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Can you grow with cold cathode computer lighting?
- Thread starter ScrubNinja
- Start date
Hi OM, yes that has been my (highly uneducated) thinking all along. I've read a lot of LED grows and information as a reference. I suspect CCFL is a lot closer to LED than how we traditionally think of fluoro, despite technically being fluoros. I sure understand LEDs a lot better now anyway.
C
cork144
now thats a lovely lookin highpod
Thanks cork I'm lovin' it 
Can't wait to finish. The highpod is one of the coolest grows I've seen.
Here is a lights off pic.
Can't wait to finish. The highpod is one of the coolest grows I've seen.Here is a lights off pic.
CaptainStoner
Member
a lot of the coloured ccfls are just tubes with filters, particularly the cheap ones.
What uses a really bright, white CCFL Captain? I hear you cry, or maybe not but anyway, LCD tvs use them as backlights, so try and find a broken LCD tv, the bigger and brighter the better. Other places you may find them is cheap computer e-shops. dunno if ebuyer still run in america but here, they used to sell ccfls of 12" for a couple of bux a pair, with inverters.. but the green ones i put in a pc till i decided they were too untasteful weren't very bright. You can however get purple ones, and i do believe that you are warned not to stare directly at them whilst on because they're UV.. prob only a bit but its worth considering.. i've got 6 6" purples i'm saving to try this with.. ya'll just beat me to it
i just want to say i ******* LOVE this micro grow section of ic with all the mad scientists, garage engineers experimenting with stuff.. at least it aint just me
What uses a really bright, white CCFL Captain? I hear you cry, or maybe not but anyway, LCD tvs use them as backlights, so try and find a broken LCD tv, the bigger and brighter the better. Other places you may find them is cheap computer e-shops. dunno if ebuyer still run in america but here, they used to sell ccfls of 12" for a couple of bux a pair, with inverters.. but the green ones i put in a pc till i decided they were too untasteful weren't very bright. You can however get purple ones, and i do believe that you are warned not to stare directly at them whilst on because they're UV.. prob only a bit but its worth considering.. i've got 6 6" purples i'm saving to try this with.. ya'll just beat me to it
i just want to say i ******* LOVE this micro grow section of ic with all the mad scientists, garage engineers experimenting with stuff.. at least it aint just me
Hahaha! Cheers Captain! The Bitspowers and the blue Vantec don't seem to have any filter - they all look like standard white tubes when not operating. The UV one is the only coated one.
Look forward to seeing what you do with em mate. One thing I find strange about the shorter lengths is that they seem to be rated the same power usage as the longer ones, but they aren't any brighter.
By the way there were no warnings on the UV's box. Well, maybe it was in the instructions or something, I didn't actually read them. Mine seems to be UV-A which from what I understand is not the main UV we are after (at certain times). Growers mostly need UV-B, but it's a long confusing subject, I'll let you draw your own conclusions if interested. I'm looking forward to using it though.
Look forward to seeing what you do with em mate. One thing I find strange about the shorter lengths is that they seem to be rated the same power usage as the longer ones, but they aren't any brighter.
By the way there were no warnings on the UV's box. Well, maybe it was in the instructions or something, I didn't actually read them. Mine seems to be UV-A which from what I understand is not the main UV we are after (at certain times). Growers mostly need UV-B, but it's a long confusing subject, I'll let you draw your own conclusions if interested.
I'm looking forward to using it though.
Nice progress, Mr. Ninja.
Well I'm still working these damn bugs outta my perpetual, I build a reflector for my ccfls out of that wood trim like I was saying, just have to attach the bulbs somehow and foil it. Looks like I'll really have to modify my pc to fit the ccfls in though, I'm about 2 inches too short, I'm looking into getting anotherPC to build specifically for a ccfl grow. I think that It might be easier to just build a new setup rather then modify my current one. I'll keep ya posted.
+bump
+bump
Thanks Disco, and good to hear from you Stealth (pun intended )
How about hanging them vertical? I still haven't decided for sure in mine but I may need more room for the coco, so I tried tilting them on an angle and it works really well. The middle of each bulb is sort of in mid air and it's a cool spiral look (I wish you guys could see all the random stuff I see messing around with this setup)
I've ditched my plans to rebuild my server case (for now) and all the primo parts will be used for this project. I have the intakes cut. I've ordered a new PSU and I'm getting some shelf brackets to mount that, and the fan controller on the side of the pod. I'm sick of DIYing carbon filters and spending more money than if I had just bought one, so, I bought one (Phat filter 150mm x 500mm) I think I'll have it seperate, linked by ducting, unless I can attach it firmly to the lid or make a hook or something.
The fan power will be slightly less wattage than the lights themselves, which is a ridiculous amount of overkill... just the way I like it. The air circulation fan is 80cfm and 1.35 amps and will be mounted to the inside blowing horizontally so the whole cab is literally a fuckin' tornado...it's beautiful, man, beautiful. It's even stronger than the fan I plan to use for the actual exhausting!! If I roll with the angled bulbs, I can use them to angle the heat up with the circular flow. I think it'll work spectacularly well because with the fan in there, I could place my fingertip anywhere on the wall and feel strong breeze over them.
I also applied a second layer of mylar tape and it worked great! This whole thing will be totally light-proof and close to silent if all goes well.
)How about hanging them vertical? I still haven't decided for sure in mine but I may need more room for the coco, so I tried tilting them on an angle and it works really well. The middle of each bulb is sort of in mid air and it's a cool spiral look
(I wish you guys could see all the random stuff I see messing around with this setup)I've ditched my plans to rebuild my server case (for now) and all the primo parts will be used for this project. I have the intakes cut. I've ordered a new PSU and I'm getting some shelf brackets to mount that, and the fan controller on the side of the pod. I'm sick of DIYing carbon filters and spending more money than if I had just bought one, so, I bought one
(Phat filter 150mm x 500mm) I think I'll have it seperate, linked by ducting, unless I can attach it firmly to the lid or make a hook or something.The fan power will be slightly less wattage than the lights themselves, which is a ridiculous amount of overkill... just the way I like it. The air circulation fan is 80cfm and 1.35 amps and will be mounted to the inside blowing horizontally so the whole cab is literally a fuckin' tornado...it's beautiful, man, beautiful. It's even stronger than the fan I plan to use for the actual exhausting!! If I roll with the angled bulbs, I can use them to angle the heat up with the circular flow. I think it'll work spectacularly well because with the fan in there, I could place my fingertip anywhere on the wall and feel strong breeze over them.
I also applied a second layer of mylar tape and it worked great! This whole thing will be totally light-proof and close to silent if all goes well.
Hi oldbootz, cheers. I'm not too sure about top lighting. I may just use the two short orange ones as top lights. I only want to encourage the side growth really, as the growspace is approx 30cm from top of coco to bottom of fan.
P
prop215
doubtful after you add up the cost of all the lights and power plugs etc
Thanks apples, I did post them up earlier but I forget now exactly. I think it was like 32 watts. I haven't wired them yet as I want the power supply and stuff mounted so I can see the best way to have them.
Yeah those pesky lights and power plugs etc.
It's all inclusive, man. Just need a power supply. It cost me approx 150AUD for the lights and new psu, and I live in an expensive technological black hole of a country. I'm quite happy with that.
Set the controls for the heart of the sun
Set the controls for the heart of the sun
Edit: Apples, these 12 bulbs = 34.2 watts
Set the controls for the heart of the sun
Edit: Apples, these 12 bulbs = 34.2 watts
Last edited:
uhhhhhhh. *speechless*
Holy crap man! now I see what you're saying. When you mentioned something about the lights at an angle, I was thinking like a spiral staircase but with the axis right up the middle and the bulbs horizontally toward the center, in a full sized highpod(my mind works kinda abstract). Then that really got me thinking, because you could grow a plant in a corkscrew shape though the bulbs and maybe train it to a corkscrew screen. Well that's what I've had in my head the past few days anyways.
But wow I wasn't even thinking about the way you have them. That's kickass. I was looking at a shorter can but the lights wouldn't fit in it, and you figured out the fix.
Man I can't wait to see the cool color patterns that throws off when you fire it up.
Holy crap man! now I see what you're saying. When you mentioned something about the lights at an angle, I was thinking like a spiral staircase but with the axis right up the middle and the bulbs horizontally toward the center, in a full sized highpod(my mind works kinda abstract). Then that really got me thinking, because you could grow a plant in a corkscrew shape though the bulbs and maybe train it to a corkscrew screen. Well that's what I've had in my head the past few days anyways.
But wow I wasn't even thinking about the way you have them. That's kickass. I was looking at a shorter can but the lights wouldn't fit in it, and you figured out the fix.
Man I can't wait to see the cool color patterns that throws off when you fire it up.
Hehe Yeah it's a great way to go I reckon! There's enough room to tuck buds behind the tubes, so it's sort of benefiting from vertical, but it's not really vertical...and anything else is caught pretty well by the reflector wall, and it means there's more chance of a bud being hit by multiple colours, instead of being up near one colour. And the bulbs are physically closer to the centre where the plant is. Plus the whole tornado ventilation thing. It's just win/win. I only need to rearrange a bulb slightly to fit the fan in. I wish I had a strong, clear 80mm fan. I have a weak clear 80mm with red LEDs! But it's not strong enough.
I too can't wait to see it lit up I will wait for the PSU though, so it's less work for me, haha.
Yeah it's a great way to go I reckon! There's enough room to tuck buds behind the tubes, so it's sort of benefiting from vertical, but it's not really vertical...and anything else is caught pretty well by the reflector wall, and it means there's more chance of a bud being hit by multiple colours, instead of being up near one colour. And the bulbs are physically closer to the centre where the plant is. Plus the whole tornado ventilation thing. It's just win/win. I only need to rearrange a bulb slightly to fit the fan in. I wish I had a strong, clear 80mm fan. I have a weak clear 80mm with red LEDs! But it's not strong enough.I too can't wait to see it lit up
I will wait for the PSU though, so it's less work for me, haha.
Mr.Jones
Active member
Edit: Apples, these 12 bulbs = 34.2 watts
holy s*
... how close will it come to lightspeed?looks awesome
