The Phototron would look cool in the Man cave
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Yeah man just set it up with really cool LED lights inside it would grow so much better than the fluros
You know I remember seeing those when they first came out like in the mid 70s I think I didn’t have any money and I really wanted one but I thought they were like six or $700 I guess I was wrong looking back at it I don’t see how anyone could possibly grow anything in that thing I know it’s been done I’ve seen pictures but I promise you I couldn’t do it I wouldn’t have a clue how to do it in that little box not a clue
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I think you could squeeze one of these inside for a 2023 upgrade way beyond its original power, for $60
it’s 100w of Samsung LM281Bs, at 13.4” x 11”
You might want to read this old article about them, it’s the most in depth thing I’ve ever found in one place:
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I have a similar light that I could do that with. I was originally thinking of just replacing the U shaped side lights the led grow strip lights - maybe 3 of them. But I like the idea of wiring up a panel led light in the center. Thanks!
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Yeah! I can’t wait to see what you do with it man
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You should check out the LED Strips thread here if you haven’t, there’s a ton of good info on using them for stuff besides top lights, like on the walls of tents or as under lights/intracanopy. The Bridgelux strips come in various power levels and diode density per foot, so you could probably really customize it for your cab and even do like spectrum control or whatever with different color temp strips mixed. There’s some real gurus here when it comes to the low-power, low-cost strip builds for micro cabinets and other things sort of like a Phototron, guys like @Mr.Sparkle @Gpaw @Shadey @nube @ReikoX and a bunch of others whose advice I’d trust implicitly.
For a snazzy but probably overpowered option you could play with some SolStrips or SolStix from @Baudelaire ’s SolStrips lighting company, they look really high quality, he has them built to his specs just like LEDTeknik does with those Buddies I link to below, they both have a great understanding of what makes the difference between an average and a professional grade light, I know B specs a copper PCB board waaaaay thicker than you get on an HLG Quantum Board or the like, which means better thermal stability and heat transfer from the diodes, increasing lifespan and the practical max voltage they can run at.
I’ve used a pair of these with some good results on the walls of my tent and then another grow as intracanopy lights strung through the lowest set of branches, they’re expensive but they’re so awesome: great LEDs, waterproof, rugged, super easy to set up. I didn’t want to get into the DIY strips yet and they were a good answer for me, I’d endorse them to folks and I’m gonna try the other colors at some point, I only have the High-CRI white at the moment:
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My mom grew in one of these in the early 90s. The unit bit the dust after awhile but this thread made me look, and I still have all the old instructions that came with it.(it’s a massive binder) I forgot they had you send your soil samples in to them for analysis and I think they dialed in your feed.
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that thing was a marketing scam. I called them in the 80s and maybe tallked to jeffrey julian demarco himself? He was an ahole and was asking how much i smoked and then he berated me for not buying his machine. He was claiming the way it works is you take a bud or two off the plant every day. No flowering cycle… he claimed some yeild and i asked if that was wet or dry and he said both?
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honestly, a dresser or a wooden box with an led and a fan is way better than a phototron. I started in a c13 home depot wardrobe cabinet and thats good. nowadays they have tents that are easier.
But not nearly as cool (IMO)
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Yeah, I got that from the way he splashed his name around and especially from that ad copy. Total narcissist or what?
In practical terms, a 4ft 2x2 is much better.
Have a look at that Vivosun announcement…
That’s got to be the ‘spiritual successor’ of the Phototron unit…
…Now that I’m thinking about it wasn’t there were 2 models??
Cheers
G
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talk to @PhilCuisine he’s been using phototrons for years he may be able to talk you through maintenance
They are a simple to fix…either a loose wiring, bad bulbs or needs a new ballast…it’s basically a lamp with a ballast folks…my Phototron technician is an electrician by trade…this one that he overhauled only cost $20 in parts(ballast) from Amazon…this one that he worked on was the top of the line model($700) back in the day…
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Unfortunately that’s not even a 2x2.
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This Arcata Trainwreck clone only strain, grown in 1 Phototron got a little over 4oz. when it was chopped down…don’t underestimate the power of the Phototrons…its just a hard walled tent w/lights and vent system. I had 7-9 of them in both sizes back in the day.
Matanuska Thunder Fuck (bikers cut) clone only strain
Ogre a mutant strain of Sensi Star clone only strain
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Amazing i could not pull that off in that thing !
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If you can grow in a tent you can grow in a Phototron, if you can grow in a Phototron you can grow in a tent…A tent is just an oversized, soft walled Phototron that you have to add lights and a vent system…
I was thinking of getting a tent but I decided against it, instead I grow the majority of my weed outdoors now and just use my Phototrons for indoors winter grows…
My homemade strains
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And it looks like growing in the winter is just for fun, because by looking at the ouside grow ull have enough for at least a year. Nice out door grow
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Those are mostly gonna be used for hash, hash oil, edibles and rosin productions…and of course for giveaways for free…my personal grows is what I smoke mostly…
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