LED Without LEDs -My First T5 Grow

fulham workhorse ballast are pretty cheap everywhere, greentree hydroponics got them at some of the best prices though.

t12 and t8 ballast you can find anywhere and oftern under 5$ sometime on CL.
 
Man, getting into building your own ballasts and reflectors is too much work for me. I built my own carbon filter last night and it definitely needs adjustment, but it does work somewhat. Its all about airflow. I turned off my intake fan, there was SERIOUS positive pressure. No thanks. Thats what Ill be working on tonight in about 3.5 hours when the lights come on, then its off for another double at work tomorrow. FML, seriously :P

If I were an old man with all the time in the world, Id consider it.

The problem with using T8s is that you need SO MANY of them for them to even come close to effective. All of those cords and wiring.. ugh, no thanks. Wire management isnt so bad for me right now, but using T8/T12s it would quickly get out of hand.

Altar, PM incoming with Jeffs shipping information. I want to thank you for your financial sacrifice and effort for the T5 community as a whole.

Even after 4,000 posts, this topic is still generating pertinent information that is of use! Lets keep it going for 10,000 before we compile all of the useful data? :D
 
Got your PM man, thanks. I am glad to help everyone out. I feel like y'all are practically family at this point, LOL. And I am curious about the fiji's spectrum myself. I spent 60 dollars on two bulbs that I don't even use. FML :P

Got my pic update to post finally, link's in the sig. Planning to chop them in about 5 days or so... feel free to input on that... could wait longer, but don't think I will, heh. Tired of working with leafy genetics... can't wait to get my kolossus into some dirt... I think I will germinate tomorrow.
 
Haha I kinda feel the same way. The T5 community is very, very small and I cant even imagine using HIDs again. Shrug. Ha, Im using them simply BC I cannot afford ANYTHING at all right now, even a few flora suns. Every dollar is being saved for the move coming up. Harvest as it is might be a close call with the supposed himalayan gold that I have. I MIGHT be able to harvest on time, it might have to be a bit early. Pack it into mason jars during transport and open them back up first thing and lay the buds back out on wax paper in the closet. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Takin a look at them pics, everyone loves pics ^^
 
infinitalus said:
Haha I kinda feel the same way. The T5 community is very, very small and I cant even imagine using HIDs again. Shrug. Ha, Im using them simply BC I cannot afford ANYTHING at all right now, even a few flora suns. Every dollar is being saved for the move coming up. Harvest as it is might be a close call with the supposed himalayan gold that I have. I MIGHT be able to harvest on time, it might have to be a bit early. Pack it into mason jars during transport and open them back up first thing and lay the buds back out on wax paper in the closet. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Takin a look at them pics, everyone loves pics ^^
Click to expand...

Yeah I love pics :D

Oh man, you're going to let them hang dry before you jar right? I'd be terrified of mold putting fresh buds in mason jars even for a short time... better to harvest 4-5 days early and give 'em a chance to dry if necessary... just checking on that, hopefully you meant after drying anyway :D

p.s. just my opinionz! If you feel like risking it and/or it's a short ride, that is your perrogative :D
 
Hopefully I can let them hang dry. IDK if I will have the time or not. The move should be less than a 10 or 15 minute drive, its going to be somewhere in town still. Plus I have to make sure the smell is completely gone. Hopefully fresh paint will take care of that *shifty eyes*

PS Im already worried about mold. My room mate likes to play with the central AC and I have to constantly yell at him not to touch it. Today I got home and when I checked the room right before the lights went off, temps were at 95F and ~70% humidity. I about shit a brick. I think he got the point this time that if my room develops mold that Im going to break his fingers for touching the AC ^^ From now on the house will be sitting at a steady 70-72F. Once I take care of the air flow problem with the carbon filter, I shouldnt have any problems at all with temperature or humidity.
 
polyarcturus said:
fulham workhorse ballast are pretty cheap everywhere, greentree hydroponics got them at some of the best prices though.

t12 and t8 ballast you can find anywhere and oftern under 5$ sometime on CL.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip on the Fulham racehorse ballasts man

I'm going tonsils my own t5 I don't think I would build my own t8-t12 I got all the bulbs I need for a t5 so it would be ready as soone as I got the ballasts and built a reflector

Infinit I am only going this route because I'm going to have a few months down time when I move in a few weeks and building one that I like because I can personalize it to my exact loveing seems cheaper and gives me time to experament with things like PC fans to cool it fiddle with reflectors and see what suits my tent best and building my own just give me thousands of options
 
infinitalus said:
Hopefully I can let them hang dry. IDK if I will have the time or not. The move should be less than a 10 or 15 minute drive, its going to be somewhere in town still. Plus I have to make sure the smell is completely gone. Hopefully fresh paint will take care of that *shifty eyes*
Click to expand...

Haha. That should do it... or get some ozium spray or something... that'll do it up good enough... you talking about the old place right? before you leave? Fuck 'em, smoke a cigar in the room before you go :)
 
pedro420 said:
Infinit I am only going this route because I'm going to have a few months down time when I move in a few weeks and building one that I like because I can personalize it to my exact loveing seems cheaper and gives me time to experament with things like PC fans to cool it fiddle with reflectors and see what suits my tent best and building my own just give me thousands of options
Click to expand...

Fulhams really are the way to go. V-HO lamps arent cost efficient and icecap ballasts arent backwards compatible with only HO lamps.

Fiddling with different reflectors and such will end up costing you more but once you find the style and design you like you can replicate it for cheaper, potentially. IMO, the design and quality of the badboy is just hard to beat. Sucks that its so expensive, and that I want/need 4 for every 4'x8' grow space I have.. The more lumens on the colas, the better. Gotta really keep them lamps close for it, and at a 95 degree operating temperature with a clip-on 6" fan that works wonders for air cooling the lamps.. its just too hard to even think about beating.

Still, building your own fixture may be great for side lighting. I think the deal that you can get for RADIIONs with lamps included (and your choice of lamps at that!) is a great deal even if they arent the fulham ballasts, they do work well for side lighting.
 
AltarNation said:
Haha. That should do it... or get some ozium spray or something... that'll do it up good enough... you talking about the old place right? before you leave? Fuck 'em, smoke a cigar in the room before you go :)
Click to expand...

Nah, paint ought to do it. If they still smell it, oh well. Im not doing anything illegal, everything I do is legit but paranoia with security never hurts anyone.


EDIT: FIRST POST ON PAGE 420! I WIN!!
 
infinitalus said:
Fulhams really are the way to go. V-HO lamps arent cost efficient and icecap ballasts arent backwards compatible with only HO lamps.

Fiddling with different reflectors and such will end up costing you more but once you find the style and design you like you can replicate it for cheaper, potentially. IMO, the design and quality of the badboy is just hard to beat. Sucks that its so expensive, and that I want/need 4 for every 4'x8' grow space I have.. The more lumens on the colas, the better. Gotta really keep them lamps close for it, and at a 95 degree operating temperature with a clip-on 6" fan that works wonders for air cooling the lamps.. its just too hard to even think about beating.

Still, building your own fixture may be great for side lighting. I think the deal that you can get for RADIIONs with lamps included (and your choice of lamps at that!) is a great deal even if they arent the fulham ballasts, they do work well for side lighting.
Click to expand...

I want to get a badboy
But I only have a 4-2 tent so it would be a 6-8 bulb so it would be cheaper than 12 and can't fit it lol

But if I build my own I'm useing a Fulham for up to 12 belt so I can extend some bulbs off the ends at a angle for some side lighting

Haven't decided on what I'm going to do yet
 
pedro420 said:
But if I build my own I'm useing a Fulham for up to 12 belt so I can extend some bulbs off the ends at a angle for some side lighting
Click to expand...

That would be interesting. Possible U / Vert scrog?

EDIT: The dimensions of an 8lamp badboy SHOULD allow you to hang it in there perfectly. Its 46.5x20 in inches. Get a clip on fan like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Air-King-9145...1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1334387981&sr=1-1

You should be just fine. That fan is rated at 190CFM of displacement which is more than enough to circulate the air in your room 2-3x per minute.

EDIT II: If you are REALLY paranoid about too much heat being on your plants, get 2 and mount them parallel to each other.
 
infinitalus said:
That would be interesting. Possible U / Vert scrog?

EDIT II: If you are REALLY paranoid about too much heat being on your plants, get 2 and mount them parallel to each other.
Click to expand...

Ya I would try to do either a sog or a scrog but I'm leaning more toward a kind of mix with threshold Flore covers with 1 gal bags then just let them go crazy

I'm not worried about heat well if once to final to avoider then yes I will be because I won't be able to use my exaust fan I got now

But I don't know I'm going to try and make a few blueprints for ideas on fixtures and if I don't get a good idea I'll just save to gets badboy and modify the closet to have a passive room so I can exaust or invest in Co2 and just block off a 4 foot section
 
If you built a fixture that was " V " shaped and went in the corner it would be vary Unick.

What are you guys using for eye protection ???
 
YOU NEED It IF YOU GOT
UV OR IR.


any cheapo dollar glasses will work i only wear them if im working directly under my lights. otherwise you dont really need them avoid looking at the lights.

DIY carbon filter try putting it ontop of the washer and shaking the carbon till it more compact.

if you want to build your own fixture i would recommenced using a piece of sheet metal to build the reflector you can pretty much shape it however you want; get a couple clamp and clamp to to a table and you could recreate an expensive Reflector easy using the edge of the table just clamp an bend move the clamps make another bend. shouldnt cost more than 15$
 
polyarcturus said:
YOU NEED It IF YOU GOT
UV OR IR.


any cheapo dollar glasses will work i only wear them if im working directly under my lights. otherwise you dont really need them avoid looking at the lights.

DIY carbon filter try putting it ontop of the washer and shaking the carbon till it more compact.

if you want to build your own fixture i would recommenced using a piece of sheet metal to build the reflector you can pretty much shape it however you want; get a couple clamp and clamp to to a table and you could recreate an expensive Reflector easy using the edge of the table just clamp an bend move the clamps make another bend. shouldnt cost more than 15$
Click to expand...
I have both uvb and far red...we ALL have ir...thats the heat portion of the light...according to my meter when I am 12 inches away from the Arcadias and Not peering directly into the Megaray external ballasted ZOO bulbs it is less than I am exposed to in my yard... get an accurate uvb meter and you will see what I am saying...how is ir supposed to hurt your eyes? Every heat source would hurt your eyes in that case...jus sayin
 
Kite High said:
I have both uvb and far red...we ALL have ir...thats the heat portion of the light...according to my meter when I am 12 inches away from the Arcadias and Not peering directly into the Megaray external ballasted ZOO bulbs it is less than I am exposed to in my yard... get an accurate uvb meter and you will see what I am saying...how is ir supposed to hurt your eyes? Every heat source would hurt your eyes in that case...jus sayin
Click to expand...

you are correct but its not JUST IR its far red in general it literally causes the molecules to dance, the glasses work as a shield, ever wonder why you eyes hurt after a night at a bonfire? or just stare at the electric burner for a few minutes, thats a eye drier, its not just the heat its also the light. just wear glasses under the lights(like when your working within a foot or 2 of them, your eyes that is), plus rapid pupil dilation can cause temp blindness outside.

but the IR or UV coming from lights isnt really gonna fuck your eyes(or come close to the scale of the sun) up unless your like a foot or 2 from the bulbs with your bare eyes
 
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