Wow!! I went from this thread to lowes.com and typed in light dimmer. I saw some options that varied in price, but the one wanted was the circular dimmer; the newer slide dimmer design has started to grow on me though. Anyway I found the dimmer and it was $10. I thought to myself, "great, but i guess i have to do some custom fab work to join the fan power cord to the dimmer switch." I then went to home depot and searched light dimmer. I saw similar selections (i was doing a price comparison) but then I saw the credenza/tabletop lamp dimmer switch; also $10. This switch's design, for those that haven't already stumbled upon this product, has a rectangular box with a slider to adjust power output, connected to a long cable with a two-pronged plug at the end. This two-pronged plug has a female receiving end on the opposite side as the male end that gets plugged into the outlet. This is where you plug your lamp in and now you can adjust the brightness from the tabletop instead of the 3 way bulbs that require you to get under the lamp. In my case, I will plug my fan into the female end and be able to adjust the speed from outside the cab. The only question that arises is these dimmer switches seem to be 200w or 300w setups. My fan is 16w, so I'm wondering how much the dimmer will effect the fan speed. I will still try this idea as it is too good to pass up.
Man I love the amount of custom fabrication that goes into the grow cabs. There are so many products/materials, used for a wide variety of purposes, that come together to make a grow cab: weatherstripping, lock&latch, hardware cloth, pvc, caulking, dryer ducting, nails/staples/glue, hinges, eyehole screws, dc inverters, computer fans, activated carbon prefilters, cfls/security lights, paint/mylar, fishing weights (for lst), wire ties, and now a lamp dimmer; what a journey. I don't know about you guys but I love the opportunity to build a new cab and design the perfect setup for the environment which the cab will be located. How high/wide/deep the box should be and where to locate the inlet/outlet holes. I just smoke, sit, and brainstorm about how I want to grow in the cab and what I want to be able to do, how large I want to be able to grow my plants. With my current setup for example I wanted to be able to give each plant its own light (23w/1,600 lumen/cfl), be able to move both the plants and the lights up and down, and be able to experiment with three different grow methods at the same time, actually four: soil (Fox Farm Ocean Fish), soilless mix (Sunshine Pro Coir [Coco Fiber]), deep water culture (bubble buckets), and ebb&flow (Flood & Drain). In a few months, after I get this first grow out of the way so I can stop paying for it, I will finally start the grow to answer my number one question ...........(drumroll)... What's the most productive medium? What medium provides for the best flavor? What medium is best for keeping plants healthy? Which growing method is most practical for long-term use (not too demanding on those that don't want to be commercial growers)? What medium is most consistent? And the number one question..... What's better, CFL or HID? Five areas of concern for the epic battle: Cost, Heat, Convenience, Yield, and Quality. Hopefully I can answer these questions in about a year or so, then I'll be one of the gurus here that everyone pms daily; what an honor. I can't wait.
I wish I knew how to post pictures on here because I would show the tabletop dimmer. I'm sure there are many out there with those strong, loud axial fans with the removable power cord. This product should lower the decibels on those mini turbines (Those things are f**king loud if there in your room). 16w packs a punch, I have mine connected to a dryer duct on the floor as the inlet. It pulls fresh air in (and hopefully shreds any curious pests, blows the air around the cab, and pushes air out of the outlet at the top, which has a large carbon filter before the exit hole, and it's still pushing the air too quickly for the carbon to catch all of the odors.
Thanks again