TFT CFL

[blimblom]

Hi, like so many IT oriented people here, I had a new computer component use...lol


I tested a 19inch TFT computer screen. The TFT layer was destroyed, so I removed it. I also removed the 2-3 layers of polarizers, etc and left just the CFL and the big thick plastic homogenizer...

So the reading from 1-2 cm away is 4500-4800 Lux,homogenized across the whole screen.
Of course no heat is whatsoever produced in this setting.
Would this kind of light be enough for incubator, and small vegetative growth?

The consumption is something like 25Watt.

The pros of this setting is compactness, low consumption, extreme homogenization of the light distribution, compact design...

any ideas on that??
has anyone tried it already??

 

[gr8fulbud]

u b playing with our heads?

 

[blimblom]

I didnt quite understand you...

 

[ironCELL]

.

 

[blimblom]

I took a broken TFT, stripped it from everything apart the homogenizer, the white reflecting sheet and the 4 CFL's (mounted at the top and bottom), put over an IKEA box as you see in the picture and put inside the elevated cuttlings waiting for the roots to grow...

The clones nearly touch the screen but as no heat is produced, its OK.

I know 4500-5000 Lux is not much but I still hope I can spark some vegetative growth, before I transfer them to the bigger box.

Idont know. It seemed easy and cost free, so I tried it. The box doubles as a decorative light too, lol....

I ll post If I have any sucess...

I pretty much liked the CFLs of the TFT as they produce little heat, but I guess, PLs are equally good...

o lol

So You have mass up Your TFT monitor... Hmmm. It's a question of how big Your vegetative room is. TFT displays uses cold cathode to light up the back of the screen as I know. It is a usable light emitter and You could use it, but...

4500-4800 Lux is a way to small light for this purpose. And the spectrum aspect ( I spouse Your cathode is cold white ). I think that only white light would not be sufficient.

 

[StealthDragon]

Hi. I've grown with ccfl lighting(cold cathode). Great for cuttings and small veg.



Do you have any pics of your setup? There's more ccfl links and info in the first post of my thread.
VVV

 

[ScrubNinja]

What kind of lux reading do you get from a ~25w CFL at 1-2cm?

 

[blimblom]

What kind of lux reading do you get from a ~25w CFL at 1-2cm?

4400-5000 lux homogenized on the whole surface. Its 4 CCFL lamps, totalling 25-27w.
I saw the stuff you harvested, its awesome. My SCROG is a lot more messy, I ll take a pphoto or 2 tomorrow (I dont want to disturb their sleep now.
Do you use Pl-l now? I think 100lm/watt is quite decent for PL comparing to a similar (250watt) HPS system. I grow my own on 150watt domestic CFL, but PLs are a much better solution...


StealthDragon, the yellow color of your CCFL is it from a filter? woulnd you gain much more lux if you discarded the filter?

here's another photo of my cloner (in the second post I have 1 more). I had white paper covering the walls , but it got moisty and had to take it out. I'll paint it flat white, once I remove the clones.

I dont know about vegetative growth (I just hope), but for preserving the clones its ok. I have them for nearly 10 days inside, how can I check for roots without disturbing them??

 

[ScrubNinja]

Hi Blimblom thanks. Yes I use pl-l for flower now, they rock! It's about 87 lumens per watt though. I'm guessing the TFT would work pretty well for what you suggested. It would be cool to make a box out of screens, haha. This was my first pl-l harvest:

 

[blimblom]

Your crop looks amazing, considering what you hear around about how PL-l are not worth it, and HPS is the way to go. And from a lm/watt point HPS is certainly a better way to convert watt which cost money to fine herb, but I'm a little bit concerned about heat production. In my confined space of IKEA boxes (around 1sqfoot 24x34cm) as you see in the pics, the top of my canopy get around 30.000 lux with the lower parts getting around 10.000, with only around 120watt of domestic CFL. As I understand PL-L are way better than domestc CFL, in lm/watt and directing the light to the plants.


So even If I try a bigger growing space (and of course controlling the height of my unruly indica dominant plants in a real SCROG, and not the one I have now), I'm hoping to reach a decent return...

Here electricity costs much, so a 250HPS for the whole flowering period would cost around 45euro. With a return of .5gr/watt thats 120gr or 40cents a gram. With Pl-Ls I thing you have a lower lm/watt but you can control better the light (closer to the plants, more evenly distributed etc) so as to yield more than .5gr/watt. What your expertise says about that?

Hi Blimblom thanks. Yes I use pl-l for flower now, they rock! It's about 87 lumens per watt though. I'm guessing the TFT would work pretty well for what you suggested. It would be cool to make a box out of screens, haha. This was my first pl-l harvest:

 

[ScrubNinja]

Hey bro : thanks! Well, I've never used hps, but one thing to point out, hps will give you more like 1gpw. VerdantGreen got far more in the past with a 250 hps (1.6gpw I think? I found a reference to 2gpw but that was with a long flowering strain). If it comes down to yield and electrical efficiency only, I would always go for HPS or CMH with a quality ballast. I have tight limits on what I can run, and 250w is the minimum size hps I can buy easily here, and that's too much wattage because I have to run fans, pumps, veg tent etc as well. So the next best thing in my opinion was the PLLs

The best use of PLLs is when you don't have room for a hps' headroom + cooltube, ducting, and whatever. Or if you want low wattage. For me it comes down mostly to the gpw thing though. The most I've heard of a PLLer yielding is .8gpw and I didn't see the grow journals or manicure quality so - "Pics or it didn't happen" as the saying goes

In simple words HPS will give you maybe twice as much. But I still love PLL! Hope that explains

 

[blimblom]

I read the adventures of Verdant Green, he is an experienced gardener, so I wouldnt dream of reaching that kind of yield (he also believes in extra growth period). I ll try to imitate his tech but for now I ll stick to my cfl's due to limited space.

I hope in a week or two Ill have my first crop...

thanks again for the help and expertise.