New AquaRay Aquarium LED Lights

I installed new TMC AquaRay LED aquarium lights on my 450gal aquarium.

Lights:
          2 - GroBeam 1500 Natural Daylight 6500K
          2 - Ocean Blue 1500 : half blue and half white 9000K
Controller:
          MultiController 8
Light Framing Structure:
          Bosch-RexRoth 30 Aluminum T-slot

The framing structure was made from Bosch-RexRoth aluminum T-slot structure. I had acquired the aluminum framing a couple of years ago when they were being thrown out, so I just had to buy the connectors.

Completed Light Support:
          The light modules can slide along the rails to tweak their position.

Closeup of framing:

Controller:
          The controller ramps up and ramps down the lights over a user defined period to simulate sunrise and sunset. The blue LEDs are on a separate channel so they ramp up and down 30 minutes before and after the white lights. It also has a manual storm function that will ramp down the lights to 5% over 5 minutes and then randomly flash lightening for 30 minutes then ramp the lights back up to the normal programed setting.  This controller runs all lights using only one power plug. The laminated card on the controller is my programed light cycle.

Lights under canopy:
          The two types of lights are alternated. The Ocean blue counteracts the yellow in the GroBeam to produce a whiter light. This combo helps bring out the blues in my blue fish as well as highlight the yellow and orange fish. Without the blue lights the blue fish would appear more white with the blue washed out. (Sorry for the reflections from my windows.)

Close up of one light:

Spectral Response of LED Lights:
           I measured the spectral response of the lights with an Ocean Optics 2000 spectrometer.

Storm Mode Warnings:

Finished Garage Corner & Garage Entertainment

I finished the garage corner. I now have a rolling working bench that can be moved out of the way for cleaning (and it keeps pack rats from forming a nest). 5 upper cabinets, metal pegboard backing with power strip. I installed electrical in the corner and a two bulb fluorescent light above and a light switch in the corner.

Bare corner after ripping out old built-in cabinet:

Finished corner:

I found the right size plastic boxes to fill the space above the upper cabinets so I have organized storage space available. 

Entertainment: I took my old original non HD LCD TV and put it in the upper cabinet attached to a Roku box so I can watch Net flix's or other Roku features while I am in the garage. I also have a portable iPod dock and FM radio I use with an old iPod Touch that is not show. I guess I don't have an excuse not to keep the garage clean now.

I've never been a big fan of displaying tools on peg board. I prefer the clean look of every thing in a closed drawer or cabinet. But the metal panels make it look cooler and I'll just have to figure out how I can use them. I did all of this work by myself  with the usual injuries I always seem to get from my projects.

It's not everyday a hot air balloon lands on your neighbors property after just barely clearing your house.

On the morning of 14 April 2012, Fringe was barking like crazy which is unusual. I went out to the back of the house and a hot air balloon was barely above the ground. My house is up on a hill and there is a wash between me and my neighbor to the east. The balloon was so low in this valley the bottom of the basket was just above my head. The balloonist managed to rise up enough to barely clear the big mesquite in the dog yard and my roof and make it beyond my neighbors house to the west where it landed in the desert. I was amazed the landing didn't take out any saguaros.

balloon & neighbors house:

Ironically, a couple of weeks later a local biologists blog I read had a post about a balloon making an emergency landing on their property on the other side of the big mountains you see in the pictures. In those pictures it looks like the balloon had a big rip.

I'm quite certain this is a local balloonist that offered paid rides. If you are looking into a balloon ride on the west side of Tucson, AZ,  ask to see what their balloon looks like and if they often make emergency landings in the desert.

Removal of Corner Garage Built-in Cabinet

I never liked the built-in cabinet at the corner of the garage by the stairs and had always planned to remove it. This post covers the removal and what I found. A future post will cover what I put in the corner to replace the built-in.

Removal already started:

 Pack Rats were living under the base having gained access by chewing next to the pipe and making their own hole in the toe board.

What would I find under the bottom?

     A couple of dessicated dead rats:

Comfy little bed nests:
     Made from multiple mop heads and cotton work gloves taken from the garage.

Misc Items from the garage:
     The new screw hooks I thought I bought but couldn't find.

      A razor blade scrapper

      A PS/2 to USB keyboard adapter

      An aluminum tent stake

     Chewing gum wrappers

      Velcro ties

     Other items found - fruit slices I would put in my cricket container (a galavanized trash can) in the garage to feed the crickets, birdseed - from the other side of the house, wood scraps, wood mixing sticks, mesquite beans, plastic spoons, scraps of paper, cholla cactus pieces, paper tools, etc.  

     The rat(s) even collected dog poop from the other side of the house to bring into the midden.

The culprit:
     This pack rat ran out when I pulled the bottom board off.

Destructive but very cute.

Adjustable Tree Support

The thorn-less Chilean mesquite I planted in the dog yard needed some support to keep it growing upright.
I attached an eye hook to the wall: drilled hole with hammer drill and epoxied it in. The rope was ran through some tubing to lessen abrasion on the rope.

A loop of rope was run through a piece of hose and bowline loops tied to each end. This is the piece that is used around the tree. A Niteize large figure 9 carabiner clip was clipped to both loops after wrapping around tree. The rope from the eye hook on the wall was then tightened using the figure 9 end of the Niteize clip. This system allows for easy tightening or loosening adjustments.

The supported tree.

New Beware Spinone Sign on Dog House

I replaced the old laser printed and laminated Beware Spinone sign I had made for Fringe's doghouse. This one is an exterior UV protected aluminum sign. (Printed by thesignchef.com from my illustrator file and is 10x12".) This is a play on Roy Lichtenstein's 1965 Grrrrrrrrrrr! print.
New Aluminum Sign:

Old Laminated Color Laser Print Sign in Plastic Frame:

Gong Painted

I use a gong hanging by the front door as my door bell (Javanese gong and mallet are from http://www.gongs-unlimited.com). It came as unfinished metal and I left it that way but it started to rust too much. High winds would also bang it up against the block wall and column and rain would collect in the bottom. I drilled a drainage hole in the bottom and two holes on the lower sides so rope could also run from the sides holding it in place to prevent it from banging against the block wall and column. I then painted it with Rustoleum Copper Hammered spray paint. I epoxied two eye hooks into the block wall to tie the side ropes to. For knot tiers out there, Ashley's stopper knots were used in the inside of the gong and a buntline hitch used to attach the side ropes to a mini carabiner. A small piece of black pond tubing is placed over the top rope to prevent abrasion to the rope itself.

Gong in situ: (On a rare rainy day)

 Closeup of gong:

Detail of hammered paint: