LORD BENIS
Member
I won't go into all the details of setting up the actual box as it's fairly self expanitory in the directions and many other great threads already out there:
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=21879&highlight=mills+pride
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=20641&highlight=c-13
Just thought I'd post my particular spin on things....
The first tweak I made was to attach a peice of melamine to the back instead of the cheap flimsy cardboard(?) backing that comes with the cabinet. It's thicker than plywood so it adds a lot more stability and it's already a nice brilliant white color.
The second thing to remember is to attach the weather stripping to the front of the cabinet BEFORE the doors are attached to the hinges. I used the white rubber kind thats hollow in the center.
The doors are definately a two (if not three) person job. They're a bitch to get perfectly aligned but once you do they're pretty easy to adjust.
Once the doors are adjusted I put on some magnetic "tot locks". Again, a bit of a bitch, but after a few precision adjustments it seals up nice.
After you've built the basic structure my first recomendation would be to reinforce all the corners with gussets. This will help support the cabinet when you're ready to move it.
Next, I installed a pair of darkroom louvers for passive intake, one on the back and the other in the shelf that seperates the two chambers. They have a low profile and are very effective at light sealing while still allowing air to freely pass through.
To wire it all up I just found a drill bit that best matched the size of an extention cord and drilled a small hole next to each louver; again one out the back and the other through the shelf. Then I cut the plug off and ran the cord through the hole and re-attached with a new plug.
I use the bottom to clone and the top to veg . I've got the classic aero cloner under a two foot fluoro in the bottom.
On the top I put a small grate over the louver so it could breathe and a rubbermaid on that to hold the actual pots and catch run off.
My 250 watt Metal Halide fits perfectly inside the cabinet hanging from a dowel rod. The ballast is attached to the reflector so I ran a chain directly from the roof to help support it's weight.
And finally a 170 cfm fan pulls air through the back, up through the canopy, cools the light, and exhausts through a 4 inch hole in the top. Temps inside the cab haven't gone beyond 2 or 3 degrees above the ambient room temperature.
Well, there she is. I'm only cloning and vegging in here so I'll spare you the boring pics. Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. Peace
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=21879&highlight=mills+pride
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=20641&highlight=c-13
Just thought I'd post my particular spin on things....
The first tweak I made was to attach a peice of melamine to the back instead of the cheap flimsy cardboard(?) backing that comes with the cabinet. It's thicker than plywood so it adds a lot more stability and it's already a nice brilliant white color.
The second thing to remember is to attach the weather stripping to the front of the cabinet BEFORE the doors are attached to the hinges. I used the white rubber kind thats hollow in the center.
The doors are definately a two (if not three) person job. They're a bitch to get perfectly aligned but once you do they're pretty easy to adjust.
Once the doors are adjusted I put on some magnetic "tot locks". Again, a bit of a bitch, but after a few precision adjustments it seals up nice.
After you've built the basic structure my first recomendation would be to reinforce all the corners with gussets. This will help support the cabinet when you're ready to move it.
Next, I installed a pair of darkroom louvers for passive intake, one on the back and the other in the shelf that seperates the two chambers. They have a low profile and are very effective at light sealing while still allowing air to freely pass through.
To wire it all up I just found a drill bit that best matched the size of an extention cord and drilled a small hole next to each louver; again one out the back and the other through the shelf. Then I cut the plug off and ran the cord through the hole and re-attached with a new plug.
I use the bottom to clone and the top to veg . I've got the classic aero cloner under a two foot fluoro in the bottom.
On the top I put a small grate over the louver so it could breathe and a rubbermaid on that to hold the actual pots and catch run off.
My 250 watt Metal Halide fits perfectly inside the cabinet hanging from a dowel rod. The ballast is attached to the reflector so I ran a chain directly from the roof to help support it's weight.
And finally a 170 cfm fan pulls air through the back, up through the canopy, cools the light, and exhausts through a 4 inch hole in the top. Temps inside the cab haven't gone beyond 2 or 3 degrees above the ambient room temperature.
Well, there she is. I'm only cloning and vegging in here so I'll spare you the boring pics. Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. Peace
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