Quote:
Originally Posted by headshake
hey old mac, how about a tutoria (or a good link)l on overdriving those t5s?
-shake
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Yo Head Shake,
I keep kicking myself that I only recently started taking pics. But even since I started taking them, I still forget to document the build. I did it once (tutorial) for the franken fogger set up I built, and posted at fogponics,dot,com. Those pics I'm moving over to an album at IC, but it will be awhile.
Here's a pic or two of those same pair of TIs on a frame with 4- 4' T5 VHO. this is the current set-up, experimenters are never finished.
The spacing of the T5s needs to change, inner ones shade the edge of LED lights. It was built to hold 2- Procyon 100s, but decided to sell those (money got tight suddenly).
Sorry I have no pics of the ballast itself. To get them to VHO levels (4'=85w/tube, 2'=40w a tube) I use a ballast made by IceCap, Inc. and is a model 660, capable of driving T12s,T8s,T5s and even those square base Power Compacts floros, like TT105s. I bought a package that included end caps, standoffs and wiring harness, abt $300. And that brings up cost. It's probably cheaper to just double the amount of T5 HOs. ie:To do a 4'x4' grow tray I'd use 8- 4' T5 VHO via IceCap ballast or 2-4' T5 8bulb fixtures. 680w VHO or 864w HO and both set ups give you about 80,000 lumens. 180+watts saved, it should pay for itself.
A few pics of hybred and a few of my cloner light, 4- 4'T5 HO (54w/ea) plus 1-4' super actinic white in the middle. Designed to go over 2-120 EZ-cloners, but just using one, and side for small plants and seedlings. OH, and one happy hybred growing girl!