bobblehead overtakes

[silver hawaiian]

I'm wondering how rigid the whole rig would be after the modification. Obviously it's going to have some pressure/force on it when it gets stabbed into the container.

Or I suppose you could sort of have the blumat in the container and sort of fill the medium in around the blumat, rather than stabbing the blumat into the medium..

But, hell, your coco is probably a little more pliable than my dirt.

 

[DaveTheNewbie]

if the entire green length is covered in a longer piece of PVC i would imagine it would actually be stronger than before

 

[bobblehead]

Things are getting back to normal at bobblefarms. The pH and EC held steady the previous week. With all spaces filled, it was a pretty simple trip. I just had to manage the reservoirs, and do a few tweaks here and there.

Lets get the horizontal room out of the way, since nobody likes that one anyway... I bought some more chain to lower the lamps on the table to the left. They were way too high. That table is at 5 weeks now. I wish I had planted heavier, but it is what it is. pH issues and all. The table on the right is 7 weeks, and the middle table is 1 week.

I transplanted 48 plants to 2 gallon pots to refill the octagon either next week or the following week... Depends on how the plants look next week. Anyway, I'll be going with 48 larger plants instead of 96 smaller ones. there's 12 chem sis x NL, 12 Straw DD, and 24 Headband.

the Chem @ 9 weeks in the octagon

Straw DD @ 3 weeks- this room is starting to turn around... but didn't stretch and I wish I had planted heavier.

Straw DD @ 2 weeks- this room is turning around and should be ok come week 10.

 

[greenmatter]

As for modding a trop-f into a maxi... I intend to cut one in half in the middle of the green res, and inserting a length of tubing to connect them.... I'm gonna do this when I get back from my weekly trip, to decide if I should order some maxis with the tensiometer or if I can successfully mod the trop-f's. I haven't heard of anyone trying.

been working on this problem for a bowl or two . here is what i came up with.......




you need one of these, it is the only tool that you need that most people won't already have



the rest is done with a utility knife and some silicon (i don't think PVC glue would work on the green blumat plastic)



they have been running for a couple days now with no problems ....... but i'm not counting chickens yet

 

[FlowerFarmer]

^Awesome stuff. Thanks!

 

[greenmatter]

^Awesome stuff. Thanks!

no problem FF!

but before everyone goes hacking blumats in half let me see if this actually works. it would not be the first time that theory and reality did not exactly "mesh" on something i built.

i'm betting that it will work fine, but i don't want to bet YOUR plants on MY ideas ....... please let me kill my own shit if i'm wrong

anything goes south with these and i'll post it here and in the blumat thread as soon as i can

 

[bobblehead]

Thanks greenmatter! That's a very nice and clean mod! I was going to look for something to screw on top of the blumat to simply extend the tubing without cutting it before I played surgeon... It looks like 3/8" threads.

I'm gonna be holding out for your results! This modification and a dialed environment can really help push the limits with blumats. From what I've read, the maxis are more reliable.... But also more expensive.

 

[megayields]

Straw DD looks simply AMAZING! Hope your getting all A's in school mang!

 

[greenmatter]

I was going to look for something to screw on top of the blumat to simply extend the tubing without cutting it before I played surgeon... It looks like 3/8" threads.

i was looking in that direction but i couldn't find anything off the shelf that i thought would work. that green blumat plastic is really soft as far as plastic goes so i really don't think you could get a good seal with anything else. i think it seals at the top of the tube and not the threads so cranking something in there tight enough to seal would trash the blumat IMHO, and any sealers you used would make opening an closing the thing to prime them or get bubbles out a large PITA.

there is more than one way to skin a cat though, and it would be nice to find a way around needing the 7/8 reamer ...... it's not exactly a common tool and costs about $50 last time i checked

.......... but if it works i won't need to buy 20 maxis at $7 a pop

 

[bobblehead]

i was looking in that direction but i couldn't find anything off the shelf that i thought would work. that green blumat plastic is really soft as far as plastic goes so i really don't think you could get a good seal with anything else. i think it seals at the top of the tube and not the threads so cranking something in there tight enough to seal would trash the blumat IMHO, and any sealers you used would make opening an closing the thing to prime them or get bubbles out a large PITA.

there is more than one way to skin a cat though, and it would be nice to find a way around needing the 7/8 reamer ...... it's not exactly a common tool and costs about $50 last time i checked

.......... but if it works i won't need to buy 20 maxis at $7 a pop

Try $100 for the reamer... but considering I have 100 blumats... Its still worth the expense. Anybody have a more affordable option?


would this work? it's $17.

Did you drill the hole all the way to 7/8"? I could also use a drill bit, couldn't I?

 

[greenmatter]

Try $100 for the reamer... but considering I have 100 blumats... Its still worth the expense. Anybody have a more affordable option?

OUCH !!!!!!

FWIW you could probably buy a really low quality reamer if you could find one and it would work.

PVC is really mild stuff compared to what most reamers are made to deal with ......... Harbor Freight is not a place i shop for tools but if they have reamers you could probably get a set for a 100 bones

let me smoke a few bowls and get back to ya ....... it's easy to take what you have in the tool box for granted, so i gotta get my mind right

 

[greenmatter]

Try $100 for the reamer... but considering I have 100 blumats... Its still worth the expense. Anybody have a more affordable option?


would this work? it's $17.
View Image



Did you drill the hole all the way to 7/8"? I could also use a drill bit, couldn't I?

i didn't have to go all the way to 7/8", and the cap and the cone are slightly different sizes.

a reamer does not have steps in it like the one you posted B. they are tapered but the edge is straight.

i own one of the ones you posted, let me see if i can make it work before you go buy one ....... my guess would be yes, but i'll need to use some more silicon

 

[silver hawaiian]

Harbor Freight is not a place i shop for tools but if they have reamers you could probably get a set for a 100 bones

Thanks for takin' the plunge gm! Can't wait to see how this works out for ya. And by ya, I mean Us.

And generally speaking, I'm with you on the appraisal of HF.. Though there are two thoughts that run through my mind in favor of HF:

1. Tailor-made for tools for a relatively short-life-span job (this project)

2. I'm not a handy guy at all, so for some tools, I figure for as often as I'll use it, I'll probably live and be blissfully ignorant to the fact that there's a better mousetrap out there.

 

[DaveTheNewbie]

been working on this problem for a bowl or two . here is what i came up with.......

awesome work GM, as simple as it is, its a nice job for sure.
in my mind i was going to cut the green plastic in the middle and slide the PVC over the top like a collar rather than replace it.
either way should work tho.

 

[megayields]

for $100 bucks for a reamer she better be good looking!

 

[FlowerFarmer]

I use these from HF for all sorts of things. Great purchase. $15 for the pair.

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-piece-titanium-nitride-coated-high-speed-steel-step-drills-96275.html

The larger one "all the way through" is 1 3/8" which just so happens to be the perfect size hole for your normal hydro shop "drain fitting".

The smaller all the way through is 7/8" which is exactly the same needed for your normal GH 1/2" grommet.

No more hunting for the right bit, these two are great to have around when drilling plastics.

 

[greenmatter]

for $100 bucks for a reamer she better be good looking!

mega i worry about someone who uses "she" and "reamer" next to each other ....... are you and Tesla googling the same things?


i used one of these http://www.amazon.com/Greenlee-34403-Multi-Hole-Step-Bit/dp/B000N5NF7M to do the same job the expensive tool did in less time. you don't even need to clamp the pipe down so it is WAY faster.

bet ya anything the is i knock off of this tool at HF ....... or the original is stocked at Home Depot or Lowe's

 

[bobblehead]

Welcome to innovation Friday. If this doesn't work, I will be sure to pass off all the blame on greenmatter. It was his idea to go modifying blumats to begin with...

So anyway, like the g man demonstrated, it doesn't take much to do this modification.

Cut your PVC to 6" length, and bore it out. I used the whole 7/8" and the sensor and top fit like a glove.

This is a dry fit before I silicon everything together. Looks just like greenmatter's.

and for an added bonus... Are you tired of buying different fittings to make your bulkheads work with with cheaper PVC pipe? The inner threads of the bulkhead are 3/4".

 

[silver hawaiian]

Nice work bobble! And greenmatter too, of course.

So both ends of the PVC bored out to 7/8" seems to do the trick, for both ends? The sensor and the cap, that is.. ?

 

[Avinash.miles]

love the innovation going on in here right now, kudos yall for keeping it experimental!