| Description |
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A computer case CCFL light is secured to the inside of the aquarium power compact fixture, taking advantage of the reflector. The CCFL inverter is attached in between the light sockets. Inverter power is run in through one of the reflector rivet holes, so no drilling is required.
The power supply is a 500mA "wall wart" which provides 3V - 12V. The light is designed to run on 12VDC, but you can dim it by reducing the supply voltage.
Note that the cable between the inverter and the light must be kept short. You cannot keep the inverter box below the tank and lengthen the lines to the light--the light will be too dim. Instead, you must lengthen the 12V power leads to the inverter, and keep the inverter near the light.
Adding this extra gear to the interior of the fixture does not seem to decrease the regular light output, but it would be more elegant to disassemble the PC fixture and mount the inverter behind the reflector.
Note that the double-sided tape provided with computer lighting kits will not stay sticky in the hot fixture. Use a hot glue gun to secure the inverter and the ends of the light tube.
Lastly, the interior of a power compact lighting fixture is a lot hotter than the inside of a computer case. The cold cathode light and inverter seem to work fine, but the extra heat may kill them quickly--time will tell. |
