PC and Rubbermaid CFL Project

[seam]

Greetings!

Welcome to my story of cab construction, and hopefully also a fruitful growlog! ~

Firstly, I'd like to express my appreciation for all the knowledge and discussion on this site and the microgrow sub-forum in particular. I've benefited from many of your ideas and hope that this thread might also help others considering cab construction.

My project is premised around a few principles. As a renter, stealth is a prerequisite for any feasible cultivation arrangement. Being a longtime computer buff and interested in the prospects of LED lighting, the initial idea was to build a single chamber in a PC, with all supporting machinery and equipment (carbon scrubber, timer, etc.) contained in the case.

Over time, I realized that CFL could serve as a viable and cheaper route instead of LEDs, and that a PC grow alone could yield me an ounce about every 3-4 months at BEST (I should also mention that this is my first grow . Consequently, I decided to devote the PC to bonsai mom(s) and expand my efforts into producing a secondary, equally stealth flowering chamber out of rubbermaids. DIY methods are employed throughout, but cost is not an object for components as the cabs have to be reliable. I think my familiarity with computers has served me well for the PC cab, and that experiences/lessons learned from building the PC cab informed the construction of the rubbermaid.

My first plant started around the start of october and the other a week later. The first is a Black Russian and the other is a Heavy Duty Fruity crossed with Old Time Moonshine ("OTM"). Both are doing awesome now and have yet to show any signs of sex. Cuttings were taken this weekend (4 from the BR and 3 from the HDF x OTM) and they're living in wick cloners in the recently-completed rubbermaid cab. I think finally having both cabs operational and in place is also part of why I'm finally getting around to posting here like I've wanted to for the past months. This project has become so consuming that I'm damn glad to have the cabs finished and some space to move around in my tiny workshop! I really hope that the clones pull through, and turn out to be some beautiful ladies! The BR is looking really promising, and the HDF x OTM could be anyone's guess..

Without further ado, here are the specs and photos of my cabs (PC and some of the Rubbermaid . Stats about my babies are included thereafter.

PC Cab - Parts
High-Tower Case. Grow area is ~ 8"wide x 11" long x ~22ish" tall
Components for rear facade (PSU Faceplate, cut-down motherboard)
Center divider material (particleboard)
CD-Rom Drive with 80% of guts cut off, up to the front-most mounting screws.
Carbon scrubber (4" intake, 3" core, 5" exhaust surface - hardwarecloth/nylon method)
Light Timer
150W Micro-ATX PC PSU
Wire for structural links
1mm Galvanized Steel for cabinet ceiling
Light ballast (from clippy light)
42W 6500K CFL
Scythe 5.25" KAZE-Master Fanbus (4* fan control with 4* temperature sensors accurate to 0.1° c!!!)
2* 80mm Thermaltake 80cfm fans (for intake and exhaust to scrubber)
2* 80mm Vantec Stealth 38cfm fans (for exhaust from machinery and equipment area)
Foil Tape.. so much foil tape
Black weather-stripping
Flat White Spraypaint for cab area
Black heavy-duty caulk (for light sealing)
Chain (for light mount from cab ceiling)

**
Argh I'm having trouble posting pics and I need a break. Daylight savings time has me all sleepy tonight ;b

I'll post more ASAP! Thanks for checking this out! Ez ICMaggers!

 

[seam]

PC Cab Pics



it begins..


machinery & equipment section.. early days


scrubber construction - thanks to the instructions on here!


nice ass!

 

[seam]

PC Cab pics cont'd;-


Baby Black Russian


Bigger Black Russian


Around week 3; Black Russian at left, baby HDF x OTM at right


Top of baby HDF x OTM! Very different leaf structure compared to the Black Russian.


Pic from 3 days ago or so, HDF x OTM at left, Black Russian at right. Both plants have since been trimmed for cuttings. Both have been under 24h light from a 42w CFL for about a month. Some underwatering led to the yellowing seen on the lower leaves. Not sure about the spotting on the lower leaves of the HDF x OTM, possibly due to contact with fert'd water.

The wire sticking into one of the pots is a temperature sensor to give me an idea of air temps around soil level.

OK I wish I could wrap things up tonight but I'm too lazy & busy! Thanks again for your interest!

 

[seam]

Ok here's last picture from me tonight forreal! I just want to show off the face of the PC. Talk to you guys soon!


3/4 view of PC cab with younglings. Gotta love the VFD RPM and temperature displays on the front.

 

[CryptiC]

Looking nice my friend looking nice!

Way better than mine, my thread is put on hold until I find my usb cord for my camera, or go by a new one.. I misplaced it when I moved I guess.

Looks nice and clean, plants are looking beautiful!

 

[seam]

CryptiC: Thanks for your response and support! I can relate about technical difficulties getting in the way of things for sure. I must have started working on my PC cab in June/July and only got it operational just before October.

I'm pretty proud of it so far but you made me realize that I should share some more pics in addition to those that I've been meaning to post for the secondary rubbermaid cab. Yeah it's pretty clean and stealth but the machinery section is kinda random ;b

Here are some more pics of the PC cab - I'll follow-up about my other cab and stuff soon!;-


Profile shot - metal in upper left quadrant is for the sake of my eyes during upkeep and pops out easily. OTM x HDF at left, Black Russian at right.


Detail shot of the machinery & equipment section. IEC320 size spec. cable adapter used to maintain standard PSU appearance at rear. Micro-ATX PSU at bottom (touching case/metal for grounding).


Detail shot of light attachment and exhaust intake. Sticky strips deployed here and other lower locations due to sightings of several gnats (??) at a time on a couple occasions (no bugs since strip deployment . Splinter from TMNT is magneted to a pipe clamp there as a totem / to keep things real ;b~


Black Russian vegger, just over a month old, topped 2 days ago. Pic taken today.


Profile shot of HDF x OTM vegger, around 3 weeks old, topped yesterday, pic taken today.

Next up, Rubbermaid stats, clones, and more pics! Thanks for lookin! ;b

 

[seam]

Hey again, I'm back to detail my rubbermaid and post a final batch of pics

I haven't seen the particular rubbermaid configuration that I'm using anywhere else on the site. As you'll see in the pics, it's basically 3 tubs, one large with two small on top, stacked as they would be normally. I happened to have matching tubs around so they're what I used - in retrospect I ought to have shopped around a bit because I didn't know that such huge ones existed! (with hinges and everything!)

Using 3 rubbermaids allows me to keep all connections inside, limiting air holes and a single power cable to one rear side of the stack. The bottom of the middle container is cut out, and both "inside" lids are cut to match, with the bottom of the top container only cut with a couple small holes for exhaust and cabling. The bottom of the top container is lined with 1mm aluminum, probably unnecessarily. All machinery and equipment is stored in the top.

The bottom rubbermaid is lined with a box made white foam board that has been painted black on the outside, fastened with hot-melt glue and aluminum tape along the joints. This liner reduces space by about an inch all around but totally cuts light. I had a lot of trouble eliminating all light with paint alone on the rubbermaid. The bottom of the liner fits an 11" x 17" baking pan PERFECTLY.. I can't believe how lucky that fit turned out.

Phew enough details! Hopefully the pics are self-explanatory. I took a lot of inspiration from this site but also learned a lot by trial and error. I'll be happy to discuss any questions & feedback! Just looking at the pics I put on here today I noticed a FLY on the black russian, and the HDF x OTM looks gnarly!

Yay we'll be up to speed with the following information & pics. Thanks again & talk to you guys soon.


Rubbermaid Cab Parts
1 Large Rubbermaid (too lazy to read size off bottom, see pics..)
2 Smaller Rubbermaids (same footprint as large.. again, see pics..)
3 * light ballasts (from clippy lamps)
3 * 42w CFL, 1 6500K, 2 soft white (????K - they're yellowy). Only running 2/3 bulbs right now for the clones. I may add more wattage (via Y-splitters) and see how the temperatures change.
2* louvres (for intake & exhaust)
3 * Paints (for light proofing, cab area, and for the louvres to resemble the rubbermaids.
2* 120mm Fans, 110 CFM, intake and exhaust to scrubber
1* 80mm Fan, 100 CFM, exhaust from machinery and equipment.
Scythe Fanbus (same as PC box - I love these things even though they're overkill
400W PSU (thank god this thing only uses a little more overhead power than what's required to power the fanbus which is approx. 1 amp per fan MAX)
Carbon Scrubber parts (5" core, 7" outer surface, same style as PC cab but shorter and fatter)
Slotted Metal Stock (for light rack bolted to top of middle rubbermaid)
1/4" bolts, nuts, washers, lock washers
Foil tape (light-proofing for middle box.. it works but I think it was a dumb move. I should have just bought a bucket of paint!)
Weather Stripping (light-proofing for seam between top and middle box - bottom and middle box are connected with bolts and taped. The bottom liner box mates perfectly with the cut-out lid/bottom.. )

ARGH enough details!! ;b

Rubbermaid Cab Pics


Nothing to see here (though I mixed up the lids while cutting plastic and goofed a little spraypaint there..)


Rubbermaid cab from an angle that only you and I should ever see.


Inside liner of bottom rubbermaid cab. Usable area on pan is ~10" x 15".


Rubbermaid Cab - Contents of top container. Carbon scrubber remains to be filled / sealed..



HDF x OTM cuttings in a wick cloner (with the cover off for this pic). That's vermiculite (washed) hugging peat pellets, and I used rooting gel, so I really hope that these live! There are 7 cuttings total in other identical containers (including the LARGE tops from each plant on the go right now. Temperatures at the bottom of the rubbermaid are totally in the green (barely above room temp), and the hottest point at the top of the cab rarely exceeds 32° C. Then again winter is creeping up these days in my neck of the woods - I'm sure things will be different in the summer.

I may post more pics of construction & cabs later but that about does it for background info!

I'll keep you guys posted! Thanks again for your interest!

 

[CryptiC]

Looking great. Where did you get your seeds? Or did you get clones from someone?

 

[seam]

Thanks again Cryp! I got the seeds from a headshop in Canada. I'm sorry for not being more specific but I fear the slim chance that I could get in trouble for posting about this stuff ;b

 

[seam]

Hey all - Here's an update on my project;

Cuttings were taken from the Black Russian and Heavy Duty Fruity x Old Time Moonshine last weekend (6 from the BR and 5 from the HDFxOTM), and I planted the strongest 5 clones tonight. The leaves were perking up and yellowing a little at the tips, so I'm optimistic that they'll pull through. The tops from both plants and some cuttings I took a couple days later than the rest are staying in the cloner for a bit longer.

I plan to veg these for at least a week and then play it by ear depending on how they're growing. How the rest of this grow unfolds will depend on whether one or both of the moms turn out to be females <3

I'm full of questions and ideas as always but too lazy to post much more tonight. The Moms are looking good and I'm checking them regularly for signs of sex (nothing yet - they remain under 24h light .

The HDF x OTM seems to be more indica dominant than the BR, has been growing slowly by comparison, and it's clones were less perky than those form the BR. I'm also apprehensive about starting the freshly-planted clones so far away from the lights (the moms grew up within 3" of the CFL at all times). I'm after some stretch because I'd like to emulate Dr. Bud's SOG awesomeness, but there are considerable differences between our respective approaches (ex: containers (I used square planters with an approx. volume around 20oz.. not too different I hope), watering methods, nutrients/tea, genes, experience.. . I'm pretty sure that it's a good idea to start the plants close to the lights (maybe to speed up the initial veg), so I should probably raise them up ASAP.. Man I'm such a noob ;b

I appreciate any questions or feedback & Thanks as always for looking!

Here are some pics from tonight


Freshly planted clones - 3x Black Russian & 2x HDF x OTM


Detail shot of the Black Russian clones


Detail shot of the HDF x OTM clones


The Rubbermaid cabinet in action! 3x wick cloners near fan, 3x Black Russian along the left, and 2x HDF x OTM under some 20oz bottles as humidity domes.

Ez all & ttys!

 

[CryptiC]

They will start stretching their legs soon enough

Keeping the light around 3-5 inches away would probably perfect.. promoting some stretch but not too much. I could be wrong about the length but that's what i've read most.. And on my grow its working pretty good.. keeping around 4" away.

Time to go pack a bowl and water my ladies(hopefully).

 

[seam]

Update - feating pre-flowers!

Update - feating pre-flowers!

Thanks again CryptiC! Your advice confirmed my suspicions! I've been keeping at least 3 inches between the lights/leaves in the PC, and the gap is about 6" in the rubbermaid right now.

Again, I really appreciate your responses & interest dude - I hope your girls are doing good! I'd be strangely dismayed if this thread didn't generate any interest whatsoever!!

To update the project, main developments and running questions are as follows;-

- Pre-flowers started showing on both the Black Russian and HDF x OTM, about 5 days ago, and I THINK THE HDF x OTM is a girl!!!

The Black Russian is looking male'ish... S'too bad because it smells SO NICE.. I might need to try a couple more beans soon..

Pics are below and ANY input would be much appreciated! The hair shooting out of the HDF x OTM is what has me thinking it's a lady. Unlike all the pics in this thread to date which were taken on a cell phone (5mpixel Nokia.. , those of the preflowers and others in this post were done in "super-macro" mode on an actual digital camera.

- I suck at cloning. The first batch of 5 hates me but is clinging on, the second round of 6 cuttings is doing ok thanks to some wisdom from this site, and a third recent batch of 8 cuttings is doing fantastically due to a proper propagation container and more/extensive reading on here. ;b

- Upgraded the rubbermaid cab by removing unnecessary 2" length of PVC from the scrubber intake, placing the fan above the lights and reducing temperatures by several degrees. Also finished and installed the scrubber, and replaced the bottom pan with one made out of folded aluminum sheeting. Work on the rubbermaid is ongoing since temperatures get hairy if I run all 3 42W bulbs simultaneously. I may try 2* 42W and one 26w "Repti Glo 5.0" CFL since I like what I've been reading about the relationship between UVB and resin production. ~

- Due to space considerations, I'm leaning towards using 20oz bottles as my pots. I calculate that I can fit 21 or 22 in there if they're all touching and leaving room for the fan / my sanity.. ;b I'll be re-potting things soon..

- On a whim, I'm attempting to germinate some bagseeds from 2003! I'll be amazed if any hatch, and will have to play things by ear if so, depending on whether I've got any girls on my hands at all! :S

Now for some pics! Thanks for lookin'!


^First things first! The HDF x OTM Female (?) - Is that a pistil shootin out!? woooooooooo!


^Another pre-flower on the HDF x OTM.


^Black Russian pre-balls? Pardon the pic quality compared to the HDF x OTM..


^Another Black Russian pre-flower.. likely male right?


^ The canopy in the PC at ~55 days for Boris? the Black Russian and ~45 for the lovely HDF x OTM (needs a better nickname..


^ The Rubbermaid as it's operating lately.. cuttings are raised up for proximity to the CFL. I guess I'll be culling all those BR's..



^ Pics of the scrubber intake assembly for the rubbermaid, uses a 5 to 6" PVC adapter. Wire has proven invaluable for securing fans and other components!


^ Latest cuttings (8 or 9 total, even mix of BR and HDF x OTM, and I'm attempting to clone some TINY buds that came with the cuttings for shiggles..). This batch was done 5 days ago and seems to be doing awesome..

I gotta run so please excuse any typos/nonsense! Cheers all & ttys!

 

[seam]

overdue update

overdue update

Hey everybody!

I'm sorry for not posting an update on my project sooner! Thankfully things are going well, and I'll try to post more regularly now that I've got some gals blooming!~

Main developments are as follows;-

- I suck at cloning. I've killed way more than a dozen by now, and given up on a bubble cloner based on Thundurkel's awesome guides. I managed to get some rooted but clumsily broke them off while transplanting, and I think I was constricting the stems / neglected to maintain ideal temperatures. My current approach is to plant the cuttings directly into their soil/container with rooting gel of course, and cover them "custom" (ghetto) humidity domes (seen below..)

- I built an especially stealth rubbermaid cabinet for vegging/clones. It's running a 42W daylight CFL, has intakes/exhausts cut into "invisible" parts of the rubbermaid, and two fans powered by the flowering cab's PSU. Both fans in this box have integrated speed controls

- Temperatures became an issue in the 3*42W flowering cab, and required improving the exhaust, removing the intake filter, and replacing one light. I've a question about the light swap noted below..

- Fortunately, two clones from the Heavy Duty Fruity x Old Time Moonshine mom grew into strong plants, and were ~6" tall upon starting 12/12 light 12 days ago (again, pics below . The ferts I've been using for all vegging so far are called "Mother Earth Blended Natural Super Tea", and these clones are now being fed the "bloom" formula.

- Enticed by the odour of the Black Russian male that I grew, I've since popped two more seeds, identified one as male, and have one suspected girl now topped and cuttings taken. I made sure to label everything properly this time (it was tricky to sort out male black russian clones from my initial noob attempts and hope to confirm that it's a girl in a couple weeks..

- Awesomely, a recent stash of mine included over 100 healthy seeds. A picture of the cured bud (with a seed) is below. I couldn't resist and tried to germinate two of them to no avail. Several more after that didn't work either, and might have just gotten too hot where I left them. Frustrated, I threw in another 6, and ALL of them germinated nicely! The bagseed posse is doing great, includes some interesting phenotypes, and just started receiving fertilizer. Based on the bud's attributes, it's comparable to white rhino that I've had in the past. The smoke was a bit harsh/gross tasting, but maybe that was because the buds were seeded? It was still very potent.

My current questions:-

- I recently replaced one 42W Soft White CFL (not 6500K "Daylight") in the flowering cab with a 26W ReptiGlo 5.0 UVB CFL. This decreases internal temperatures to the mid-20°s, rather than constantly near 30°c when it's all 42W CFLs (3 * 42W CFLs total). Would you agree that this decrease in wattage is worthwhile due to the desirable temperature decrease, and expanding the spectrum of light hitting the plants? I'm hoping that the UVB will stimulate resin production and even stunt growth to a certain degree if stretch becomes an issue. I have a separate timer and other UVB % bulbs to try if I find that the plants hate the current 12h @ 5% arrangement.

- The two flowering HDF x OTM clones started 12/12 when they were 6". I just measured them now (day 12 flowering), they're 8.5", and a mere 4" from the CFLS!!! I fear that I'll get owned by the stretch and should employ some LST/SOG..?

- I'm considering putting the biggest bagseed plants into the flowering cab as they're already outgrowing the new veg cab and I'm too lazy to clone them. Even if a couple end up being awesome females I have over a hundred more of these bagseeds. Heck just explaining the situation here makes me want to start flowering them now. What say you?

Now for some pics! Thanks as always for looking!

^ the gang! HDF x OTM mom at upper left, Black Russian Female (?), two flowering HDF x OTM clones, and one roughed-up Black Russian male (RIP). Bagseed posse (6) and one young HDF x OTM clone at the bottom. Pic taken almost a week ago.

^ the seed weed

^ favourite HDF x OTM clone so far, pics taken less than a week apart;b

^ HDF x OTM mom rules! Nearly 4 months old, still in veg.. I suspect that I've nute-burned her, and she needs a massive haircut!

^ bagseed posse (except lower left HDF x OTM clone in above pic). Pics taken today. I call BS6 "stretch" ;b

^ favourite bagseed plant, born on xmas! It has had funny curly 1st leaves from the start. ;b~

^ bagseed plants & other clones with surprisingly functional humidity domes.

^ Veg rubbermaid cab frame, construction, and tesT. I should take an action shot of it because it's amusingly cramped ;b

Now for the stars of the show.......

^ The flowering HDF x OTM girls! Pics taken yesterday @ 11 days flowering.

Thanks again for any interest! Pz icmaggers!

 

[teerull]

Great grow dude!
I really dig the pc! You really did a great work with that one! Wish i could only get mine that nice looking!

peace.