For those interested - I was able to purchase a spare parts kit from UpDownDesk at half price. I cannot say if they will be able to do this for others or not, but it is worth checking! You obviously only need the two uprights, power supply and controller. Other components like the desk mounts, feet, cable trays and anything else is not required.
Sam, The lift is done. It works great. What a wonderful idea and to make it work, it's just awesome. I've got videos that I would love to share with you.
Great idea! I just ordered a desk mechanism. Waiting for the t-slot aluminum consultant to get back to me so I can order that also so I can attach the lights on to.
Sam you have just given me the lead on what I have been thinking of how to build a canopy where I am move it all up and down and this will definitely give me ability to do that. Thank you so much for sharing this idea.. thank you m8 👍👌🙏🙏👏👏👏
@ParkersReef tried reaching out and they werent willing to part way with the same deal you got unfortunately. I have to buy the whole thing, which model did you end up getting?
there are plenty of other players on the market that might be able to supply what you need? I honestly couldn't tell you what model I have, I just know it has two motors and has more than enough strength for the weight of my lights
@ParkersReef yeah I've messaged a few others and they don't seem willing either unfortunately. Reached out to the actual leg manufacturers so wish me luck they do private sales. This has changed the game for me so might just cop the full price or give market place a look. Cheers mate, your build is beautiful
This is genius, my parents have their lcd tv mounted on a motorised lift to disappear into the tv cabinet. They never actually use the function so I may steal it for my next reef tank build!
Once upon a time, I used something similar with a manual ratcheting pulley system that moved the canopy out of the way. Ended up changing it to fold the lights themselves back in the canopy and out of the way during maintenance. Haven't had a system large enough to warrant the design again but worked like a charm 👌
Brilliant idea Sam and at a good price. I would just look to have some molded plastic to cover the motors and the legs. Something that concertinas as the legs go up and down, you don't want salt water getting inside those sliding legs as they don't appear to have a lot of clearance
Cool idea Sam but in my Experience any thing metal will rust. Stainless is your best bet. That too though can rust. Mounting the actuator motors remotely and using a pulley system could be a thought.
Very cool diy! I'm planning on designing a manual pully system to lift my hood. I really like the preset option. You can just press a button and walk away or prepare for your maintenance.
That's an awesome solution! Maybe worth looking into some dust (splash guard) covers similar to what's used on car suspension to protect it when it's at the operating height? Also, make sure you can get it out to service/repair once the tank is in place. I wouldn't think you can manually adjust the height if the motors burn out.
Good thinking. I can certainly lift the motors out without moving the tank, so if it doesn’t work out I can fit something rigid in its place. Splash guard is a good idea!
Hey mate, great solution. I’m definitely going to look into this for my next build. Have an idea for you - use some t-frame and channels to build a hood Mount that slides front to back or left to right. If the desk supports 120kg, it can certainly hold some marine ply and rails. I saw a tank is the UAE do this. I’ll try to find it and send you the link. Keep up the great content!
Very clever!! It'll be interesting to see how the motors hold up in that harsh environment... I'd think they'll be coated in salt spray pretty much constantly.
I’m not sure you could do it on a much lower budget than this. The sit stand desk can be bought for about $150-$200 these days. From there, it’s only a few dollars worth of scrap to kit it out
Great idea but will moisture and salt creep not get into the motor above the tank and will the metal on the stand not rust as it is only for office use and not outdoor or this kind of use, even between the moving joints will rust up
@@ParkersReef fingers crossed, im hoping it works out. You will be my Guinea pig and if it works il copy in My big build, if not its going to be a pain to try move and dismantle.
The area above the tank will of course be prone to salt water splashing and spray, but that will be fairly minimal. Over time, this could have corrosive effects, but given the goals of this particular tank, I don’t see that being much of an issue over the time span of 10-15 years. The larger concern is simple humidity from tank evaporation. This can be largely mitigated with a good ventilation plan. If ventilation isn’t planned for, condensation can build up inside the hood enclosure. This can cause galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals. You’ll tend to notice this first at the hardware mounting points of bolts and screws. It may be a good idea to use anti galvanic paste at these connection points, just be carful because many of those tend to be copper based.
Awesome setup! You mentioned that you thought your tank would only last 15 years. Just thinking 🤔 what is the normal life expectancy of a tank before it starts to fail? I’m using a 75 gallon freshwater tank. Nothing fancy.
They will last longer if kept level, but after 10 years you are playing with fire in my opinion. Could well last 30, but I don’t want 380 gallons of salt water on the lounge room floor :)
Just wondering. Did you have to reinforce the floor to hold the tank? If i'm thinking correctly that is like 10,000 lbs all together with water, right?
Parker,what happens if one motor fails?A lot of torque presented at a twisting verticee.Hacking in the control,no offense are you capable of that?And is this up and down programing going to be able to be handled by simple desk raising device motors .They are specked to be used very sparingly and in a person's presence.Doc BC
Hey Doc, thanks for the questions. If one motor fails, I can simply lift it out of the RHS at the rear. Each motor is about 10kg, not impossible to lift. Yes, I’ve opened up the controller and checked out the circuit board. I’ve already attached some sonoff basic WiFi switches to the memory press buttons which allows me to control them over WiFi. As for use case, that’s one thing we’ll just have to wait and see. I don’t envision these getting used all that often, perhaps once a week?
Great thinking! It is a really cool option. Why didn’t you go aluminum RHS instead of steel? It would have had ample strength, no rust, cheaper, lighter.......
Parkers Reef what if you fabricated a “cup” out of 5mm plate and bolted that to the top of some T-slot? Cost of the galvanizing would be more then the fabrication of 2 5mm “cups”. Make the cups say 300mm deep. Just a thought mate, love the out of the box idea you came up with.
The RHS was an odd size, I can't remember exactly but it fit neatly over the columns of the standup desk motors. My local steel place said they wouldn't have anything to fit as it wasn't a standard size but then I showed them a listing on their website and they took another look out back and found it :P
I also have a desk like this, different manufacturer but the system is the same.. and i got it for free second hand :) I will probably save it when i get a new lightweight for project like this :) though i dont have 10.000+ AUD for this, i could buy a car for that lol
Parkers Reef Hi Sam 👋 BRS TVs recent video covers extensively all data and info required to help make up you mind on the Philips coral care gen 2. Worth a viewing. 👍🏴
Save your self some cash and replace the steel with 3 or 4mm ally box. Strong enough for a light fixture and will never rust. That rhs hates salt water and replace you bolts with stainless steel or gal.
Very cool diy! I'm planning on designing a manual pully system to lift my hood. I really like the preset option. You can just press a button and walk away or prepare for your maintenance.
For those interested - I was able to purchase a spare parts kit from UpDownDesk at half price. I cannot say if they will be able to do this for others or not, but it is worth checking!
You obviously only need the two uprights, power supply and controller. Other components like the desk mounts, feet, cable trays and anything else is not required.
Sam,
The lift is done. It works great. What a wonderful idea and to make it work, it's just awesome. I've got videos that I would love to share with you.
Please do!!
Using the desk was a very good idea. It should last long and be very strong.
Cheers mate!
The whole thing is ingenious!! And the price is right..
Thank you 🙏🏻
Great idea! I just ordered a desk mechanism. Waiting for the t-slot aluminum consultant to get back to me so I can order that also so I can attach the lights on to.
Sensational!!
Sam you have just given me the lead on what I have been thinking of how to build a canopy where I am move it all up and down and this will definitely give me ability to do that. Thank you so much for sharing this idea.. thank you m8 👍👌🙏🙏👏👏👏
My pleasure, glad it helped!
Standing Desk!
YOU ARE A GENIUS!
Haha hope it helped?!
Идея просто огонь, Вы как генератор идей 👍👍👍
Спасибо, надеюсь, это вам поможет!
Идея просто отличная, и самое главное бюджетная, огромное спасибо Вам за идеи 👍👍👍
спасибо, что нашли время посмотреть и прокомментировать!
Wicked job man, pretty sure you've just made this a trend
Hahah yeah, it did seem to become and thing after this video 😅
@ParkersReef tried reaching out and they werent willing to part way with the same deal you got unfortunately. I have to buy the whole thing, which model did you end up getting?
there are plenty of other players on the market that might be able to supply what you need? I honestly couldn't tell you what model I have, I just know it has two motors and has more than enough strength for the weight of my lights
@ParkersReef yeah I've messaged a few others and they don't seem willing either unfortunately. Reached out to the actual leg manufacturers so wish me luck they do private sales. This has changed the game for me so might just cop the full price or give market place a look. Cheers mate, your build is beautiful
Thanks so much, good luck with your setup!!
This is genius, my parents have their lcd tv mounted on a motorised lift to disappear into the tv cabinet. They never actually use the function so I may steal it for my next reef tank build!
Haha grab that motor!!!
@@ParkersReef yeah I think I will. I remember it was about 500 bucks or so when they got their massive entertainment/wall unit built.
You keeping us in suspense on the new tank build 😂
Hahahah suspense building!
Very elaborate design, the option to slide the lights front to back would add to adjustments.
Yeah good thinking. With t-slot, it’s possible as it stands - but requires you to undo some Allen bolts, not automated...
Wow Sam. What a great solution. Can not wait for to see the rest of the build!!!
Thank you so much!
That is absolutely awesome!! Love the idea and the ingenuity.
Thank you! Cheers!
Awesome set up Sam.
Cheers mate
Once upon a time, I used something similar with a manual ratcheting pulley system that moved the canopy out of the way. Ended up changing it to fold the lights themselves back in the canopy and out of the way during maintenance. Haven't had a system large enough to warrant the design again but worked like a charm 👌
Sounds awesome! I’m hoping this makes maintenance nice and easy :)
Functional and for the right price well done Sam! Oh, and if the RHS rusts, it won't matter with the wall thickness of the steel, in your lifetime!
Good to know, thank you!
Is there a setup video for the mount of the fixture behind the tank? Would love that video if necessary.
I didn’t as it is literally 2 t bolts into the aluminium frame (it has slots to accommodate this)
If there is interest, I can make a video though :)
Brilliant idea Sam and at a good price. I would just look to have some molded plastic to cover the motors and the legs. Something that concertinas as the legs go up and down, you don't want salt water getting inside those sliding legs as they don't appear to have a lot of clearance
Yeah good thinking 👍🏻
I wonder if it can be used upside down from the ceiling down as by new build will be viewed through a wall
Yes it can, but will need some serious mounting inside the ceiling
Brilliant I love it 👍👍👍 that is gonna be awesome when you need to do work in the tank
Cheers mate!
Cool idea Sam but in my Experience any thing metal will rust. Stainless is your best bet. That too though can rust. Mounting the actuator motors remotely and using a pulley system could be a thought.
See how we go mate :)
Good job 👍 Awesome soloution.. neat little controller with presets.. I think it works a treat!
Cheers mate!
Very cool diy! I'm planning on designing a manual pully system to lift my hood. I really like the preset option. You can just press a button and walk away or prepare for your maintenance.
Cheers!
Hi thanks for this vid been looking for a way to do it I think I will need 3 to 4 arms as my tank is 14 ft long
Yeah four arms be the go, grab a couple desks!
That's an awesome solution! Maybe worth looking into some dust (splash guard) covers similar to what's used on car suspension to protect it when it's at the operating height?
Also, make sure you can get it out to service/repair once the tank is in place. I wouldn't think you can manually adjust the height if the motors burn out.
Good thinking. I can certainly lift the motors out without moving the tank, so if it doesn’t work out I can fit something rigid in its place.
Splash guard is a good idea!
Parkers Reef awesome 👍 can’t wait to see the finished product
Hey mate, great solution. I’m definitely going to look into this for my next build.
Have an idea for you - use some t-frame and channels to build a hood Mount that slides front to back or left to right.
If the desk supports 120kg, it can certainly hold some marine ply and rails.
I saw a tank is the UAE do this. I’ll try to find it and send you the link.
Keep up the great content!
Check out the 12min mark. th-cam.com/video/ZEYex016NUc/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for checking this out for me!
Very clever!! It'll be interesting to see how the motors hold up in that harsh environment... I'd think they'll be coated in salt spray pretty much constantly.
Yeah will see how they go. Thankfully they’re a fair way from the water and the canopy will be vented. But time will tell
love it, always pushing the envelope
Cheers man
A really nice solution!! Did you see the "holograph" fishes on 9:11?
I did not!
Any insight on how to do this on a smaller budget?
I’m not sure you could do it on a much lower budget than this. The sit stand desk can be bought for about $150-$200 these days. From there, it’s only a few dollars worth of scrap to kit it out
Awesome job mate!! It would take years to rust.
Awesome, thank you :)
Love it Sam. At a reasonable price too.
I thought so!
Looks really nice! Where did you get the white bottom from?
Made locally :)
genius ! hard pressed to think of anything as good 👍
Thanks mate!!
Great idea but will moisture and salt creep not get into the motor above the tank and will the metal on the stand not rust as it is only for office use and not outdoor or this kind of use, even between the moving joints will rust up
I’m hoping it’s far enough away from the water and the powder coating keeps it operational.
Time will tell though!
@@ParkersReef fingers crossed, im hoping it works out. You will be my Guinea pig and if it works il copy in My big build, if not its going to be a pain to try move and dismantle.
Actually pretty easy. Motors lift up and out. Steel out the back is removed by two Allen bolts
@@ParkersReef great. Looking forward to your next videos
Cheers mate!
very nice setup!! congratulations, that tank is beautiful!! im gonna be waiting for the sump and fish... cheers from mexico!!
Not long now, thanks for watching
Great idea man.
Cheers dude!
Super nice!!! 300 gallon?
Yeah mate, 374 gallons :)
Amazing. Keep up the great work.
Love this idea 💡. Can’t wait for the update 💯💯💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thank you!!
Love the setup great job
Cheers mate!
That's a really innovative approach, thanks for sharing! That's a beautiful tank, I love the eurobracing. Who is the manufacturer of that aquarium?
Thanks! It’s a waterbox custom tank :)
Would the salt water cause any problems?
Hopefully not, time will tell :)
The area above the tank will of course be prone to salt water splashing and spray, but that will be fairly minimal. Over time, this could have corrosive effects, but given the goals of this particular tank, I don’t see that being much of an issue over the time span of 10-15 years.
The larger concern is simple humidity from tank evaporation. This can be largely mitigated with a good ventilation plan.
If ventilation isn’t planned for, condensation can build up inside the hood enclosure. This can cause galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals. You’ll tend to notice this first at the hardware mounting points of bolts and screws. It may be a good idea to use anti galvanic paste at these connection points, just be carful because many of those tend to be copper based.
Awesome setup!
You mentioned that you thought your tank would only last 15 years. Just thinking 🤔 what is the normal life expectancy of a tank before it starts to fail? I’m using a 75 gallon freshwater tank. Nothing fancy.
They will last longer if kept level, but after 10 years you are playing with fire in my opinion. Could well last 30, but I don’t want 380 gallons of salt water on the lounge room floor :)
Parkers Reef thank you 👍
love that mate!! great job!
Thank you :)
Looks good Parker. Did you look at mounting it upside down from the ceiling to make the thing more serviceable?
I sure did, that was the original idea. But it was going to be a lot of weight up there and it is going to be a busy space once the canopy goes in
Where did you get the tank stand from?
Here mate:
th-cam.com/video/F4pgduPLoDU/w-d-xo.html
Great work Sam !! Brilliant ! Are you able to share the details of exactly what you ordered from up and down - I’d like to order the same :)
Hey Karan, I needed the two motor uprights, controller and power supply.
Parkers Reef thanks mate !
Just wondering. Did you have to reinforce the floor to hold the tank? If i'm thinking correctly that is like 10,000 lbs all together with water, right?
We're on a concrete slab, so it was ready for the weight
Parker,what happens if one motor fails?A lot of torque presented at a twisting verticee.Hacking in the control,no offense are you capable of that?And is this up and down programing going to be able to be handled by simple desk raising device motors .They are specked to be used very sparingly and in a person's presence.Doc BC
Hey Doc, thanks for the questions.
If one motor fails, I can simply lift it out of the RHS at the rear. Each motor is about 10kg, not impossible to lift.
Yes, I’ve opened up the controller and checked out the circuit board. I’ve already attached some sonoff basic WiFi switches to the memory press buttons which allows me to control them over WiFi.
As for use case, that’s one thing we’ll just have to wait and see. I don’t envision these getting used all that often, perhaps once a week?
Are you going to use this light rig with Phillips Coral Care?
That’s the plan :)
That looks awesome,y only concern is if it breaks, it would take a tank teardown to fix.
Yeah it is accessible without removing tank though :)
Great thinking! It is a really cool option.
Why didn’t you go aluminum RHS instead of steel? It would have had ample strength, no rust, cheaper, lighter.......
Couldn’t find any in the right size :/
Parkers Reef what if you fabricated a “cup” out of 5mm plate and bolted that to the top of some T-slot? Cost of the galvanizing would be more then the fabrication of 2 5mm “cups”. Make the cups say 300mm deep.
Just a thought mate, love the out of the box idea you came up with.
Parkers Reef how big are the legs? Found aluminum shs 100mm with 94mm I.d. down there in the plague state. 😜
The RHS is 102x76mm with 5mm walls. The cups idea is good though...
Absolutely genius solution 👌
Cheers!
How is this holding up? Just grabbed some desk legs on a prime day special. Might use it for a desk, might use it on my tank. Who knows?! 😂
Still running a treat!!
Could of also used and modified a TV lift stand to work
You betcha
Love it always good to push it to the next level 👍🏾👍🏾
Cheers mate!
Genius idea,but honestly, mount some t-slot to the wall then mount that to the tslot, too close to the overflow/ tank but besides that it’s excellent!
Haha to each their own :)
Awesome
Cheers
Forward thinking 😎
Cheers!
Hey Parker, I’m steeling your idea for my current 180g build. What were the dimensions of the RHS steel you bought?
The RHS was an odd size, I can't remember exactly but it fit neatly over the columns of the standup desk motors. My local steel place said they wouldn't have anything to fit as it wasn't a standard size but then I showed them a listing on their website and they took another look out back and found it :P
Nice !
Thank you!
Instead of using steel for the motor supports you can use aluminum that lasts longer.
Yeah could, but couldn’t find aluminium in the correct RHS size :)
Or stainless
For sure, I tried!
Once this is coated, it will be fine though. A lot of stands are steel that’s been painted, galvanised it’s powder coated
Love it mate
Cheers!
I also have a desk like this, different manufacturer but the system is the same.. and i got it for free second hand :)
I will probably save it when i get a new lightweight for project like this :) though i dont have 10.000+ AUD for this, i could buy a car for that lol
meh, cars are over rated :P
Next you will need a electronic Sam lift to help you get up and in to clean hahahaha
Yeah wouldn’t be a bad idea hey.... maybe I could get another set of motors built into the floor??? :p
@@ParkersReef naahhh. Mission impossible style
SAM, you’re practically 10,000 views away from 1,000,000 total on the channel!! Anything special planned???
Big milestone hey! Nothing big planned, but it is pretty cool :)
Ingenious.
Thank you!
Genius....
Cheers!
What kind of lighting are you going with?
kessils are locked in, but I am still unsure on philips coral care or metal halides :)
Parkers Reef
Hi Sam 👋
BRS TVs recent video covers extensively all data and info required to help make up you mind on the Philips coral care gen 2.
Worth a viewing. 👍🏴
I am waiting for someone to diy a light better than a radion by accident.
Haha I’m not going to make a light just yet 😅
Found something similar on Amazon for 70$
Awesome!!
🤯🤯🤯🤯🙏🙏🙏
Haha thanks
Save your self some cash and replace the steel with 3 or 4mm ally box. Strong enough for a light fixture and will never rust. That rhs hates salt water and replace you bolts with stainless steel or gal.
Will look into it 👍🏻
Oh think I’m early 👍👍
hahahaha yeah a little, but don't worry - it goes live 5pm Saturday AEST time :)
Unfair
hahahaha another day for the vid man!
teaser
yeah need to spread the videos out a little during this time, otherwise I'll have no content whilst waiting for things to arrive :D
Very cool diy! I'm planning on designing a manual pully system to lift my hood. I really like the preset option. You can just press a button and walk away or prepare for your maintenance.
Cheers mate!