Automated personal light dep box

[Mechman]

Okay guys, first time posting so bare with me. I have been growing for myself for about 20 years but had mixed results due to mold, bugs and stress i got very tired of paying for the lights with no decent product to show, no more! About 4 or 5 years ago i decided to turn the sun off instead of the lights on and built my "god box".

 

[Big-Narstie]

Wow you clever git lol bloody epic that mate.. With your engineering skills I'm surprised you wernt smashing it indoors but glad you didn't as that we wouldn't be seeing this now ����������

Don't know why you campflaged it when it's all closed up tho hehe

 

[BC1]

That's beautiful. What kind of mechanisms do you use to power and control timing? Its all AC based and uses normal timers? I have been working on a similar DC system for 3 years now hopefully get it running outdoors this season.

Congratulations that is the first working automated light dep on the internet!

 

[maxmurder]

fuck yeah mcguyver

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

Thats a beautiful green box you hacked together, Mechman! Reminds me of the type of home engineering I used to see a lot of in Sky & Telescope Magazine about 30 years ago.
If you're looking for ideas for upgrades or to see how other people tackled similar problems, there might be a little bit of crossover between automated personal light dep boxes and some gear thats out there for automated home astronomical observatories.

Post plans, details, more pics, etc.

Here is a photo from skyshed.com. They don't explicitly say that you can use pot plants instead of a telescope, but they don't say you can't either.

 

[klint]

Yoo Mechman Youve just kill it bro! Looks real good. Best lightdeep ive ever seen! Keep up the good work fella

 

[Mechman]

Thanks guys, i dont usually post my projects for others benifit and it has been a source of guilt at times. So thank you for ALL the posts from everybody else in all their endevors and the warm responce to mine. So i started off with a couple different designs. Box,tarp, lid. Each seemed to have its own benifit. The lid is super simple but without walls that lower, the lower parts of the plant are in shadow during low sun. The tarp designs are inexpensive but not as mechanically stable, like in a good wind. I went with the box design because it gives the best light and air circulation for the plants. It is unfortunately the most complicated design as it has two different systems, the door and the carraige. This presents some odd issues, like drainage, power and water to the carraige. First i built the box support to span the roof rafters and automated the door on the box by itself(even grew plants in there for a while). The door is pulled down against the closer reels by a gear reduced 24vdc motor untill it hits a limit switch to start the carraige out routine. The motor for the door pulls on a toothed belt attached to the top of the door and tensoined by a very long piece of bungee cord run thru a pvc pipe under the box support(back and forth around a small pully once inside the 1 1/2" pipe). When the door hits the limit switch the carraige begins to roll out guided by the aluminum channels mounted sideways and seamed at the door hinge whith 45 degree cuts. The carraige is powered by the same type of motor as the door just reduced again to increase the power and decrease the speed. Realize that i have access to a lot of mechanical items due to my job but you could manage with other motors and gear reduction from maybe.. a kids electric car or maybe a mobility device for the handicapped? So the carraige rolls out untill it hits its own limit switch and stops the open cycle. The close is the same at 5:30am, only after its closed the water is turned on and run down the curly hose that trails the carraige with the motor power. The water drains from the carraige thru a matching drain in the bottom of the box it lines up with after hitting the limit switch. Then she opens at 8:30am (or time appropriate for the season) and lets the magic in. This makes it TOTALLY hands free. No super strict routine, no "sorry i cant go to dinner" problems. Give me a second and i will post the schematics. Thanks again for the interest guys!

 

[Mechman]

Here are pics of the control cirquit[/ATTACH]

 

[mayorofthdesert]

That's crazy inventive, my hat is off to you!

 

[hamstring]

Looks like ladder logic are you using a PLC or just relays to run it? Also doesn't the box get hot and humid when closed?

 

[tech1234]

Very cool. Great job. Thanks for posting this. This kind of idea sharing is what the internet is all about

 

[BruceBanner]

Great stuff man!

 

[Mechman]

Hey hamstring, i used an irrigation timer cause it was cheap plus i am running the entire system off of a 24v battery that is trickle charged by the irrigation timer power supply. That way i can keep all 120vac off the roof cause that sounded like a bad idea. Relay logic only again because its cheap, and also available from my job. The plants only need to be in the box in the early morning from 5:30 till 8:30am to extend the dark period to 12 hrs. I also installed a 24 or 12 volt fan to circulate air through the box only when it is closed.

 

[isitisi]

Very inspirational! Actually I daydreamed about something like this, it's nice someone is doing it. Hope everything goes well, definitely subbed!

 

[moritzst]

very nice shit man, even though "god box" sounds a little bit over the top

lets see them in full bloom, thx

greez