GD-SDS .Short notice / update..

turnip brain said:

So without resources for most growers to gradually change spectrum over this time period, how about reducing hours/day while still under veg lighting prior to switching to flowering lighting?

like:

18/6 veg lighting
16/8 for 5-6 days
14/10 a few days
change to redder spectrum
couple more days 14/10
12/12

Click to expand...

I've done it and it works fine. Plants probably prefer it anyway. Some strains really do not like sudden changes to their environment.

I jump to 12/12, transplant the same day, and I can see they don't like it at all.

Recently, I've also been 12/12-ing to sex plants and then re-veg when I find the males. I'm sure they don't like that either. Lol. It works.

One more "spindly-tally" ....
One more "squaty " ...
Gene Expression altered by light at seedling-young stage or
just way different genome ?
-Or even different reaction to topping ?
-Usually from that 'batch ' of WR seeds ,I get almost 99.99% same -identical plants -...
Of the Squaty pheno .

Click to expand...

None of these BS..
It was a " He " ..
Simply another male ....

Test left to be done with one female (the one left is 99% female ...) ...

Anyway ...

These days I'm onto Arduino programming ....

I'm hacking an small oven into a PID microcontroller ,computer controlled reflow oven..
( For baking leds ,of course !!!!! )

With Everything on board ...(" build -in" on oven ,where OEM thermostat / timer panel was ..)

-Arduino UNO v3

-High Quality precision K-type thermocouple ,glass braided jacket :
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/251

-Arduino PID reflow oven Shield :
http://www.rocketscream.com/wiki/index.php/Reflow_Controller_Shield_(Arduino_Compatible)
http://www.rocketscream.com/shop/reflow-oven-controller-shield-arduino-compatible

-A Solid State Relay (needs passive cooling ) :
http://www.crydom.com/en/Products/Catalog/s_1.pdf

-And some other smaller parts like indicator led ,push-button switches,small heatsinks ,etc ....

So now I'm collecting all the parts needed ...
Look at a LED I've found today -at my favourite local electronic supply shop -,
to use as a reflow process indicator led ...
( @ 20mA ) ..
I like it's ' retro ' looks .....
Kinda from a 60's fallout shelter's emergency alarm ...
..or radio ..Whatever ...
Bulky blinky ,there .....

...

I'm thinking also for implementing a vacuum pump & Nitrogen Gas Supply racor(s) .....
As also an 220 volt metal fan ,maybe ...
Or even a servo-motor to automatically open oven's door ,when reflowing is done ...

Dunno ..I'll see ...

Anyway ....

Also next -gen GD-SDS system ,will have -along with it's analog pots -
a digital control option of spectrum/power ...
Through a 4 or 5 pin XLR connector ,system can be connected with an Arduino board
and simulate daily and/or seasonal light changes ...Fully programmable ...

....First I've to "get to know" Arduino ,better ....

New adventures .....

Arduino?

Well,my brother ,I kinda like the "analog" option better ...
You never know with those microprocessors ...
(We are messing with possible RFI interference / insulation,ect ..Aren't we ? Or I'm just being way over my head ,again ? )

Anyway ...Simple electronics ,are simple to fix also ...(easy spare parts and replacing ,in case of mishappens ) ..

Do you want it that " digital " ,really ?
(Not ,that I 've any particular problem with that ...
It's just about the sensitivity of complex digital electronics ,that I worry ,a bit ... )

Click to expand...

https://www.rollitup.org/led-other-lighting/619348-led-diy-making-dj-set-9.html#post8620904

have fun!

guod said:

Arduino?



https://www.rollitup.org/led-other-lighting/619348-led-diy-making-dj-set-9.html#post8620904

have fun!

Click to expand...

Yes ....

Fun ?

Well ,programming the dam' thing ,ain't so much of what I call fun ...
Still ,it's a "magical " little thing ...

Anyway ....

Plant at second week of flowering >Cycle 12.30' / 11.30' ...

....

One thing I discovered a bit ' late ' ....

Oslons 80 ,are not meant to be close to plant(s) ....
Plants get stunted ....
...

stardustsailor said:

One thing I discovered a bit ' late ' ....

Oslons 80 ,are not meant to be close to plant(s) ....
Plants get stunted ....
...

Click to expand...

What distance from canopy now ? 20 inches ?

mkmll said:

What distance from canopy now ? 20 inches ?

Click to expand...

Yeap ....Maybe more ...

Today's last day of second week at flowering .
From tomorrow ,cycle will change into the "classic " 12/12 regime ...

..

....While ,the "other project " going on -the one of building a Hot -Plate reflow soldering system - has really got me "deep" into it ....

All sorts of ideas keep coming up ...

I.e .

Now I want a second lcd screen ,a graphical one ,so I'll be able to see more realtime data -at a glance -while the reflowing process is going on ..
So plenty os little small "problems " do come up ,along with the ideas ....

Mobile phone lcd display,for example ,has a Digital signal level and operational voltages at ~2.7 -3.3 Volts...
While Arduino Uno's digital Outputs ( TX ) run at 5 Volts Level ...

So ,a mosfet level converter has to be made ....
And plenty other small ,little ,sh...................

Let alone the programming and pre-operational system calibrating ,that have to be done ....

...Have I started to like electronics ? ....
Who ?
Me ? ....

Have to go and burn one ,while thinking more deeply about it .....



...
......

...

BRB changing my pants

Oh yeah, and ive been meaning to ask, whats the advantage of "oven" rather than "plate" style reflow? Won't you be frazzling the lenses or degrading the LED in some way, subjecting bits other than the junction to the heat?

SnotBoogie said:

Oh yeah, and ive been meaning to ask, whats the advantage of "oven" rather than "plate" style reflow? Won't you be frazzling the lenses or degrading the LED in some way, subjecting bits other than the junction to the heat?

Click to expand...

Well , hot plating is much more suitable,than the conventional reflow oven ,for soldering leds ...
Read more here ...

Oh... I thought you meant your DIY reflow station would be an "oven" rather than a hot plate.

A reflow oven ( forced convection,IR ,etc ),generally, is much more suitable for either single or double -sided FiberGlass Epoxy made pcbs
( aka FR4 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FR-4 ) .

While for single-sided only pcbs ,made from heat-conducting materials (ceramic,copper,aluminium,etc ) - like for example
the Insulated Metal Substrates ( IMS or Metal Core PCB ) ,then the hot-plating reflow soldering ,it the method ,suited best ....


My system is going to be of two separate devices ,but inter-connected between them...

The PID control unit and the actual hot-plate unit (device ) ...

Though ,that the same PID control unit ,can be used,also, to "drive " a small reflow oven ..(.....up to ~3500 Watts ..More than enough .... ) ..

But it's still long way -from now ,before the system is going to be ready for operational duty ....
Still ....
It's a really useful tool ...
One ,that I must have ....

Ahhhhh.... That makes much more sense. Fascinating as always brother.

I really like the looks of your lights, I ll be the first one to test them when they hit the market If I can afford them haha!

..........

-Green line : floating Set Point for SnAgCu solder profile ..
What the controller is set to "follow " .

-Yellow line : Input temperature from sensor .
What really is going on .....

X= time (sec)
y= Temp ( °C )

Click to expand...

This is a plot from a test using the controller ,but I was the one manually controlling the
electric stove,using it's thermostat knob ...
I tried "back'n'forth to follow the solder profile ....
Well ...
Not THAT bad ....
But not acceptable ....

Notes :

I've already trimmed the program to the high power of electric stove during pre-heating ....
I've to fix the dwell ramp ,from 217C up to ~Tpeak-5 °C ,so to be smooth ..

-Green line : floating Set Point for SnAgCu solder profile ..
What the controller is set to "follow " .

-Yellow line : Input temperature from sensor .
What really is going on .....

Click to expand...

(Original sketch used ,is meant to be used with an OVEN not with a hot-plate ....)

-Problem : hot plate does not cool down to the needed ~ 3°C per second rate ....


( at pic ,that steep temp decrease -yellow line -is just the TC that slipped away from the hot plate ...)


Best solution I'm thinking right now :

A device/mech/tech to "lift " the pcb from plate ...
Along with the TC sensor ....

Lift the pcb ,in such way that it will cool down with the ~ -3°C/sec rate ,needed ...

A precision-controlled servomotor lift device aka "pcb elevator " ?

Shi...........

Any other ideas ,guys ?

Anything will be much appreciated ...

Fans ?
....
What ?

And the plant ....

(....this grow is a failure ....
But I'm not convinced it's because of the leds ....
..Not yet ....)

....

Test #2 (still manually done ) reveals a "bug" in the program ..
Timming of preheat sub-steps ending and soak sub-step start ,is not correct ...
I've to fix that* ...

-*I changed preheat slope step into : 10 °C per 5000 milliseconds (5 " ) => 2°C/sec,for second test ...
But it overshoots -cause every temp step is too high ..10 °C !!!..
So I reverted back to 2.5 °C per 1250 milliseconds (1.25 " ) ..
(Slope remains @ 2°C/sec ..)
..
Much more "detailed" control ....
Sampling rate is at 250 milliseconds ....
~5 samples ,per sub-step of 2.5 °C increasement ,every 1250 milliseconds ..)
Good resolution for the PID algorithm to react ,while preheating ...
Harnessing the "wild-power " 1200 Watt electric stove ....

...
Now I 've to finish the " 217°C => Peak-5°C " ramp ...
It can not stay as is ....that is meant for a "slow" oven ..
Not for the "fast " hotplate ....

Hotplate will overshoot ,with just a single step from ~200 °C to ( peak temperature -5°C ) ....

Needs more precision ....




Still cooling of electric plate sucks big time ....

All the rest ,I'm sure that the controller will handle with ease ...
But cooling .....

...HELP!!!!


** At the end ,I was blowing air at the stove ,by waving amagazine (! ) ...

Well ...Fans ,might do the job .....
Also relay controlled by Arduino ....
And a cooling ramp PID routine
(Direct : Ramp rate is of negative value ,fan will lower the temps (negative values ,also )


Edit :

While 'trimming ' the reflow profile (setting 'floating' setpoints values ) ,can be done
with manually controlling the stove ...

PID parameters ,have to be calibrated,with the unit at full operational state ...

Maybe some kind of watercooling device, or one of those ummm....i cant remember what theyre called....heat engines? the things where you pass a current through and one side heats up, the other cools down.

What is the solution in commercial reflow? they just use a more suitable "base plate" ??

I think SnotBoogie means peltier cooler..