diy lightweight t5 fixture?

[dzeadow]

I currently have a Nova Extreme 4x24 t5ho 24" fixture. I have an icecap 4x24 retro kit coming and will soon add another 2x24 when money allows. I like the slim, lightweight feature of the Nova fixture. I'd like to refrain from building a canopy out of wood, however I'm not extremely great at building anything out of metal, but I'll try if there's a design that's appealing. Does anyone have any ideas of making a lightweight fixture for t5's? I can obviously mount the ballasts under the stand since it's a retro. TIA for any help!

[dzeadow]

I guess I could start off by asking this, if I use the "tin" that HVAC guys use to make something, and paint it with krylon or whatever, is that safe to use, or will it rust or whatever? How about ABS plastic? Anyone used this? Is it easy to glue or bend or whatever? The reason I don't want to use wood is to leave the top of the tank open for air circulation and aesthetics.

[jamesdawson]

Hahnmeister made his own T-5 fixture (to go along with his DIY starphire aquarium and skimmer and... you get the point).

He had pictures in the Wisconsin Reefers' club website he belongs to that he posted a link to. I think his screenname there was Wetworx.

James

[dzeadow]

Thanks. Looks like he used aluminum alloy to do his.. I don't know where I'd get such material here in MT.

[barjam]

Home Depot or Lowes

[dzeadow]

Really? Must be in the building materials section? They have more at those stores than I thought!

[SoFloReefer]

I modified my Nova Extreme Fixture using all metal parts from Lowes. I added individual reflectors and had to stretch the fixture by over 4". The end result is very nice but it cost about $50 in overpriced parts from Lowes and several hours of work (major pita). When you start taking the fixture apart you will see that the fixture housing is actually two parts that are screwed together using small brackets. I fabricated longer brackets from steel and connected the two halfs. This left a 4" gap in the top that I filled using roofing flashing that I spray painted flat black. I used hot glue to hold that in place. For the end caps (factory ones are plastic) I used aluminum roof vents that I cut down to fit and painted black. I had to fabricate new longer brackets that spaced the bulbs farther apart as well. I used 1.5" aluminum angle for this. I had to stretch several of the wires from the two ballasts as well because they were not long enough. Finally I used acrylic sheet to make a new splash guard. If you want to know were you can get the stock ballasts made by Sunpark let me know. They are very cheap money wise.

[hahnmeister]

I used regular gutter flashing for the 2 bulb units. For the 4 bulb units, I had some 22ga. brushed alloy aluminum pre-cut and bent so it would look more presentable (may not be in a canopy). I have a similar airflow to an ATI powermodul, only larger fans... and air is sucked in the top (or out if I reverse the fan... in my case I just plan on ducting the fixtures from outside the canopy when the canopy panels go on). The air goes in the top, and then hits the backside of the reflectors, so it flows out to each end of the reflectors, cooling the ballast(s) on the way, and then wrapping around the ends of the bulbs. Then, I dont have the pics up yet in my 'red house' thread, but there are acrylic sheilds in front of the reflectors that keep the air flowing over the bulb until the center where the acrylic sheild has a slot to let air out. Everything is protected, everything is cool, everything is light... and that coil flashing is cheap. Heck, a contractor buddy of mine had some left over from a roofing job that was coated in white PVC, so he bent up the fixtures for me on his break, and I hung them right up. If you wanted, you could buy or paint it any color you want, or just leave it as raw aluminum.

[dzeadow]

I wish I would have kept the roll of aluminum flashing I had! I just moved into my house (I'm a contractor here in MT) and I had a half roll of that stuff laying around and I said, "when am I ever going to use that?" so I threw it away.. I'll be going to HD/Lowes today to see what I can get.

As for modifying the Nova fixutre, I plan on keeping that intact and doing a 10g nano with it in the future. So this fixture is just to house the new Icecap retro stuff. I'll have to build it to fit 6 bulbs, and I think I'll pull the ballasts out and put them in the stand to keep it that much lighter/cooler.

[jmait769]

Here is a link to my build thread <a href= "http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=920710” target="_blank"> The Javo Insignificant</a> which added two more bulbs to my tank. I used sheet metal from Lowes. If I had to do it over I would just copy the side profile of the Nova and not do the wedge shape I used. You will see what I mean when you look at the thread.

Jay

[dzeadow]

nice build! That's what I'm looking for! Is the sheet metal that you buy wide enough to do the same thing only fit about 6 bulbs in it or what I have to combine sheets some how?

[jmait769]

I can’t remember the exact sizes at Lowes but I believe they will carry a large enough piece. Off the top of my head I think two reflectors side-by-side was 5” and I added an extra 1½” for the ballast. So for 6 bulbs you will need a fixture that is 16½” by 24” if you put the ballast in with the light. I made mine 3” thick so I didn’t have to worry about the material used up in the bends and fit the fan. So added to the 16½” would give you 22½” X 24” for the main part of the fixture. I may be off a little so measure your reflectors and size appropriately.

HTH

Jay

[dzeadow]

Cool... plus I was thinking of putting the ballasts in the stand anyway, so I get that 1 1/2 back... I wonder if they carry a 24x24 piece just to be safe? I'll have to check it out when I go! What kind of clear coat did you use on the interior? And for putting in a spash shield, is yours just resting on the bottom flange, or did you make something else to keep it in there?

[jmait769]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11109011#post11109011 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dzeadow
Cool... plus I was thinking of putting the ballasts in the stand anyway, so I get that 1 1/2 back... I wonder if they carry a 24x24 piece just to be safe? I'll have to check it out when I go! What kind of clear coat did you use on the interior? And for putting in a spash shield, is yours just resting on the bottom flange, or did you make something else to keep it in there? Just Rust-oleum white and clear. Really you can just use a gloss white. I think I went a little overboard on painting the inside. The spash shield just rests on the bottom flange and slides out like the Nova’s.

HTH

Jay

[dzeadow]

Helps a lot! I think I'll wait til I actually get the package before I build anything. But this advice definitely helps a lot. Did you just get one of those hand riveters you can buy at HD/Lowes to put it all together?

[hahnmeister]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11108773#post11108773 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dzeadow
nice build! That's what I'm looking for! Is the sheet metal that you buy wide enough to do the same thing only fit about 6 bulbs in it or what I have to combine sheets some how?

The cross sectional dimensions of the fixture are (you just cut the coil flashing to length depending on the bulbs) 3"high for each end, 1/2" bend-around lip at each side (so we are up to 7" here), and 5" for every 2 bulbs. So for a 2 bulb unit, that would be 12" wide coil flashing (sometimes you can buy it right at 12", so thats convenient). Then, for a 4 bulb unit, its 7" (the sides dont change) and 10" of width... so 17". For 6 bulbs, that would be 15" of width plus 7", so you would need to find 22" wide flashing... which is around. Heck, my 2 bulb units were actually made with 18" wide, so if you dont feel like cutting it, you can just bend it so it wraps around the edges more... it will only make the fixture stronger in the end.

[jmait769]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11109277#post11109277 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dzeadow
Helps a lot! I think I'll wait til I actually get the package before I build anything. But this advice definitely helps a lot. Did you just get one of those hand riveters you can buy at HD/Lowes to put it all together? Yes just a hand riveter. I think I got mine at Sears but its the same. Good luck,

Jay