Remote CFL Ballasts..... Who has the skinny on these?

[alexonfire]

First of all I want to say I love all the info on this thread. Ive been over at RIU for my last grows but now that ive been researching about PL-L's Ive headed over to icmag to find tons of new info!

Im getting a Workhorse 8 and I already have 4 X 3000k 36w and 4 X 6500k 36w.
I will be running the 4 X 6500k for veg and then switch to 4 X 3000k and 2 X 6500k for flowering. Total of 216w and 17400 Lumens - 2.44 ft2 = 7131 Lumens per square foot. This will be in a space of 27"x14" and 22" Tall.
My first run will be with 4 or 6 (I havent decided the size of pots) Easy Ryders. If I can find 1.5 gallon pots then I will be able to fit 6 in my grow space, hopefully they wont be too crowded.
I will post pics when I get everything set up.

 

[alexonfire]

Just got in my shipment today of bulbs!
4 x 36w 3000k
4 x 36w 6500k
You can see the ends look a little bit different at the ends, the 3000k are from a company called Energy Wiser - Bulbrite and the 6500k are from Damar.

Cant wait until I get the rest of my supplies to start growing!

 

[cosmik debris]

Looks like Hydro dropped this a while back, but many thanks to him, knna and all of the rest who contributed. This and the HighPod thread have made me nuts with ideas.

Last page someone mentioned a circular lamp. Just happened to see a twin tube T-5 variant of that same wattage at H.D. last night for $10, so it's probably available on-line for a bit less. Still requires a remote ballast (has a little square 4 pin connector) but it looked interesting as a possible top light for a HighPod or a side light for Hydro's set up.

Way back in this thread there was discussion about the effects of using a glass lens to help separate the light heat from the rest of the cabinet, and the effect that it would have on light reduction, U.V. blockage, etc. For any type of CO2 implementation it seems that that's the only way to go. Constant air pulling the lamp heat and separate ventilation to allow a shut down for CO2 absorption periodically throughout the daylight cycle. Of course, the cost benefit seems a bit absurd for a micro grow, but I suppose if you only have room for one small cabinet and want to make the most of it, it may be worth the doing. There's a great CO2 electronic regulator over at AquariumPlants.com for those interested. It needs a sensor for totally automatic ppm consistency, which would add about $400-500 to the project cost, but it is the single most consistent system that I've seen.

The efforts and insights regarding reflectors were also great. I actually came to this thread after getting frustrated trying to find a source for a well thought out PLL reflector, or at the very least the material to make my own. I think it was Knna that mentioned a double parabola design of his own, and that sounded the most logical - but I've yet to find one ready made and I can't figure out how to get that shape reliably on my own. One other thing that I've read about reflector efficiency is getting the bulb far enough away from the reflector to reduce re-strike. This is a function of something else that Knna touched on with regard to the different types of reflection and diffusion that different materials cause. Some cause light to reflect at the same angle and some cause a parallel bounce (or something to that effect). I barely grasped it but I'm off to hunt down some more of Knna's knowledge on the lighting esoteria. I still have a lot of questions about the reflector theory and programmable vs. instant start electronic ballasts (my current preference being the programmables).

A word of caution to all who play with spray adhesives and polyester films (Mylar types included), and especially the 3M M-77 adhesive or contact cement. Forget the "this is your brain on drugs" ads...the shit in 3M spray adhesive does and will straight fuck your CNS up. I used to work with it quite a lot without the proper PPE's (Personal Protective Equipment) and it did everything from kill hearing nerves in my ears, destroy my sense of smell and taste, to causing tremors and peripheral nerve damage that's been years without improvement. You absorb it through your eyes, scalp and skin as well as what you breath, so read the MSDS and use in an EXTREMELY well ventilated space. The insidious thing about many of these chemicals is that you can be around them for years with no ill effect until one day your body just says fuck you I've had enough. Once that happens and you become hyper-sensitized to it, you can't ever stand being around it again even for a moment.

The other warning has to do with VOC's, off-gassing and flammability. As the VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) evaporate from your spray glue the fumes are uber explosive, aside from being a great herbicide. Even after drying at room temperature, once you add the heat of a lamp right up near it, more can be released. This is also true of the formaldehyde off gassing from the glue in a lot of the imported plywoods. Best practice would be to avoid the VOC shit altogether and stick with the less effective water based. Either way - heat your box up completely when finished building and leave it all lit for a few days with some fans running to help eliminate the potential for off gassing later. Lastly, check the flammability of your film before you glue it into your wooden box filled with electrical shit that makes a lot of heat. Most of the busts that I've seen of late aren't because LEO was using NCIS shit to snag smokers. They just had some really bad luck or just did some really stupid shit...so be careful out there.

 

[lil_wayne99]

Great thread. Glad to have found all this wonderful info.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

I'm still here. lol

Hasn't seemed to be a need for my input in a while though, the wave has crested and the ocean is dotted with islands of info on the subject.

I'll take a moment and throw in my usual caution about your eyes and these lights though. Work in your cabs with the lights off... your eyes can't feel the 'burn' because they don't put off infra-red like HID lamps do. The light is still doing damage, especially when they're right up next to your face.

Turn them off or wear shades... keep your hands away from the base ends as any scratches in the inner phosphor coating will let hard radiation through. Burn you quick. (I think 30 seconds was all I needed the one time for a knuckle burn with only a 1/4 scratch in the phosphor coating.. thin line)

to everyone that's participated in this thread.

Stay Safe!