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sardonicus
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Lmao I didn't think about that !! He would have to be able to cover them bit if he really can move the light thru a cable then intensity wouldn't need to be as intense or constant. He could hide the mirrors in less light and produce a decent par at the far end of the cable but that's why I asked him how that would work ? He would def need some kind of lenses system to concentrate and focus the light, but that cable opens a world of possibilities,I've seen a thing like a light tunnel that transports light by bouncing it off mirrors.I too love a good diy project. This is an interesting idea. The first thing that comes to my mind, is various mirrors on some kind of movable post wherever the sunlight shines the most. If you couldn't move it manually, you'd have to rig some kind of small motor or pulley and timer that would move the mirrors every hour or so to follow the sun.... or just have enough mirrors to make that unnecessary.... then have them point at a large mounted mirror that shines down on the plants. You might need a few mirrors at different angles to direct the light... think the mirror scene in The Mummy lol. Concerns would be: How intense the light is and if you have enough clearance to not fry the plants, fire risk, drawing attention to your pad with beams of light, crashing planes by blinding them lol. Ha! This has been a fun little stoned rant to accompany my morning buzz.🛩
Do these light movers move enough to raise up a crop? Do they use mirrors, has the above mentioned fiber optic cable setup already been invented?They make light movers. They have approval agency stamps. Like etl csa etc. And you really shouldn't build something. Just buy it.
The move the light back on forth on a rail. Are safety tested. So you won't have a legal issue if you have a fire.Do these light movers move enough to raise up a crop? Do they use mirrors, has the above mentioned fiber optic cable setup already been invented?
We messed with this in the late 70's and early 80's. Outdoor grows were getting busted left and right. Bears in the air and satellites were picking them off. In the end it was very complex with having to move and time mirrors with the sun movement condensing the light energy and then uncondensing / diffusing. It was just a friggin mess. And then you still had light shafts shooting across the forrest floor that could be read like a map. Plus there was a lot of light lost to atmospheric and environmental conditions like dust, pollen, moisture and so on. We also played with early fiber optics and glass rods. A mentor, adopted father figure was a engineer in the telecom industry. Back in those days we could never collect and transport enough sunlight to light up a closet more than just a dim glow. Enjoy!So, I am a big diy-er and I like to keep things as efficient as I can. I have been debating with myself on indoor vs outdoor growing while I do other research on growing cannabis. I've never grown it before, but I do have a bit of a green thumb. At the moment I have a large back deck on my house that is covered, and I never use it for anything, so it could be an interesting quasi outdoor growing space. Its out of view of all the neighbors and I live in the middle of nowhere a bit so theres no chance of a random passerby coming to check things out. The problem though is being covered it only gets sunlight for a few hours in the morning, which is not enough. The next natural thought of course is investing in grow lights, but those are expensive and I really dont want to spend that kind of money right now. My next thought comes from an idea that goes back thousands of years - moving light instead of generating it. The right kind of mirror would do the trick. I am also considering parabolic reflectors to concentrate light and a series of lenses and mirrors to move it where its needed and then diffusers to not set things on fire. I have also looked into plano convex lenses to focus light into a fiber optic cable where it gets paired with a diffuser of some kind and maybe a reflector to properly illuminate the area. I am curious to know if anyone else has done what I am thinking about - moving light. How they did it, how well it worked, how much it cost to setup. Any other thoughts on the matter are welcome as well.
There not talking about light movers like that. They are talking about collecting light energy and transporting it to where it's needed in a shaded area. Read the post again,,, mirrors and fiber optics.View attachment 1251557they look like this. Have a little motor on there with a gear reduction. They work.
That's cool to know someone actually attempted it though! I bet the technology could be invented with today's materials... even just a solar array directly fed into an led lighting system on a constant loop would be cool, and probably not that hard to accomplish... which is kind of the same thing in a roundabout way.We messed with this in the late 70's and early 80's. Outdoor grows were getting busted left and right. Bears in the air and satellites were picking them off. In the end it was very complex with having to move and time mirrors with the sun movement condensing the light energy and then uncondensing / diffusing. It was just a friggin mess. And then you still had light shafts shooting across the forrest floor that could be read like a map. Plus there was a lot of light lost to atmospheric and environmental conditions like dust, pollen, moisture and so on. We also played with early fiber optics and glass rods. A mentor, adopted father figure was a engineer in the telecom industry. Back in those days we could never collect and transport enough sunlight to light up a closet more than just a dim glow. Enjoy!
I’ve thought of similar before, nice to see some others have/areI also immediately thought of The Mummy. This is such a cool idea, but fraught with logistical hurdles. The biggest ones in my eyes are: how to redirect the light where you want it while the sun is constantly changing it's position in the sky, light loss to reflection, the system picking up light when it isn't supposed to, cost vs grow lights. I would love to see this in effect, but I'm not quite ready to try it myself. Good luck to you.
I agree those are certainly concerns, and while I have not seen anyone using straight mirrors on a heliostat for plants I have seen an instance of someone using a parabolic collector with a filter to eliminate some of the heat producing spectrums and using that to illuminate an underground space that had plants growing in it. Their purpose was not strictly for the plants, if memory serves it was a video about a project in new york to repurpose abandoned underground areas of the city into public spaces again in an energy efficient way. Of course how well those plants survived down there and for how long I can't say.You will change the spectral ratios… not all spectrums travel through, reflect or absorb the same.
Will it work if you can get the intensity right? Yes
Will it be as effective as sunlight? No
Will it be as good as grow lights? Highly unlikely if using a garbage light and definitely not if using a decent light.
I can very much appreciate the concept but those are my concerns and opinions
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