DonkeyPunch
Member
Demonsgate already brought up this problem 12 days ago in post #157........read people
I did read the whole thread, not sure how I missed it.
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Anti's MicroStealth Cab Design (Dr. Bud Method)
I did read the whole thread, not sure how I missed it.
DemonsGate
Member
Well as I promised here are some pics:
Front of the cab:
Back of the cab:
Baby plants:
I'll start my own thread once I get things more established. I don't want to junk up Anti's thread.
I hope things are going well for you Anti. How are the buds fattening up?
Front of the cab:
Back of the cab:
Baby plants:
I'll start my own thread once I get things more established. I don't want to junk up Anti's thread.
I hope things are going well for you Anti. How are the buds fattening up?
UPDATE w/PICS! DIY CARBON FILTER
UPDATE w/PICS! DIY CARBON FILTER
Yeah. What you suggested is pretty much word for word what I already said I was gonna do. Here's pics since I didn't get them up sooner:
Camera was MIA when the filter NEEDED to be built so there's no step by step, but I'll walk you through it as much as I can. It's soooooo simple.
Step 1: Measure your space and buy two containers that'll work. One must fit inside the other.
I got mine at Target. $2 for the bigger one, $.99 for the smaller one. Lids free.
Above is the "big" one. It's about 10" x 16" x 6.5" or so. It's 16 qt as the label shows. It was clear when I bought it... but because of light leakage concerns addressed earlier, I sprayed it black.
Step 2. Spray that one black if you have any concerns about light leaking through your carbon room.
Step 3. Cut slits along the sides of this container like so:
Step 4. Cut a hole in the lid of this container that will JUST accommodate the smaller container up to its lip. Duct tape or glue as you please. I got a pretty tight fit, so I was satisfied with duct tape but your milage may vary.
Step 5. Cut the bottom out of smaller container. I left a one inch wide strip in the center of the bottom to better support the screen in step 6.
Step 6. I bought some quick-setting plastic epoxy that hardened in 6 minutes or something. Mixed it up, and then I cut some screen a few inches larger than the bottom of the smaller container. I epoxied the screen in and cut the excess screen once it was dry. No photos of these steps because by the time I found the camera and batteries, it was already in use.
Step 7. Fill about 1/2" to 3/4" inch deep of activated carbon into smaller container. Assemble with lids.
Step 8. Cut hole in smaller container's lid in the area where the exhaust will be. You may need to attach a dryer flange depending on the size of your space. My space is small enough that the larger container with it's lid containing the smaller container just barely squeezes into the space, effectively sealing off the fan unless it is lined up with the filter's exhaust.
Pics:
Once it was built, I had to move my PSU and since I didn't build a shelf BEFORE putting this cab together (HINT), I had to come up with something creative. What I settled on for the moment is a couple of $1 shelf L-brackets and a piece of cardboard.
It works. PSU now sits in the space below where it had been.
PSU Shelf
UPDATE w/PICS! DIY CARBON FILTER
Yeah. What you suggested is pretty much word for word what I already said I was gonna do. Here's pics since I didn't get them up sooner:
Camera was MIA when the filter NEEDED to be built so there's no step by step, but I'll walk you through it as much as I can. It's soooooo simple.
Step 1: Measure your space and buy two containers that'll work. One must fit inside the other.
I got mine at Target. $2 for the bigger one, $.99 for the smaller one. Lids free.
Above is the "big" one. It's about 10" x 16" x 6.5" or so. It's 16 qt as the label shows. It was clear when I bought it... but because of light leakage concerns addressed earlier, I sprayed it black.
Step 2. Spray that one black if you have any concerns about light leaking through your carbon room.
Step 3. Cut slits along the sides of this container like so:
Step 4. Cut a hole in the lid of this container that will JUST accommodate the smaller container up to its lip. Duct tape or glue as you please. I got a pretty tight fit, so I was satisfied with duct tape but your milage may vary.
Step 5. Cut the bottom out of smaller container. I left a one inch wide strip in the center of the bottom to better support the screen in step 6.
Step 6. I bought some quick-setting plastic epoxy that hardened in 6 minutes or something. Mixed it up, and then I cut some screen a few inches larger than the bottom of the smaller container. I epoxied the screen in and cut the excess screen once it was dry. No photos of these steps because by the time I found the camera and batteries, it was already in use.
Step 7. Fill about 1/2" to 3/4" inch deep of activated carbon into smaller container. Assemble with lids.
Step 8. Cut hole in smaller container's lid in the area where the exhaust will be. You may need to attach a dryer flange depending on the size of your space. My space is small enough that the larger container with it's lid containing the smaller container just barely squeezes into the space, effectively sealing off the fan unless it is lined up with the filter's exhaust.
Pics:
Once it was built, I had to move my PSU and since I didn't build a shelf BEFORE putting this cab together (HINT), I had to come up with something creative. What I settled on for the moment is a couple of $1 shelf L-brackets and a piece of cardboard.
It works. PSU now sits in the space below where it had been.PSU Shelf
To be safe, I used some of that fabric I'd bought to trap lights behind my vents and tacked it in over the two air intakes in the carbon room. Then I noticed a little light leakage around the gaps between the wall and ceiling, so I just duct-taped the hell out of everything, including the holes for the wiring:
(l to r) before and after and a closeup from inside.
Here's the whole thing installed and working surprisingly well:
(l to r) before and after and a closeup from inside.
Here's the whole thing installed and working surprisingly well:
Lastly, a shot of my left cab and the best close-up (ish) pic I could get of my happy lil AK47#1:
More pics in the days to come. Stay tuned, true believers. And pay close attention or I'll sic my Agent on you!
More pics in the days to come. Stay tuned, true believers. And pay close attention or I'll sic my Agent on you!
Friggin Awesome!
Friggin Awesome!
It's a wonderful feeling that I didn't honestly expect to feel to see you using this thing. Your cab looks great!
I'll put some new pics up in the next few days. Got 10 plants in each room now, having gotten rid of 10 males. I've let my male AK live for the moment.
Trying to figure out if I can find a place to isolate him until he bursts so I can start up a sperm bank.
Friggin Awesome!
Well as I promised here are some pics:
Front of the cab:
Back of the cab:
It's a wonderful feeling that I didn't honestly expect to feel to see you using this thing. Your cab looks great!
Thus far, things are moving relatively slowly. Perhaps this is due to the 4 week veg from seed, but a few plants still haven't shown sex. Two of my AK47s are female and one is seems to be doing REALLY well, but the develpment isn't very pronounced at this stage (15 days in.) If I can scrape up the cash for a tripod, I'll be able to get some better pics. I'm not using the greatest digicam in the world at the moment. But I'll need to figure something out before July because I expect to be harvesting somewhere around the 10th of July or shortly thereafter and I'll need a way to judge my trics.
I'll put some new pics up in the next few days. Got 10 plants in each room now, having gotten rid of 10 males. I've let my male AK live for the moment.
Trying to figure out if I can find a place to isolate him until he bursts so I can start up a sperm bank.
DemonsGate
Member
Well I have you to thank for that and if everything works out I'll probably be using this thing for years to come. I'll be starting a thread once my seedlings get more established. I'll try to keep a pretty detailed grow journal, I'm going to try to start down the perpetual path right away. Hopefully we'll be able to get our cabs dialed in pretty quickly.
I've been thinking ahead about the same thing. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to use my closet (although I'll want to move my clothes out of there temporarily). I've ran across a thread you may find useful:
Pirate's Self Extracting Pollen Collection
I also plan on trying to make feminized seeds at some point by using colloidal silver.
Ahh so much to do and so little time
.
Lord Doobie
Member
Anti...I see you like to read and even computer design using CAD...nice write-up. There are a few things I'd like to post before too many begin to copy you exactly. Maybe these can be addressed.
The most obvious that struck me was the computer power supply. Are you sure it's only using a few watts? What about it's fan noise?
Secondly,
What happened is you've elected to go horizontal rather than vertical which also limits your growing height. I know in your case it's too late...but maybe someone else considering your box will find this of use.
Perhaps a vertical setup that looks like a bookshelf would serve better. You could put fake or even real books in it and the depth would look closer to real. It would be taller for more growth and could even have a door on the bottom (like entertainment centers) adding realism. At 6 feet in height, there's a lot you can do with a bookshelf setup.
However, until someone makes the complete all-in-one (veg, grow, dry) bookshelf cab, I like your setup the best. As the old addage says, there's always room for improvement.
I realize it's too late for Anti but perhaps others may benefit from my post. No flames from the punks, please...This is just constructive criticism for the big boys.
PS - What was the final tab on this? About $500?
The most obvious that struck me was the computer power supply. Are you sure it's only using a few watts? What about it's fan noise?
Secondly,
Keep in mind this is from a woman who knows nothing about it. If I were to walk into the room and see this, I'd immediately wonder the same thing. Why is this so huge when it's only holding 4 inch CD's? Now it triggers my curiosity. If I were to go to the rear, I'd see it's plugged in...Why would that be?
What happened is you've elected to go horizontal rather than vertical which also limits your growing height. I know in your case it's too late...but maybe someone else considering your box will find this of use.
Perhaps a vertical setup that looks like a bookshelf would serve better. You could put fake or even real books in it and the depth would look closer to real. It would be taller for more growth and could even have a door on the bottom (like entertainment centers) adding realism. At 6 feet in height, there's a lot you can do with a bookshelf setup.
However, until someone makes the complete all-in-one (veg, grow, dry) bookshelf cab, I like your setup the best. As the old addage says, there's always room for improvement.
I realize it's too late for Anti but perhaps others may benefit from my post. No flames from the punks, please...This is just constructive criticism for the big boys.
PS - What was the final tab on this? About $500?
Agent-Smith
Member
More pics in the days to come. Stay tuned, true believers. And pay close attention or I'll sic my Agent on you!
Damn right.....aint nobody better be fuckin' around
Agent-Smith
Member
This can be caused by the plants not being fully mature before putting them into flowering, so they could be around a week behind on their flip. And I say this from experience because some of the plants in my tunnel right now did the same thing lol.
I'm not sure, no. It occurs to me from my limited electrical knowledge and my experience with other kinds of power supplies that they don't output max power all the time. You may have a 300w car stereo, but if you have the volume turned down to 0... it's not pumping (or drawing) 300w. Not to mention that it could be rated at continuous operation or at peak. For example, if something is rated at 300w peak, that means that if you drive it as hard as possible it is BARELY capable of reaching that 300w threshold. But 90% of the time, it's putting out something closer to 40w. Example: If you run a low bass signal that requires your subs to activate... THEN it'll ask for that 300w. I'm asking very little from my PSU. I doubt -- even with inefficiency factored in -- that it is much higher than 50 watts an hour or so.
Here's something from a website that I found when I googled:
"Does PSU always use max power?"
Hopefully that clears up the misconception that a 300w PSU is pulling 300w every hour no matter what its actual energy needs are.
Negligible. It's super quiet, and it's in the center of the cab. I notice the three other fans before I'd ever notice the PSU fan.
Earlier in this thread, you'll see that I went into the explanation of why it's so big. There's a large piece of multimedia equipment that sits on top of my cab. The size makes perfect sense if it's to be used as a stand for that equipment. (I used to use a 4 person kitchen table as the stand which was even bigger.) It may require more explanation for someone who was not in my circumstances. I have elected not to share all the particular details of it because I'm trying to maintain at least a LITTLE discretion. You can see a little of that equipment in some of my pics, but I've tried to crop as many personal identifiers out of the pics as possible.
Besides my girlfriend's parents, there have only been two visitors to my current residence in the whole of the last year. I do most of my socializing away from home, so there's very little traffic in my place, as is.
The interior dimensions of my cab are based on the work of Dr. Bud Greengenes. His little bitty cab was designed for perpetual SOG and my cab is based largely on his work and that of his apprentice, Thundurkel. The height of the cab was designed this way on purpose.
Anyone who wishes to grow large plants from seed would do well to listen to your idea. I've actually got some pics on my computer that I found online somewhere of someone who had built a stealth bookcase. But that's for another project.
Which is why this is being posted in meticulous detail, so people can point out the faults before they ruin a harvest. Thanks for the kind words.
No more than $500, if you include the nutes, all supplies for building, lights, soil, carbon filter, etc.
When I stopped counting receipts, it was under $400, but I've spent a little money here and there since then. (Like the DIY carbon filter and my new perlite cloner which'll be up and running in a day or two.) EVERYTHING in this thread could be up and running for under $500.
MrAwder
Member
For that scrubber design is there a reason you use 2 containers besides the air flow layout of your cab? I'm looking at something similar but I was thinking just use a single container (the inner one) and set it into an square opening in the ceiling of my cab. In my case the utility room is all above the flower chamber so this would sit in an opening right above the light reflector, pulling air over the lights into the scrubber and up into the utility area out the back. My concern is charcoal dust falling thru the screen into the flower area and I'm wondering if that is part of the reason for the dual box design.
dreadvik
Active member
Very nice cab my friend! I totally see it's usage and I only wish you could get a bit more depth on it do it too vinyl as I know mates who'd take one then but then it would look a tad obvious
I was wondering if you was gonna cover the vents the seemed to leak light from one room to the other but seems you had that in hand What is the fabric you used there called btw? I have a few uses for that atm Is it strong too?
Can't wait to see some bud shots
I was wondering if you was gonna cover the vents the seemed to leak light from one room to the other but seems you had that in hand
What is the fabric you used there called btw? I have a few uses for that atm Is it strong too?Can't wait to see some bud shots
I think that you could do this with a single container if it was mounted to the ceiling of the cab and the fan was above it. I *DO* notice some charcoal dust that collects in the bottom of the outer basin, and yes, it does help to doubly ensure that no light leaks through into the other room. If you had other solutions for those issues (dust, light) then the single container would work fine, I think.
Thanks!
I was wondering if you was gonna cover the vents the seemed to leak light from one room to the other but seems you had that in hand
black felt. About $3 a yard at Wallymart. Thicker and stronger than the $2 black felt also sold at wallymart. I still have most of that yard left.
What I did was walk around their fabric section and pick up black fabric and hold it to my lips and breathed through it. Then I would hold it up toward the lights (in walmart) and get an idea of what light could get through it.
There may be something better out there. I originally tried using carbon filter sheets made for fish tanks but they didn't allow the air to pass easily through.
I have a few uses for that atm
For my purposes? Definitely. I wouldn't necessarily want to use it to rappel down the grand canyon or anything.
Asil
Member
I started reading around because I want to make a separate cabinet for my moms/cloning/veg and drying. That is when I came upon your thread. I think this is one of the best thought out and designed micros I have seen. I will be tokening some of you ideas and incorporating them into my design. That way I will still have my room to flower in. The space I have to work with is 40"hx60"x22"d. It is under my work bench in my air conditioned shop. The current grow room is behind a false wall behind second workbench. Any way keep up the good work and your plants are looking great. I plan on keeping a eye on this grow.
DonkeyPunch
Member
Good job on the light proofing - cabinet looks flawless now
Looking forward to the rest of the thread and yield. Very interested in what you are doing.
Looking forward to the rest of the thread and yield. Very interested in what you are doing.
DonkeyPunch
Member
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
BorkBorkBork
Member
Beautiful design bro.
CaptainStoner
Member
Nice, very nice. And a cab that (although good alreay) has room to experiment later.
Couple of questions people had from about 12 pages back (i read this from start to finish just now)
AC fans can be speed controlled with a device called a Variac, or Variable Transformer. this also eliminates the hum caused by using a cheap fan dimmer to do same job.
I'm doing similar at the moment, HDsog, about 2sqft - i'm using PL-L type lamps as they're easier and cheaper here in grow sized lamps (36w for me) and am about to use AC axial fans like thundurkels, except here in the UK we use 230vac rather than 120. mine are 120x120x38mm "top motor" taiwanese jobbies i picked up a case of super cheap at a local electronics shop.
And now for a little fan tweakery
If you take a dead fan of the same size you are using, and cut the middle out so you have the shroud only, then mount it so air flows like so filter> FAN> shroud> FAN> outlet. Using two IDENTICAL fans it effectively becomes an inline fan proper.
two fans of the same dB (noise) will simply add 3dB over the noise of one, but will pull WAY more static pressure and flow a lot more air when restricted. Use two fans like so, pulling through a carbon filter, and use a variac to turn them down to silent RPMs. Et voila, instant powerful extraction.
someone also asked about the 27w dropoff theory, where spiral type CFLs over 27w aren't as efficient as those under it - yep, it's true, all fluoro lamps have a wattage above which there is a dropoff in efficiency, normal T5s i think it's 48w but little spirals'll be lower - 27w sounds about right.
Couple of questions people had from about 12 pages back (i read this from start to finish just now)
AC fans can be speed controlled with a device called a Variac, or Variable Transformer. this also eliminates the hum caused by using a cheap fan dimmer to do same job.
I'm doing similar at the moment, HDsog, about 2sqft - i'm using PL-L type lamps as they're easier and cheaper here in grow sized lamps (36w for me) and am about to use AC axial fans like thundurkels, except here in the UK we use 230vac rather than 120. mine are 120x120x38mm "top motor" taiwanese jobbies i picked up a case of super cheap at a local electronics shop.
And now for a little fan tweakery
If you take a dead fan of the same size you are using, and cut the middle out so you have the shroud only, then mount it so air flows like so filter> FAN> shroud> FAN> outlet. Using two IDENTICAL fans it effectively becomes an inline fan proper.
two fans of the same dB (noise) will simply add 3dB over the noise of one, but will pull WAY more static pressure and flow a lot more air when restricted. Use two fans like so, pulling through a carbon filter, and use a variac to turn them down to silent RPMs. Et voila, instant powerful extraction.
someone also asked about the 27w dropoff theory, where spiral type CFLs over 27w aren't as efficient as those under it - yep, it's true, all fluoro lamps have a wattage above which there is a dropoff in efficiency, normal T5s i think it's 48w but little spirals'll be lower - 27w sounds about right.
UPDATE w/pics! Day 51 from seed, 20 from 12/12
UPDATE w/pics! Day 51 from seed, 20 from 12/12
Took these pics last night while tending to the (now daily) task of attempting to train these ungainly bitches!
I've never really attempted any kind of training before, so this is a trial by fire. I would appreciate any advice anyone might care to share.
I've eliminated every plant that had masculine/hermie characteristics. I built an emergency pollen catching bucket using a large plastic storage container and I've put the ak males in there. (That's unfortunately right, close readers, only ONE of my 3 surviving ak47s is a female. But she's growing beautifully and will be cloned after this post so that she can live on forever.)
I'm planning to save pollen from my ak47 male so that she can eventually give me some ak seeds for storage.
All of my runty mongoloid plants ended up being male, except one, which apparently topped itself very early and has three main stems.
Everyone remaining seems remarkably healthy compared to my previous attempts. I guess the cab is doing a decent job.
The real test will be once these mothers are hanging around on the left side while their clones are perping in the right side. That's when we'll know.
Here's the best two bud pics I could get with a hand held digital camera on my knees:
(day 20 since 12/12)
UPDATE w/pics! Day 51 from seed, 20 from 12/12
Took these pics last night while tending to the (now daily) task of attempting to train these ungainly bitches!
I've never really attempted any kind of training before, so this is a trial by fire. I would appreciate any advice anyone might care to share.
I've eliminated every plant that had masculine/hermie characteristics. I built an emergency pollen catching bucket using a large plastic storage container and I've put the ak males in there. (That's unfortunately right, close readers, only ONE of my 3 surviving ak47s is a female. But she's growing beautifully and will be cloned after this post so that she can live on forever.)
I'm planning to save pollen from my ak47 male so that she can eventually give me some ak seeds for storage.
All of my runty mongoloid plants ended up being male, except one, which apparently topped itself very early and has three main stems.
Everyone remaining seems remarkably healthy compared to my previous attempts. I guess the cab is doing a decent job.
The real test will be once these mothers are hanging around on the left side while their clones are perping in the right side. That's when we'll know.
Here's the best two bud pics I could get with a hand held digital camera on my knees:
(day 20 since 12/12)
