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"HOW-TO" to build a 100% working/stealthy PC-Grow-Case ~ AND grow review

TeriYaki

Member
Hi all!

I am running a Micro-grow PC system for fun since 3 years.
It was several times modified - now it is 100% efficiently
working and so I decided to share my little knowledge for people
who eventually are interested to rebuild it/or parts of it.

This is a kind of "HOW-TO build a working PC Grow Case" and
a grow report at the same time.

[youtubeif]KK75kImNLGI[/youtubeif]

Why I decided for a Micro Grow system? I am an occasional smoker
and friend of vaporization. I rarely consume more than 30g a year.

the main features of the PC Grow case:
- adjustable heater (reptile terrarium heater) for low/winter temperatures
(the system is 100% cellar-usable with low winter temperatures)
- 65cm tall PC tower
- 100% working DIY carbon filter
- light trap made my black plastic angle sections
- 2 thermostats to be seen from outside the PC case
which constantly show inside temps and sucked in air
temperature
- adjustable high pressure IN-/Outtake fan
- 2 x 100W LEDs incl. UV an IR
- diamond reflector foil
- automatic emergency shutdown
if: temps get too high inside (caused eg. by a PC fan breakdown)
if: temps of the external heater get too high (shuts heater down auomatically)
- works with 3.5l pots
- height-adjustable SCROG screen (magnet system &zip-ties)
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here a detailed description of all components:
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(1) Lights (used for veg. and bloom):


2 X 100W
Lighthouse Blackstar UFO LED
Bands: 6 Band
Red: 630, 660nm
Blue: 425nm
Infrared: 730nm
Ultraviolet: 380nm
White: 12000k

(some would ask: why to use 200W light on such a small space?
... I would say: ... because I like potent bud )

what is the advantage of the LED lamps in such a small space?: the surface of the lamps
keeps cold,
so it would be even possible to let the plants touch the lamps ...

picture.php



_____________

(2) Air circulation:

Outtake fan in combination with the carbon filter:
Silver Stone FM122 - high air
pressure 12V PC fan
airflow: 107.12CFM
Static Pressure: 5.68mm H2O (that's the most important value when is is to be
combined with the carbon filter)
- air pressure continuously adjustable with external controller

Intake fan:
Noisblocker Multiframe M12-P
PC fan on 12V power supply adapter
Airflow: 133 m3/h
- adjustable pressure

extra circulation inside the PC tower:
1 extra standard Silversone Fan
12V fan which swirls air inside
the PC case

_____________


(3) DIY carbon filter:
works 100%, no odors at all.
filled with Aquarium Granular Activated
Carbon
if you're interested in all the components of the
carbon filter, I made a detailed sketch of the construction set-up:
picture.php


see here also photograph of the filter and how it is positioned
in the PC case: upper left corner ...

picture.php

picture.php



_____________

(4) Light-trap:
built from ~ 20x 90° plastic
angles which were treated with black mat spray paint:
... with special thank to "ScrubNinja" for this
great thread and ideas:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=135524 !

see here a photograph of my light-trap:
picture.php
 
Last edited by a moderator:

TeriYaki

Member
(5) reflectors:
the case is completely lined with
Lightite Diamond Diffusion Foil

_____________


(6) 2 special thermostats:

Photograph thermostats:
picture.php


- (#1) one measures the actual temperature inside the case (on bud high)
- (#2) one measures the actual temperature of the air which is sucked in by the intake fan



the thermostats are combined with electric plugs:
in thermostat #1 the 2 LED lamps are plugged in
in thermostat #2 the adjustable heater is plugged in

why? ... this is just for security reasons:
I set the 2 thermostat as follows in order to function
as an automatic emergency shutdown:

thermostat #1: if teperature inside the case gets more
than 29,5°C (which means that on of the fans is broken or the heater is broken),
the thermostat sets 2 LED lamps will be shut-down.

thermostat #2: if the air which is sucked in gets over 24°C (which means that the
heater is getting too hot/maybe broken), the thermostat sets automatically to OFF-mode and the
heater will be shut down.

_____________
(7) the PC tower:

picture.php

my old "Chieftec Mesh"
Server-Tower
CA-01B-B-SL
530 x 205 x 650 mm

____________
(8) the adjustable heater:

I did some brainstorming and lot's of research and found a
reptile terrarium micro climate heater (made in Germany).
A ceramic infra-red heating element and a pulse proportional
thermostat housed in an easy to fit metal enclosure.

picture.php


... usable for low/winter temperatures. My cellar has in winter
around 10°C, so not suitable for growing. The heater is positioned
~7cm in front of the intake. The pulse proportional
thermostat is taped on the intake area. I just have to set the
switch of the heater to 20°C and the air which is sucked in
my the intake fan will get heated to a perfect 19°C temperature.

picture.php


The micro climate system runs up to 100W. For my purposes I need
25 watts (measured with a watt-meter plug) to heat the air from 10°C
to 19°C)

picture.php
 

TeriYaki

Member
(9) the SCROG screen


the screen is adjustable in height.
I used very strong magnets with are equipped with hooks
- the screen is attached with cable zip-ties to the magnets
picture.php



______________
______________

(10) Pots:

2X 3.5l standard TEKU pot for indicas/hybrids
1X 2.4l pot for a larger sativa dominants
 

TeriYaki

Member
GROW REVIEW:

here a review of my latest grow with this PC Grow Case containing
3 plants:

This time I didn't choose for a SCROG, but just to
do some LST binding down with pipe cleaners.

3 plants:

° Ed Rosenthal
Super Bud
(Sensi Seeds, 50/50 Indica/Sativa)

° Exodus Cheese
(clone only, selected Skunk #1 phenotype
35/65 Sativa/Indiva)

° Jack Herer
(Sensi Seeds, 55/45 Sativa/Indica)
_______


fertilization:

soil: BioBizz All Mix

fertilizers:
BioBizz exactly as official schedule for All Mix soil:
BioGrow
BioHeaven
BioBloom
BioTopMax
Root juice (for 1st week)
~ last 10 days only water


_____
veget. week one 16/8:

picture.php

I built little greenhouses from Cola bottles
for the first 5 days of vegetating to keep the
environment as moist as possible - the rooting of the
clones went fast with BioBizz Root Juice ...

Jack Herer after 5 days:
picture.php



Ready for the 3.5 pots/re-potted:

veget. week 2:
picture.php



flowering week #1 12/12
picture.php


picture.php
 
G

Guest 263194

nice little work right there. what is your average yield per plant?.
 

TeriYaki

Member
flowering week #10
harvest day 2, that's what's left from the Ed Rosenthal
picture.php



harvest day 2, that's what's left from the Jack Herer
picture.php



and the 2nd crop Jack H.:
picture.php



2nd crop Ed Rosenthal Super Bud:
picture.php
 

TeriYaki

Member
the Super-Macros are done with a double-reversed
lens technique and a macro-flash diffuser for
even lights:
between f.-week 5 and 10:

picture.php

picture.php

picture.php

picture.php

picture.php
 

TeriYaki

Member
picture.php

picture.php

picture.php



______________________


...here some more details from this grow in a
13min.

VIDEO-REVIEW on YOUTUBE

from my latest grow:
[YOUTUBEIF]KK75kImNLGI[/YOUTUBEIF]

_____________
_____________

[YOUTUBEIF]KK75kImNLGI[/YOUTUBEIF]

_____________
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hope you enjoyed this little grow review !
and thanks for commenting !

cheers
Piotr
 
Last edited by a moderator:

TeriYaki

Member
@DTF
nice little work right there. what is your average yield per plant?.
difficult to say, I am not in possession of a micro scales.
I just can say something about the comparison of the plants.

Jack Herer yield was ~5 times as much as the Ex.Cheese yield. Ed Rosenthal was just behind the Jack H.

Total harvest (dry bud):
2 big Mason jars of Jack H.
1 big and one small Mason jar of Ed R.
1 small Mason jar of Ex. Cheese
_______________________

The hugest yield I ever made in this PC was with a Kali Mist Plant.
The leaf-bud ratio was amazing ...
2 1/2 big Mason jars


Cheers
Piotr
 

TeriYaki

Member
Thanks guys for commenting !

Just a question to one of the Moderators: is it somehow possible to edit my posts ?
I want to change the "youtube-links" in #1st and #11th post, which do not work.
Would be great to be able to edit them!

Thanks and Cheers
Piotr
 

exploziv

pure dynamite
Administrator
Veteran
Just a question to one of the Moderators: is it somehow possible to edit my posts ?

It should be possible, dunno if you didn't find the option yet or it may work only after you get 50 posts and become a regular member.
The edit button should be in the bottom right of your posts, if it isn't wait till you get 50 posts.

I want to change the "youtube-links" in #1st and #11th post, which do not work.
Would be great to be able to edit them!

Youtube code should be [*YOUTUBEIF]just the video code, the one after the "=" in the link you get from the video[*/YOUTUBEIF] (without *'s)
Fixed them for you this time! :wave:
 
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