> On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:38:34 -0800, "Mowe Z. Slowley"
> grass.net> wrote:
>

>> "Ida Know wrote:
>> "> On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:34:53 -0800, "Mowe Z. Slowley"
>> "> grass.net> wrote:
>> ">
>> ">> "Ida Know wrote:
>> ">> ">
>> ">> "> please don't forget the financially challenged types, like disabled
>> ">> "> veteran, single parents like me who NEED a low budget, low profile
>> ">> "> alternative to HID's that are expensive to buy and to run and take up
>> ">> "> an awful lot of head room if you know what i mean!
>> ">> "> last year i grew my first ever crop in my closet under two 175watt MV
>> ">> "> spot lights i got at Walmart for $25.00 each. Yield was tasty but very
>> ">> "> sparse, only about 3 grams per clone. very disappointing.
>> ">> "> this year i thought to switch to 65watt CFL's or even 100 watters and
>> ">> "> suppliment with smaller CFL's in red and blue.
>> ">> "> if there is a low budget (relatively speaking) way for a guy like me
>> ">> "> to try LED's, i'd need some help from guy's like you two who both
>> ">> "> appear to know a shitload more about the subject's in question than i
>> ">> "> do.
>> ">> ">> "
>> ">> ">> "we need to collaborate.
>> ">> ">> "get my email from buzz, coyote, SteveL, or Daev.
>> ">> ">
>> ">> "
>> ">> "I am having a /lot/ of trouble keeping the initial retail price low
>> ">> "on this technology, due to the nature of the beast, we are cutting
>> ">> "bleeding edge applications here, and a direct consequence of that is
>> ">> "cost overhead.
>> ">> "
>> ">> "One of our marketing innovations to overcome these burdens we are
>> ">> "hoping to make a reality is a 'lease' of the lights to customers.
>> ">> "this becomes a possibility because of the very very long lifespan of
>> ">> "the equipment.
>> ">
>> "> i'm hoping for something more crude that i can DIY, maybe from parts
>> "> out of the local Radio Shack or something. something not controlled by
>> "> computer but rather either just on or off, maybe even so crude that
>> "> i'd have to pull and replace individual LED's to get the correct
>> "> spectrums of light. i was trained in electronics in the military back
>> "> in the 70's so i still remember which side of the soldering iron to
>> "> put the chalk on i think, so, if it's possible to do and you were
>> "> willing to share said 'el cheapo' solution, i think i could follow
>> "> your directions.
>> ">
>> "> anyway, thanks in advance for any help you can give regarding lights,
>> "> including advice on CFL's
>> "
>> "I can help you with a DIY, no problem. You will need a whole bunch
>> "of perf board, and be prepared for a /lot/ of soldering.
>> "
>> "You will need to buy thru-hole components, and high power LED
>> "'stars'. most of this material can be purchased on line.
>> "What I have in mind is guiding you through thge process of repeating
>> "my prototyping build.
>> "
>> "I came up with a technique of using a twisted wire tool to spin the
>> "wires of the thru-hole LEDs together into series, saving a huge
>> "amount of jumper wiring, and making the assembly a whole lot more
>> "robust in the process.
>> "
>> "Even with the method and my help, you are looking at several hundred
>> "dollars for materials. You will need to buy a whole /lot/ of LEDs.
>> "
>> "I did say that twice, didn't I?

>
> several hundred means piecemeal for me as my budget is VERY tight.
> i probably will pick up some CFL's and start with them while i
> construct the LED stuff for flowering. i'm definately NOT gonna use my
> 175watt MV's again. i just want to get to where i don't have to come
> out of pocket with so much of my monthly income, plus, and maybe even
> more important, i'm tired of mediocre quality. i'm a reasonably smart
> guy still, even at 52 and i figured i could do better than the stuff
> that i could afford to buy so this will be crop #2.
>
> thanks for taking the time to respond and for any advice you care to
> share
> the name's rick by the way