Lighting My DIY CFL setup, cheep and easy...

[wwwillie]

Hey! Got a compliment on my DIY CFL setup so that was all the encouragement I needed to share it. Here are some photos.

In action

Closeup

Before I start, disclaimer time!!! This project requires that you wire this together. You are using house current here, in the US that's 120 Volts AC. This will KILL YOU if you are not careful. So please, please, please do not attempt unless you feel comfortable with this stuff!!!

I purchased everything from Home Depot. Four plastic sockets, four "Y" adapters, 4 screw in eyes, 9 #8x1" screws, and a 9' extension cord. The cost was a bit over $20.00 I already had the wood and bit of cord.
I cut the socket end off of the extension cord, cut three short bits about 6-8" of the electrical cord. I used these to connect them all together. The nice thing about the sockets is that there are four screws on the bottom of each for electrical connections.
Carefully strip the ends of all the wires and twist the copper strands together to keep things neat. Be aware of loose starnds when you tighten the connection screws. Wire the plug end onto the first socket. (Remember the wide blade side of the plug is the common and the narrow is the hot, the common side is the silver screw and the hot side is the brass screw. Please pay attention to this and wire silver to silver and brass to brass as you connect the sockets together. This is for your safety take the time to do it right! )
On the sockets you will notice there are two places to screw the socket down and two places that are next to them but not knocked out, knock out these with a screw driver so there are now four slots. Use one slot for screwing down and one to route the wire through on each side of the socket.
Wire the second socket to the first, be sure to leave enough so that the sockets fit next to each other (I did not do that and the sockets were too close and had to re-do!) Wire the rest together and carefully screw them to a small board, I used some 1x4 I had laying about. Add the screw eyes, route some cord through them and viola! A light.

Hope this was clear enough, if you need more info let me know. I amusing 8 23 watt CFL for a total of 184 watts of CFL goodness in a small inexpensive package. I chose not to use a reflector for heat reasons, but may change my mind. I think some foamcore board would be perfect!

 

[CGR]

Nice job there brother + looks better then my did ...lol

 

[Blissmesome]

Lol I get electrocuted once a month with my tiny setup

That's how I wake up in the mornin'.

23w x 8 is not bad at all, making me rethink my next grow.
I'm thinking 23w 4 socket with fish-like reflector per plant.
Something like thishttp://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/F74/2SR8/HHS9VCRD/F742SR8HHS9VCRD.LARGE.jpg

Ill have to re-visit to see what Im gonna do


Oh yea, and awesome job! :Cushty:

 

[wwwillie]

Hey Thanks!!!

@Blissmesome Like the reflector job, I needed something quick and inexpensive. I am working ob=n a reflector, still thinking on it.
Nothing like a little juice to "spark" the imagination!!! Just be careful there you want to reap the benifits of your hard work and sacrifice!!!

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations WWWillie,

A couple years ago i chose a similar strategy which i illustrated elsewhere, in a thread titled "DIY cabinet using off-the-shelf hardware from local stores". At the time it would have been published here on AFN if i could have, here's a sample:

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The nice thing about the sockets is that there are four screws on the bottom of each for electrical connections. ... Wire the rest together and carefully screw them to a small board...

My sockets seemed adequate at first but then i started wondering about a model shapped like yours:

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It might have required cutting excess plastic though, because i wanted to be able to pack my modules horizontally, as tight as possible if necessary...

I chose not to use a reflector for heat reasons, but may change my mind.

Heat is one problem that i feared might result from packing flat/circular receptacles installed on rectangular wood supports, hence my idea of cutting their round edges on the sides. Then i felt it would also be preferable to remove excess wood as well, to promote air circulation in between. It's not something i've implemented so far, but it was part of my plan as a possible future option since your type of sockets would render my modular assemblies sturdier and more affordable.

A pair of metal tripod supports allow vertical adjustment while the light modules glide on a horizontal bar, though i've come to think i'd prefer using a set of arms articulated like an octopus so the lights can follow a plant's profile perfectly.

In any case, i found this open structure works best when there's an air conditioner at work or when it's possible to open a window (between September to November, if reduced illumination time is acceptable). Additionally, in reason of the intense light it's a good idea to synchronize the timer with daylight time in order to avoid attracting neighbourhood attention. Fans were installed on the horizontal bar, then i included a humidifier after being invaded by mites... After a few changes i replaced the small fans with a vertical one which fits nicely in the right section.