Hello,

This is my (Marc) first Instructable, I am also part of the Make Class

Sorry for the wrong spelling our words, this is because I am an student from The Netherlands

This Instructable is not to make your life better but just a way how you can make a cool looking terrarium. BUT I am not a specialist at making this things. I just wanted to make a cool looking box with its own inviorment to be used in space some day.

(kind of got the idea from the movie "SunshineSunshine")

extra infoThe white bottom is a way so you can put it in a museum display (the white standing things) so you can fit that into a home made museum display and only the glass will be visible.
(but i did not do that yet)

Step 1: Stuff You Need

Tools
- (kniptang)
- (boor)
- Soldering Iron
- seizors
- screw driver

metal pins
- (bouten en moeren)
- metal plates with holes in them with a 90degree cornor

Glue
- wood glue
- (second Glue)

Fabrics
- Wood
- Plexie Glass
- hose
- little stones

Electronics
- computer Vens
- Aquarium motor
- wires
- battery connector

Nature stuff
- (mos)
- Plants
- grass
- dirt
- and if you like some kind of animal to see if it will survive in your own made admosfere

Step 2: Getting the Wood and Cut It in the Right Size's

The Cheap way
I just moved and in my new home there are some clousets that i don't use. There from wood so i just got on of the doors out. and then i got my wood.

But the wood is not the good size yet, so you have to find someone our do it yourself to cut the wood in the right sizes. In my case i did it ad school.

Buying the wood
If you look nicely to the people in the shop the will probably cut it for you.

The sizes! when you don't have fancy cutting tools
You need a bottom plate and make it 2800mm by 2800mm.

Depending on the thickness of the wood you have to devide that thickness of the lengt (2800mm) for the 4 side plates.

In my case the wood was 150mm thick so the lengt of my plates was 2800-150=2650mm

The hight of the 4 plates has to be 400mm

And now use wood gluw to paste them together and hold it together whit (plakband) while the gluw is drying

The fancy tools way
The bottom is 2800mm by 2800mm and cut the side's of the wood with 45'digree's

Depending on the thickness of the wood make the hights of the side's 400mm on the inside of the bottom and also cut the side's of the plate's (exept the top part) with a 45degree.

Now put all the cut parts on ther back so the longest part of the wood is up. and tape the side's to the bottom part together.

now when you turn it upside down and put the woodgluw on the parts and put it together and tape the corners whit tape together (tight) untile the gluw is dry.

Step 3: Cutting the Plexieglass

The cheap way is to find the plexie glass our but it at a dumpstore. You can also but it in a shop but thats costs a lot more money. the thickness of the glass is 6mm

when you buy them in a shop you can ask them nicely to cut it for you but if you have to cut it your self find someone our someplace to do it. our use your own tools. the best is a machanica saw the plexy glass will let it self be cut easy

but here are the sizes.

4 times 2700mm by 2700mm for the sides of the outside cube

4 times 900m by 2200mm for the sides of the air cooling compartment

then you need a top for the outside box. thats one is 2800mm by 2800m

the top of the air compartment is 900mm by 900mm

you also need 4 very small peaces from 100mm by 100mm

Step 4: Making Holes for the Ventilators, and the Other Ones

I did this at school and used a drilling machine where you cold make big holes with. i cut the hole in size of the ventilator it self so there still was place left to glue it on the plexieglas later

If you don;t have fancy tools you could drill in normal holes and then use an (elextric saw) to make the hole in the right size

and also make holes in the bottom so you can put the metal things on so you can later on can connect the cooling compartment to the wooden bottom.

And Make some air holes

And make a hole where you can put the hose trou. Make shure it fits, in my case i had to use a to small drill so i have to make a lot of holes to create a big one. but it works

Step 5: Preparing the Ventilatior

If you have normal ventilators from computer they are black and we want to let territorium for in space to look cool so I painted mine white.

A lot kind of paint will do just find out what will work, i used (plakaat) paint.

the best way is to start whit number one and paint everything you see thats on top and then go on and place it somewhere so you know what number one is.

then when you did all 5 you can turn number one upside down and then you can paint that and then go on so you have painted all the 5 ventilations

Make sure the ventilators are able to turn when your done painting you can get some paint of using you nails. and while painting make sure there is no paint between the blades and the side of the ventilator

this you can do before our after. but you have to get rid of the end of the outside of the wire so you can later on solder them togther

Step 6: Pasting the Plexieglass

the outside box
you can use a book so you can easyer past it all to gether useing seconde gluw.

the top
put the biggest plate (2800mm by2800mm) down on the table and put the outside box on it and then put gluw on the small parts of plastig and put them in make shure you only paste the small bloks to the top but press them as far as posable to the outside box

the cooling compartment
first we need to gluw the vens to the plexieglass with the holles in it.

Use 1 seconde gluw and gluw them on.

when there all on paste the 4 parts together. when that is ready you can add the top one

and now the only thing you have to do is solder all the wires of the ventilators togeter and connect them to a batery conector so they will work.

Step 7: Making the Holse in the Bottom

The best way to start is to make the holes for the cooling compartment so you can put it in its place. (but don't attach it yet) just so you can indicate where the other holes have to be.

then find out where you think its best to drill the hole for the water tube have to go trou in and outside the box trou the bottom.

then make a hole for the batary connector, so there able to stick trou the bottom.

Then turn the bottom upside down and when you see the 4 holes to connect your cooling part make for holes in between for the water compartment. both use the water and cooling compartment to pin point where the holes have to be.

You also can do this with the water holes

Step 8: Making the Watter Compartment

Use the PVC part and the thing to seal it with. gluw them togheter whit 2 componant cluw so it can resist water and will hold very good.

then make 4 holes in the PVC so you are able to atatch it later to the 4 metal things to the botom of the box.

use the 4 metal things to pin point where the holes in the botom must be

Step 9: Preparing the Water Tube

There are a few things we have to do with the water tube.

First we have to put it in the box and see how long we think it has to be, then cut.

Then you have to attach the water tube to the water pomp and if you have a tube that is to big you will have to do what I did. and make it fit

I cut a bit away and then push it in the outgoing pipe of the water pomp. i used glue to hold it togtheter (a component glue) and to be share i use tape also.

but when you do this i think its the best way to first put the water tube in the cube and trou the cooling compartment and then to the bottom. cause when your motor is attached its easier then have to put the hose trou the hole..

Step 10: Putting Everything Togtheter

Now you have some compartments you make, a water tube and parts that will have to be the cube.

I started first by putting the hose to the cooling compartment and then to the bottom, where the water pomp is attached. and then connected the cooling compartment to the bottom.

then use some tape to hole the battery connector in place and when you use a battery you can tape that also.

then i put in the water compartment (empty)

then make sure it all sands our maby leans ad something when you glue the sides of the cube onto the wooden bottom. And also tape the water tube to it self so it will not be in your way.

And now you probably have some part of the water tube left? in my case i used it to put water in the water compartment using a part of the tube and a water bottle.

And you also have to get rid of the tape from the water tube.

then you can put your top on. and don't glue it so you can open it up to put all the ingredients in.

And here a test with the water pomp

Step 11: Final

Putting in the ingredients you want to use. here is a website you may find interesting
.. (hmm cant find them now)...

add water turn on the water pomp and the final thing you have to do is make verry smal holes in parts of the water tube that are not always filt with a lot of water, lets say the end of the presure of the water. Do this ad several places with a verry thin nedel and do it ad the side of the tube.

Good luck..