Prebuilt Cabinets - Market?

[NiteTiger]

I'm finding this pc case grow I'm quoting right now the fun project... That's always been one thing about PC grows that bothered me... We have a few computers in the house - anytime someone comes over - SOMEONE sits down and tries to use one...

So it makes most sense to actually have it functional... Just in case... Then the automation part - well thats just fun

Ooo, still functional would be incredible! PM me a link to that build thread when you get it running!

Seems like it would be real tough to pull that off with the extra heat the processor would create. Maybe a laptop MB that just runs the POST then errors out?

'Sorry man, that one is broke'

Although I don't think I would put it anywhere where a visitor could walk up on it, I can definitely see the benefits

 

[Hephaestus]

Looking at using a cooling machines Cosmos 1000 case - HUGE full tower case... Should easily be able to slap a netbook on the ceiling very top back - then its just a matter of cabling to make it really appear functional (break out the outputs to the proper spots on the back to make it appear seamless. (Would be enclosed in a separate chamber and cooled separately)

Dunno if I'll put a build thread - but I'll definitely grab pics and post em up when done... Unfortunately it's not a CHEAP build - 2100$ obviously he was a little taken aback (but since he's a friend - let him look at my numbers and realized i'm not gouging him, more giving him a steal of a deal - parts make up the majority; labour less than 10%)

Of course there are ways to do it cheaper - but with the phidgets adding up to over 500$ alone (and I wasn't charging him for programming, that i'll just do for fun/experience/future use).

 

[70wDreams]

I love the idea! I just built my first cab and it was so much fun! It is a small setup, fairly inconspicuous, about 2x-3x as large as a pc grow... 10"deep x 25"long x 36"high - includes veg area, flower area, ebb&flow/SWC hydro unit + reservoir, 70wHPS, etc.





Checkout the first link in my signature if you are interested in my design. If you are interested in the Sketchup file, let me know. I would love to share this design if it works. It could easily be an assemble-it-yourself kit, with all the holes drilled, painted, wired, etc. - just screw it together and grow.. I think my entire cab could be disassembled down to flat-pack in less than 30 minutes.


Outside the custom jobs, you could go with a line of standard cabs: Micro, Small, Medium, Large, etc., with data on each such as: expected weight produced per time/space, energy consumption, etc... Keeping a fairly consistent design though all of the different sized cabs would allow to see which cab had the most efficient weight produced per energy consumption ratio.

 

[Hephaestus]

Yup, I'm looking at a few basic cabinets right now; a full tower PC server (as mentioned that cosmos 1000) Gotta do the ubiquitous double drawer filing cabinet; and something larger (will need to look closer at either dressers or those rubbermaid garage stacker systems).

What works for one may not work for all - trying to keep that in mind... Which is somewhat why I'm thinking of focusing on 1-off customs to some extent... It's hard to design a system for LED that will work for PLL and HPS, or CFL (if they really want). Almost impossible to have a base that'll support each platform individually - not impossible, just involves more compromises than one might really want...

 

[itsmysubaru]

let's see your work, man!

here's my custom cab:

http://i43.tinypic.com/20uebkk.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/v7fqj7.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/dxoc2a.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/2pnid.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/2whjek5.jpg

 

[Hephaestus]

Sure why not... Here's my current aquaponic SWC system... Bit rough around the edges, just haven't had a lot of funds to play with for extras like this lately... But pretty nice cabinets by most accounts If you're wondering about the extra wires - put asside for now until the arduino controls go in...


(still working out that door on the veg cabinet - tops aren't totally done as I want to tie my arduino controller in) Flower door is complete - once the PLLs burned in was able to close it up add the lock and she's good. Veg - still pondering some minor changes to the door design...

 

[itsmysubaru]

wow! what a beast... that setup looks like a safe not a cabinet! tough, functional, well planned.
if you could make it commercially profitable, it be a decent idea to pursue. how much does she weight (shipping)? parts costs? labor time? cause your direct competition is cheapo grow tents, so it's going to be up to the price vs functionality, since you didn't go for "stealth"

 

[NiteTiger]

wow! what a beast... that setup looks like a safe not a cabinet! tough, functional, well planned.
if you could make it commercially profitable, it be a decent idea to pursue. how much does she weight (shipping)? parts costs? labor time? cause your direct competition is cheapo grow tents, so it's going to be up to the price vs functionality, since you didn't go for "stealth"

I personally don't think tents are in the same realm. Cabs are much more solid and stable, and there is a significant stealth improvement.

I would personally pay much more for a well-designed cab than I would any tent.

 

[Hephaestus]

To remake my flower cabinet, buying all the parts... Including anodized aluminum, paint, 2 workhorse 7 ballasts, PLL bulbs, mounts and bases, fans, transformers, acrylic heat shield, 2xtimers, DWC tubs, Dual outlet airpump, air valves, airlines and bubble walls - and locks - about 1100$ To make it run like mine - add a penguin 550 pump, 10g aquarium, 2 @ 1" slip/slip bulkheads and some plumbing...

There are obviously ways to reduce prices, but that's basically providing same as... Some places I did cut corners... Others not so much...

My project - was a stealth not required... Their stealth is in their location... But that doesn't mean I'm not willing to do a stealth

Cabinet will always beat a tent hands down... But it's finding one that meets your needs...

Hearing rumors that I might have cash in hand to start the PC grow build this week... That one will be fun

 

[Zombo]

Fantastic work, gentlemen! I would gladly pay for a pre-fabbed, easy to assemble cabinet for my tiny one-two plant grows and my LED light engines.
I'm currently finishing out a grow in a 24" wide cabinet, but what I would want is set up a bit different -- I still have to learn SketchUp to draw out what I'm looking for though.....
subscribed and +K to you guys!

 

[Hephaestus]

Zombo - run up your post count to 50 - then shoot me a pm - and we'll look into what can be done... LEDS is one of those things I want to try out; hope I'm going to hear back from LEDgirl soon - would like to encorporate her gear as part of my designs...

 

[christoph'sbud]

this is a great idea, but the only problem would be the whole shipping thing, it would cost ALOT, especially because im in canada XD

anyways, im JUST building a grow box, kinda stealth, but i failed horibbly, its in my closet, so its not instantly noticable, but you would kinda know...

anyways, i dont have alot of money to spend, so i scrounged around and got together my materials and what not, so far im using 6 60 watt CFL's i know u guys dont like them, but anyways, there is a single computer fan, running at like 8 volts, with two passive intakes at the bottom on either side.

the dimensions are... 14Wx20D by 26H

any advice guys?

christoph

 

[Hephaestus]

Shippings not terrible... Yes something on the order of a dresser wont be cheap to ship - but... A PC or similar wont be too bad - especially ground freight... But that's all relative - if you're going to spend a few grand on a cabinet - 150$ on shipping isn't so big...

 

[disfunktional]

Awsome idea!! I had also thought of this and asking GN for maybe something on the Bay. Unfortunately I dont have enough time to finish my own projects much less start any others for profit. But like i said its a great idea. I know theres a few peeps from here that I would love to work together with on a cab. So many different idea floating around here icmag is definitely home to some of the best builders and growers imo.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

Find the 1kw 4x4 cab w/air conditioning!

you mean the one behind that conspicuous blue tarp?

anyway im guessing you didnt read my entire post, and stopped after i said i dont want anything as seen on tv specifically made to grow weed in my house. i also stated this would work if every one was custom built to customer specs and space. and as for this cosmos case thing you guys are overthinking that shit by light years. how about you just put it in a room with other computers, and lead a networking cable from it to another computer or router. tadah! no need to explain shit, no monitors no keyboards, no nothing. its a server it sits there and does internet. the end.

 

[NiteTiger]

you mean the one behind that conspicuous blue tarp?

anyway im guessing you didnt read my entire post, and stopped after i said i dont want anything as seen on tv specifically made to grow weed in my house. i also stated this would work if every one was custom built to customer specs and space. and as for this cosmos case thing you guys are overthinking that shit by light years. how about you just put it in a room with other computers, and lead a networking cable from it to another computer or router. tadah! no need to explain shit, no monitors no keyboards, no nothing. its a server it sits there and does internet. the end.

Actually I did read your whole post. I responded to the part that confused me. The point with the pic was to illustrate why I was confused. If you can hide a 4x4 so that it can not even be seen, I'm lost as to how you think a grow cab would be that obvious?

Your statement made no sense to me at all, and still makes none. How do you even wonder about something like that? How is it even an issue? No one will see it under any circumstance, right? You're not parading folks through your grow area, or putting said tent/cab in your living room?

How are you concealing what you're growing now? Or are you not growing?

And yes, a tarp in a storage shed is so incredibly unusual that someone seeing it will automatically know that there is a grow cab underneath, and that pot is being grown in there

You are right about the comp, way over-engineered. But that's kind of the whole point of this thread - we enjoy the challenge of doing cabs. Adding that level of complexity is like changing the difficulty of a video game to 'Insane' from 'Normal'

You seem a bit aggressive, why is that? Or am I just misunderstanding you?

 

[Hephaestus]

possibly, but not everyone has a computer room where it wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb... My house - we're all laptops, servers are buried in the basement - but had partiers try to log onto those as well...

Plus - onboard monitoring/automation is just cool

 

[mad librettist]

by regional considerations, I meant the way people live. Apartment dwellers and house dwellers have different needs for instance. temps too. So if you can come up with something modular...

 

[stihgnobevoli]

im concealing my current grow by having it made out of a plain household cabinet you find at any hardware store walmart or lowes. its stealth because its hiding in plain sight. i assumed thats why everyone else was doing micro.

when you see a chia pet you know its a chia pet automatically right? and when you see a ronco rotisserie you know its a roncol rotisserie, juiceman juicer, etc. when people see a Hephaestus growcab they will know its a Hephaestus growcab. when people see my growcab i dont want them to immediately think growcab.

i dont know why you think im being hostile i dont think ive done anything to come off hostile, just stating my opinions and offering constructive criticism.

also if you have a room and theres a computer in it, and you know people will try and get on it, why grow weed with it? or why have that be the only computer there? a.) if its the only one there of course people will think it works. if it has a keyboard, mouse and monitor hooked to it of course people will try and use it. my question is, why not disguise it, or hide it in plain sight like i exampled earlier by having nothing hooked to it except an ethernet cable, and maybe write server on it if you need to get the message across. no ones gonna be trying to use a computer thats not hooked to any input devices or monitor.

also your blue tarp is sticking out like a sore thumb imho. if i came into your garage for whatever innocuous reason the first thing i would think is whats that tarp covering. you knaaamean? if you're trying to be stealthy you dont want to draw attention to the thing you're trying to stealth. if you walked into my room right now the only way you would know there was a growbox here would be from the fans. if i had my laptop near my cabinet as i usually do, you would assume the humming was my laptop fan. you wouldnt find it unless you went snooping and opening drawers and cabinets.

 

[Hephaestus]

Yeah, I'm leaning more towards the custom builds to the buyers needs - but I think I probably should have something pretty much "off the shelf" available; as well...

Modular isn't hard - first time is custom, after that it just becomes a optional device...

Help me out with the things I should be thinking of... What cabinets are people interested... I'm assuming the typical PC case, double drawer file cabinet, and those rubbermaid esque base cabinets... I'd do a high pod - but don't think there'd be much demand (you guys tell me)

Lighting options are of course LED, PLL (my CFL option - I don't really like cfls), MH, HPS, CMH - will look at the duals...

Ventilation will be based on lighting/size... Will offer ionizers and carbon scrubbers...

Beyond that the sky becomes the limit... Like I said - adding full on automation (complete with netbook, webcam would be about a grand - depending on specific needs).

Then it becomes the questions on medias... soil, swc/dwc or aeroponics...

What am I missing?