After looking everywhere and unable to find any small, affordable aquarium lights for my tank here in Korea (at least none that would work on my American voltage. Koreans use 220v electricity), I decided to go through the process of building my own. As my ability to find "construction materials" is also as scarce, I had to get creative. I only used items that could (probably) be found in any Walgreen's or other corner drug-store in the States...if you can't find the exact items, I'm sure you could find a quality substitute.
Items required:
Rubbermaid Ice Bin ($3-5)
Lamp Light Socket ($2-4)
Electrical Cord ($2-3)
Aluminum Foil ($1)
Glue/epoxy/cement ($2-3) *get one made for plastic and metals*
TOTAL COST (minus the bulb): $10-16
Tools required:
Utility knife
Screw Driver
Marker/pen
Wire cutter (you -could- use the knife, but this would make things a lot cleaner and easier)
Wire stripper (same as above)
Drill/Circle bit (I used a utility knife, as described below. This might make the task easier, but can easily be done without)
Instructions:
1. Take the lamp light socket and use it to trace a circle on the bottom of the ice bin. Then cut the circle out of the bottom of the ice bin, leaving a hole for the socket to fit into. Mine is a very tight fit, and the fixture is firmly in the plastic (I cut using the inside of the marker I traced, instead of the outside).
2. Cut the end of your electrical cord on the side that appliances would normally be plugged into. Strip the wire and install them in the socket as instructed on the socket packaging.
3. Start gluing the foil, dull-side down, onto the inside of the ice bin. Remember, you're going to have to cut a circle in the foil again. I found it easier to do one side at a time, letting it cure before going to the next side. The order is insignificant, but I did the bottom first, then the long sides, then short sides.
4. After you have the foil firmly glued on all sides of the ice bin, push the socket into the hole you cut. It should have a snug fit. Screw in a CF bulb, plug it in, and turn it on.
This can be easily modified to add more bulbs to the system (I'd say 3 bulbs max per bin). The bulb I use (a 15w CF decorative energy-saver bulbs) works well for me and the heat it produces isn't enough for me to worry about melting the Rubbermaid bin.
WARNING: Do not put regular incandescent bulbs in this fixture. Chances are it will melt the whole thing and might cause damage to your hood, and even your tank.
Some finished pictures:
Items required:
Rubbermaid Ice Bin ($3-5)
Lamp Light Socket ($2-4)
Electrical Cord ($2-3)
Aluminum Foil ($1)
Glue/epoxy/cement ($2-3) *get one made for plastic and metals*
TOTAL COST (minus the bulb): $10-16
Tools required:
Utility knife
Screw Driver
Marker/pen
Wire cutter (you -could- use the knife, but this would make things a lot cleaner and easier)
Wire stripper (same as above)
Drill/Circle bit (I used a utility knife, as described below. This might make the task easier, but can easily be done without)
Instructions:
1. Take the lamp light socket and use it to trace a circle on the bottom of the ice bin. Then cut the circle out of the bottom of the ice bin, leaving a hole for the socket to fit into. Mine is a very tight fit, and the fixture is firmly in the plastic (I cut using the inside of the marker I traced, instead of the outside).
2. Cut the end of your electrical cord on the side that appliances would normally be plugged into. Strip the wire and install them in the socket as instructed on the socket packaging.
3. Start gluing the foil, dull-side down, onto the inside of the ice bin. Remember, you're going to have to cut a circle in the foil again. I found it easier to do one side at a time, letting it cure before going to the next side. The order is insignificant, but I did the bottom first, then the long sides, then short sides.
4. After you have the foil firmly glued on all sides of the ice bin, push the socket into the hole you cut. It should have a snug fit. Screw in a CF bulb, plug it in, and turn it on.
This can be easily modified to add more bulbs to the system (I'd say 3 bulbs max per bin). The bulb I use (a 15w CF decorative energy-saver bulbs) works well for me and the heat it produces isn't enough for me to worry about melting the Rubbermaid bin.
WARNING: Do not put regular incandescent bulbs in this fixture. Chances are it will melt the whole thing and might cause damage to your hood, and even your tank.
Some finished pictures:
