Adjustable light hanging mod is pretty clever

By Brian Blank on Jan 26, 2012

This short video show a pretty clever modification to automatically adjust the height of your light fixture. Looks like some pretty great DIY ingenuity that would allow you to raise or lower the fixture to either adjust the intensity or get into the system for cleanup or maintenance. From the look of the system, there appears to be some sort of motor assembly on the ceiling allowing it to be raised and since we don’t see a person or cables strung all over in the video, we have to assume its remote controlled at least by a switch.

This system of raising and lowering the aquarium lights is an ideal way to adjust the intensity of light with traditional bulb systems like when you are breaking in new bulbs or acclimating a bunch of new corals. We always like ingenious ways to raise and lower lights but this one definitely looks easier than the counter-weighted system we saw at the Salsa King way back in 2008. There is no description of the setup on the video’s page or the owner’s channel but if you happen to know ricardoleonelprata1, tell them we’d love to hear all about it.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jeff-Nelson/1370290012 Jeff Nelson

I do home automation/AV, this would be easy to do with say a Somfy shade roller and RF remote. I would install the roller in the ceiling with only the cables passing thru.
BTW when are LED fixtures coming with PWR and control in the actual hanging cables?
http://www.facebook.com/people/António-Vitor/100001304930327 António Vitor

He is Portuguese, I will ask him to post here…if he desn’t know english I could translate his answers…
Ian Iwane

You can do something similar with a track actuator
http://www.facebook.com/vincent.rivola Vincent RIVOLA

the dimming effect is clearly interesting although I am not sure he did it specifically for this.
However, in my opinion, it less interesting than dimming the power itself of the light since you don’t save energy with this fixture.
Very cool realization though!
http://twitter.com/nanoReefblog nanoReefblog

Ah, Reef in the Sky… I’l let everybody figure it out from there as that is where this system idea comes from, including the look and even down to the type of T5 unit (not the exact same model though)… this was posted almost exactly one year ago:
http://youtu.be/b9z3XWnf1eM
Anonymous

How about 4 SolaTubes (Skylights) + T5s on a retractable rail? This is someone that lives in my town. Skip to 2:05 to see the lights move. It moves smoothly now, unlike the video which he just installed it and made before adjusting. Obviously not the same distance as the light in this article, but this is also all inside a canopy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwzODydeTtE
http://tinyurl.com/83tz36h
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001079563347 Ricardo Prata

Hello, this mechanism of increased lighting is very simple, it is an engine of electric blinds I adapted to raise the ramp of my aquarium.
Brings many advantages for aquarium maintenance, acclimating new corals, changing light bulbs can be made in full and adjust to a certain point without hurting the coral, adjustments in the layout of the aquarium and many others.
I hope I have helped, if there is any doubt I can get answer.

Thank you, I’m very happy to put the video of my system on your site.
Soon, I’ll put a new one for you guys can see better!

Sorry for my English.

Ricardo Prata, “ReefPRATA”

Related posts: