T5s in a C13 cab

[przcvctm]

This idea has been on my mind for a couple of years. I asked about the arrangement in the Mills Pride thread and kinda got run off as a heretic.

My C13 is 28" x 24" x 52" high. A 4 bulb 2' T5 fixture centered in the cab would leave 3" on each end but 6.5" between it's sides and the front and back of the cab. Plenty of ventilation room, but is it enough light?

An 8 bulb 2' fixture centered would leave the same on each end but only leave an inch of clearance on either side. Double the light but is there enough space for the 6'' inline fan to draw enough air from the passive intakes at in the floor to cool the space?

Yes, I know that HIDs have better penetration. But what I'm wondering is if there might be more usable light with greater yield with lst or scrog if a shallower penetrating light from a plane compared to deeper penetration from a point?

 

[Hydro-Soil]

This idea has been on my mind for a couple of years. I asked about the arrangement in the Mills Pride thread and kinda got run off as a heretic.

My C13 is 28" x 24" x 52" high. A 4 bulb 2' T5 fixture centered in the cab would leave 3" on each end but 6.5" between it's sides and the front and back of the cab. Plenty of ventilation room, but is it enough light?

An 8 bulb 2' fixture centered would leave the same on each end but only leave an inch of clearance on either side. Double the light but is there enough space for the 6'' inline fan to draw enough air from the passive intakes at in the floor to cool the space?

Yes, I know that HIDs have better penetration. But what I'm wondering is if there might be more usable light with greater yield with lst or scrog if a shallower penetrating light from a plane compared to deeper penetration from a point?

I'm trying to figure out the best arrangement of PL-L lights for that cab. But then, I'm a PL-L pimp so
I don't think anyone makes a reflector that would work best for your setup though. You'd have to DIY for sure.

 

[Aerohead]

I would put 2 of these in there 220 watts 20000 lumens should do the trick.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

I would put 2 of these in there 220 watts 20000 lumens should do the trick.

Um... Yep. Those are the PL-L lamps I'm talking about. I'll be ordering one of those here in a few weeks. Already have a 220w system 30 days into flower right now Bitchin lamps

 

[Aerohead]

Yes, I liked the first one so much I bought another, arrived today. They are super bright even 14" from the bulbs, Can't wait to see how they perform in a scrog.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Yes, I liked the first one so much I bought another, arrived today. They are super bright even 14" from the bulbs, Can't wait to see how they perform in a scrog.

Neither can I. This first run I didn't have the finances to get a screen, barely got the cab up and running.

Edit: I don't have a reflector and my walls are far from reflective so I'm expecting a much MUCh lower yield vs. my next run and Scrog. (Gonna smack that light right down onto the screen with airflow. Gonna be bitchin)
Here's a pic, day 32 now. (or is it 31..... not sure)

 

[przcvctm]

I've got a lot of reading to do. I was only familiar with regular T5 HO fixtures. I'll get back with questions after I've explored the PL-L world. Thanks for the responses.

 

[przcvctm]

http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/customkititems.asp?kc=HLIFT5NW28&eq=

More money but more compact and just as many lumens. Am I missing something?

 

[Aerohead]

That fixture you are linking to is T5 HO fixture. PL-L's put out slightly more lumens per watt than T5 HO in a 2' fixture. If you go to a 4' T5 HO then the equal out 54watt 4' bulb puts out 4900 lumens each.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

That fixture you are linking to is T5 HO fixture. PL-L's put out slightly more lumens per watt than T5 HO in a 2' fixture. If you go to a 4' T5 HO then the equal out 54watt 4' bulb puts out 4900 lumens each.

If you look on the website you'll see that picture used for a product that has a 110w PL-L setup in it. 2 55w lamps.

Ok, let's look at what you're saying here. A 4' bulb puts out 4,900 lumens. It's what, 1/2" wide at best? It also needs a higher ambient temp (above 90F) to get optimum lumen output.

The PL-L 55w is a T5HO bent in half. A bit less than 2' in length, almost an inch wide and it puts out 4,800 lumens. (The picture saying 10,000 lumens is exaggerated. They're actually 2 4,800 lumen lamps but they've rounded up.) It also pumps out maximum lumens at an ambient temp of only 75F.

What's not to love here? The biggest downside is that there aren't any reflectors that really take advantage of it's design. That will change as popularity grows.

If you're a T5HO fan, you'll love PL-L lamps.

 

[Aerohead]

Maybe that came out wrong, I wasn't defending T5's I like the PL-L's myself.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Maybe that came out wrong, I wasn't defending T5's I like the PL-L's myself.

No problem. The site isn't very clear how they word things. If you look at the picture you'll see that there is a socket with two tubes sticking out of it. (No socket at each end like a regular T5)

 

[Aerohead]

Hydro you might appreciate this, here is my pc case with PL-L's I need to go get a 2G11 socket tomorrow to install the third bulb. My local fish store has them for $6.00. I also need to clean up the edges of the reflector the case latches for the side cover are warping it on the sides.

I also will go to home Disco and get some rubber trim to clean up the rough edges on the exhaust vent.

 

[Squeeky]

Wow that is sweet, and a lot of light in a PC case!

 

[Sleepy]

very nice.

a lot of the T5 24 inch bulbs are 24 watts, not 54.

great source of light, little to no heat. no noise, either.

very stealthy.

nice pc case, too.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Hydro you might appreciate this, here is my pc case with PL-L's I need to go get a 2G11 socket tomorrow to install the third bulb.

That's Awesome!
What are your temps like when running with 2 lamps right now??

 

[Aerohead]

Hydro, those things run alot cooler than I thought! They are hot to the touch but the heat doesn't seem to radiate far from the bulb. As you have stated in previous posts, keep air moving right over the bulbs and temps are reasonable. Also, as you mentioned, the base of the bulb is hotter than the rest of the bulb so I mounted the bulbs with the base right by the exit. with 2 bulbs, the case has not exceeded 77F with the glass removed and a single 120mm fan rated at 26cfm The case isn't sealed completely yet so this may change things but on the flip side the 120mm is only temporary and will be replaced by dual 60cfm blowers ducted across the lights. Another thought, the entire PC case is aluminum including the frame, so when i installed the reflector I used thermal heat sink glue. I believe the case is now a huge heat sink.