PC Case grow - Stealth + Perpetual + LST
- Thread starter v12xjs
- Start date
maturesmoker
Active Member
'Dusty' is pumping them out V12, real chunky budsThanks for the tip about the Nik Turner vids on utube ms. I got to another gig at the end of last year and Ms Angel is even hotter in the flesh. I'm loving your new Mondays avatar too
Re the 'Mondays'..... I still love em
Great times.
v12xjs
Well-Known Member
Greets Phase
The bulb is rated at 9,500 lumens and my case is 0.99sq ft, so I get about 9,600 lumens per sq ft. The sun maxes out at 10,000 lumens per sq ft, putting me right in the zone.
A quick update on the new case.
I've painted the sides and the fake walls white, with a band of black at each end to help with lightproofing.
The bulb and reflectors are now fixed in place, as are all the outer fans.
I just need to cut holes and mount the internal fans onto the fake walls and wire everything up.
Here's a pic.
The light came on in my case as I took it so there's one of the grow as well
The bulb is rated at 9,500 lumens and my case is 0.99sq ft, so I get about 9,600 lumens per sq ft. The sun maxes out at 10,000 lumens per sq ft, putting me right in the zone.
A quick update on the new case.
I've painted the sides and the fake walls white, with a band of black at each end to help with lightproofing.
The bulb and reflectors are now fixed in place, as are all the outer fans.
I just need to cut holes and mount the internal fans onto the fake walls and wire everything up.
Here's a pic.
The light came on in my case as I took it so there's one of the grow as well
Phase420
Active Member
OMGGreets Phase
The bulb is rated at 9,500 lumens and my case is 0.99sq ft, so I get about 9,600 lumens per sq ft. The sun maxes out at 10,000 lumens per sq ft, putting me right in the zone.
A quick update on the new case.
I've painted the sides and the fake walls white, with a band of black at each end to help with lightproofing.
The bulb and reflectors are now fixed in place, as are all the outer fans.
I just need to cut holes and mount the internal fans onto the fake walls and wire everything up.
Here's a pic.
The light came on in my case as I took it so there's one of the grow as well
!!! can i get the name of the light your useing then??where did you get that bad boy at? and is it a floresents?
v12xjs
Well-Known Member
Hey Phase
The bulb is an Osram Powerball HCI-T 100w. I don't know anywhere that has them in stock but I just asked my local lighting supplier to order 1 and it took about 3 days to arrive.
They need either an older type magnetic HPS ballast or one of the new electronic ballasts. They are fookin hot bulbs though. I was running 160+ watts of cfl previously and this bulb is prolly even warmer than they were. I'd say that a cooltube or heatshield would be essential in a pc case.
On the plus side, they are full spectrum with a spike at 3000k and blue light is known to contain much more energy than red light, so in theory they will produce more growth than an equivalent HPS bulb. The balance of spectrums is also closer to natural sunlight than any HPS bulb, which seems to help keep the plants lush and green throughout the grow.
The bulb is an Osram Powerball HCI-T 100w. I don't know anywhere that has them in stock but I just asked my local lighting supplier to order 1 and it took about 3 days to arrive.
They need either an older type magnetic HPS ballast or one of the new electronic ballasts. They are fookin hot bulbs though. I was running 160+ watts of cfl previously and this bulb is prolly even warmer than they were. I'd say that a cooltube or heatshield would be essential in a pc case.
On the plus side, they are full spectrum with a spike at 3000k and blue light is known to contain much more energy than red light, so in theory they will produce more growth than an equivalent HPS bulb. The balance of spectrums is also closer to natural sunlight than any HPS bulb, which seems to help keep the plants lush and green throughout the grow.
maturesmoker
Active Member
Wow, that's a tiny bulb V12, perfect for the job in that case. Roughly how much UK? Lets say I wanted to install a couple of those in a small cabinet (you know roughly the size I use), what would I need to get? Re the ballast, I wouldnt know what to ask for!!!! Does the ballast come pre wired? They just look perfect for us stealth growers with a heat screen and good airflow properties.
Dusty gets fatter every time I see her
Dusty gets fatter every time I see her
SimplyBaked
Well-Known Member
SUBD! love the pc grows
v12xjs
Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard SB. Me to
You'd better sit down ms. Maybe with a stiff drink.
My kit was £100. That covers the bulb, the ballast and a prewired bulb holder. It's a very simple wire job.
The ballast stays cold to the touch so it doesn't need to be kept outside the grow, it's also totally silent.
The only other bits I used were 2 reflectors from pets@home, 2 90degree brackets and some Araldite from Focus. About £8 all in. You might need some new Raybans though!
It's a lot of money but I strongly doubt you'd look back. I reckon you'll get at least the same lumens as 336w of cfl from 2 of these. And some mighty buds of course
v12xjs
Well-Known Member
Welcome back tags.
The kit was a special order item so I dare not link the supplier. If plod asked them for a list of people who had ordered it recently they would get all my personal info. I'm sure you understand.
Shopfitters seem to be the only trade that has embraced this technology but their prices are astronomical. I'll do a search with the numbers printed on the ballast and see if anything turns up. I'll let you know m8.
Thanks for the word on the plants.
The kit was a special order item so I dare not link the supplier. If plod asked them for a list of people who had ordered it recently they would get all my personal info. I'm sure you understand.
Shopfitters seem to be the only trade that has embraced this technology but their prices are astronomical. I'll do a search with the numbers printed on the ballast and see if anything turns up. I'll let you know m8.
Thanks for the word on the plants.
v12xjs
Well-Known Member
Hey tags. I've had a good look but there's nobody advertising the kit I have anywhere on the internet. Just try to find a decent light shop and ask them to get you a ceramic metal halide bulb and suitable ballast.
Just by way of helpful guidance, I've been at this lark for a while now and I will struggle to cool this baby down in the summer months. Maybe learn to tame an envirolite or 125w cfl before trying 1 of these in such a small space. It could be an expensive mistake otherwise.
Loving the avatar.
Just by way of helpful guidance, I've been at this lark for a while now and I will struggle to cool this baby down in the summer months. Maybe learn to tame an envirolite or 125w cfl before trying 1 of these in such a small space. It could be an expensive mistake otherwise.
Loving the avatar.
tags
Member
Thanks for the info v12. I'll defo take your advice, would hate to piss that kind of money up against a wall. Would the envirolight or 125w cfl be available in lighting shops also?
Aw, you've got to love the roses.... Been to the Complete Stone Roses the past 3 years... most excellent.
Aw, you've got to love the roses.... Been to the Complete Stone Roses the past 3 years... most excellent.
tags
Member
Meant to add this erlier. With regard to your speed adjustable fans, unless its cheaper to just buy all the kit from the website you mentioned, i found an old speed adjuster for a trainset. Just as a foreword, my electrical skills are basic if anythin haha but i plugged it into the mains then used a couple of bits of spare wire and hooked it upto a small remote control car motor.... it worked well. however i think it was a litte too much power for the small motor but coud be useful for fans for a grow cab Anyone with a little more skill than me could maybe give this idea a try.. see how practcal it is
Tags
Anyone with a little more skill than me could maybe give this idea a try.. see how practcal it isTags
HippySmoke
Active Member
New to the forums came across this grow and wanted to give you a little thumbs up nice ghetto riggage of a "cool plate" for lack of better word... glass partition for easier movement of air around the light keeping the total area cooler... well done nice looking grow and such cute little girls!
nice ghetto riggage of a "cool plate" for lack of better word... glass partition for easier movement of air around the light keeping the total area cooler... well done nice looking grow and such cute little girls!
v12xjs
Well-Known Member
You should have no trouble picking one up tags. They aren't generally stocked on the high street but any hydro store will have them and there's loads on fleabay. I had some great results with mine.
That's a top tip about the train set adapter.
Welcome to RIU HippySmoke.
Appreciate the props.
Just fed the girls. Dusty still has 3 or 4 weeks to go so hopefully she'll fatten up a bit. Here's one of her buds from the side with a similar shot of the NL and a nice group pic.
That's a top tip about the train set adapter.
Welcome to RIU HippySmoke.
Appreciate the props.
Just fed the girls. Dusty still has 3 or 4 weeks to go so hopefully she'll fatten up a bit. Here's one of her buds from the side with a similar shot of the NL and a nice group pic.
v12xjs
Well-Known Member
So I've wired up the fans and mounted them now. I took some pics so here's one way of hooking up a few fans. Sorry for the shit blue tinge. I had the camera white balance set for my growbox and not broad daylight.
Pic1
the fan controllers are supplied with 2 sets of cable and the controller itself. There's 2 fitted into the pc slots below the fan on the left. Plugged into the top 1 is the power in cable and it's terminated with a twin molex plug. I can do without the molex plugs so I'll snip the cable just above them. There's another complete controller at the top and you can see the 2 bare wires on that.
The next cable has 3 connectors; 1 for the controller, 1 for the fan and one for a pc motherboard connector which I will also snip. Again it's already been done on the controller at the top.
Pic2
1st cable before and after cutting.
Pic3
2nd cable before and after.
Pic4
shows the connections for a single fan
Pic5
I've inserted a fan splitter between the fan and the controller so I can now run 2 fans off that controller.
Pic6
This is the naughty end of a 12v power supply. It's a specialist thing so it tells you where pos and neg are. If you aren't so flush and you have a phone charger or something then just bare the 2 wires and mark one with tippex or some tape. It doesn't matter which 1 you mark.
Pic7
connect the power supply wires to the fan controller power in wires. The black of the controller or fan is the neg line.
If you don't know which is which the just take a guess and plug it in. You will either be right or wrong and if you are wrong there will be no drama. The fan won't work is all. Swap the cables around and now you should know if you marked up the pos cable or the neg.
Pic8
So here's the 2 fans running and the controller is working well. FWIW the Sunon on the left cost about £4 and almost knocked me over. The Akasa Apache on the right costs 5x more and won't extinguish a lit match placed right in front of it. Sadly, the Apache is the most powerful silent fan on the market, so don't waste your money on any of them.
A quick word on working out how many fans can run off a single 12v power supply.
The 12v power supply will have 2 ratings on it, 1 is the voltage which should be 12v and the other is the Amps and mine is 2A.
On a 12v system, 1 amp is the same as 12 watts, so my 2Amp supply can output a max of 24 watts. Just add up the watts written on your fans and make sure it's less than the output of your power supply. Too many fans will make it go pop.
Some fans have Amps written on them instead of watts. My sunons are 0.33 Amps. Well if 1Amp is 12watts then 0.33Amps is 4 watts, so the sunons are 4 watts each.
If you only have a 9volt power supply then 1Amp for you equals 9watts.
I've mounted the fans now as well. I'll put those pics up next
Pic1
the fan controllers are supplied with 2 sets of cable and the controller itself. There's 2 fitted into the pc slots below the fan on the left. Plugged into the top 1 is the power in cable and it's terminated with a twin molex plug. I can do without the molex plugs so I'll snip the cable just above them. There's another complete controller at the top and you can see the 2 bare wires on that.
The next cable has 3 connectors; 1 for the controller, 1 for the fan and one for a pc motherboard connector which I will also snip. Again it's already been done on the controller at the top.
Pic2
1st cable before and after cutting.
Pic3
2nd cable before and after.
Pic4
shows the connections for a single fan
Pic5
I've inserted a fan splitter between the fan and the controller so I can now run 2 fans off that controller.
Pic6
This is the naughty end of a 12v power supply. It's a specialist thing so it tells you where pos and neg are. If you aren't so flush and you have a phone charger or something then just bare the 2 wires and mark one with tippex or some tape. It doesn't matter which 1 you mark.
Pic7
connect the power supply wires to the fan controller power in wires. The black of the controller or fan is the neg line.
If you don't know which is which the just take a guess and plug it in. You will either be right or wrong and if you are wrong there will be no drama. The fan won't work is all. Swap the cables around and now you should know if you marked up the pos cable or the neg.
Pic8
So here's the 2 fans running and the controller is working well. FWIW the Sunon on the left cost about £4 and almost knocked me over. The Akasa Apache on the right costs 5x more and won't extinguish a lit match placed right in front of it. Sadly, the Apache is the most powerful silent fan on the market, so don't waste your money on any of them.
A quick word on working out how many fans can run off a single 12v power supply.
The 12v power supply will have 2 ratings on it, 1 is the voltage which should be 12v and the other is the Amps and mine is 2A.
On a 12v system, 1 amp is the same as 12 watts, so my 2Amp supply can output a max of 24 watts. Just add up the watts written on your fans and make sure it's less than the output of your power supply. Too many fans will make it go pop.
Some fans have Amps written on them instead of watts. My sunons are 0.33 Amps. Well if 1Amp is 12watts then 0.33Amps is 4 watts, so the sunons are 4 watts each.
If you only have a 9volt power supply then 1Amp for you equals 9watts.
I've mounted the fans now as well. I'll put those pics up next
v12xjs
Well-Known Member
Mounting the fans is straightforward once the wiring is in place.
pic1
Place the fans where you want them and trace the inside with a pencil. This will be the cut line. While you hold it down, pop a hole for each of the corners to make it easier to fit the bolts.
pic2
It will look like this.
pic3
Cut out the vents.
pic4
I'm mounting these on the inside of the grow chamber so they will need a cable guide. They would give more growing area on the other side but I want it to be easy to replace the odour control.
pic5
Fit them.
pic6
Et voila - Ignore the shonky heatshield, a new 1 will be going in before the big switch on.
All the exhaust fans will go on the top controller and all the intakes will go on the other 1. Wiring for the front will be the same but I'll put an extension on so it will reach the front of the case ok.
pic1
Place the fans where you want them and trace the inside with a pencil. This will be the cut line. While you hold it down, pop a hole for each of the corners to make it easier to fit the bolts.
pic2
It will look like this.
pic3
Cut out the vents.
pic4
I'm mounting these on the inside of the grow chamber so they will need a cable guide. They would give more growing area on the other side but I want it to be easy to replace the odour control.
pic5
Fit them.
pic6
Et voila - Ignore the shonky heatshield, a new 1 will be going in before the big switch on.
All the exhaust fans will go on the top controller and all the intakes will go on the other 1. Wiring for the front will be the same but I'll put an extension on so it will reach the front of the case ok.
crazytrain14
Well-Known Member
sweet deal man ive gota buddy starting a pc case and will show him this.
peace
peace
Phase420
Active Member
This guy is definitely one to watch for great ideas on how to build a nice system! +rep
maturesmoker
Active Member
Great step by step guide V12 There's a lot of skill and know how going into that build, thats for sure.
The 12v trainset controller idea was interesting tags (great avatar ) as you can pick them up cheap and they are ready cased/wired etc, you just need to attach the wires to the terminals presumably? V12 ? Could that be a simpler way to control fan speeds for non-techos like me?
Clever stuff mate.
There's a lot of skill and know how going into that build, thats for sure.The 12v trainset controller idea was interesting tags (great avatar
) as you can pick them up cheap and they are ready cased/wired etc, you just need to attach the wires to the terminals presumably? V12 ? Could that be a simpler way to control fan speeds for non-techos like me? Clever stuff mate.