Thank you all for your positive comments.
Now as brett is obviously SO enthusiastic that he has to root out my photos that I said I would show you today and post one without my permission, I guess I had better spill the beans before he shows you them all and tells you how he
thinks I put it together
First off, I designed it in my head. No drawings, nothing. I knew how it would look and work. Many years ago in England I bought a load of really cheap halogen light-fittings from a guy who bought up a whole wharehouse of bankrupt stock. I used these all over my house in England.
All these came to Canada with me. I just need to buy 110V transformers if I want to use them.
I also had an Ikea cable lighting system which I brought with me. I've used bits of each for this unit.
First off, I needed the Bamboo pole. Nipped down to Chinatown and picked up this 2M pole for CDN$3.50. I purposely got one with the growth rings spaced exactly where I wanted them. Also, it had a full-length longitudal split which would allow easy running of the internal wiring.
As you have seen already, it is supported by two tensioned cables, secured top and bottom.
I had to cut access holes in the back of the pole so I could get at wiring and thread the support cable though drilled holes. This was done with a craft tool similar to a Dremel. This whole project was much easier with that sort of tool due to all the different attachments available.
Next, I needed to have a centre-line for positioning the light fixtures. String threaded through the drilled holes and pulled tight gave me a straight line.
Here is one of the ceramic lamp holders that I removed from the bankrupt stock fittings. Very small and neat.
Using the centre-line, these were positioned and holes for the screws and cables drilled.
The Halogen bulbs just push-fit.
I needed some wiring access by each fitting, so cut these windows.
Cables were soldered onto the fittings and the joins covered in heat-shrink tubing to insulate them. I ran the cables through the pole and joined the lives and neutrals thus. I had to ream out some cable runs through the "bulkheads" of each growth ring inside the bamboo, again with the small power-tool and a special bit.
Ok.....look at this.......
Where's the power cable come in to the unit? Can't see it? That's because there isn't one. Confused?
This little gizmo from Ikea's light system makes it all possible.
Each support cable is actually an insulated power cable. One is live, one is Neutral. The cable from the internal cabling joining block goes through the small hole at the bottom of the gizmo (Left to right). The support cable runs in the bottom of the U shape. When you tighten the grub-screw, its point penetrates the insulation of the support cable and hey presto, your internal cables get power. These gizmos fit in each end of the Bamboo and once the screw is tightened you have power and support for the Bamboo pole itself. If I decide I want to alter the weight it's a simple adjustment.
The support cables go through each end panel of the stand and thence to a 150W 110V to 12V transformer that's about 4" by 1.5" by 1" . The lamps are 6 x 20W = 120W....well within capacity. The transformer is wired to a timer.
Voila!
The water is normally higher by the way.
Next project was/is cutting 3 of 24" x 18" sheets of Polycarbonate to make covers for the tank. One fit straight in, the second is cut around the Aquaclear 500 and heaters. The third is a job for tomorrow along with making some Bamboo door handles for the cabinet stand to tie the design together. I may make Bamboo handles to lift the covers as well
Plants.....the plants are mainly
Microsoreum pterops (Windelov var.) growing on driftwood collected from the shores of Lake Superior. At the right end, the long plants are (I think)
Cryptocoryne aponogeton. It's a Crypt, looks like
Aponogeton, but has no bulb.
Martin.
It certainly gives off a different light effect.