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Panopticab

panopticist

Sneak attack critical
Veteran
Dennis Leary said "They say pot leads to other drugs. Pot doesn't lead to other drugs, it leads to carpentry."
I'm forced to agree.

With the generous help of FunkBomb and frozen_herb, I have assembled my first cabinet. I've already made a CFL tub a la Red_Greenery, but wasn't satisfied with how I had to remove the lid in order to check on my grow. I applied all of the microgrow principles set forth in the Rubbermaid tubs to a small cabinet which I dub the Panopticab.



I don't have step-by-step instructions, but I will explain the general idea. It's simple and you've probably seen it a million times, so here it goes again...

The cabinet is a Closetmaid Base Cabinet (12283). It's outside dimensions are 34.75" tall, 24" wide, and 15.25" deep. The diagram shows the approximate interior measurements, which are a little smaller.

There are two parts to the cabinet: the top 6" which houses 2x 3 bulb vanity fixtures, and the bottom 25" which serves as the grow chamber. Separating the two parts is a sheet of Lexan, a thick sheet of plastic that's transparent like glass.

On the left wall I installed two fans with air flowing out of the cabinet, creating negative pressure in tandem with the passive intakes on the right side of the cabinet. I placed a 50 cfm quiet fan in the light chamber and a 100 cfm fan in the grow chamber. Even with 6x 42w CFL bulbs installed, the 50 cfm fan should keep temperatures low around the lights.

On the right wall, directly opposite the fan in the light chamber, I installed a passive intake vent. In the grow chamber, I installed the passive intakes much lower to encourage the upward movement of air through the canopy.

I ducted the air leaving the grow chamber through the carbon scrubber, which is currently being shared with my Rubbermaid tubs, hidden behind the closet door.

I painted it flat white, weatherstripped the shit out of it, installed a lock, done.

As I said, the cabinet can accomodate 6x 42 watt CFL bulbs for a total of 252 watts over 2.34 square feet which averages out to 107.7 watt/square foot. It could easily accept a 150 HPS instead of CFLs, just make sure to increase the airflow accordingly.

Now it's time for some fun:


Peace...

Pan-op
 

SoulShine

Active member
Pan-op, Sweet & simple! Love it. There's just one major problem with it. It's empty! What ya puttin in it? You going hydro or soil? Those little fans are 100 CFM? Wow. I used an 80 and it's huge in comparison. I'm getting ready to post mine. Check it out when you can.

Good luck!

Soulshine
 

FunkBomb

Power Armor rules
Veteran
Nice pics Pan and even better description. After assembly I could only say "Man that thing is badass". Whatever plants go in there are going to enjoy their stay :headbange


-Funk
 

panopticist

Sneak attack critical
Veteran
@SoulShine: The cab is empty only for description's sake. I currently have my two smaller friends in there, hoping they'll catch up with their larger siblings.

As soon as they wake up tomorrow morning, I'll take some photos with the greenery inside.
 

NiteTiger

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright...
Veteran
Hey Panopticist, good looking cab! :yes:

I'm curious, what method are you planning on using to keep the plants close to the CFLs? Adjusting them individually to keep them close, or some kind of adjustable shelf?

Also, how far is the lexan from the bulbs and how thick is it? I'm thinking about the effect it will have on the ever-present concern of light penetration with CFLs.
 

panopticist

Sneak attack critical
Veteran
@NiteTiger: I have a bunch of stackable baking racks that I use to adjust the plant's proximity to the bulb. The Lexan is about an 1/8th inch thick or so and is roughly 2.5 inches away from the bulbs.
 

panopticist

Sneak attack critical
Veteran
Coathanger bent into an 8" circle, criss-crossed with floral wire. Here's some pics from my veg period that might help...
 

bongasaurus

king of the dinosaurs
Veteran
hey there. mind explaining your wiring to those bathroom fixtures? what kind of temps do you have in there?

im looking to build a new box and that looks perfect, fine with carpentry, just not much of an electrician
 

panopticist

Sneak attack critical
Veteran
No problem...
First off, I used two 3-bulb bathroom fixtures for a total of six sockets.

I cut the female ends off of two medium-duty extension cords and removed roughly two inches of the sheathing. This exposed three cables, one black, one white, and one green. The black and white wires carry the power, while the green one is your ground.

Inside of your fixture, there are also three wires, one black, one white, and one copper (or green). Take the bare ends of your extension cord and bathroom fixture and match the colors. Use 3 wirenuts to twist the matching pairs together (one for each group of two matching wires) and use zipties to keep your wiring tidy.

Add bulbs and plug into the wall socket. Done.

My temps were in the low 80's with roughly 200 watts of CFL lighting.

I've since moved up to a 150w HPS, but those CFLs did well for my first go around...
 

panopticist

Sneak attack critical
Veteran
For the sake of keeping this thread up-to-date, here is a shot of the Panopticab with the 150w HPS installed...
 

bongasaurus

king of the dinosaurs
Veteran
i couldnt have asked for a better explanation. thanks!

since changing to the 150, have you upraded your venilation at all or no?
 

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