winkdogg420
Well-Known Member
you can power pc fans with an old cell phone charger or some other 9-15 volt ac adapter the closer to 12 volts the better
How to build a PC Grow Box (Pics Included)
- Thread starter nathan76296
- Start date
SmoketheBong
Active Member
you can power pc fans with an old cell phone charger or some other 9-15 volt ac adapter the closer to 12 volts the better
im got 2 twin 25 cm turbine fans they have seperate speed controls they on the side panel of the case im useing this is the case u think a mobile phone charger will power this or am i gona need somthing better http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aplus-Monolize-Black-Midi-Tower/dp/B000RWAGFU/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1236710399&sr=8-18 this is the case i got the fans and the side panel just come of and are completely seperate with just a red wire and and black wire comeing out of the panel
winkdogg420
Well-Known Member
no matter what they look like they are still 12 volts dc! i would look for a 12-15 vdc adapter 500 ma-1amp ..should do just fine but like i said right around 12-13 volts will be perfect ...
Attachments
ElephantRider
Well-Known Member
I have a couple thoughts on this regarding lights, electrical, strains and construction. I'm still a newb, too, but my gear is working well. Check my grow for case pics, etc.
1st: Construction.. use a drill w/ metal bit to get the rivets out. Go slow, but firm hand directly in the center of the rivet. It will break and make your job MUCH easier. Also, flat white spray paint works just as well as the car reflctor stuff and is probably cheaper. Make sure there's no gloss at all. Flat only.
2nd: Strains.. everyone is all about lowryder when talking PC grows. Personally, I think it's a poor choice, but do whatever fits your grow. Any Ruderalis (smaller, autoflowering) strain is virtually uncloneable, so you will have to go from seed just about every time. If you live in a place where buying seeds is a tough thing, like I do, you want to be able to clone. Any short Indica should be just fine. Hell.. anyone growing from bagseed in a PC Box in the States is likely growing Mexican Sativa, which gets monstrously tall. YOU DO NOT *NEEEED* lowryder. Just get something which has a rep for staying small. Most of the seed sites have strain info. including general height. I went w/ Citral and Top44, but virtually ANY Kush will be fine, too. If you've never had Hindu Kush, do it! I think the PC / CFL types on here have settled on 80/20 Indica/Sativa for PC cases as optimal. It capitalizes on the size of Indica and the strength of Sativa in a fairly optimal way. Also, I hear lowryder tastes like ass, which has kept me from it.
3rd: Lights. You shouldn't just strap in any old CFL. If you are doing a veg. only box to replant outdoors or to move into another chamber, like I'm doing, you want to have 5500 or better rated CFL's. They are perfect for vegetative growth, but they are HOT, so you will need to beef your fans up. I use 3 high powered AC fans in my veg. case. If you are building a separate flower case or have an autoflowering strain, you want maybe 2500 rated CFL's, which are perfect for flowering. These are cooler temps and you can go with lesser fans to keep temps down.
4th: ELECTRICITY - I think there's a little misinformation regarding wiring up fans on here. 99+% of PC fans run on 5V DC power. If you plug ina 5V DC fan to a 12-15 V DC cell phone adapter, you will be spinning the fan 2-3x faster than it was ever designed to go. Engineers that build things usually design for a particular lifespan, as well, so you will cut your fan's lifespan by up to 66% or will increase your chances of a failure / electrical fire by up to 66%. Do not just plug these into whatever you have lying around. As a homeowner with a family, it just isn't worth the risk. You want lower volts and higher amp rating. Consult your electronics store. Just tell them you're trying to wire up some old computer fans for a science project and they can help you measure out what's right. I just consulted some electrical engineers that I worked with at the time.
Also, regarding yield, there's a guy on here, v12xjs, who says he yields about 1g / day in a perpetual grow from seed. That's enough for him and, frankly, that's plenty for me, too. If you like, check my grow for the box (I just sprouted) and DEFINITELY see v12xjs' grow if you're curious about the real possibilities with a PC grow. He's posted on my grow, so you can find him there.
Cheers!
1st: Construction.. use a drill w/ metal bit to get the rivets out. Go slow, but firm hand directly in the center of the rivet. It will break and make your job MUCH easier. Also, flat white spray paint works just as well as the car reflctor stuff and is probably cheaper. Make sure there's no gloss at all. Flat only.
2nd: Strains.. everyone is all about lowryder when talking PC grows. Personally, I think it's a poor choice, but do whatever fits your grow. Any Ruderalis (smaller, autoflowering) strain is virtually uncloneable, so you will have to go from seed just about every time. If you live in a place where buying seeds is a tough thing, like I do, you want to be able to clone. Any short Indica should be just fine. Hell.. anyone growing from bagseed in a PC Box in the States is likely growing Mexican Sativa, which gets monstrously tall. YOU DO NOT *NEEEED* lowryder. Just get something which has a rep for staying small. Most of the seed sites have strain info. including general height. I went w/ Citral and Top44, but virtually ANY Kush will be fine, too. If you've never had Hindu Kush, do it!
I think the PC / CFL types on here have settled on 80/20 Indica/Sativa for PC cases as optimal. It capitalizes on the size of Indica and the strength of Sativa in a fairly optimal way. Also, I hear lowryder tastes like ass, which has kept me from it.3rd: Lights. You shouldn't just strap in any old CFL. If you are doing a veg. only box to replant outdoors or to move into another chamber, like I'm doing, you want to have 5500 or better rated CFL's. They are perfect for vegetative growth, but they are HOT, so you will need to beef your fans up. I use 3 high powered AC fans in my veg. case. If you are building a separate flower case or have an autoflowering strain, you want maybe 2500 rated CFL's, which are perfect for flowering. These are cooler temps and you can go with lesser fans to keep temps down.
4th: ELECTRICITY - I think there's a little misinformation regarding wiring up fans on here. 99+% of PC fans run on 5V DC power. If you plug ina 5V DC fan to a 12-15 V DC cell phone adapter, you will be spinning the fan 2-3x faster than it was ever designed to go. Engineers that build things usually design for a particular lifespan, as well, so you will cut your fan's lifespan by up to 66% or will increase your chances of a failure / electrical fire by up to 66%. Do not just plug these into whatever you have lying around. As a homeowner with a family, it just isn't worth the risk. You want lower volts and higher amp rating. Consult your electronics store. Just tell them you're trying to wire up some old computer fans for a science project and they can help you measure out what's right. I just consulted some electrical engineers that I worked with at the time.
Also, regarding yield, there's a guy on here, v12xjs, who says he yields about 1g / day in a perpetual grow from seed. That's enough for him and, frankly, that's plenty for me, too. If you like, check my grow for the box (I just sprouted) and DEFINITELY see v12xjs' grow if you're curious about the real possibilities with a PC grow. He's posted on my grow, so you can find him there.
Cheers!
winkdogg420
Well-Known Member
I bought my grinders at the convience store down the street for 10 bux im not sure what its called but it has two diff sizes of screens and i guess "diamond" shaped weed cutters... When you first get them you can freeze them for a few hours and bang them on black paper to get them clean(black so you can collect the goodies) but once they get really funky you clean them with wd-40 and a tooth brush that works great but you need to clean it really good with soap when done .. I have even boiled mine to remove soapy smells after cleaning works great! Like new again..
Also when loading the grinder dont just smash weed all over it make sure all the weed is all the way down not hanging the edge cause you will just smoosh it all over..
Also when loading the grinder dont just smash weed all over it make sure all the weed is all the way down not hanging the edge cause you will just smoosh it all over..
Attachments
SmoketheBong
Active Member
well it worked mate thx alot mate was dident have a clue it was that easy 
SmoketheBong
Active Member
well it worked mate thx alot mate was dident have a clue it was that easy
lol wtf i cnt type for shit
winkdogg420
Well-Known Member
1st. Get the rivits out of what??
2nd. Your showing your age when you say things like most bagseed grows are mexican sativa i havent even seen mexican weed in ten + years
3rd.we have a faq with a great lighting section
4th.i think your confused about pc fans they are almost all marked 12vdc i doubt they are all wrong.you pc power supply has a 5 volt lead but it is for powering drives and usb devices.i would never give advice that would endanger the lives of others !you actually can get 5volt fans special order but that would be stupid all three pin fans are 10-12vdc if variable 12vdc if one speed.A FEW PICS OF THE STUFF YOUR ENGINEERING BUDDY WAS WRONG ABOUT!
Maybe before posting help you should make sure you do a little fact finding to make sure that your not wrong on almost all your points!
Ps lowriders grow awesome in small enviorments .
I would sugest everyone be careful if you take advice from this guy! I would never put anyone in a position where they could get hurt!
2nd. Your showing your age when you say things like most bagseed grows are mexican sativa i havent even seen mexican weed in ten + years
3rd.we have a faq with a great lighting section
4th.i think your confused about pc fans they are almost all marked 12vdc i doubt they are all wrong.you pc power supply has a 5 volt lead but it is for powering drives and usb devices.i would never give advice that would endanger the lives of others !you actually can get 5volt fans special order but that would be stupid all three pin fans are 10-12vdc if variable 12vdc if one speed.A FEW PICS OF THE STUFF YOUR ENGINEERING BUDDY WAS WRONG ABOUT!
Maybe before posting help you should make sure you do a little fact finding to make sure that your not wrong on almost all your points!
Ps lowriders grow awesome in small enviorments .
I would sugest everyone be careful if you take advice from this guy! I would never put anyone in a position where they could get hurt!
i have a couple thoughts on this regarding lights, electrical, strains and construction. I'm still a newb, too, but my gear is working well. Check my grow for case pics, etc.
1st: Construction.. Use a drill w/ metal bit to get the rivets out. Go slow, but firm hand directly in the center of the rivet. It will break and make your job much easier. Also, flat white spray paint works just as well as the car reflctor stuff and is probably cheaper. Make sure there's no gloss at all. Flat only.
2nd: Strains.. Everyone is all about lowryder when talking pc grows. Personally, i think it's a poor choice, but do whatever fits your grow. Any ruderalis (smaller, autoflowering) strain is virtually uncloneable, so you will have to go from seed just about every time. If you live in a place where buying seeds is a tough thing, like i do, you want to be able to clone. Any short indica should be just fine. Hell.. Anyone growing from bagseed in a pc box in the states is likely growing mexican sativa, which gets monstrously tall. You do not *neeeed* lowryder. Just get something which has a rep for staying small. Most of the seed sites have strain info. Including general height. I went w/ citral and top44, but virtually any kush will be fine, too. If you've never had hindu kush, do it!
3rd: Lights. You shouldn't just strap in any old cfl. If you are doing a veg. Only box to replant outdoors or to move into another chamber, like i'm doing, you want to have 5500 or better rated cfl's. They are perfect for vegetative growth, but they are hot, so you will need to beef your fans up. I use 3 high powered ac fans in my veg. Case. If you are building a separate flower case or have an autoflowering strain, you want maybe 2500 rated cfl's, which are perfect for flowering. These are cooler temps and you can go with lesser fans to keep temps down.
4th: Electricity - i think there's a little misinformation regarding wiring up fans on here. 99+% of pc fans run on 5v dc power. If you plug ina 5v dc fan to a 12-15 v dc cell phone adapter, you will be spinning the fan 2-3x faster than it was ever designed to go. Engineers that build things usually design for a particular lifespan, as well, so you will cut your fan's lifespan by up to 66% or will increase your chances of a failure / electrical fire by up to 66%. Do not just plug these into whatever you have lying around. As a homeowner with a family, it just isn't worth the risk. You want lower volts and higher amp rating. Consult your electronics store. Just tell them you're trying to wire up some old computer fans for a science project and they can help you measure out what's right. I just consulted some electrical engineers that i worked with at the time.
also, regarding yield, there's a guy on here, v12xjs, who says he yields about 1g / day in a perpetual grow from seed. That's enough for him and, frankly, that's plenty for me, too. If you like, check my grow for the box (i just sprouted) and definitely see v12xjs' grow if you're curious about the real possibilities with a pc grow. He's posted on my grow, so you can find him there.
Cheers!
Attachments
ElephantRider
Well-Known Member
Seriously, man.. no need to WARN people about me. I never said you were trying to hurt people. In fact, I never mentioned you at all. I'm just passing along information that was given to me by multiple friends who decided to study electricity for 8 years at a reputable technology institute before they started giving advice. I suppose it was one of the benefits of working for a company that designs products for electric companies and tells them how to run power.. maybe I still don't know a thing about electricity. The readers can decide or do their own homework. I don't have time to argue with someone who's insinuating it's an insult to be older. Before you know it, you'll be as old as me, too.
Also, regarding me being wrong about all my points.. let's just have a closer look:
1st.. the rivets are the rivets in the pc cases. I had to drill out MANY rivets in mine for space. I could have skipped this part, but I'd really have screwed myself on space and figured I'd share a tip I hadn't seen in the original post. 1 not wrong.
2nd.. regarding strains.. how can someone be wrong about an opinion? It just seems that there are too many people who decide lowrider's the only way to go. I was only saying there are other options. People I know who have smoked lowrider said it was garbage, tastewise. Also, negatives regarding cloning, seed procurement, etc. Sure, its short stature makes it a decent candidate for this type of grow. Again.. opinion. No right, no wrong. Regarding mexican sativas (not one of my "points," though, so it can't count in our score here). The only schwag we see here is from Mexico, but in truth, I haven't seen anything w/ seeds in 10 years, so I could be wrong about that, but overall, 2 not wrong, as it's regional experience and opinion - both are variable.
3rd thing.. lights. I was shortening up some things I learned from our faqs for people who might not have known to check there. And again.. not wrong. If you really want to, go check the FAQs. I was simply summarizing the FAQs to bring up points which are relative to this topic. 3rd thing not wrong.
4th.. So you think I'm wrong about the electricity That's one point out of four (far from "all") that MIGHT be wrong. Again, I'll take my work experience (10 years as a server admin) and colleagues' degrees over your say-so, but again.. that's up to the readers to decide.
And seriously.. drop the negativity. Again, I never said you were THE PERSON. In fact, I never finger pointed once. There were others on here who mentioned it and I think a lot of people believe that to be the case. I'm only trying to do what everyone else on here is trying to do.. contribute positively to something we all love. I saw something that is believed by many to be common, but decided to simply share the view of some people who have dedicated their entire lives to electricity and its workings. I'm guessing that you have not. I've not tried to be negative at all here, nor with my first post, but your belief that because something is rated for 12V means it should run at 12V is akin to believing that, since a car is capable of running at 150 mph, it should be fine to continuously run at 150 mph. Most cars cannot do that for long. Having used a voltmeter to test my fan pins on my motherboards, I can tell you that the current on my servers is 5V. The reasons computers use 12V fans are because it's cheaper for a manufacturer to produce one fan, versus a bunch of different voltages and also because using a 12 V capable fan will help your fan absorb voltage spikes. so that you don't need to replace every fan in your gear if there's a lightning strike. Instead, you can just replace a cooked motherboard and other cooked internals.
Ultimately, man.. just relax. Nobody attacked you and personally, I'd rather not be attacked when I'm trying to help people.
Thanks.
Also, regarding me being wrong about all my points.. let's just have a closer look:
1st.. the rivets are the rivets in the pc cases. I had to drill out MANY rivets in mine for space. I could have skipped this part, but I'd really have screwed myself on space and figured I'd share a tip I hadn't seen in the original post. 1 not wrong.
2nd.. regarding strains.. how can someone be wrong about an opinion? It just seems that there are too many people who decide lowrider's the only way to go. I was only saying there are other options. People I know who have smoked lowrider said it was garbage, tastewise. Also, negatives regarding cloning, seed procurement, etc. Sure, its short stature makes it a decent candidate for this type of grow. Again.. opinion. No right, no wrong. Regarding mexican sativas (not one of my "points," though, so it can't count in our score here). The only schwag we see here is from Mexico, but in truth, I haven't seen anything w/ seeds in 10 years, so I could be wrong about that, but overall, 2 not wrong, as it's regional experience and opinion - both are variable.
3rd thing.. lights. I was shortening up some things I learned from our faqs for people who might not have known to check there. And again.. not wrong. If you really want to, go check the FAQs. I was simply summarizing the FAQs to bring up points which are relative to this topic. 3rd thing not wrong.
4th.. So you think I'm wrong about the electricity That's one point out of four (far from "all") that MIGHT be wrong. Again, I'll take my work experience (10 years as a server admin) and colleagues' degrees over your say-so, but again.. that's up to the readers to decide.
And seriously.. drop the negativity. Again, I never said you were THE PERSON. In fact, I never finger pointed once. There were others on here who mentioned it and I think a lot of people believe that to be the case. I'm only trying to do what everyone else on here is trying to do.. contribute positively to something we all love. I saw something that is believed by many to be common, but decided to simply share the view of some people who have dedicated their entire lives to electricity and its workings. I'm guessing that you have not. I've not tried to be negative at all here, nor with my first post, but your belief that because something is rated for 12V means it should run at 12V is akin to believing that, since a car is capable of running at 150 mph, it should be fine to continuously run at 150 mph. Most cars cannot do that for long. Having used a voltmeter to test my fan pins on my motherboards, I can tell you that the current on my servers is 5V. The reasons computers use 12V fans are because it's cheaper for a manufacturer to produce one fan, versus a bunch of different voltages and also because using a 12 V capable fan will help your fan absorb voltage spikes. so that you don't need to replace every fan in your gear if there's a lightning strike. Instead, you can just replace a cooked motherboard and other cooked internals.
Ultimately, man.. just relax. Nobody attacked you and personally, I'd rather not be attacked when I'm trying to help people.
Thanks.
winkdogg420
Well-Known Member
Since i was the only person on the last few pages giving advice on wiring i think it was definatly an attack on my skills. Maybe you should stick to servers ! Im sure i over reacted a bit and for that i am sorry but i take giving advice seriously and i get a kick out of helping people and seeing the success they have when i help them out! I am not normally a negative person but when im insulted i take action(that come from real world experiance, something you might not get in the i.t. Room) so just sit back read and learn if you need help you can ask but if your going to be giving advice make sure you tell people your are just guessing and none of your help is based on real life .
PS I SAID YOU WERE WRONG ON "ALMOST" ALL YOUR POINTS I DID GIVE SOME CREDIT!
Lets just agree to disagree and leave it at that!
I will not respond on this matter any further.
EDIT." but your belief that because something is rated for 12v means it should run at 12v is akin to believing that, since a car is capable of running at 150 mph, it should be fine to continuously run at 150 mph." YES I DO BELEIVE THAT A FAN MARKED 12 VOLTS SHOULD BE RUN AT 12 VOLTS, COMPARING THAT TO A MAXED OUT INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE IS ABSURD.APPLES AND ORANGES???UNDER POWERING ELECTRONICS CAN DAMAGE JUST AS BAD AS OVER POWER THATS WHY THEY TELL YOU THE VOLTAGE...TRY RUNNING YOUR SERVERS AT 75 VOLTS AC OR 240 VOLTS AC FOR AN HOUR!!!!!!
PS I SAID YOU WERE WRONG ON "ALMOST" ALL YOUR POINTS I DID GIVE SOME CREDIT!
Lets just agree to disagree and leave it at that!
I will not respond on this matter any further.
EDIT." but your belief that because something is rated for 12v means it should run at 12v is akin to believing that, since a car is capable of running at 150 mph, it should be fine to continuously run at 150 mph." YES I DO BELEIVE THAT A FAN MARKED 12 VOLTS SHOULD BE RUN AT 12 VOLTS, COMPARING THAT TO A MAXED OUT INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE IS ABSURD.APPLES AND ORANGES???UNDER POWERING ELECTRONICS CAN DAMAGE JUST AS BAD AS OVER POWER THATS WHY THEY TELL YOU THE VOLTAGE...TRY RUNNING YOUR SERVERS AT 75 VOLTS AC OR 240 VOLTS AC FOR AN HOUR!!!!!!
ibitinga
Active Member
is this really worth setting up and waiting that long for only a 1/8 to a 1/4?!?!? even with a lowryder thats the most you could yeild out of a space so small huh?!??! thinking of building one but im not sure if its worth doing it or just saving for a bigger system eventually!!!??!!! alright good luck on ur pc grow ma8 lemme kno how it goes!!! take it easy 
worm5376
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty sure they sell tall towers and i think you can yield more then a 1/8-1/4 oz with a taller tower and some lst at work. i have seen normal size towers yield about 10-12 grams average and thats with 1 125 cfl and lst method. it's perfect if you just want a nice head stash.
Pcmicro13
Member
ok here we go lol. the server towers are perfect i have a 24 inch tall server with 4 26 watt cfl "flowerin" spectrum bulbs just like in the original post pics, i am growing easyryder from low lyfe which is ak-47 crossed with lowryder male. even the lowryders will get much too big for the case as u can see in my photos on my grow journal, you will need a scrog screen so you can lst the top cola. i am 4 weeks from harvest and if i let it go i woulda burnd in the cfl bulbs thank god for the scrog lol, you can also get around this buy buying the strains that are very low growers like the auto hindu kush max 14 inches. as for the yield im not too sure. A friend i know gets almost a full ounce dried but hes done it a few times now. only light that escapes is out the intake and exhaust fans other than that she doesnt let out much light, as for odor VERY low right now but if you disturb the plant it gives off a POWERFULL STINK for a short period. i suggest buying odor absorbing gel and set the product on top of the case near the exhaust and it absorbs most if not all smells i also have a auto airwick in the same room. i used normal miracle growsoil shitty veg nutes and off the walmart counter bloom nutes and i did in my opinion very well for my first time. I hope this cleared up a few things feel free to ask me a few more questions im new but i know a couple things on the pc stealth grow. good luck with the pc grows ladies and gentlemen
Pcmicro13
Member
i have 2 120 mm fans running off a 12volt ac adapter
on the plug it says
input-120VAC 60Hz 19W
output-12VDC 1A
MADE IN CHINA
thought id throw that in
Pcmicro13
Member
depends on cooling and venhilation higher the better with good climate control of course id say 26wat min.
sloshedcookie
Active Member
Hi all im new to the site and iv been doing a lot of reading up and i love wot u guys are doing.Right just a few things if u can help me i will like to no wher u got ur bulb to plug adapters from as i cant find them anywher as il be using a uk power strip all help welcome