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 coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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 Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ 
#303162 - 10/24/09 04:55 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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So I've been wanting to upgrade to T-5 for my veg room for a bit now. Was just about to buy a 4 ft 4 lamp setup but some things came up and my spare cash for it was no longer spare. So I went over to home depot today to pick up another T-12 light to at least give some more light when i noticed they had T-5 lights for 35 bucks.
Now these are strip lights which means they're meant to mounted to a wall with a direct splice into a power line. So to make this work you have to buy a wall socket adapter so that you can plug it into your wall. Also, a power drill with a metal drilling bit is needed so that you can suspend your light when you're finished.
DISCLAIMER: These strip lights are not the 5000 lumen HO T-5's.
Costs:
4 Ft Two Lamp T-5 Ballast with bulbs included: 35$
Socket adapters: 2$
Metal Drill Bit: 2$
Small extension cord: 3$
Ballast and Socket adapters unwired
Bare wires from ballast through plastic housing in socket adapters
Completed socket adapter, the prongs on the plug pull away from the plastic housing that holds them. You then slide the wires in the plastic housing, press the prongs in, then slide the white plastic housing over that to crimp the wires in place. A firm press with a screwdriver in the middle of the prongs plastic housing seals the deal (this is able to be taken apart later if need be)
I wired the plug through one of those eyelets so that the plug would not be hanging down from the middle.
Then I used a 1" metal drilling bit to drill a hole near both eyelets. This lets me thread a zip tie through so I could hang the ballast.
Finished product. Not too shabby for 40 bucks and about 30 mins worth of work. The ballasts are nice and square so if you want to buy more then one it will be easy to hang them side by side. I definitely plan on picking up at least one more in the future, just couldn't afford it today.
And that's how you can put a T-5 setup in your closet for next to nothing 
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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 Azyle00
Captain Canada
Registered: 10/14/09
Posts: 240
Loc: CANADA
Last seen: 14 years, 9 months
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: coda]
#303169 - 10/24/09 05:08 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Whats the Lumen output etc on these?
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"I never post unless high. Well that does explain a lot then."
"The best part about going to sleep each night is knowing that my plants will have grown more when I wake up in the morning."
"I smoked it then I became so tired that my eyes shut down automatically without my consent" - My Chinese GF, Oct 23, 2009
Starting your first GROW, things you should ask/answer before you do
Current Grow Journal
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: Azyle00]
#303170 - 10/24/09 05:09 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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to tell you the truth I couldn't find it on the box.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: coda]
#303175 - 10/24/09 05:20 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Specs fo rthe F28T5 Bulb:
Light Output: 2900 Lumens
Energy Used: 28 Watts
Rated Life: 20,000 Hours
Base: G5 - Miniature Bipin
Length: 45.75 Inches
Diameter: .625 Inch
Color Temperature: 4100
CRI: 85
Bulb Type: T5
I'm not sure if the HO T5's will work in this ballast or not. Those lamps are rated at 56 Watts and 5000 lumens.
Edit: Nope, they wont. I guess I should put a disclaimer in the post that these strip lights are not the 5000 lumen HO T-5's.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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just me
GreenThumb
Registered: 04/21/08
Posts: 2,407
Loc: MO/TX/FL/HI
Last seen: 12 years, 2 months
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: coda]
#303488 - 10/25/09 03:38 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan why doesnt my home dePot carry t5's
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-and for all your ETHNO SEEDS needs come see us @ www.freeseedring.nl
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Kine
Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 374
Last seen: 14 years, 9 months
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: coda]
#303501 - 10/25/09 08:29 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Quote:
coda said:
Specs fo rthe F28T5 Bulb:
Light Output: 2900 Lumens
So a gross total of 56 watts and 5800 lumens per fixture.
Lumens dont add.
Can anyone refute that?
Cause lumens is a measure of light output; to the human eye. 1 candle foot watt = 1 lumen. Doesnt deal with light spectrum, or intensity cause honestly; i dont think a fire can grow plants 
Thats what i've come to the conclusion on from research done on other sites. The way he proved it was by having a lumen meter and holding it to one light; then two with a gain of between 1-5 lumens. I have a feeling someone will say "Well you sure cant grow on one CFL"... no; but im not entirely convinced lumens have anything to do with plant growth ether. Just intensity (penetration... not lumens) and spectrum.
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: just me]
#303502 - 10/25/09 08:33 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Quote:
maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan why doesnt my home dePot carry t5's
http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans-Fluorescent-Lighting/Lithonia-Lighting/h_d1/N-5yc1vZare3ZwvZ641at/R-100654408/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
You live in HI right? Found that using the Hilo zip code as a base to search with. HI Home Depots should carry them. Go to the lighting section, look for the place where they have the t-12 shop lights, and poke around there. You should find them no problem.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: coda]
#303503 - 10/25/09 08:38 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Quote:
Lumens dont add. Can anyone refute that?
I was going to, then I found out i couldn't  . You're right lumens don't add.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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Azyle00
Captain Canada
Registered: 10/14/09
Posts: 240
Loc: CANADA
Last seen: 14 years, 9 months
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: coda]
#303531 - 10/25/09 11:14 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Lumens don't subtract or divide either FYI.
All joking aside though:
I think though you need to evaluate Lumens over square feet etc. But my understanding is that if you have 6 Flo lights all next to each other, really tight and they all output 2900 Lumens, no they do not end up being 17000 Lumens.
But if lighting a 4' X 2' space with 2900 Lumen flos and have 6 of them at 4' lengths, you are now able to grow in that entire area and the whole is bathed in 2900 Lumens. Flo lights are measured at 12 inches usually as well. Not sure then what the Lumens would be in an increase as you get closer, but I grow an inch away from my 2900 Lumen Flos and the plants seem to love it.
Anyone got further information or insight about this?
UPDATE: I believe now that Lumens/Lux adds. Everywhere I read that they don't is just someone spouting theory with no evidence. However, see my post below as there has been great experiments done that do support that they do add.
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"I never post unless high. Well that does explain a lot then."
"The best part about going to sleep each night is knowing that my plants will have grown more when I wake up in the morning."
"I smoked it then I became so tired that my eyes shut down automatically without my consent" - My Chinese GF, Oct 23, 2009
Starting your first GROW, things you should ask/answer before you do
Current Grow Journal
Edited by Azyle00 (10/25/09 11:57 AM)
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Azyle00
Captain Canada
Registered: 10/14/09
Posts: 240
Loc: CANADA
Last seen: 14 years, 9 months
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: Azyle00]
#303538 - 10/25/09 11:29 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Lumens:
"The technical definition of lumen is this: A lumen is the standard measurement for a unit of luminous flux, a measure of the perceived power of light. Unlike radiant flux, which measures the total amount of light energy put out by a light source, luminous flux measures the amount of light that can be perceived by the human eye. Let's look at a concrete example to help make that clearer.
Imagine that you are standing in the center of a sphere with a radius of 1 meter. You are holding a birthday candle. Take a square of cardboard that measures 1 meter on all sides and put it against the wall of the sphere so that the edges rest against the wall. One lumen is the amount of light that falls on that square of cardboard. The more candles you light at the center of the sphere, the more lumens you are shining on the cardboard, and the brighter the light is.
But how does that translate to the lighting measurements that we're used to? Most people are familiar with incandescent light bulbs that are measured in watts. While it seems to make sense that the higher wattage you use, the brighter the light you get, it's not really the way that it works. That's because watts and lumens measure two very different things. A watt is a unit of electrical energy in other words, input. A lumen is a measure of light intensity output. More simply a light bulb uses watts to make lumens.
A standard 100 watt incandescent light bulb uses 100 watts of power to put out about 1500-1700 lumens, or about 17 lumens per watt (17 lm/w). We've known for quite a long time that it's not a very efficient way to make light. By contrast, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which are the most common replacement for incandescent bulbs, put out 35 to 60 lumens per watt. That means that you can get the same amount of light for one half to one quarter of the power spent. LED (light-emitting diode) lamps offer even more lighting efficiency. There are already manufacturer making LED lamps that put out 100 lumens per watt, and the U.S. Department of Energy is on track with an energy plan that calls for LEDs that put out 160 lumens per watt by 2025."
"On the other had you still will double the amount of photons and usable light the plant recieves, so all is not lost."
And a great article that explains so much:
http://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/83128-lumens-lux-adding-all-up.html
So the jury is still out on this. I really liked the above article because the author did not just state "blah blah blah I am right" but actually did an experiment with photos that seems to indicate that Lux does add. And his points make sense as the problem is not about Lumens adding but rather how hard it is to get so many CFLs or Flos overlapping tightly to get the Lux add up as even 1 inch distance will degrade the Lumen/Lux level. So Lumens do not add and this is not what we care about, Lux does add and degrades with distance and this is what we do care about.
Might go buy a device to measure Lumens/Lux and test some myself here with my lights then return the device later for a refund once the experiment is over
Another experiment in Lumen/Lux by the same author:
"The results also further support the fact that lumens DO ADD. If they didn't, what you would get from the CFLs is a constant intensity across the center near the bulbs that decreased as you move away."
http://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/83378-16k-lumens-hps-vs-cfl.html#post972220
Thoughts?
--------------------
"I never post unless high. Well that does explain a lot then."
"The best part about going to sleep each night is knowing that my plants will have grown more when I wake up in the morning."
"I smoked it then I became so tired that my eyes shut down automatically without my consent" - My Chinese GF, Oct 23, 2009
Starting your first GROW, things you should ask/answer before you do
Current Grow Journal
Edited by Azyle00 (10/25/09 11:55 AM)
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Kine
Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 374
Last seen: 14 years, 9 months
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: Azyle00]
#303579 - 10/25/09 01:00 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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im on a smoke lunch break now; but i'll discuss this with the electricitans at work too. But it was touched on before; while lumens dont ad; they can depleat with distance. Thats where multipul lights come in. You want max lumens (say 2900 with a CFL) across your growing surface; from top of pot/hydro set up to the cealing.
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: Kine]
#303580 - 10/25/09 01:06 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Yah, i think it's along the lines of "while max lumens do not increase, the number of photon's to reach the plants does"...
Something along those lines anyway, i'll have to dig up the link i found when i was reading about it.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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Kine
Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 374
Last seen: 14 years, 9 months
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: coda]
#303973 - 10/26/09 10:36 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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If you could that'd be pimpin... i've read so much about it. I wanna compile a list of facts and sources for light info. Seems to be the number one issue in bud growing...
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just me
GreenThumb
Registered: 04/21/08
Posts: 2,407
Loc: MO/TX/FL/HI
Last seen: 12 years, 2 months
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: Kine]
#304727 - 10/27/09 02:37 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Coda, cant find them at the maui depot
i'll keep an eye out
i just need a nice veg, clone light
will 1 of these depot t5's do the trick...maybe 2 
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-and for all your ETHNO SEEDS needs come see us @ www.freeseedring.nl
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: just me]
#304800 - 10/27/09 05:19 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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I'd get at least two. However, if you've got a lot of room in your veg area t-12 or t-8 shop lights will be a little less expensive and work just as well. These lights are ideal for those who are short on grow space (like me) or want to add some supplemental lighting to an existing setup.
When i wrote this post I was unaware of the total lumen output of the bulbs, in reality the put out no more lumens then a t-12, but the bulbs life is better then a t-12 light is.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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Kine
Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 374
Last seen: 14 years, 9 months
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: coda]
#304806 - 10/27/09 05:54 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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T-5's have much more intensity then a T-12 tho. t-5 ALWAYS beats T-12. While they have the same lumens... the penetration of a T-5 is SIGNIFICANTLY better. Its like CFL vs HPS. Even if CFL had the lumen output of a HPS, we'd still use HPS because it penetrates the brush better....
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: Kine]
#304813 - 10/27/09 05:58 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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yah, but my point of that is if you're looking to save some cash a t-8 or t-12 light setup would be fine. If he was going to put a bunch of those t-5 strips in he might as well save up and buy a HO T-5 setup.
And I still think that you would need at least two of these lights to produce adequate coverage for your plants.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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just me
GreenThumb
Registered: 04/21/08
Posts: 2,407
Loc: MO/TX/FL/HI
Last seen: 12 years, 2 months
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: coda]
#305281 - 10/28/09 03:13 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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we've got:
double bulb 15w t5 "830" for around $25
worth it to buy 2 (4 bulbs) and build a batwing, or?
i just need a nice lil veg section, and ive got plenty of workspace
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-and for all your ETHNO SEEDS needs come see us @ www.freeseedring.nl
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just me
GreenThumb
Registered: 04/21/08
Posts: 2,407
Loc: MO/TX/FL/HI
Last seen: 12 years, 2 months
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: just me]
#308437 - 11/02/09 06:42 PM (15 years, 27 days ago) |
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?
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-and for all your ETHNO SEEDS needs come see us @ www.freeseedring.nl
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: Two Lamp T-5 Setup for 40$ [Re: just me]
#308477 - 11/02/09 07:49 PM (15 years, 27 days ago) |
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Can't get the higher power bulbs? Well, anyways, I'm convinced about the T-5's. These things are great, the nodes are growing in much tighter now and the branching on all of the plants has increased.
Does that 25$ include the bulbs?
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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