Rare Groove's "Server" - Micro Grows - International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums

Rare Groove · 12-17-2006, 09:33 AM

Hmm...looks like a regular old computer. No drives in it...must be an internet server or something, no big deal. I mean the power LED is even on...definitely nothing abnormal going on there...

But wait...

That's not a server! Well..it is serving up something, it just ain't quite data

So I moved into a new apartment recently and it's quite a bit smaller than my last one where I was running a C-25 cabinet. The cabinet is in storage, but I didn't feel right without anything growing... So along comes my latest project. I've been interested in growing in small spaces with low wattages for a while, and basically seeking out the ultimate stealth setup. Well how much more stealth can you get than a computer case??? Granted, it doesn't provide much space to work with, but it also doesn't take up much space and can be put just about anywhere without a second thought.

I've read and re-read all of the PC grows that I've been able to find, and defintely borrowed from all of them for my own case. In particular, I used a lot of ideas from weeweeman's case. Thanks to all of you who've posted your creations. It really does help.

So on that note, I want to show you all my server case in a little more detail. I also think I'll use this thread to document the Gypsy's Gum and Lifestar that I currently have going in this case. I've got a lot of pics that I want to put up...so let me start from the beginning.

Rare Groove · 12-17-2006, 09:52 AM

I wanted a big case to work with, I figured the bigger the better. Well I checked out a few huge server cases with wheels...they were definitely a bit overkill. I settled on the unit above which I picked up on eBay for a very decent price. Dimensions are 7 1/2" W x 16 3/4" D x 24 3/4" H, and it even came complete with a power supply. Here's what it originally looked like inside.

And a shot of the back...

The main light for flowering is from a 70W HPS. I decided to mount the ballast & light socket in the power supply case like weeweeman. I kicked it up a few more notches, however...I also mounted a 12VDC, 1000mA transformer inside the case that I gutted from a wall pack. This power supply had a 115V/230V selector switch and I really wanted to incorporate that some how. I wired the switch so that my light base is actually switchable...I can flip between running a 42W CFL in the base for veg or running my 70W HPS for flowering. If anyone is interested I can go into more detail on how I wired this.

I started with a 70W HPS outdoor fixture from Lowes...I would have gone with a cheaper mail order ballast kit but it was the weekend and I didn't feel like waiting.

Here are some shots showing the electrical box construction.

More to come.

Rare Groove · 12-17-2006, 10:33 AM

Okay...hope you're still with me.

Had to take a *bong* break.

When I started constructing this case, I got really stoned and forgot about the camera for a bit. So unfortunately I don't have any pics of the construction phase, but I'll try to describe it.
I wanted the light, ballast, and transformer to be mounted in their own compartment to help with heat issues. So I re-worked the back of the main case in order to mount the power supply case up top. I used aluminum angle to brace the case as well as serve as my divider. I cut a piece of glass from an old window and it sits on the angle right below the light bulb. The lighting chamber has its own intake & exhaust and is effectively sealed from the plant chamber.

I made a small batwing reflector out of aluminum flashing using the instructions here. The reflector is fixed directly above the light fixture.

The walls of the case are made from dry-erase board which is available at Lowes in a half sheet. I should note that Home DePot has the same material in a full sheet for the same price as Lowes half sheet. However, living in a small apartment I chose convenience over value... The dry-erase board was cut to size and is held in place using hot glue as well as foil tape. There is a removable panel for both chambers. Currently these panels are held in place with foam weatherstripping, but I am looking to redo this.

As far as ventilation, this case is hooked up...there's the exhaust fan in the electrical case. Then I can mount an intake fan at the opposite end of the lighting chamber. In the plant chamber, I can mount two fans for exhaust, and also one for intake. These are all 80mm fans. Currently I'm just running the one in the electrical case and a single exhaust in the plant chamber. I want to add some of the others, but these things are so damn expensive locally. I'm also looking to re-do my intakes. It's pretty hard to block out light without blocking airflow and also maintain full-stealth on the outside...

Today I decided it was time to flip my plants to 12/12. Time to get out the timer... When I built the electrical box I ran two cords out so I could plug a timer into the circuit later on. Well, here it is...

Note that second CFL that I plan to leave in for flowering. It doesn't produce much heat and will definitely be no problem once I get the rest of the fans.

Trying to think what else I can tell you about this case...of course the 12VDC 1000mA transformer powers all of the fans. Well, I also wanted to retain the power LED on the front of the case. I removed an appropriate resistor from the original power supply board and attached it in-line with the LED. Then that could get hooked to 12V. Just one more step to retain the authenticity of the computer case.

I also left the original power switch on the front of the case. If this is used it will kill all power to everything. I retained it more as an emergency feature than anything.

Now that I'm going to be flowering in the case, I needed to further light-proof it. The plant chamber exhaust was leaking a lot of light...a box and some foil tape took care of that.

The next step will be to build a carbon filter on the inside of the case. Once I build that I hope to ditch this unsightly box.

Well that's about all I can really tell you about this case. So far it has worked out very well. It's only been built for a few weeks, so I haven't run anything out yet. As mentioned I do have three Gypsy's Gum and two BOG Lifestars in the case now. They've been LST'ed and started sexing tonight. I have many pics of them and will try to post them as I get time.

Hope you've enjoyed. Feel free to hit me with your questions.

delta9thc06 · 12-17-2006, 10:40 AM

Thats pretty kickass bro, i might do something like this because a fellow grower i kno gave me some lowryder seeds. I do have a big cabinet with a 400 watt hps but something like this sounds awsome to mess around with.Do you think a 150 watt hps would be too hot?

Rare Groove · 12-17-2006, 10:59 AM

Hey man, I've got a few 150 bulbs laying around and was thinking about trying that out instead of the 70. I think for it to not get too hot you'd need some really serious ventilation. With the 70W and the 42W CFL running in the closed case with just those two fans, I do get some heat build up. I haven't gotten a thermometer yet, but I wouldn't think more than like 6-8 degrees F above ambient. So with more fans it would probably be possible.

I don't think you really need a 150 tho. The footprint of this case is only 0.87 sq ft. With 112W that equals 128.7 WPSF. Plenty for me.

I'd definitely recommend putting one of these cases together. Im sure Lowryders would thrive in there! Peace.

daddy fingaz · 12-17-2006, 07:03 PM

Impressive ! look forward to sum shots in flower !

12-17-2006, 07:08 PM

Neat little set up you got there..

Respect dude.. stealth to the max!!

watermelon · 12-17-2006, 08:24 PM

nice case, cant wait to see some buds in there

what growing style/medium are yiou going to be using? soil sog?

pothead82 · 12-17-2006, 11:47 PM

Very nice setup!!! like watermelon, i can't wait to see that case full of green!!!

Rare Groove · 12-18-2006, 04:03 AM

Hey everyone!

Thanks for all the comments. I too hope to see this case full of frosty nuggets soon. As stated I flipped the five plants into 12/12 yesterday (and also threw in the 70 HPS). There's just something cool about running HID lights...not quite sure how to put my finger on it. But anyway, it's just going to be a matter of time now. Let me tell you about the plants.

I apologize in advance because I haven't really been keeping track of dates and stuff up til now.

So I'm going to do the best I can and see if I can edit this as I figure out more of the dates. Roughly a month ago I popped three Gypsy's Gum that I received as a freebie from SB. I had previously given the rest of the pack to a grower in need. These beans all popped within 36 hours so I put them in a plug tray with FF Planting Mix (Bat Guano/Earthworm Castings).

I'll confess that I'm kind of lazy and didn't have the server case ready for growing when these beans needed it. So they started life in a small cardboard box with a 42W CFL overhead. Hey, desperate times...

A few days after the Gypsy's Gum started growing I figured 3 plants may not leave me with much of a female selection. So I dipped into a pack of BOG Lifestar I have.

I attempted to germinate 3 beans. I think this may be an old pack as they took a few days to do anything. All three did germinate so I moved them into the plug tray. One of them was a HUGE seed and didn't end up making it out of the soil. The other two started off okay. You can see them here with the Gypsy's Gum

These all did their thing vegging for a bit. The Gypsy's Gum showed much more vigor than the Lifestars and were ready to transplant into 16oz beer cups in no time. I'm using Moonshine's Mix for soil. I've used it once before and had very good results. To date the plants have only received pH'ed water and Hygrozyme. They've gotten Hygrozyme with every watering since sprouting. Great stuff. I just hooked up my RO filter the other day so they'll be getting that water going forward- before that all I had for them was tap water.

The Gypsy's Gum appear to be showing three different phenotypes. Here's some pics

1:

This pheno has the largest leaves of the three. Huge, and fat. Definitely indica dominant. Very faint bubblegum-like smell.

2:

This pheno has skinnier, longer leaves than #1. Many leaves are showing 9 digits. Definitely more sativa leaning. This pheno is growing lots of leaves and is the densest of the three. Not really much of a smell yet.

This plant had a spider inhabiting it's lower leaves for the first few weeks. I think the non-stop intense light finally made the spider move on. Really interesting though- he poisoned this ant and then roped him up by his antennae.

3:

This pheno is expressing traits from both of the first two, so I'm thinking it's somewhere in the middle. This one has shown the fastest lower branch growth. Unfortunately, it's also the most finicky and I've been having a few issues with it.

I think I may have it nailed down now though.

Okay...gotta smoke this J. Stay tuned

12-17-2006, 09:33 AM	#1
Rare Groove The Loop Digga Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 105	Rare Groove's "Server" Hmm...looks like a regular old computer. No drives in it...must be an internet server or something, no big deal. I mean the power LED is even on...definitely nothing abnormal going on there... But wait... That's not a server! Well..it is serving up something, it just ain't quite data So I moved into a new apartment recently and it's quite a bit smaller than my last one where I was running a C-25 cabinet. The cabinet is in storage, but I didn't feel right without anything growing... So along comes my latest project. I've been interested in growing in small spaces with low wattages for a while, and basically seeking out the ultimate stealth setup. Well how much more stealth can you get than a computer case??? Granted, it doesn't provide much space to work with, but it also doesn't take up much space and can be put just about anywhere without a second thought. I've read and re-read all of the PC grows that I've been able to find, and defintely borrowed from all of them for my own case. In particular, I used a lot of ideas from weeweeman's case. Thanks to all of you who've posted your creations. It really does help. So on that note, I want to show you all my server case in a little more detail. I also think I'll use this thread to document the Gypsy's Gum and Lifestar that I currently have going in this case. I've got a lot of pics that I want to put up...so let me start from the beginning.
	Quote

12-17-2006, 09:52 AM	#2
Rare Groove The Loop Digga Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 105	I wanted a big case to work with, I figured the bigger the better. Well I checked out a few huge server cases with wheels...they were definitely a bit overkill. I settled on the unit above which I picked up on eBay for a very decent price. Dimensions are 7 1/2" W x 16 3/4" D x 24 3/4" H, and it even came complete with a power supply. Here's what it originally looked like inside. And a shot of the back... The main light for flowering is from a 70W HPS. I decided to mount the ballast & light socket in the power supply case like weeweeman. I kicked it up a few more notches, however...I also mounted a 12VDC, 1000mA transformer inside the case that I gutted from a wall pack. This power supply had a 115V/230V selector switch and I really wanted to incorporate that some how. I wired the switch so that my light base is actually switchable...I can flip between running a 42W CFL in the base for veg or running my 70W HPS for flowering. If anyone is interested I can go into more detail on how I wired this. I started with a 70W HPS outdoor fixture from Lowes...I would have gone with a cheaper mail order ballast kit but it was the weekend and I didn't feel like waiting. Here are some shots showing the electrical box construction. More to come. Last edited by Rare Groove; 12-31-2006 at 05:33 AM..
	Quote

12-17-2006, 10:33 AM	#3
Rare Groove The Loop Digga Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 105	Okay...hope you're still with me. Had to take a bong break. When I started constructing this case, I got really stoned and forgot about the camera for a bit. So unfortunately I don't have any pics of the construction phase, but I'll try to describe it. I wanted the light, ballast, and transformer to be mounted in their own compartment to help with heat issues. So I re-worked the back of the main case in order to mount the power supply case up top. I used aluminum angle to brace the case as well as serve as my divider. I cut a piece of glass from an old window and it sits on the angle right below the light bulb. The lighting chamber has its own intake & exhaust and is effectively sealed from the plant chamber. I made a small batwing reflector out of aluminum flashing using the instructions here. The reflector is fixed directly above the light fixture. The walls of the case are made from dry-erase board which is available at Lowes in a half sheet. I should note that Home DePot has the same material in a full sheet for the same price as Lowes half sheet. However, living in a small apartment I chose convenience over value... The dry-erase board was cut to size and is held in place using hot glue as well as foil tape. There is a removable panel for both chambers. Currently these panels are held in place with foam weatherstripping, but I am looking to redo this. As far as ventilation, this case is hooked up...there's the exhaust fan in the electrical case. Then I can mount an intake fan at the opposite end of the lighting chamber. In the plant chamber, I can mount two fans for exhaust, and also one for intake. These are all 80mm fans. Currently I'm just running the one in the electrical case and a single exhaust in the plant chamber. I want to add some of the others, but these things are so damn expensive locally. I'm also looking to re-do my intakes. It's pretty hard to block out light without blocking airflow and also maintain full-stealth on the outside... Today I decided it was time to flip my plants to 12/12. Time to get out the timer... When I built the electrical box I ran two cords out so I could plug a timer into the circuit later on. Well, here it is... Note that second CFL that I plan to leave in for flowering. It doesn't produce much heat and will definitely be no problem once I get the rest of the fans. Trying to think what else I can tell you about this case...of course the 12VDC 1000mA transformer powers all of the fans. Well, I also wanted to retain the power LED on the front of the case. I removed an appropriate resistor from the original power supply board and attached it in-line with the LED. Then that could get hooked to 12V. Just one more step to retain the authenticity of the computer case. I also left the original power switch on the front of the case. If this is used it will kill all power to everything. I retained it more as an emergency feature than anything. Now that I'm going to be flowering in the case, I needed to further light-proof it. The plant chamber exhaust was leaking a lot of light...a box and some foil tape took care of that. The next step will be to build a carbon filter on the inside of the case. Once I build that I hope to ditch this unsightly box. Well that's about all I can really tell you about this case. So far it has worked out very well. It's only been built for a few weeks, so I haven't run anything out yet. As mentioned I do have three Gypsy's Gum and two BOG Lifestars in the case now. They've been LST'ed and started sexing tonight. I have many pics of them and will try to post them as I get time. Hope you've enjoyed. Feel free to hit me with your questions. Last edited by Rare Groove; 12-31-2006 at 05:35 AM..
	Quote

12-17-2006, 10:40 AM	#4
delta9thc06 Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 98	Thats pretty kickass bro, i might do something like this because a fellow grower i kno gave me some lowryder seeds. I do have a big cabinet with a 400 watt hps but something like this sounds awsome to mess around with.Do you think a 150 watt hps would be too hot?
	Quote

12-17-2006, 10:59 AM	#5
Rare Groove The Loop Digga Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 105	Hey man, I've got a few 150 bulbs laying around and was thinking about trying that out instead of the 70. I think for it to not get too hot you'd need some really serious ventilation. With the 70W and the 42W CFL running in the closed case with just those two fans, I do get some heat build up. I haven't gotten a thermometer yet, but I wouldn't think more than like 6-8 degrees F above ambient. So with more fans it would probably be possible. I don't think you really need a 150 tho. The footprint of this case is only 0.87 sq ft. With 112W that equals 128.7 WPSF. Plenty for me. I'd definitely recommend putting one of these cases together. Im sure Lowryders would thrive in there! Peace.
	Quote

12-17-2006, 07:03 PM	#6
daddy fingaz Land racer not a gene defacer! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Deep in the Jungle of Life Posts: 824	Impressive ! look forward to sum shots in flower !
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12-17-2006, 07:08 PM	#7
BeAn Guest Posts: n/a	Neat little set up you got there.. Respect dude.. stealth to the max!!
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12-17-2006, 08:24 PM	#8
watermelon Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 106	nice case, cant wait to see some buds in there what growing style/medium are yiou going to be using? soil sog?
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12-17-2006, 11:47 PM	#9
pothead82 Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Middle of Nowhere Posts: 42	Very nice setup!!! like watermelon, i can't wait to see that case full of green!!!
	Quote

12-18-2006, 04:03 AM	#10
Rare Groove The Loop Digga Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 105	Hey everyone! Thanks for all the comments. I too hope to see this case full of frosty nuggets soon. As stated I flipped the five plants into 12/12 yesterday (and also threw in the 70 HPS). There's just something cool about running HID lights...not quite sure how to put my finger on it. But anyway, it's just going to be a matter of time now. Let me tell you about the plants. I apologize in advance because I haven't really been keeping track of dates and stuff up til now. So I'm going to do the best I can and see if I can edit this as I figure out more of the dates. Roughly a month ago I popped three Gypsy's Gum that I received as a freebie from SB. I had previously given the rest of the pack to a grower in need. These beans all popped within 36 hours so I put them in a plug tray with FF Planting Mix (Bat Guano/Earthworm Castings). I'll confess that I'm kind of lazy and didn't have the server case ready for growing when these beans needed it. So they started life in a small cardboard box with a 42W CFL overhead. Hey, desperate times... A few days after the Gypsy's Gum started growing I figured 3 plants may not leave me with much of a female selection. So I dipped into a pack of BOG Lifestar I have. I attempted to germinate 3 beans. I think this may be an old pack as they took a few days to do anything. All three did germinate so I moved them into the plug tray. One of them was a HUGE seed and didn't end up making it out of the soil. The other two started off okay. You can see them here with the Gypsy's Gum These all did their thing vegging for a bit. The Gypsy's Gum showed much more vigor than the Lifestars and were ready to transplant into 16oz beer cups in no time. I'm using Moonshine's Mix for soil. I've used it once before and had very good results. To date the plants have only received pH'ed water and Hygrozyme. They've gotten Hygrozyme with every watering since sprouting. Great stuff. I just hooked up my RO filter the other day so they'll be getting that water going forward- before that all I had for them was tap water. The Gypsy's Gum appear to be showing three different phenotypes. Here's some pics 1: This pheno has the largest leaves of the three. Huge, and fat. Definitely indica dominant. Very faint bubblegum-like smell. 2: This pheno has skinnier, longer leaves than #1. Many leaves are showing 9 digits. Definitely more sativa leaning. This pheno is growing lots of leaves and is the densest of the three. Not really much of a smell yet. This plant had a spider inhabiting it's lower leaves for the first few weeks. I think the non-stop intense light finally made the spider move on. Really interesting though- he poisoned this ant and then roped him up by his antennae. 3: This pheno is expressing traits from both of the first two, so I'm thinking it's somewhere in the middle. This one has shown the fastest lower branch growth. Unfortunately, it's also the most finicky and I've been having a few issues with it. I think I may have it nailed down now though. Okay...gotta smoke this J. Stay tuned __________________ Indian Swamp Gungi Grow Method - From OG Rare Groove's "Server" Strawberry Diesel Run Last edited by Rare Groove; 12-31-2006 at 05:37 AM..
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