My 1st Stealth Micro Subwoofer Box & Grow Log

[bybliz]

Alright, so after several years of research and gathering of materials, I've finally stopped procrastinating and decided that i don't want to pay $$$ for shit-grade products.

I'm not entirely new to this, I remember a long time ago where I used to frequent a site called overgrow. I've attempted to grow once back in 2002, it was done in my wardrobe unit with 8 vertical 4ft fluorescent lights which I had to close down after a month due to security issues and I haven't tried again since.

Without further a due, this is my stealth micro sub woofer box build. It is a work in progress, I'm trying to perfect this box to meet optimum growing conditions. I love cars and one of my other hobbies is custom parts fabrication and car audio which mostly involves fiberglass and mdf. my grow box is one of my obsolete subwoofer boxes.

Dimensions (LXWXH): 24"X14"X28"

Lighting: 150w HPS, remote ballasted, and bake-a-round cooltubed.

Ventilation: Currently, there are two 3" holes cut on the bottom of the box and I'm using one as an inlet and one as an outlet. I have 120mm pc faces mounted on these holes, again one blowing in and one blowing out. So this is how air is currently circulated in this box, air is drawn in through the inlet into the main space of the box, and pulled through the cooltube and out through the other 3" hole. Check out the picture below if that is not clear. It never occurred to me how IMPORTANT a well designed ventilation setup is needed for these micro boxes until after I put it all together and began doing temperature tests. I'm in the process of completely revamping the ventilation according to the ventilation 101 thread(s) found on icmag.

Temperatures: Lights off: ~25C(77F), Lights on: ~38C!!(100.4F), not good.

Stealthiness: The main goal of this box is stealthiness, it sits about 3 feet away from my computer and the sound is indistinguishable. I also sleep with my head about a foot away from it and I cannot hear it.

Odour Control: None

Strain: Joey Weed NL99 (Cinderalla99 X Northern Lights)

Soil: Pro-Mix from Lowes.

Fertilizer: Miracle-Gro Ultra Bloom 15-30-15, Feed at 1/2 Strength

Grow Method: I will be growing using the Dr. Bud method, utilizing 24X 710mL pop bottles. I germinated all 10 seeds on September 23, 2009. As of today (October 16, 2009), I have 8/10 still alive, the other 2 died a few days after germination. I am now on day 23 of vegging from seed. This first run, I am planning to clone all 8 of these before I start flowering (Im still waiting for these to grow big enough).Also to determine sex. After the first cycle, i will choose one or two to become mothers based on best taste, aroma, high, yield etc... I might even give all these a second run when I get my box conditions to my liking which may change the outcome of how these girls perform. Depending on how fast I can push out clones based on the growth of the moms, I may have to go the perpetual route of adding a few plants every week instead of doing full runs of 24 clones starting at the same time.

Current/Future Plans: As I stated above, I'm totally revamping the ventilation in this box, I'm planning on a dedicated 4" route for the cool tube using 92mm fans to move there air. Intake will become passive and much bigger, around 12.5"X5" and there will be a bigger outlet cut too, around 8"X8" with a 200mm fan. I will be purchasing PC fans that have decent air movement but nothing with spl over ~22ish dB. I will have all the fans on controllers to vary the sound and cooling power as needed. A problem that arises from these big in/outlets is light leak, I am currently working on diy darkroom louvers that will fit those openings.

I may also change from my mogul socket/bulb to a medium socket/bulb because they are smaller which will contribute to better airflow in the cooltube.

I will try to update this thread once a week reporting on box build changes and how my plants are doing.

Any comments/suggestions/ridicules are welcome, I'm here to learn through constructive criticism and ideas. I believe in collective thinking.

Pictures:
Outside of Box

Inside of Box

CoolTube

Ventilation

Day 13

Day 19

Day 22

Day 23

 

[idontsmoke]

Hey bybliz

First of all, nice guitar man! Is that ESP LTD F400FM?

Redo that ventilation man and your babies will love it.
Also, changing socket might not give you more airflow since bottleneck in that cooltube is the bulb itself.
See if you can find tubular shaped bulb, like this one.


Good luck on your grow and make sure you enjoy every second of it

 

[grouchy]

Do you leave the screwdriver right on top of the box at all times? It would cut down the chances of someone getting in it if there were not a screwdriver within reach. Almost like a cheap lock. Just a thought.

I would also implement some sort of odor control before flipping to flower. Without odor control all other stealth features are pointless, someone will find it. Scrubninja has a great thread about using pc fans for ventilation and has been working on carbon filters for them. Please look into some sort of carbon filter.

Where do you plan on keeping the moms and clones? Do you have another grow area?

Other than that it looks great. I can't wait to see what comes out of it. Let me know if you have any quetions I can help out with.

 

[grouchy]

If you add odor control into the picture I would like into ditching the powered intake. The reason behind this is that if you push air into the box there is a chance that you will create positive pressure. If you are filtering the odor the positve pressure can cause air to be pushed out of the cab through cracks instead of leaving through the filter. You would be better off with two exhausts and passive intakes.

 

[Huggie bear]

I am on track with the prior responses except I would also buy some fabric and deck out the exterior of the box.
SOme spray adhesive then some foam padding and a bit of vinyl will not only make it look better but it will make it a bit less of an eye catcher and more at home..

 

[pothead6]

I love this I've done somthing like this but not so intence I'd like to build another box and do something this intence

 

[bybliz]

Replies October 17, 2009

Replies October 17, 2009

Hey bybliz

First of all, nice guitar man! Is that ESP LTD F400FM?

Redo that ventilation man and your babies will love it.
Also, changing socket might not give you more airflow since bottleneck in that cooltube is the bulb itself.
See if you can find tubular shaped bulb, like this one.


Good luck on your grow and make sure you enjoy every second of it

Hi idontsmoke, YES! that is an ESP LTD F400FM, my latest and most comfortable guitar i've ever owned. I love my guitars too! I have too many hobbies...lol, most people couldn't recognize that it's an esp F model let alone know it was a f400fm =) I'm assuming you play guitar too? I play pretty much anything, been self taught for almost 8 years now, I play a lot metal, I love lead, improv...basically shred...facemelting solos...lol, might not be everyones cup-o-tea.

My ventilation MUST be redone, it's not an option lol, I don't really know how much 100 degree F temperatures affect my strain and their growth, but I don't like knowing that I'm probably torturing them =(

Thanks for showing me that pic of the bulb you are using, that looks much skinnier than even the medium based bulb I was going to buy. For some reason that bulb looks like it'd be used on aquariums?? Where did you find that shape of hps bulb? The reason I was going to change from mogul to medium is because there's a difference of 2" in length and 1" in diameter between the two.

....and trust me, I'm enjoying every second of this hobby, even more exciting for me right now is the anticipation of testing my very own end product =)

Do you leave the screwdriver right on top of the box at all times? It would cut down the chances of someone getting in it if there were not a screwdriver within reach. Almost like a cheap lock. Just a thought.

I would also implement some sort of odor control before flipping to flower. Without odor control all other stealth features are pointless, someone will find it. Scrubninja has a great thread about using pc fans for ventilation and has been working on carbon filters for them. Please look into some sort of carbon filter.

Where do you plan on keeping the moms and clones? Do you have another grow area?

Other than that it looks great. I can't wait to see what comes out of it. Let me know if you have any quetions I can help out with.

If you add odor control into the picture I would like into ditching the powered intake. The reason behind this is that if you push air into the box there is a chance that you will create positive pressure. If you are filtering the odor the positve pressure can cause air to be pushed out of the cab through cracks instead of leaving through the filter. You would be better off with two exhausts and passive intakes.

Hello grouchy, thanks for visiting my thread and for your suggestions. Just because you pointed it out, i will move that screwdriver to another location. It actually is not a huge issue though, but you are right about it being bait lol. The reason why that it's never crossed my mind is because I truly have random tools all over my room and home, eg. i even have a 20 gallon compressor sitting in my living room. It's very normal for me, no one questions.

I am also taking your advice on the odour control, when I bought my seeds, I was under the impression that this strain was almost odourless, which is actually very true so far (I will know for sure how stinky they are when they flower), but I don't need anyone question why it even "slightly" smells like skunk in my room. I've decided I'm not going to take a chance with this one, I don't wanna have to bail on the grow half way through the cycle. Therefor I am looking into odour control in the next few days.

I am working on a second grow cabinet for my mom and clones, it will be very small, just enough space for maybe 1 or or 2 mothers. It will run on a low wattage of cool white CFL.

Regarding the in/outlets, I've already stated that the intake will be passive, I understand the whole negative/positive pressure thing. The ventilation will definitely be designed that way.

I am on track with the prior responses except I would also buy some fabric and deck out the exterior of the box.
SOme spray adhesive then some foam padding and a bit of vinyl will not only make it look better but it will make it a bit less of an eye catcher and more at home..

Hi Huggie Bear, this box used to be wrapped in black carpeting, you can actually see the glue that I sprayed on to stick it all together. I had take all that off so that I could jimmy open the side of the box, wood glue creates quite the chemical bond between these pieces of MDF. Took me forever to find enough strength to pry it apart haha.

I will reupholster once I'm done with the build. Also this box has been sitting there naked in my room for over two years now, it might actually be more suspicious if I were to refinish it now Thanks for the advice.

 

[reverev313]

nice grow box

 

[idontsmoke]

Hi idontsmoke, YES! that is an ESP LTD F400FM, my latest and most comfortable guitar i've ever owned. I love my guitars too! I have too many hobbies...lol, most people couldn't recognize that it's an esp F model let alone know it was a f400fm =) I'm assuming you play guitar too? I play pretty much anything, been self taught for almost 8 years now, I play a lot metal, I love lead, improv...basically shred...facemelting solos...lol, might not be everyones cup-o-tea.

My ventilation MUST be redone, it's not an option lol, I don't really know how much 100 degree F temperatures affect my strain and their growth, but I don't like knowing that I'm probably torturing them =(

Thanks for showing me that pic of the bulb you are using, that looks much skinnier than even the medium based bulb I was going to buy. For some reason that bulb looks like it'd be used on aquariums?? Where did you find that shape of hps bulb? The reason I was going to change from mogul to medium is because there's a difference of 2" in length and 1" in diameter between the two.

....and trust me, I'm enjoying every second of this hobby, even more exciting for me right now is the anticipation of testing my very own end product =)

Man i love guitars. Used to have GAS syndrome. . Couple years back i played LTD F guitar and i remember it being perfect for heavy stuff, downtuning and shreding.
Set-neck on that baby is amazing.
I stopped playing couple years back coz i couldn't find enough time to keep it alive.
I pickup a guitar from time to time and play some Alice In Chains acoustic stuff just for myself.

The picture of HPS bulb i posted here is mogul (E40) standard tubular HPS bulb - Philips Son-T. It's mostly used in floodlights.
Here's a little picture from datasheet with dimensions in mm.
Divide that by 25.4 to get values in inches if it's easyer like that.

Keep on rocking 'n' growing

 

[grow1620]

hi

hi

hi. google sketchup is kickass! this was my first time using it, I didn't know how to do the round stuff too well, hope it turned out ok. should be almost to scale though...had to eyeball a few things...inside dimensions are 24"X14"X28"

This is how I would do it basically....get rid of the dryer hose stuff, it restricts a ton of air flow, go with pvc. The smooth interior of pvc will make a big difference, also it's durable and will last. I'd angle it back towards the corner, the angles will restrict a little airflow but the smoothness of the tube and the space you'll save will make up for it(You'll notice i switched the intake/outake holes so that the exhaust could be routed to the back, saving precious room)
I'd run 2 exhaust fans..one between the filter and the bulb(not shown)and the other @ the red box. For intake you could do either the passive slots or have 1 active or both active with fans, I kinda drew up both for a visual. Personally I'd try to go with 2 of the passive slotted intakes. If passive won't cut it then you can later add a fan, or maybe 2.

The bottom is separated, hot exhaust runs out and up the back, while the intakes are in the front...a few reasons for this, hot exhaust would be less noticeable coming out the back rather then blowing on someone's feet or something in the front. another reason..intake is generally quieter IME. better to have the quieter of the 2 in front. I also would think that the intakes would suck in cooler air from the front rather then the back and it would be overall less restricted since the front is nice and open. You could also have a fan in your room pointed towards the floor by the intakes, this would help increase airflow.

normally you would want to exhaust out the top (warm air rises)..but since this would greatly decrease stealth....I tried to figure out the best way to utilize the bottom.

I also placed the bulb/cooltube at an angle. I think you would get the best light footprint by placing the bulb from front to back, but I don't think it would fit without redesigning the cooltube, diagonally seemed the next best option to efficiently utilize the light. *you would need a circulation fan inside too. you could also build a fake "port" in the backside and vent the cooltube more directly to it...that way you would cut out all those angles in the venting.

If that speaker still works at all I'd consider using it...it's an excellent built in noise patsy.

I like designing stuffs...don't feel obligated to use any of these ideas just cuz I drew them.....it was fun.

best of luck with your grow. +

 

[grouchy]

I like the light trap designs for the intake and the exhaust but I would still ditch using a fan for intake. If you are going to be putting a carbon filter on the exhaust the airflow will be restricted. In that case the intake would be more powerful than the exhaust and you will have positive pressure(bad). The intake fan would be better utilized doubled up on the exhaust to help push the air out of the carbon filter.

 

[ScrubNinja]

I'm surprised you speaker guys don't utilize a mesh screen like you see on the front of most speakers. The perfect hiding spot for an exhaust hole and then you don't need to pump hot air down. Nice work though!

And Grow, nice work also.

 

[#1cheesebuds]

good grow.
now all ya nees is 1 more speaker gro box so then U could do some clones/seeds and end up doing a perpetual grow. (Flowering throughout the growing season)

In the 2ed box U could use floros to grow the clones/seeds. then send em to the speaker bloomer to flower.
then Ud be harvesting dank 1 time right after the next.

BUT THENAGEN this is my about it.

looks kick ass thus far.

 

[grouchy]

good grow.
now all ya nees is 1 more speaker gro box so then U could do some clones/seeds and end up doing a perpetual grow. (Flowering throughout the growing season)

In the 2ed box U could use floros to grow the clones/seeds. then send em to the speaker bloomer to flower.
then Ud be harvesting dank 1 time right after the next.

BUT THENAGEN this is my about it.

looks kick ass thus far.

I am working on a second grow cabinet for my mom and clones, it will be very small, just enough space for maybe 1 or or 2 mothers. It will run on a low wattage of cool white CFL.

 

[StealthDragon]

Did someone say speaker boxes?

clone/veg...........mother box

I'm surprised you speaker guys don't utilize a mesh screen like you see on the front of most speakers. The perfect hiding spot for an exhaust hole and then you don't need to pump hot air down. Nice work though!

That's how I do it. Works great.

 

[disfunktional]

I'm surprised you speaker guys don't utilize a mesh screen like you see on the front of most speakers. The perfect hiding spot for an exhaust hole and then you don't need to pump hot air down. Nice work though!

And Grow, nice work also.

Did someone say speaker boxes?

clone/veg...........mother box


That's how I do it. Works great.

where can the black mesh screen be found? can it be bought on a roll so that different size screens can be custom made to fit the desired needs?

 

[ScrubNinja]

I'm thinking a stereo store may be the place to go. Or a fabric store - but get the missus to go with you so you don't look suspicious, lol.

 

[GrowBox420]

Nice set up like the cool tube connection with all the PC fans

 

[bybliz]

Update.....Finally!

Update.....Finally!

Hey guys, I apologize for the lack of updates, I've been extremely busy with school, soo many projects/assignments/midterms. But here's an update on what's happened so far. All my seeds were germinated on September 23, 2009. I flipped to 12/12 on October 18, 2009. That means that they've vegged for a total of 25 Days and have been flowing for a total of 24 days as of November 11, 2009. After 11 days into flowering, I was able to tell the sexes between all my plants, out of my remaining 8, exactly 50% were male, therefor i'm left with 4 females. I decided to transplant these 4 into a much larger tub because i figure why waste the extra space and thought they'd probably need it anyways since they've vegged for 3 weeks VS zero veg time of my future grow(s). Also after 1 week into flowing, my plants were touching the cooltube, so I had to start bending them over and tying them down.

Update on odour control: Grouchy, you were absolutely right! I thought i could get away with my so called "low-odour" strain, but regardless of how little it smells......it still does. This leads to the conclusion for me that odour control is an absolute necessity for ANY strain. I also found that you are bound to get different phenotypes when starting from seeds, some of my plants smelled like nothing, but some had an obvious skunk smell. But anyways, I remedied this issue by installing about an inch of activated carbon on the fan that is pulling air through my cooltube. This simply made my temperatures even worse than before, but that is better than having odour leak into my room.

Alright, time for pictures!! These were taken on day 24, How do they look guys...and gals?? I've never made it this far before, do they look like they are on track for day 24 flowering? They are supposed to be an 8 week strain.

Next Pic is sketchup I made of what my box will be transformed into after this grow is done, Thank you grow1620 for you ideas/input, you've inspired me to learn sketchup lol. I don't know how you made those sketches soo well, I've been almost pulling out my hair trying to make mine up....

My new design revolves around my ventilation issues, the cooltube will now have its own dedicated 4" route using PVC, no more aluminum ducting, like grow1620 it's probably too restrictive.

The exhaust will now consist of 4 X 120mmX38mm Scythe Ultra Kaze 3000 fans blowing through 1/2" of activated carbon. These fans are capable of pushing 133.6 CFM each totaling 534.4 CFM of free air @ 12 Volts. They also claim very high static pressure which from my comparison is almost 2-3 times of an average PC fan (which is still very low)...lol i am working on a fan controller for all these guys, they do make some noise although i was surprised that they are much quieter than i expected. They are slightly louder than my computer which is very close to my grow box.

Cool air will now be drawn from the bottom of the box through 2 vents (I am constructing dark room louvers out of aluminum roofing tin and tile spacers, which I will post later when completed. Surface area of the two combined vents should be comparable to the exhaust plus 10%.

The other two 92mm fans you see this pic are for the cooltube.

I'm installing grilles on the 120mm fans so that I don't loose a finger while handling my plants, these things spin fast (and I've had a few bad experiences in the past with high speed fans cutting my fingers open). Also to help the plants keep their leaves.

The height of the "steps" will vary and will change based on data that i collect about my strain after growing them from clone straight to 12/12. I'm doing this to keep my plants of younger stages closest to the light as possible. My perpetual schedule as of now is to flower from start to finish in 60 days. I have the space to accommodate 24 bottles, I have 6 levels/steps, therefore every 10 days I will be adding 4 new clones and harvesting 4.

I figure I can also use that extra spaces under the steps for drying which will eliminate me having to make yet another box to dry and carbon scrub.

Pic of some of the new toys i got =)

I think that's it for now......questions? Stay tuned for more......

 

[TheGreenBastard]

That looks like something my dad would have built, he is always repairing/re-fabricating old speaker cabs.