ttystikk
- 6,892
- 313
Killer DIY. "RAD" lol. I give you probs man.
Motherlode is right though. Movers are good for veg when it comes to flower they cut your weight in half. 2 4x4 with 2 600s on a mover yielded less then half vs 2 stationary lights over each table. Movers main goal is heat buildup. Also using it to lets say move lights a foot and a half each direction over a single table to get 100% coverage for example. Other then that your yield will suffer. Just the facts. If it didn't everyone would be rocking light movers.
CemChris, nice to hear from you. I discussed why light movers have gotten short shrift in the past in some of my most recent posts, so I won't repeat myself here.
I reiterate my position that treating light emanating from a moving source the same as that from a stationary source is a widespread and erroneous practice that, once corrected, allows light movers to reach their full potential. The right type of reflector is an often overlooked yet crucial step in helping your light mover give you the best results. As I said before, you need a reflector that allows you to get lots of sideshine. It's this sideshine that keeps your plants growing when the bulb isn't directly overhead. Until I develop a hood specifically for this application, I recommend the adjust-a-wing reflectors, set up so that the bulb is far away from the metal ('down') and the wingspan is set for maximum width.
Another very important stage in the proper installation of light movers is the presence, type and location of the reflective materials at the canopy's edge. Skip putting it up and I'll readily agree with you that the light mover may end up doing you more harm than good! Trouble is, that's sorta like saying your Ferrari is useless because you put bicycle tires on it...
The type of reflective matters plenty, too- I suggest sticking with the simple, mirror reflective surface mylar sheeting, not white and certainly not the 'diamond pattern' or other diffusion coated materials on the market. These diffusion coatings are used to help overcome the fact that a stationary light doesn't move, and are detrimental to a moving light setup.
For that matter, I'm going to go on record here and say that I'm not a big fan of the linear light movers out there. When people say that they don't work because the light gets too far away from the plants, I think it's perhaps most often because of this type of system. Some manufacturers actually suggest using supplemental stationary lighting at the ends of the track's length, which in my mind defeats the whole purpose of moving lights in the first place!
I think a rotisserie, or rotating, light moving system is a better solution, based on its inherent advantages in even lighting and the fact that there are no 'ends' since it moves in a circle. It's also much more feasible to properly place canopy edge reflecting materials around a circular mover than a linear one.
Lastly, You're absolutely correct that one of the light rotator's benefits is reducing heat buildup- as long as it moves your light fast enough. Take this concept one logical step further, and you'll see that you can get higher light intensities without burning them because you're moving the light. How? By allowing the light to be closer to the canopy, so you take advantage of the inverse square law. If you can position your 1000w HID light 18" above the canopy instead of 36", you've increased the light intensity under it by a factor of four! Yes, this can be done with aircooled stationary lighting too, but the problem is that the bright spot you've created doesn't move and thus its benefits are limited.