sulphur plasma lighting

Well, it seems I need to recreate my overgrow thread here.

This is about the sulphur plasma lamp. It is a technology developed by NASA as a replacement for sunlight for deep space vehicles. In PAR ratings it equals or rivals the sun and yet puts off almost no heat. It flat blows the doors off of current indoor plant lighting HID in PAR, waste heat and energy efficiency!

The price for them is about $1600 USD and they can be purchased at http://www.nurturelite.com/photoponics.htm. As far as I know they are the only people that still make them. It causes interference with wireless networking standards so it was discontinued. However, the basic technology is excellent and worth the money for large scale growers or just people that want the best. A national museum used them to replace a bunch of HID with 2 of these and had more light.

The bulb is rated for roughly 10yrs but the magnetron must be replaced every 6-18 months at a cost of $50-60 USD. They are talking about making a cartridge type replacement system for the magnetron to make it easier to replace.

I know, I sound like a salesman but I am in no way affiliated with them. Just a tech nut that likes to spread the knowledge. I was promised some pictures from plants being grown in Europe in about 2 months. I'll post them as I get them.

Goodbye Overgrow, I will sorely miss you. IMHO everyone should donate $10-20 dollars to MPP, NORML and SAFER as our way of putting a sharp stick in the eye of my government, revenge. Take the decision away from the polititions and into the hands of everyday people. Thinking about starting a medical marijuana and industrial hemp referendum here the way they have in other states. Can't arrest me for that ASSHOLES!!!

Dude! INTERESTING!

I read about them, in OverGrow if I'm not mistaken. There are two or three threads with a little bit of info on those lights here... but nothing extensive.

Please share your ideas! Do you own one? Planning on getting one? Links and stuff? :)

Thanks man,

-turtle420 :cool:
.

No, I don't own one. I just like to do anything I can to cause problems for LEO when it comes to marijuana prohibition. I was looking for a better stealth light, to confound FLIR (heat) imaging from helicopters, and came across info from NASA on their work with sulphur lamps and LED's. The LED's were too expensive but then I found probably the only company in the world that still supplies these lights. NASA liked it for the PAR but also so that they wouldn't build up heat in their spaceships as it's difficult to lose heat in space.

I don't grow now, no. Even if I did I wouldn't say with everything going on at Overgrow and hopefully they wouldn't want someone small like me anyway. Maybe if my state becomes a medical state. Happy thought as I have a ruptured disk with collateral nerve damage in both legs from an army injury. Weed keeps me from waking up with cramping, like a charlie-horse in my back, and helps me keep from being as active. By nature I like to push myself and be active and with this kind of injury... bad news. Given my choices of spinal fusion and addictive pain-killers, just plain lots of addictive pain-killers or living with it and smoking some herb for cramps and just plain enjoyment I decided to live with the current level of pain.

Outdoors I've done some Papaya last summer but it wasn't worth it. I put out 20 plants in two locations in the swamps but with water levels fluctuating 4-6 feet each storm I only ended with 1 plant surviving. Man that was some killer shit though! Two ounces lasted me almost 1 1/2 months and it was the first time that happened in a while. Usually I go through that in less than 1 month.

If this becomes a medical state though then yeah, I will definitely get one or something real nice. I won't have to buy weed from anyone else and I know what I'm getting so it seems like a good investment. It seems most medical states allow around 7 plants so I would be just fine. If we legalize it for medical anyway :-(.

I have found a few sources for these lights. I have yet to receive any replies from the companies so I will wait to make sure they are legit and can supply the lights at retail befor I put there contact up. If these places are legit they are charging $1000. for the microwave sulphur lights.

If, in fact, they stopped being produced due to interference with wireless transmissions, that sounds like maybe the funding for furthur research was pulled because of other reasons. Conspiracy maybe? Or, more likely the research kept going but the media lost all interest so we don't here anything about new advances anymore.

There has been one advancement (at least) that has been publicized. It is an additional element added to the sulphur to create another spike in the wavelength of light available. I am unable to find the link right now. If I find it again I will post it. It basically explains how different elements can be used to tailor the output of a microwave powered lamp.


FERMENTNATIONS

Can a mod please move this to an appropriate location.

I found a site that mentions the inventor and talks about why the original design was tossed. Click on the sulphur lamp link on this page.

http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Electrodeless.htm

Here is an interesting collection of articles:

http://members.misty.com/don/sulfbulb.html

Microwave sulfur light tubes were developed in 1995. They are still being perfected but they were investegated by NASA (or so I read) and determined to be the best light source for indoor growing. LEDs came in second.. NASA subcontract scientist said.. well read it for yourself:

"What we've found basically is that we are able to limit the amount of colour we give to the plants and still have them grow as well as with white light." said the research scientist Greg Goins of Dynamac Corp. LEDs are not the only ones efficient for growing plants: sulphur microwave lamps are the most efficient light sources known to man, that can generate as much light as the noonday sun, perfect for illuminating large-scale systems such as greenhouses. For smaller applications, such as indoor gardens, LEDs seem to be the right choice.

Basically, for those who wont look any further into it via the links I will put at the bottom of this message, the sulfer microwave light NEVER loses lumens over the "life" of the bulb (which basically lasts forever) and the only thing that would ever need replacing in it are cheap and readily available parts like you would find in a houshold microwave. Their spectrum averages out at 6000k but they are finding ways to modify the spectrum.

For those who like the numbers:

As an example, we quote the large hall of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. By means of three lighting systems, each consisting of one Fusion Light Driveâ?¢ 1000 watt lamp and one Light Pipe about 30 metres in length, a lighting concept has been produced that supplies about four times the original lighting level. Total power installed is now approx. 5 kilowatts. The original 94 high-pressure mercury lamps required an input of 29 kilowatts. The result is a significant decrease in power required and a considerably improved lighting system from the technical point of view.

So lets start the debate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_lamp
http://www.3m.com/intl/uk/english/ma.../techniek.html