Cold Cathode Moon Light

[Nick Sw]

I`m trying this idea out , I`ve just got one question my DC 12V convertor has a black wire and a black wire with white stripe which do I connect to the red/black wires respectively on the invertor for the lights ?

 

[three-fingers]

I`m trying this idea out , I`ve just got one question my DC 12V convertor has a black wire and a black wire with white stripe which do I connect to the red/black wires respectively on the invertor for the lights ?

Same here, thats exactly what i need to know .

Editcratch that i figured it out, black and white one is positive.

 

[ecotack]

I added 4 blue LEDs as moon lights. It took me about 10 minutes with a soldering iron, lighter, speaker cable, heat shrink tubing and a sharp knife (I misplaced my wire cutters).

The heat shrink was glue lined, so made the finished item water proof.

The LEDs illuminate the bubbles from the air curtain at the back of the tank during the daytime.

I tried some 'ocean green' LEDs on the goldfish tank, but soon removed them

I had a bad experience with the cold cathodes. The inverters output a high voltage, when one cable was pulled out accidentally the pins arched and smoke bellowed out. I still use some cold cathodes, but I never leave them on if I'm going out.

 

[Built2Prfctn]

Well I just took a green cold cathode out of my computer case and rigged it to the tank looks AWSOME!!

Check it

BTW im using 9V seems to be perfect hopefully wont keep the fish up and clowns come out!!!

Tell me what you guys think.

 

[raptorrex]

I added 4 blue LEDs as moon lights. It took me about 10 minutes with a soldering iron, lighter, speaker cable, heat shrink tubing and a sharp knife (I misplaced my wire cutters).

The heat shrink was glue lined, so made the finished item water proof.

The LEDs illuminate the bubbles from the air curtain at the back of the tank during the daytime.

I tried some 'ocean green' LEDs on the goldfish tank, but soon removed them

I had a bad experience with the cold cathodes. The inverters output a high voltage, when one cable was pulled out accidentally the pins arched and smoke bellowed out. I still use some cold cathodes, but I never leave them on if I'm going out.

that look really good.
and these inverters run a 630v so your warning is more than a little valid!

 

[dt3000]

Just bought one of these kits with 3 blue lamps and I'm well impressed. I also ordered another from eBay with 2 greens and a red to operate a couple of hours after the main lights, before turning to all blue for moonlight - highly recommended! They can be used inside or outside the tank and submersed if required.

http/www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dep...&pf_id=5572

I managed to get the eBay one for £16.95, including 3 lights of my choice....bargain!

 

[JamieH]

hey everyone... just a couple of Q's

whats the best way to attach these to a juwel hood - which doesn't have a condensation tray?

how safe are these really? the post about the arcing inverter (whatever that is) made me think twice

where do you place the inverter? i've noticed most of the pics here seem to place them in the hood... my hood has no space for such an item - and my tank only has 1.5" between it and the wall.

 

[SuperColey1]

I've sorted my moonlight on a 5.7 Sagem charger. Looks a treat. used the pads pritt pads that cam with it to stick them side by side in the top of the hood, and they give out a nice discreet kind of glow rather than a blazing blue glaze, so it is nice.

Many thanks for the advice.

 

[Chunkmuffin85]

I'm new to this and havent read all the posts in the thread fully, but what I can tell you with Cold Cathode tubes is that they are cheap and easy to install. Also, if you buy a varying voltage adapter you can dim the lights. I got a 2-12V 300 mAmp for 8 bucks at walmart. If i want it bright i just keep it at 12V, if i want to dim it i just push the switch. To install them put all the plugs that go into the inverter box in so you do not get confused and cut the wrong end. Cut the computer wire and cut the end of the adapter. Loosely wire them to see if its right. If they turn on then solder them together and your golden. Tape the inverter outside on the back along with the switch. tape, velcro, or glue the cathodes into you hood. Try drilling a small hold so all the wires fit through. The amp does not matter. 300 is enough. if you had more than two cathodes running on the same adaptor then the amp's would be a factor.

With LED's find some cheap on ebay. Make sure you check the voltage on the LED. LED cannot be solder directly to a wire because 12 V will burn it out in 2 secs. They need a resistor. Most likely if you have a 5V adaptor and 56 ohm resistor should be fine as most LED's run off 3.3-3.6 or around there. If you look on ebay you may even find LED's that come with resistor's that are rated for 12V adaptors. Wire the resistor to the shorter pin. if you place it on the wrong end the blue LED will still light but be more of a blueish green. Amp's come into effect with how many LED's you can run. to be on the safe side i would say that most likey for every LED you are using somewhere between 15-20 amps per LED. So with 300 amp you could run 15/300 = ? To get the lights to dim, which may be for the enthusiast with lunar cycle or just to control the brightness, you need a potentiometer or a pot for short. You need a LINEAR pot! Be sure it says this on the box. Try to get at least a 500k pot, a 1M or 2M will be more than enough. You can get a 1M pot at radio shack for like 2 or 3 bucks. Run the positive wire from the adaptor onto one of the three rings, the other positive wire to the middle rings, and wire the two ground (black) wires together, leaving the third ring empty. Again loosely wire to see if it works. If you want to get real fancy buy a push button on off start switch and wire that on so you dont have to have a bulky timer. I bought 40,000 mcd Blue LED's wide angle, and used three LED's with a 9V adaptor and got really good look in the tank. The tank is at my mother's house in New Jersey and I am in philly so i do not have pics of that. I have Blue Cathodes on my 55 gallon tank at my apt in philly. Took me a half hour to solder the lines and with the selectable volatage adaptor i dont need a dimmer. I will post pics when I get a chance if people want to see. The LED takes a bit longer because you are solder multiple LED's together, but really it is not too hard and the brighter the LED's are capable of, then the less you really need. But if you buy 24 for 48in long tank, you should get a lot of fake moonlight. Some LED's can even match the same absorbance as the moon! try to find those on ebay as well for pretty cheap. You can probably make the LED one for less than 10 bucks if you buy like 30 LED's and use a spare adaptor u have lying around. Hope this helps someone. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[smithrc]

hey everyone... just a couple of Q's

whats the best way to attach these to a juwel hood - which doesn't have a condensation tray?

how safe are these really? the post about the arcing inverter (whatever that is) made me think twice

where do you place the inverter? i've noticed most of the pics here seem to place them in the hood... my hood has no space for such an item - and my tank only has 1.5" between it and the wall.

in the juwels, I have cable tied the CC tubes to the T8 tubes, then run the wires out of the access hole at the back and have the invertor outside teh tank

 

[SuperColey1]

whats the best way to attach these to a juwel hood - which doesn't have a condensation tray?

how safe are these really? the post about the arcing inverter (whatever that is) made me think twice

where do you place the inverter? i've noticed most of the pics here seem to place them in the hood... my hood has no space for such an item - and my tank only has 1.5" between it and the wall.

Just a quick note for everybody here I suppose. I did the SmithRC method, great kit £4.50 off ebay. I twisted the cables to a Sagem 5.7V charger. then taped over the join.

There were 2 double sided foam pads supplied so I put one side of the pads on the protruding tray where the electrics are hidden away, and then stuck the tubes to them (This was not the way SmithRC attached his) then they are taped at intervals to the fluro tubes cable. with the smaller box taped to the centre of the back of the hood and the on/off swithc on top.

Great for 1 week, then near disaster, but also a learning curve.

Woke up one morning, turned on the cathodes (no full light till 12pm) looked into the tank and saw 1 of the tubes in the water, with 1 inch flickering away. Immediately turned them off and took the hood off.

1 end of the tubes had seperated from the foam, and 1 tube completely. disconnected it from the unit, so I only have 1 now until I get another (Siliconed in)

SO - In short, I think these tubes are safe to use above the water, as there were no sparks or shortages, although I wouldn't advise submerging them for any length of time. Also DO NOT USE the pads to secure them into the hood, make sure that they are secure, not so much for the danger aspect, as also having to buy a new one.

 

[raptorrex]

whats the best way to attach these to a juwel hood - which doesn't have a condensation tray?

how safe are these really? the post about the arcing inverter (whatever that is) made me think twice

where do you place the inverter? i've noticed most of the pics here seem to place them in the hood... my hood has no space for such an item - and my tank only has 1.5" between it and the wall.

Just a quick note for everybody here I suppose. I did the SmithRC method, great kit £4.50 off ebay. I twisted the cables to a Sagem 5.7V charger. then taped over the join.

There were 2 double sided foam pads supplied so I put one side of the pads on the protruding tray where the electrics are hidden away, and then stuck the tubes to them (This was not the way SmithRC attached his) then they are taped at intervals to the fluro tubes cable. with the smaller box taped to the centre of the back of the hood and the on/off swithc on top.

Great for 1 week, then near disaster, but also a learning curve.

Woke up one morning, turned on the cathodes (no full light till 12pm) looked into the tank and saw 1 of the tubes in the water, with 1 inch flickering away. Immediately turned them off and took the hood off.

1 end of the tubes had seperated from the foam, and 1 tube completely. disconnected it from the unit, so I only have 1 now until I get another (Siliconed in)

SO - In short, I think these tubes are safe to use above the water, as there were no sparks or shortages, although I wouldn't advise submerging them for any length of time. Also DO NOT USE the pads to secure them into the hood, make sure that they are secure, not so much for the danger aspect, as also having to buy a new one.

found mine in the water once, D'oh why did i use the supplied pads!!!!! take care these inverters run at 630v!!!!!!!

 

[iairj84]

I've got 4 extra 10'' blue tubes that are available if anyone would like some. See my thread in the for sale section for more info!

 

[darren garrett]

Hey there great thread,

I have some tubes orderd, and plan to give this a shot as soon as they arrive,

The AC adapter i have is new, This is what the label says - PRI : 240v - 50 Hz 19va SEC 9V 1000mA

I do not want to blow the lamps up the day i get them if poss!

Anybody know if this Will be ok?

Many thanks

 

[smithrc]

Hey there great thread,

I have some tubes orderd, and plan to give this a shot as soon as they arrive,

The AC adapter i have is new, This is what the label says - PRI : 240v - 50 Hz 19va SEC 9V 1000mA

I do not want to blow the lamps up the day i get them if poss!

Anybody know if this Will be ok?

Many thanks

Should be fine... Might be a little bright at 9V though...