I'll take CFL UFO for 60$ please, AlexTrebek!

[AlexTrebek]

This DIY pictoral will be dedicated to all the brothers and sisters here at ICmag that have impregnated me with techniques, tutorials, plant sciences, reputation and much much more!
​

Shopping list :
1 - Round surge protector ~25$
6 - Plug to socket adapters ~5$
6 - CFL's of choice ~20$
*** 13w, 23w and 42w CFL's can be used by preferrence - 23w we're most economical though ***

Tools/Materials:
1 - Roll of tape
2 - Half inch screws for mounting
1 - Corresponding screwdriver


The most important part of the build is the circular surge protector:

It will be mounted upside down like so on either of the following:
- A large 18-20'' Diameter metal salad bowl ~3-4$ or free
- An old beaten up batwing reflector ~free

Those 2 fixtures give best reflectivity for easiest amount of work but the best set up is on a piece of wood or particle board as it promotes the best heat dissipation.

If your using an IKEA cab that has raisable shelves like me, mount it directly to the bottom of that board like so:

*** After mounted secure the rim with tape so it doesn't slip out of it's screws ***
Once sturdily secured to your fixture or board you may now attach the 6 plug to socket adapters to the fixture like so:

*** You may have to use your thumb and push down from the inside if your sockets are the cheap, local kind ***

Now we can proceed to placing our 6 bulbs into the sockets and screwing them firmly in (lol) like so:

Now it's time to promptly light her up wich is simple with the ON / OFF button already located in the center of the fixture.

I chose the UFO because I find CFL's get the best light coverage on a 45' where I can achieve close to 50% direct light.
A horizontal CFL in my opinion can only reach about ~30% direct light due to the fact that the top half conflicts with the bottom half.
But let's not get to technical with it, that's when pointless arguments start and the learning process halts to a stop.

Another positive aspect of this layout is that I was having trouble with CFL's being tightly packed and generating heat,
in this setup the bulbs are given twice the room to dissipate heat and you may implement low dB PC fans for that extra touch.

I have yet to grow with it so I won't theorize about the light footprint,
We'll see how the White Widow does under them soon.

This was a fun little write-up of my DIY and I had fun messing around with paint / microsoft word.
The point of this DIY tutorial was mainly to see if I could generate any interest with my style.
If I'm able to get 10 positive posts on this thread or through PM's,
I will buy a camera and completely re-update the thread with pictures of the ACTUAL fixture in my cab.

And that's todays, daily double!

 

[KanadianKronik]

heres one positive post... really good idea man, i may have to look into building one.

 

[AlexTrebek]

Hey thanks allot buddy,
I'm feelin the good vibes!
I was hoping it wouldn't turn into a thread with 1000 views and 0 replies like others I've made, now I can rest easy

 

[sublimesmoker]

very nice DIY man, looks like a killer setup for cfls.

 

[Stromisle]

That is really sweet and space efficient!

 

[AlexTrebek]

Thanks for the good vibes sublimesmoker and Stormisle!
I took big bushy lowryder girl out of the veg box and put her under the light and she looked really good and well lit. I think two of these should flower my two girls with 1month of veg quite nicely.

 

[3dDream]

Add some t's to that and you could have a 250 watt cfl spider monster. I use 3 t's to make a 100W light that can support many moms. I want to try this with that power supply.

 

[AlexTrebek]

Add some t's to that and you could have a 250 watt cfl spider monster.

Oh no not spiders! The fixture is really easy to customize and swap out sockets or bulbs, I'm still experementing the best bulb configuration, your idea for a 12-legged spider sounds awesome :x

 

[señorsloth]

have any pics of the finished product? i'm rebuilding my veg room this weekend and this looks quite interesting, what benefits does this setup have over say, a an 18 by 18 inch square of t5 style tube floros...doesn't it seem like it would be a lot more efficient to just use them to cover large spaces vs cfl's that put out a lot of heat and waste lumens compared to banks of tubes...ive always used cfl's mostly for spot lighting, and the tubes for lighting up larger spaces...i could be wrong though

 

[Rjstoner]

nice idea alex.how many whats can the round surge protector handle?

 

[xmobotx]

brilliant

 

[AlexTrebek]

Thank you senorsloth and Rjstoner,

To address your question senorsloth, Although I haven't grown with it, I plan on flowering 2 plants under 2 fixtures so the nice even circular footprint is why I went for the UFO shape. I'm using 2 of these over a 18'' by 30'' cab interior and I believe this will give me a good coverage. This would fit into 18'' by 18'' space like a glove and you could even get away using 13w CFL's in early veg for less consumption and heat. I do use tubes, T12 Aquarium lights, but not as a main source of lighting, usually side lighting. If the UFO design proves usefull, I will scale up the design so that a cab rougly the size of picnic table would have 6-8 UFO's. PM me if ever you want to talk more about it.

Very good question Rjstoner.
In my opinion, around 500w of CFL light if your running 24/0 lights,
should be safe and it is be rated for it. It's not so much the protector that would fail, It's those cheapo' socket adapters that I wouldn't trust to be used past 500w. I will go plug in 6 x 100w incandescents and see if it runs securily for an hour or so. Even with Y-splitters and 12 x 42w CFL's I doubt you could overclock the power surge protector, but test it out any configuration at your own discretion just to make sure it's safe.

**Edit: My protector is rated for 900 joules, I'll do the math and see what Wattage or Amperage that equates too **

I'll take good vibes for 400$ everyone!

 

[AlexTrebek]

Update: I've built a second UFO in a time attack fashion, my total build time was 11mins and 42secs. Warm white is now installed right next to his cooler brother, a cool white brother. Looked at the receipts and the cost for my 276w cab lighting lighting was 124.37$, wich I'm very happy with. All that's left to do is add the Whisperstealth bathroom fan/filter and we'll be up and running.
To take temps and other stuff.

Thanks for the PM's guys, I love to talk lighting!
Thanks for the good vibes xmobotx!
Happy new year!

 

[billy_big_bud!]

honestly, it has been quite some time since i have seen a new idea, let alone one so utterly brilliant. you seriously deserve a pat on the back and a nice bowl of the highest grade kush. happy new year my friend. you will be starting the new year a step ahead. color me impressed.

 

[rollinmachine]

theres tons of posibilities there. also cuts down the amount of cords to multiple cfl sockets. hold 6x13 watters for a 78watt mother light fixture. or pump it up to 12x42watters for 504 watt flower fixture with a built in surge protector. and any kind of combination u can think of in between.

Great find Alex

 

[AlexTrebek]

Hey thanks allot billy big bud and rollinmachine!
Nice to see a fellow canadian!
I'm tweaking with the UFO's as we speak and I think I have a sinister plan for them, stay tuned for bigger badder updates!

 

[armedoldhippy]

neat UFO, Alex. i love CFLs myself...

 

[AlexTrebek]

Hey thanks allot armedoldhippy!
I seem to have gotten very helpfull feedback on this first draft so I will try and procure a decent camera re-edit with a cleaner / maybe simpler look to the thread. Next time I will post on this thread will be after I have finished the revision of the edit.
Thanks allot for all the support,
CFL's need their glory!

 

[AlexTrebek]

I edited allot of the terrible spelling today and I've taken some cellphone pictures of the build,
sadly though these cellphone pictures look like shit and I don't really feel right putting them up in the thread,
I will try and find a better camera and I will try and get some decent pics in here before the thread dies, thanks allot for the rep everyone!

Stay safe by staying quiet!

 

[5th]

As a cfl user myself I had to throw some Rep. at ya Al. When using 23w bulbs what kinda diameter we looking at here? I agree about the bulb angles from nothing but experience. Looking to upgrade the lighting in my AF/cfl cab...and if it fits...I'll post a few pics of my new UFO in action.