DIY- compact fluorescent fixture

[mspofford032579]

7) Mount the light sockets onto the posts using your machine screws and hardware. Theyâ??ll only really fit one way; you have to picture the post being installed in the hood in such a way that the corners point to each other and edges are parallel. I know that wording sounds really confusing so try to look at the jpegs Then make sure the 90 degree bracket on the light socket goes inside the post, not outside. Drill two holes near where youâ??ll be mounting each post. These holes will be for the rubber grommets, in order to determine what size whole you will need to drill, look at the package from the grommets, and drill a hole equal to the outer diameter. Stuff the grommets into the holes.

[mspofford032579]

8) Since you have 4 light sockets with 2 wires each for a total of 8 wires, and you only drilled 4 holes, youâ??ll need to wire the sockets on each post in parallel so that only one pair has to go through the grommets in the hood on each side. Do this by taking your wire connectors, and matching the colors on each end. White to white, black to black. For each post, leave one set of wires at their full length, and trim the wires on the other socket as short as you can and still crimp them to the longer pair. Once this is done, mount the posts (with the sockets attached and wired in parallel) to the hood using more machine screws, and send each of the two pairs of wires through the grommets to the top of the reflector.

[mspofford032579]

9) Lastly, youâ??ll need to attach a plug. Take your polarized plug and cord, and crimp the two sets of wires coming out of the top of the hood onto the cord, in parallel. I used a polarized plug (with one prong larger than the other) for consistency. Remember: youâ??re dealing with AC here- black is the â??hotâ?� lead with 120VAC running through it, and white is the â??neutralâ?� lead, which means it is technically neither hot nor ground. On a polarized plug, the wire connected to the wide prong is the neutral (or white) lead, and the skinny prong is the hot (or black) lead, so connect them the same way.

[mspofford032579]

10) Thatâ??s it! The result is a shroud which is the economy version of a 125W grow lamp. I like it because There is enough room to fit two 42W (2700K) CFLs horizontally across the middle, and I can switch the outside bulbs between two 26W (6500K) cool white bulbs for veg, or two 26W (2700K) bulbs for flower. Also, with this design, you can replace individual bulbs when something fails. With a 125W CFL, you have to spend about 50 bucks to replace the whole thingâ?¦

DISCLAIMER: I do not grow cannabis or any other illegal substances. I designed this light fixture to help me grow my own indoor organic tomatoes. I do not condone or encourage anyone to build this device or use these ideas to do anything illegal.

[fishman3811]

HEY thats pretty cool good info thanks

[mspofford032579]

I just wanted to share it around... It almost took me longer to make all the posts with pictures than it did to buiild the thihngs the first time around

[postmandave]

Nicely put together a great peice of info for those on a low budget.be safe the postman.

[mspofford032579]

Nicely put together a great peice of info for those on a low budget.be safe the postman.

Thanks. I'm planning on taking apart a failed predecessor to this unit for parts, and making a smller 2 bulb hood for vegging seedlings. More pics and info to come...

[madeline]

Just be sure your homeowners'/renters' insurance is paid up.

[mspofford032579]

It runs hot Ill have to post some solutions for cooling down. Probably going to trim te sides and drill holes in the bulbs housings, mabe add fans