Light mover timing...

[smurfin'herb]

i have the intelli drive, and it has a knob to adjust how long it stops for at each end (delay) so that the middle doesnt get more light than the rest . Im wondering how your suppposed to figure out how to adjust the delay for your specific situation. Lets make it easy and say we have a 3x6 table with 1 600watt on a mover. How long of a delay would you set it for...? and why? thx guys, im new with the movers.

 

[hehateme19]

Hey here is my answer to your question. My light pauses for about 1 min on the stopper (end of the rails) on both sides. I never did much research as to how and why of pausing light but I know this works for me. My rail is 6 ft (I am only running 6 plants under it right now so I run it a bit shorter around 4.5 ft total distance) and its a 1000 watt hps, air cooled hood, and that delay time has worked well for me.

Now Im gonna have to go and time how long the pause is at the end, cuz Ive been guessing, thanks a lot. Just kidding of course

 

[hehateme19]

I almost forgot about coming back with an update......But anyways I went and timed the delay on the mover and it is actually 25 seconds on each end. So sorry about the misinformation earlier, I wanted to make sure that I followed up with the real numbers.

 

[badugi]

Experience (trial & error). Presence of (and distance to) side reflective material makes a big difference.

Has a lot... or everything... to do with speed of motor, garden layout, reflector, bulb wattage, etc. Your mileage WILL vary.

 

[smurfin'herb]

its a intelli drive 3.5 pushing 4 x 600's across a 14 x 4 foot table. It turns out to be about 43 w/sq.ft. w/o the mover, but i just got the mover to boost that number up a lil bit. Theres got to be some kind of system on how to figure the timing of the movers for your situation rather than just feeling it out.

 

[badugi]

Theres got to be some kind of system on how to figure the timing of the movers for your situation rather than just feeling it out.

There isn't. Too many variables involved.

It's like asking "how fast can I get there?"

To answer that question accurately, you have to know answers to some questions. Where is there? How fast are you traveling? And by what method? Is there traffic, or other things to slow you down? How aggressive are you driving? Remove just one piece of information, and the answer is likely useless.

Stop being lazy and use some common sense. There is no "one size fits all" in custom gardening applications, as you seem to think. If you want a custom solution to a custom problem, you really need to put some custom measurements & methods in.

YOUR MILEAGE WILL VARY. Not may. Will.

 

[smurfin'herb]

Dude back off a bit, i just asked a question. I wasnt being mean. im not lazy man.

 

[badugi]

Dude, I know you're not being mean... but it seems like when people give you the answer, it's just never good enough and you want people to come out and basically do it for you. I'm pretty sure this isn't the first time I've called you out on that.

 

[smurfin'herb]

so what if i want people to help me, thats why this sites here right? i can learn from others faster than i can by experience, (and cheaper too).

 

[killabrown420]

i would guess there is a thread or a post somewhere out there either on IC or somewhere else that had the information you desire, but instead of searching for it you took the shortcut and just started your own thread. There are two trains of thought when it comes to this. First, you were lazy and didn't do the required research and reading to answer your question, or second, by you starting this thread, someone in the not so distant future, with your same dimensions and setup will benefit by pulling up this thread while doing a search for the same problem you are having.

quite a quasi paradoxical conundrum when you think about it.

SH I've found that the best way to solve a problem is to do it yourself. IC can help with that sure, but when it comes down to it, your the one who has to decide what to do and how to do it, ya dig? For example, I started a thread asking for advice or criticism on my new setup before I started construction. Well I only got a few replies that were helpful after a week or two, I couldn't wait around for others to decide what was best for me. I think you need to take the advice you've already been given and figure out whats best for you, and then post them once your dialed in so others can benefit.

 

[smurfin'herb]

I did do a search. on ic, and google! and found no useful info. i was gonna call the company tomorrow and see what they say. I just thought it would be easy for someone to give an answer for the example i gave in my first post about the 3x6 and the 600watt. If a 600 has a solid 3x3 footprint, then it would require 2x600's to cover a 3x6 tray. NOW, what im saying, is if you took one of those 600's away and put up a mover, then how long in that certain scenario, would you want it to pause at each end (using a 3.5 intelli drive) ? If someone could answer that and explain the reasoning behind it, then i could maybe get a clearer idea as to how to go about setting the timing for my situation. I would think that in this scenario, the middle would get twice as much light as the ends if the mover were to have no delay at all. So i would think to start by timing how long the it takes the mover to go over the middle section of plants and then multiply that by 2 to account for it crossing the middle 2x during a full down and back movement. At the same time i could time how long the end sections of plant on the table get lit for. Then take these two times (middle time, and end time), and keep adjusting the mover until all sections of the table recieve the same amount of light. This is the best theory i could come up with on this issue. am i on the right path fellas...?

 

[Cotyledons]

You are on the right path for shure, the lightrail 3.5 website has the information you need in the product support section.

 

[smurfin'herb]

thx cotyledons, i went there, and it said pretty much what i was describing on how i thought it worked. They obviously had a better description tho!

 

[killabrown420]

therein lies the problem many of us run into when it comes to using the search function. there are so many threads out there that finding the right one, or particular post can become cumbersome and downright frustrating.

i think you are on the right track. math never was my strong suit but it seems that there should be some science behind maximizing a light mover. it'd be great if you found a formula that works and share it w/ everyone. good luck!

 

[smurfin'herb]

a formula would be nice, but like the support on the site says, there are many variables, so even if they did find/offer one, it would probly end up being a rough estimate for your specific situation, and a rough estimate is not very custom... But if i find some useful info i will update.

 

[HIGHGROOVE]

bump