- My name is Matthew, your BRS beginner guru,
and I'm gonna show you how to install a controller board.
Here's all the gear I've used for this project.
First up, we have the Adaptive Reef control board.
We currently have five different options
for you to choose from, the standard board,
the deluxe board, which is larger
and has four additional large cutouts on the front
and four additional side cutouts.
Then you have the cabinet, which is a more beefy option
to hide all manner of things.
Next up is the Ecotech custom controller board,
which will house all of your MP controllers
versa pumps and battery backup,
and last up is the Neptune custom control board
for all of you Apex fanatics like Thomas.
I have personally set up the standard
and the deluxe controller boards from Adaptive Reef.
If you have a small nano tank
with only a couple small controllers
like an auto top-off unit, an Ink Bird, maybe a Wavemaker,
then the regular board is gonna work perfectly for you.
But if you want to mount a wifi power strip
or an Apex EB8 bar, then the deluxe board
will give you the size and versatility
to better manage your controllers and hide your wires.
The second piece of gear is a one-foot-long extension cord
with a Flat head and rotatable prongs.
My favorite source for these right now
is by this company Nekteck,
I just picked up a six-pack on Amazon.
I use these to plug into my power bar.
That way everything on the front
of the controller board has a uniform look.
Whatever brand you get,
just make sure that it's long enough,
I think one foot is perfect for this application,
and definitely splurge to get the rotatable prongs
because they will make organization so much easier.
Moving on to Velcro cable ties,
I used the standard black zip ties for years
but then every time I needed to move a wire,
I had to cut and discard the cable tie.
The Velcro option is just so much better.
It's reusable and there are no sharp edges
that you can possibly cut yourself on,
like the standard zip ties.
But the fourth piece of gear is, you guessed it,
traditional cable ties.
The inside of the controller board has pre-drilled holes
that are the perfect size for traditional zip ties.
The zip ties can be threaded through the holes
and around a power brick to secure it into place.
And when a zip tie is combined with item number five
on our list, a cable tie mount, then you can place these
anywhere inside your controller board
to hide other power bricks, or bundles of wires.
Item number six on the list is Velcro,
or as I've come to learn, known as hook and loop tape
when not using its brand name Velcro.
I just picked up these two-inch rolls
that are 25 feet long.
One side's the hook, one side's the loop,
and then I just cut them to whatever size I need.
I use the Velcro to easily mount controllers
to the control board, as well as mounting power bricks
to the inside of the controller board.
Item number seven are cable concealers.
They come in various shapes, colors, and sizes
to suit whatever your wall or baseboard color is.
I don't always use these,
but sometimes when you have to mount
your controller board a long ways away from the outlet,
these will help conceal that single wire
that you have to run from the outlet
to the controller board.
Number eight on our list is a label maker.
It's especially crucial to label all of your wires
especially when you can't trace back
which wire goes to which piece of gear,
as is in the case with most controller board installations.
And finally on to number nine,
my absolute favorite, Alex Tech split sleeving.
It comes in various sizes
and a couple different color options,
and is fantastic for hiding your wires.
This right here is a three quarter inch size
and will definitely hold four to seven wires.
Okay, that's all nine pieces of gear that I use,
and most of them are pretty self-explanatory,
but I have made a lot of mistakes
using some of these pieces,
so let me share a few tips with you
so you don't make the same mistakes.
First up, we have controller boards
and do your best to plan out where you want
all of the gear to go on your controller board
before you actually start installing the items.
Be sure to consider the direction of the wires
coming out of each controller.
For example, if the wires come out of the bottom
of the device, such as with the Tunze Osmolator,
be sure to place it above a cutout.
That way the wires can quickly be hidden
behind the controller board.
And wherever you decide to mount
your entire controller board, think about how long
the wires are, and then add a little bit of length,
because those wires are gonna need to run
all the way from your aquarium to the controller board
and through the controller board,
so you need sometimes a foot to two feet
longer than you might think.
Lastly, I would recommend mounting your controller board
with the French cleat.
You can remove the entire face of the controller board
and screw in the rear portion directly to your wall
but then you have to remove the face plate
with a screwdriver every time you need to make any changes.
Your other option would be to install a couple hinges
on the controller board, so you can easily
open and close it as needed.
But when you use a French cleat, the entire controller board
just lifts up and off every time you need
to get behind it.
In an attempt to save a few bucks,
I have failed twice in purchasing extension cords.
The first time I thought this short one would work well
it did not.
And the second time I got one that was slightly longer,
which worked fine, but the head of it didn't rotate.
And the problem with that is I couldn't
organize the wires how I wanted to.
So do yourself a favor, like I already said,
and get one with the rotatable prongs,
because things will look so much better.
You might be wondering how I use these extension cords.
Well, usually I mount my wifi controller, EB8 bar,
whatever you have, to the front of the controller board,
and then you have to plug in
all of the separate controllers.
Well, many of those controllers have really bulky plugs
or oftentimes different colors, so what I like to do
is I like to use this end and plug in
the individual controllers behind the control board.
Then I thread this end through
and attach it to my wifi strip.
That way, I get a really clean, uniform look
on the front of my control board,
which just makes it stand out that much better.
Moving on to Velcro cable ties,
I have two somewhat obvious tips.
if it's just a little bit too long,
rather than wrap it around over and over again, just cut it.
And the second tip is, rather than going
through the hole, which is quite tricky sometimes
when you're trying to install it or take it apart,
just go along the outside of it
because it will hold just as well.
For the Alex Tech split sleeving,
once you cut it, the ends will start to fray,
so all you need to do is get a lighter and burn the edges,
but once you burn them and they melt just a little bit,
then they won't fray anymore
and they will stay pristine-looking
for the remainder of their use.
I've gotten pretty decent at making a controller board
look nice over the years, but Thomas is a master.
Check out this video right here to see how a pro does it,
and as always everyone, thanks for watching.
Happy reefing, be well.
We'll see you next time.