Timmah
Not so new Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2021
- Messages
- 36
- Reaction score
- 29
So I wanted a light for my bigger enclosure that Smaug will be moving in to. I bought a secondhand URS from a bloke who had a beardie in it but was too small for it. Got it for a Song! Need to get some bits and pieces before it's ready, larger heat mat, replacement top mesh that has holes for lights in it, and I wanted a light bar I could choose the colour of. I found some app controlled Led strips online that you can program the colour, brightness and on off schedule on your phone. So bought one and started the build today!
Bought some 12mm wide channel from bunnings. It's a metre long, and have cut the light strip into two 48cm lengths.
Notched the ends of the channels for the wires to join then to run around.
I cut some small wires to connect them, but it's as bulky and inflexible as my ex girlfriend...
So I found some solid core cat 5 in my cable box, and stripped it back. Looks like it'll do the job!
Separated the strands, and test bent one of the whites to make sure it actually worked.
Looked good, so onto the much easier to identify coloured ones! Not quite RGB B, but BBGO is close enough.
Straight (ish)
Bent(ish)
Taste the rainbow! Not really, don't. Excess consumption may cause a laxative effect. This dietary supplement does not replace a balanced diet, etc etc.
Ends stripped. I love my wire strippers. They cleanly do from about 4 guage to these tiny strands. Not recommended for stripping shed from snakes however.
Wires soldered. I might redo the top orange one before final assembly. Doesn't look quite as well done as I'd like.
But does it work after all that?!? Of course it damn well does. I worked with 12v systems for 10 years and work in solar now. Would need to rethink life choices if I couldn't wire 4 strands correctly! And I'll pay you all to not tell my fiance I didn't use a cutting mat on our (rental) kitchen bench.
Channels epoxied together and set up on my purpose built, custom designed, light channel holding jig. Patent pending.
Now time to clean up that kitchen bench!
Next steps will be figuring out some sort of neat end caps and appropriate paint. (likely another bunnings trip). Will post up next steps as they're done!
Bought some 12mm wide channel from bunnings. It's a metre long, and have cut the light strip into two 48cm lengths.
Notched the ends of the channels for the wires to join then to run around.
I cut some small wires to connect them, but it's as bulky and inflexible as my ex girlfriend...
So I found some solid core cat 5 in my cable box, and stripped it back. Looks like it'll do the job!
Separated the strands, and test bent one of the whites to make sure it actually worked.
Looked good, so onto the much easier to identify coloured ones! Not quite RGB B, but BBGO is close enough.
Straight (ish)
Bent(ish)
Taste the rainbow! Not really, don't. Excess consumption may cause a laxative effect. This dietary supplement does not replace a balanced diet, etc etc.
Ends stripped. I love my wire strippers. They cleanly do from about 4 guage to these tiny strands. Not recommended for stripping shed from snakes however.
Wires soldered. I might redo the top orange one before final assembly. Doesn't look quite as well done as I'd like.
But does it work after all that?!? Of course it damn well does. I worked with 12v systems for 10 years and work in solar now. Would need to rethink life choices if I couldn't wire 4 strands correctly! And I'll pay you all to not tell my fiance I didn't use a cutting mat on our (rental) kitchen bench.
Channels epoxied together and set up on my purpose built, custom designed, light channel holding jig. Patent pending.
Now time to clean up that kitchen bench!
Next steps will be figuring out some sort of neat end caps and appropriate paint. (likely another bunnings trip). Will post up next steps as they're done!
