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Today on BRStv "How to's" we are going to build a DIY Rail Kit for Radion LED's
Hi I'm Ryan host of BRStv how to's where every Tuesday show you a new how to project related
to reefing. This week we are going to show you how to make your own DIY rail kit for
EcoTech Radion lights.
EcoTech has an easy to use rail kit available for those of you who that prefer a ready-made
solution. For you DIYer's out there this project is super easy , results in something attractive,
sturdy and better yet hides all the cords. Cords are the mortal enemy of a sleek attractive
look. This DIY rail kit not only routes all the power cords but also provides a place
to hide the excess wire from the hanging kit.
You are going to need seven tools for this a hack saw, cheap miter box, a measuring tape,
allen wrench, marker, drill and a few grades of steel wool.
Materials required for this project are the Radion hanging kit, some C channel aluminum
bar and some stainless steel screws. These are going to be a little bit longer than the
C channel you're working with. The screws I used are 16 millimeter. These items can
be found at your big box hardware store but I've actually had the most luck finding them
at a local hard ware store.
The aluminum c channel we're looking for is about a ½ in tall and about 7/8" wide, which
is the lowest profile option I found that works. Take a moment to find the cleanest
one you can with as few scratches as possible. This will save you some time later
First step is to cut the two pieces to length. The length will depend on how you want to
space them and your tank size but in this case I am going to cut one to 35 and 3/8"
and the other to 16" using the hack saw and miter box. The miter box will keep the cuts
straight.
Once you have the right length pieces we are going to give it a brushed aluminum look which
will hide scratches and imperfections. To do that I am going to use some course steel
wool to brush the surface and get rid of the scratches. After that use some finer steel
wool to give it a clean attractive look.
Starting with the short piece mark the spots for your holes. They should be 5/16 from the
end of the bar. Start by drilling a small pilot hole then a larger hole; in this case
I'm using 15/64.
Then using our new bracket, use your new screws to attach it to the front two middle screws.
Now take the longer piece and mark the spot for the next two holes which is also 5/16
from either end. For the middle two holes what we'll do is measure the distance between
the sockets on the Radion which is 9 ¾. From the spot we drilled the first hole measure
out 9 ¾ to spot your next hole, do the same on the other side and drill.
Before you assemble everything make sure that you route the power cord through the C channel,
then use your bolts to attach everything. This time don't forget that you need attach
your hanging bracket as well
The only thing left is to hang the light, slide in the cables, adjust the height and
slip the excess cables into the sides of the mounting rail. If you like you can put a strip
of double stick tape inside the channel, to hold the cord in place.
The reason the front piece only crosses the two bolts is because we want to make sure
the control buttons stay exposed. So the end result of this project is pretty gratifying.
My favorite part is we went from a slew of cords to something were the cords are barely
visible.
If you have any tips on how to improve this project you would like to share with your
fellow reefers or questions about this project check out the comments area down below. If
this is your first time with us hit that subscribe because we upload a new how to every Tuesday.
See ya next week with another episode of BRStv.