220w pl-l coco scrog cupboard

[D.I.trY]

You're certainly right about having a pretty awesome cab there scrub, this is what can be done with some dedication and hard work! Looks like the fun is starting to begin so i cant wait.

Its really interesting what captain stoner is saying about spacing inbetween stacked fans. Thanks for this info. It does make sense, that blades spinning in an asynchronous fashion could impede each other. I hadn't considered this but it certainly rings true with my own experience because i have onhly about 5mm between my stacked fans and every so often you can just pick up an audible "zoom Zoom" sound and then it dies away so this could be the blade rotation going in and out of phase with each other. Very interesting, you've got me inclined to make a modification now.

You're reflector sounds ideal mjconfig! If you get a chance and only if you can be bothered! what do you say about posting a few pics in my pll reflector thread? I hope it becomes a good resource to help the future generation of stealth micro homegrowers!

So those seeded plants are your own progeny scrub? Awesome, I plan to make some feminised seeds with that coloidial silver stuff that i was reading somewhere on icmag, and negate the need for any mother clone chamber. Sounds like an excellent solution to the problem of having mothers and clones in the micro world.

 

[ScrubNinja]

DI, I hope I didn't lead you astray cos I think it was me that suggested stacking your fans if I remember right :/ At least it seems to be working anyway!

In fact that's what I don't understand. It's working for me too. If I started messing with the speed control dials, sure I would hear them fighting each other clear as day. The sound goes a little little like this: *ahem*

waaaaaaaaaaaa
waaaaaaaaaaa
waaaaaaaaaa
waaaaaaaaa
waaaaaaaa
waaaaaaa
waaaaa
waaaa
waaa
waa
wawawawawawawa
waa
waaa
waaaa
...etc

Clearly out of phase. But this doesn't happen when I take out the speed controls and rearrange the jumpers on the fans so I can adjust the fans in sync via power supply without the included speed dial. Maybe it's because I use a regulated power supply? Interesting to note also that your setup is a little different to the regular 12v fan setup - 240v AC and hooked up to the same speed controller. I have no idea but since they're ac fans, could you perhaps simply switch the wires on one fan so it spins in the opposite direction? I know this can't be done with 12v fans so I dunno...

Yeah, I made the seeds myself and never got to grow them out. The ABs were made when I didn't have a clue about breeding (still don't) but they shouldn't be too bad. The AB x Shivas were made more recently and should be the shit as long as I don't torch them with pll bulbs : And as long as I can get more than one runt up. I even planted some snow peas in a pot outside but got like, 10% success rate! It is winter though.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Also, in my first pc attempt, I decided to try making femmed seeds using light poisoning - basically giving a girl 12/12 but with an hour of light in the middle of the dark period for a few weeks. Didn't have a clue what I was doing, lol. I think I was meant to treat them with silver as well, I can't remember, but anyway, the plant was just as confused as shit and never hermied or flowered properly so I chucked it outside and it flowered beautifully.







I'm not sure if femmed is an optimal situation. From any batch of seeds, you're going to get underperformers and non desireable traits. Would suck to have to grow those traits/runts for months, as against having the keeper pheno on call to go into battle any time you need. But I know what ya mean. I'm actually planning a mum chamber at the moment, I'll post some pics up in a few days and get you guys opinions. I have the perfect vessel(s) to grow in.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Okay check this out. It's an evaporative cooler. I also have a similar unit which is a dehumidifier (not in pics). These can be picked up FREE (non operational) all over the place. Mine work fine, I paid a few bucks for them.



I think I'd actually use the dehumidifier because that can be run year round without suspicion, and with warm air coming out. Running an AC in winter would be a bit suspect - especially with hot air coming out the front :smile:

But damn, it's a great idea I reckon. This thing even includes a scrog screen, has a res built in, a water pump, a floating res level indicator, a small motor below the vent that oscilates the vent direction - could easily be turned into a light mover and that big stonkin' ass fan! Which is fairly loud but exactly as loud as an evaporative cooler fan... you dig? I'll take shots of the dehumidifier when I pull that apart. It's a much better choice for the reasons I mentioned.

 

[CaptainStoner]

it's a supply dump of useful stuff, that cooler... good stuff.

How are your PL-L lamps going? i did the math for my cab and got some very strange numbers out of it.. someone said there's no point going much over 3500lm/sqft with fluoros - and DrBud's grows seem to support this.. but.. my cab is a little over 2 square feet.. and my numbers say that 3x36w (2900lm each) would be slightly over 3500lm/sqft..which defies everything ever said about fluoros and wattage needed vs hps

your cab is bigger, but with more wattage..the numbers are about the same though, with slightly more lm/sqft on yours..

as for the waawaawaa fans, they're hunting because they're not running at quite the same speed. It's likely to be the components in the speed controls - all electronic components have a tolerance of inaccuracy on their values, say a 300ohm resistor with a 10% tolerance could be anything between 270ohm and 330ohm, which is going to make a lot of difference - the outputs from your two speed controllers will be at slightly different voltages, but when you just run them straight off the power supply, you get the same voltage to both. If they're adjustable speed controllers, they're virtually impossible to get to the same output without fiddling for ages, checking the outputs with a multimeter, till you get them dead on... this is one of the reasons the spacer is a good idea.. even at exactly the same voltage, no two fans will turn at precisely the same speed.. but the difference is so negligable that when there's a spacer between them, it equalizes the pressure difference and stops them fighting.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Cheers mate. Well, I am liking them a lot so far - there's not much to grow yet though, lol. Very easy to keep cool and very bright.

I've never really looked at lumens...couldn't tell you how many these put out for example. I just kind of go with the flow of what seems right judging by other grows on here :smile: What did you mean by "defies everything ever said about fluoros and wattage needed vs hps"? And are you running PLLs at the moment in your cab? (got a thread?) Peace.

 

[CaptainStoner]

well it's pretty much taken as a given that you need more wattage of fluoro to cover a given area than with a HID.. but the PL-L lamps seem to defy this, and match or even better HID, watt for watt.. its all to do with their high lm/w output, the efficiency of 1U tubing, and quality of light, also having multiple sources of light i think.. or i've just got hold of the complete wrong end of the stick..

I'm not running PL-L at the moment, i'm upgrading to it, had one grow, HDsog style but only a few plants/short run.. under about 200w of spiral cfls.. no thread on it, it was only a trial run in the bottom of my closet under a shelf to see if i could take plants to a finish... my grow thread will come lol

 

[D.I.trY]

not at all scrub, stacking was a great piece of advice! saved my bacon, really. you lead me on...stray, lol. I just wasnt aware of the need to space them a little bit for better efficiency. Very grateful for this information captain stoner.

 

[CaptainStoner]

as am i for your PL-L reflector.. lol fans I know, reflectors I do not.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Isn't IC mag just the best! Hehehe. I'm always learning, sure you guys are too. Well here they are, one cutting died, it flopped over yesterday. One other is looking semi-risky but two are looking great!


The seedling looks, well, like this. I doubt it'll ever grow leaves.


Even my sticker is stealth

 

[ScrubNinja]

I work at a junk store so getting power adaptors is never an issue. However, I got in there today and they'd had a big clean up while I was away sick and they had a box filled with various adaptors they were gonna chuck out!!! I offered them a token $10 but they were like nah just take it. I started pulling them out to count them but they're all tangled up so it'd take all day. I reckon there'd be 40 to 50 there. :smile:



Also picked up an awesome kind of table made out of a res with a lid...hard to explain but it's perfect for hydroponic use. And I got a neat little wooden pallet kind of thing to stand stuff on.

Total cost - 7 bucks au. I've lost track of how many awesome deals I've got from there.

New filter should be up and running by the weekend.

 

[Daffy420]

Hi ScrubNinja,

i just read your topic and i love the way you made your growroom, you inspired me

Now i am at the point of buying the starlite fixture in combination with a Secret Jardin
Darkroom 60x60x140.

I am a little scared about the temperature in the room i don't wanna vent like a madman.

I like the way how you made the hole at the top for a vent but is this a must ? Also i am
wondering if it is not dangerous for the ballast with all the dust etc.

Mann i hope you can help me with this i mailed like 6 shops but nobody can give me an
answer if this fixture is a low heat combination.

Thnx a lot !!

 

[ScrubNinja]

G'day Daffy. I guess you mean the 4 x 55w model?

I wouldn't think dust would be an issue myself. Didn't inspect them super closely but the ballasts seemed to be a fairly closed up metal box. It's probably even sealed although I just didn't inspect it that closely so they may not be. But yeah, seeing where some people have mounted ballasts, I think that would be more dusty than where I have mine, and haven't heard of any problems in that regard.

No, I don't think the hole is a must, but I do think it's working significantly in my favour. My buddy hasn't called me back yet but I was hoping to do the new hood drillings on thursday. Sort of following mjconfid's idea. I am very confident about that!

But you will have enough air space around the sides of the hood that you could blow fan/s on the bulbs from underneath. Like I said earlier, it takes a very small amount of airflow to keep the bulbs cool imo. What I don't like about this idea is that it takes up a lot of prime grow space. So that's why I'm trying for other ways. The only other idea I came up with is mounting a 40mm fan in between each bulb. I didn't look too hard, but I found a 40mm Delta fan which pumped just enough CFMs to make me think it could, maybe, just work.

Plant count is dropping and I barely had any to begin with! Down to 1.5 cuttings One looks great and the other one is probably going to keel over by tomorrow. I've always had terrible luck with cloning in winter... Been meaning to get a heat mat. The seedling still has no leaves beyond the cotyledons. What a freaky ol' plant! I only keep it so the cuttings don't get lonely. None of the second wave of seeds have sprouted as of yet. Confidence levels at an all time low, lol.

 

[Daffy420]

Yes the 4x55w

thnx for the reply, i also have seen the Duofluor 2x80W pl-l versions but
they are 20cm wide and 60cmx20cmx5cm, i don't think they spread the light
enough for the 60x60 room.

I also have seen a nice 150W HPS kit with a sonlight ballast. Would be a total
of 18000 lumens. But in some way i am a little scared about hps. Also i think
150W hps is much hotter as the starlite.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Hey bro I just had a crazy idea, see what you think. When I see tents with dimensions like yours, compared to my old tent (I think it was 800x600, x800 tall) your type is like, straight up! Seems crazy to me but then again, maybe I've been hangin' in the micro grow forum too long. If that was a solid cabinet in my possesion, I'd have 3 levels of scrog in that size. Anyway, to get to my point - have you thought about following the vertical growing principles? Vertical can squeeze even more efficiency out of any bulb because it's using 360 degrees of the bulb and there is no reflector. If you used the 2 x 80's end to end they would fill the whole tent from floor to bottom with light. I just have no idea how far they would penetrate though. 30cm doesn't sound impossible though. Any more experienced PLLers have any input on this idea? I'm kinda thinking a tubular vertical scrog, but just ignore me if that's too crazy I've been obsessed with vertical growing lately.

 

[cork144]

looks like everything has shaped together well.

cant wait to see the clones in afew weeks.

 

[Mk3Jetta]

Hey scrub I'd highly suggest keeping the under parts of your containers warm for the clones and seedlings. Also have you pH'd your water yet?

 

[ScrubNinja]

G'day guys, thanks for looking in. Yep I've been ph'ing the water to around 5.8 and no nutes of course. I still have 2 cuts but one is almost certainly not gonna make it. The other is looking reasonably ok. It's been 11 days so far and it usually takes 2 weeks + in winter here, so I may just scrape through with one. I think part of the problem also was that the source material for the cuts is an hours drive away. I put them in a ziploc bag with some water in there, and then prepared them as soon as I got home. Was all I could do.

I will take a look for heat mats today. Is there anything I should look for? I take it the heat is adjustable? What heat do I actually need?

Also gonna bite the bullet and get some more viable seeds planted. This thread is hella boring with no real plants.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Woot! Got my new filter box on. I'll show pics later (I'm exhausted) but so far I have only one of those orange thermaltakes pushing into about an inch of carbon and it's almost got the same flow as when the 4 fans were on, stacked, with less carbon!!! AND it's a lot quiter. I really didn't notice how loud they were. I doubt I'd even need a muffler now. Running at 12v is now not an issue.

This shit is the shit! Thanks for encouraging me to change, fellas! Also got the hood drilled but it's a bit different to how I planned. Time was against me as I had to make it to the pet store to get a heat mat but they didn't have any.

Soaking some different seeds now, they had 100% viability 6 months ago so things should be greening up soon. I just don't know that they're the best choice to grow in this cab.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Got some picz

First of all, this is the old stacked setup, just to show the gap I had (it was sealed with tape)


This is the new filter box, black thick plastic with proper lid - all round much better quality than that clear shit


The fan is taped on due to logistical difficulties seems to work good.






I taped off most of the grilles. The ones I left draw air around the back of the fluoro through that very thin gap at the top of pic


One 6mm hole every 2cm. I broke one of the clips too I can't really feel any air moving through the new holes as I'd already hacked off a big part of the reflector near the bases, for the original design. At least it opens things up anyway.






Dumb and Dumber


Dumbest


Think it'll make it?