# DIY Project - Low Cost IKEA Luminaire for TMC LED Tiles



## Julian (31 May 2014)

Hi guys, just thought I'd share this little project I've been working on as I thought others may find it useful.

I wanted to find a way to suspend my TMC Mini 400 LED's above my tank without having to hang them from the ceiling joists. I looked into buying the suspension kit that TMC sell, but it's £30 for a few screws and cables which I knew I'd be able to find for a lot less.




 

After a bit of digging around on eBay, I found the following:

2 x Silver Aluminium Anodised Kart Cable Clamp for Brake & Throttle FREE POSTAGE £3.25



 

GENUINE PROMAX UNIVERAL DOUBLE ENDED INNER BRAKE CABLE 2 for £2.98 (but you could probably get away with just 1)



 

TMC MSS Rail 308mm £6 (although if you have one of these LED tiles, chances are you have this already)



 

Ikea Mulig Clothes Rail £6.50



 

You might have to use a bit of imagination for this part as I didn't take many pictures while doing it.

I started off by cutting the top horizontal bar of the clothes rail to the length I needed (red line). I then cut the TMC MMS rail to the same length, less 20mm. I then drilled 2 holes into the exact same spots on both the clothes rail and the MMS rail, then threaded the gear cable through it.



 

Keeping in mind that the gear cable has to be cut at one end in order to be threaded through the holes, it's a good idea to wrap some sellotape around the end so it doesn't unravel.



 

It's then just a case of threading the cables through the clamps and tightening them using an Alan key. Although these claps are a little ugly and not very discrete, they give me piece of mind as they are very strong.

Hopefully you should end up with something looking similar to this!



 

All in it costs £19, but if you have the MMS rail and only use 1 gear cable (depending on length) it brings the cost down to £11 which I think is pretty good!


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## Greenfinger2 (31 May 2014)

Hi Julian, Great DIY job


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## allan angus (31 May 2014)

very good


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## RAF1212 (31 May 2014)

Hi, you can use cable end covers, Wilkinson sells them @£1.49
Great work


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## Julian (31 May 2014)

Good thinking! Thanks!


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## Lewis G (1 Jun 2014)

Looks excellent. Will be using this for the new tank. I got decent lights from Ikea to use in my old tank.


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## harryH (1 Jun 2014)

Great job. Love to see these DIY projects as anything to save money these days helps .

Harry


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## tmiravent (1 Jun 2014)

Very nice ideia! 
cheers!


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## Maple (2 Jun 2014)

Looks good, Julian


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## Lindy (2 Jun 2014)

Looks great. How did you attach the rail to the cabinet?


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## Julian (2 Jun 2014)

ldcgroomer said:


> Looks great. How did you attach the rail to the cabinet?


Its not really attached, it leans against the cabinet. The 2 feet on the clothes rail stop it from falling over. I could screw it onto the cabinet but its stable how it is.


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## sonicninja (2 Jun 2014)

Looks really great! I did prety much the same thing but went for two Ikea mounting bars (http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/showthread.php?t=105801)

I really like your method as it looks really clean, IMO it would look even better is you cut down the TMC mounting bar into two short lengths though. 

I also have mine wedged into the back of the cabinet and it feels pretty stable too!


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## Julian (2 Jun 2014)

sonicninja said:


> Looks really great! I did prety much the same thing but went for two Ikea mounting bars (http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/showthread.php?t=105801)
> 
> I really like your method as it looks really clean, IMO it would look even better is you cut down the TMC mounting bar into two short lengths though.
> 
> I also have mine wedged into the back of the cabinet and it feels pretty stable too!



Yeah, I think I'm going to cut the MMS rail down a bit, it doesn't need to be that long but I'm too lazy ... I did the entire project with just a drill and a pen knife. It took me an hour and a half to file through the inch thick aluminium of the MMS rail!


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## sonicninja (2 Jun 2014)

That's commitment! I found it ok with a small saw.
If you do go for 2 smaller sections of rail are you going to add two additional steel wires?


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## Julian (2 Jun 2014)

I dont think I will cut it into 2 pieces... I may upgrade my tank in future so the longer bar may come in handy. Plus I think the extra wires is a bit over kill, it would make things look a bit too 'busy'.


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## sonicninja (2 Jun 2014)

Good point.


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## Greenfinger2 (30 Mar 2016)

Hi Julian, Thank you for posting this idea  I have a new project on the go and was wondering how to do the lighting for it.

Now I have the Answer  

Thanks again


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## Julian (30 Mar 2016)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi Julian, Thank you for posting this idea  I have a new project on the go and was wondering how to do the lighting for it.
> 
> Now I have the Answer
> 
> Thanks again




No worries, glad it will be of use!

I've actually perfected the design with the mark 2 version so that the clamps no longer poke out of the top. Instead, I made a loop at the end of the cable, secured the loop using the clamps, then threaded a piece of coat hanger into the end of the clothing rail which passes through the hoops. I'll take a picture later so you can see what I mean. It's a small change but it makes all the difference.


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