I Give You: The Discobox (Arduino Controlled Diy-System)

Discobox

Member
He Guys,

would love to tell you about a little project lately finished: The Discobox (named because of the colorful funny-business going on in there.)

The Idea was to build a highly self-regulating system that takes care of the plants inside with a lot of information-output from sensors. The Box must be extremly quiet and rather odor-free.

To keep it quiet and odor-free there is one basic concept: Keep hardware-air-circulation and lamp-cooling seperated from the actual plant-air-circulation. For this reason there must be two chambers in this box - each with its own air-circulation. One is filtered, the other one (for hardware) isn't.

Lights are 120W Blue and Red LEDs, heat-glued to two massive heatsinks. While the lights are pointing into the plant-chamber, the heatsinks extend into the hardware-chamber to be effectively cooled.

Another core-part: a selfmade carbon-filter. It has its own chamber as well and the filter-material itself is detachable via a frame. A powerful radial-fan is pushing air from the main-chamber into the filter-chamber through the filter-material. The air-exhaust is in the back.

Heart of the system is an Arduino-Microcontroller with a selfmade software. You can connect your laptop via USB to easily regulate light-power and spectrum, light-timing, fanspeed, and read all the sensors (temp and humidity).


So far:
- extremly silent
- great temperatures (even in high-summer)
- good ventilation
- good light (no stretching yet)
- and most likely great filtering (we will see about that in flowering-stage)


Here are some pictures:
 

Attachments

  • box_1.png
    box_1.png
    45.8 KB · Views: 100
  • box_2.png
    box_2.png
    31.2 KB · Views: 97
  • box_3.png
    box_3.png
    54.4 KB · Views: 99
  • box_4.png
    box_4.png
    67.5 KB · Views: 100
  • box_5.png
    box_5.png
    52.6 KB · Views: 101
  • box_6.png
    box_6.png
    38.3 KB · Views: 97
  • box_7.png
    box_7.png
    50.2 KB · Views: 101
  • 2014-06-15 11.18.49.jpg
    2014-06-15 11.18.49.jpg
    974.3 KB · Views: 96
  • 2014-06-15 11.19.18.jpg
    2014-06-15 11.19.18.jpg
    1.3 MB · Views: 131
  • 2014-06-15 11.20.12.jpg
    2014-06-15 11.20.12.jpg
    1,015.3 KB · Views: 103
Some more pictures:
 

Attachments

  • 2014-06-15 11.20.17.jpg
    2014-06-15 11.20.17.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 57
  • 2014-06-15 11.20.28.jpg
    2014-06-15 11.20.28.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 60
  • 2014-06-15 11.21.37.jpg
    2014-06-15 11.21.37.jpg
    1.3 MB · Views: 65
  • 2014-06-15 11.21.43.jpg
    2014-06-15 11.21.43.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 63
  • 2014-06-15 11.21.56.jpg
    2014-06-15 11.21.56.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 64
  • 2014-06-15 11.22.02.jpg
    2014-06-15 11.22.02.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 51
  • 2014-06-15 11.24.13.jpg
    2014-06-15 11.24.13.jpg
    1.3 MB · Views: 54
  • 2014-06-15 11.25.20-2.jpg
    2014-06-15 11.25.20-2.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 45
Thanks man. Have to say that this is a first grow. Plants are in day 23 and I already nutrient-burnt them in the beginning. I'm beginner, obviously, haha.
 
I really like your solution for air scrubbing! Is that a CPU cooler?

Exceptional proof of concept!

If you make that critter out of melamine and edge it it would look like something that belong in a laundry room.

Great job!
 
thank you, good sir!

indeed, the filter is some kind of proof of concept. there is this saying that you should invest in a proper readymade filter to do it right. I claim that this solution will work as good! is is basically the same filter as you can buy, but flat. the fan is a radial fan wich is known for its ability to build way higher air pressure than pcfans. will upload a short vid to demonstrate air flow later.
 
So you cool the heatsink by putting it in contact with the hardware that is constantly getting hotter as it is used?

If your hardware is anything like my computer that sounds like a system that will eventually overheat.
 
There is just the Powersupply and the Arduino, they don't produce too much heat. As you can see the air-circuit is very short, powered by an intake and one outtake-fan. Temps are great! But thanks for you comment.airflow.png
 
Last edited:
Oh, don't get me wrong: the bulidng-process and the tweaking is great fun.
If the system works, it can easily be extended for the next run - if needed.
 
Back
Top