I would imagine heat and electrical consumption would be two issues....err...unless you use the LED rope lights....hmm....actually, other than wavelength and electrical issues, I am not sure if there are any reasons using it wouldnt work.....

 

[Ddddrgnfly]

I have ben without a tank for a couple of years now, up until a few weeks ago when iI got my new 180. Anyway, on my old 140, I used the ropelight and it worked perfect. I used it for over 3 years and had no problems whatsoever with it. HTH

 

[badpacket]

well

well

Well, a rope light is a cheap and easy way, especially if you use the led ones. However, potential issues are space taken up, possible melting depending upon main lighting type, and the fact that some leds, resistors and a wall wart can usually be done for $2-3, and is DIY and isn't another 110v potential shock issue?

 

[Chrsnwk]

point taken... it is a shock issue, however flouresents, CF, MHs all run way in excess of household voltage, and since the rope light i used is "outdoor rated" I considered it a minimal risk. The rope light produces minimal heat, much less than anything else in the hood, and the power draw is only about 6W per foor of light, in my case, 30W. (less than the 300 mA of current)

 

[softbal4]

how did you attach the rope light? i have a wooden canopy and thought about using a rope light. thansk

 

[Chrsnwk]

I used nylon cable clips and stainless sheet metal screws to fasten them. the rope light I used is 1/2" OD, so I used 1/2" clips. see the link below for a pic of the style of clip I speak of.

http://www.efc-intl.com/catalog/pic-product/46146-a.jpg

 

[badpacket]

No, was talking about the heat from MH/PC's metling the rope light. If that isn't aproblem, and it is outdoor rated, you'll probably have no problem. Seems like a lot of space needed compared to some leds.