Personal Computer Cabinet Build

I know there must be a few threads around building a Personal Computer Cabinet, and growing plants in it. I am posting this one to get ideas from you Guru's that just happen by. At work, we were discarding a few PC's, So I am going to remove the internals from them.

The first thing I did, was remove the Hard Drives, Mother Boards, and non essential peripherals. I did not remove the DVD, and other stealthy goodies, that I wanted to leave in. I wanted it to LOOK like a PC, act like a PC, except......work as a micro grow cabinet. So here I go.....

Notice that different manufacturers have different layouts for the equipment. So, you will need to modify accordingly. Next post will be modifying the fan shroud, fan position, and wiring.

My only concern would be running out of already limited space since it's not completely gutted. Though if you need some ideas, there are a plethora of pc grows on this site.

Are you going to remove the drive bays so you can claim that much-needed horizontal & vertical space?

Yep, it's small, limited space, and I plan to remove the extra trays. Right now, its a kwick-build. All the trays are inverse-rivited in on a stamper. 18 of them. I can drill them out, but just haven't yet. Managed to mount the Power Strip on the side frame, add two 26 watt, and one 40 Watt Clear incandescent lamp on the power strip with the lamp socket to 2 prong adapter purchaced at local hardware store in the Lighting Section. The FAN, is a Twelve Volt Computer Server FAN powered by a Cell Phone Charger. (Black to Black, and Red to Red with 1/16" shrink tubing.) I am purchasing a Window Shade (From AutoZone) And going to trim it Duct Tape it then post the Pics Again.

Everything I've read about lighting thus far says that incandescent bubs are no good for growing.

Lets prove them Right! ...or wrong. You are probably right and I will regret it...

Thanks for everyone's ideas, solutions, or problems that need to be addressed. I will address those issues as we go....

A recommendation that I have is adding the power supply. It makes running fans and the CD Drive easier, and it helps pass off the "this is a computer" vibe if someone decides to look at the back of the computer.

The only downside is you will cut out a major portion of your available space

You could get the best of both worlds (space and stealth/functionality) in a large tower case, but those cost a bit

I agree "Notballin".
I got this stuff mostly for free; (2) Cases actually. I just got number (1) cabinet rolling (One in the Pics), and am heavily modifying number (2) cabinet Removing all Equipment trays.
So far, the build hasn't cost much. I had most of the stuff, in general household items. The PC case was free, the lights I picked up at a garage sale for $1.00 for 4 CFL's in the package unopened, and the power strip came from a business where I pulled it when I added new APC's (PC Power Supplies). The Cell Phone Charger was one who, was kept in a plastic bag after the cell phone was destroyed, so I really had to pay for that sorta!....lol!
My wife donated the Incandescent light (Originally was about $2.95 I believe at HD.)
I still have the velocity stack that came with the FAN, and plan to install it this evening, plus the Reflectance I get AutoZone, Pep Boys or someplace.

Ready to go. Added the Reflectance, some duct tape, that I had already had in the garage. I know it's not silver or Chrome, but it keeps the reflectance in place.

Looking good, still think that the incandescent should go. It's just gonna make your temps go up.
If you want more light just replace it with a CFL. Cheers

Thanks, TheBeardedStoner. I am pulling the incandescent. I have a couple of FLO's left in the package, and actually, I can add both of them if needed.
I have a thermometer from an old fish tank, as the fish are gone. Talking about screwing something up, I had a 75 Show Marine Aquarium at one time.....
I plan to run the cabinet for a couple of days so I can see how the Soil dries out during the day, and get a baseline for the temps.
Next up.....Germination!!!! YeeeeHaaaaa!

I'd rather have sumthin' like this...
http://www.xoxide.com/aerocool-masstige-case-silver.html

PC looking good!

NikeSmoke said:

I'd rather have sumthin' like this...
http://www.xoxide.com/aerocool-masstige-case-silver.html

Click to expand...

Bookmarked. Mounting power supply's and CD drives on the bottom of a PC would open so much more space in a PC grow!

Hey man I love the ambition here. A quick word of advice - get a locker shelf or some other immovable, sturdy screen covering most of the surface area just above your plant cup. As soon as she's tall enough, you just have to get her through the screen once and then use it to train (get some twine). It works magic in small spaces.

Also, I built a custom soil box out of cardboard lined with ziploc bags, all held together well by duct tape. Saves money, but you need to maximize root space, and honestly, with one plant, I don't see the need for a red cup seedling starter. get her in as much soil as possible as quickly as possible!

And definitely (I see you already decided to do this) go all CFLs. Frankly you will need to by at least 2 or 3 more if you want any kind of harvest. While you're at home depot invest in some elbows/adapters for light bulb-plug sockets. If you plan it out while you're there, by buying the correct amount of elbows and splitters and what not, you can much better position your CFL's to actually transmit light to your plant. 3-4 inches from leaves is ideal. Later this could require daily tampering.

If you want to see an example of the locker shelf idea and alot of LST, or the CFL positioning, then go have a look at my grow here. https://www.rollitup.org/stealth-micro-cab-growing/669543-cfl-pc-box-grow-any.html

Also as a last note, a single PC fan will not cut it for filtering your air with a carbon scrubber or other effective filter later on. You will need [at least] two in series to accomplish that. It does provide adequate ventilation if you're not worried about smell though.

Thanks "Cronic MasterBaker" ! ! ! I like the stealth ideas under the CD from your build....Sweet!

It is sprouting!

So the show officially begins.
Good luck with this.
Cheers