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Growtronix System


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  #1  
Old 01-03-2010, 11:12 AM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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Default Growtronix System

I don't think I posted this yet, but I am using the Growtronix System. This is a PC based system for running your Growroom. The pictures I have posted were taken from my Mac via Parallels Desktop.

The first picture are the Power unit, Temp sensor, and Humidity Sensor.
The second picture is the Controllable Power outlet, the pump is plugged into the top and the Growlights are plugged into th bottom.
The third picture is the Desktop were you can see what the reading are.
The fourth picture is the grow journal.
The last is the picture is of the hardware screen.

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Last edited by Amigatec; 01-03-2010 at 11:17 AM.
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  #2  
Old 01-03-2010, 11:19 AM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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I plan to expand this system as funds allow.
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Old 01-04-2010, 11:23 PM
HydroACR HydroACR is offline
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wow, that is awesome, are you using the iphone app as well, or is that just the web interface loaded on the phone?
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Old 01-05-2010, 12:11 AM
andreamore andreamore is offline
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That looks very nice! Thanks for posting the pictures.
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Old 01-05-2010, 04:00 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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I finally had some time to do a quick search for the Growtronix System, I knew they existed but I just didn't know what it was called tell now. As I expected a bit expensive for me at this point, at about $1000 for the base unit. But in a year or so when I have my greenhouse, and hopefully Hydro Farm running that will go a long way to automating everything. As well as gathering the data to be more efficient with my guardens.
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  #6  
Old 01-05-2010, 07:43 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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This runs on Windows, but I use an iMac for everyday use. I have Parallels Desktop loaded on my Mac so I can run Windows apps when I need to. Parallels allows me to run Different OS's at the same time. I have the whole system running on an XP box that I use only for Growtronix.

It was on sale last August and I just couldn't turn it down. I gave $745 for the system. It all runs on CAT 5 cable. I have a cable running through the attic into the growroom. I really like the graphing abilities of the program. I plan to buy a few more addons for it this year.

This is by FAR the best growroom package you can buy.
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  #7  
Old 01-05-2010, 08:17 PM
txice txice is offline
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Awesome system. Would love to get something like that setup. I'm a computer nerd at heart and by trade, so being able to control anything from a computer is high on my like list...hehe. I just can't justify spending that kind of money when I'm still trying to learn the basics. Maybe one day I'll get to this point though .
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  #8  
Old 01-05-2010, 08:19 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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I had to think about it, but at 25% off I just couldn't turn it down.
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  #9  
Old 01-15-2010, 07:51 PM
TTRgreen2010 TTRgreen2010 is offline
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Default Cool system

This is a cool greenhouse control system.

Do you have the PH/TDS sensor? If so, how well does it work?
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  #10  
Old 01-15-2010, 08:24 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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Not yet I plan to buy it as well.

The system is on sale again 25% off!!!!
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  #11  
Old 01-18-2010, 07:55 PM
watercatwn6535nd watercatwn6535nd is offline
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Default love my grow tronix

i bought growtronix several years back and it works very well. i have some video of my grow room at you tube. I update some video every couple weeks this winter. tomotoes and watermelon just started flowering. I alreday harvested my december radishes. YouTube - watercatwn6535nd
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  #12  
Old 01-18-2010, 09:35 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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I like your system!!!!
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  #13  
Old 01-18-2010, 10:03 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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What kind of hydro controller are you using to supply the nutes to the pots??
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Old 01-19-2010, 07:04 AM
watercatwn6535nd watercatwn6535nd is offline
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Default controller

when you say hydro do you mean my water supply to the tanks? I just use a fish tank float system in one of the buckets and some of that 1/4" ice maker water line to a copper pipe and one of those valves that pierces the line.
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  #15  
Old 01-19-2010, 11:25 AM
txice txice is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by watercatwn6535nd View Post
i bought growtronix several years back and it works very well. i have some video of my grow room at you tube. I update some video every couple weeks this winter. tomotoes and watermelon just started flowering. I alreday harvested my december radishes. YouTube - watercatwn6535nd
You know....I sort of got into the whole indoor gardening/hydroponics thing on a whim. A silly idea a co-worker and I had when we thought it would be fun to try and grow some hot peppers after we saw some Youtube clips of some guy recording himself eating insanely hot peppers. Never really grew anything before so I started at a great disadvantage there...and to jump straight in to trying to grow hydroponically indoors...well, it's been a trip for sure. What really surprised me, however, is the fact that I've just gotten really really geeked out about this. It's not just a silly whim anymore and its something I've become quite passionate about. I'm learning as I go...having some decent success (at least I would guage it as such considering this is my first attempt at growing anything), but didn't really know enough to plan things out well. Every now and then I see something that makes me rethink my direction a little bit.

Then I run across a post like this one and I just get all mixed up.
On the one hand, it's a great learning tool for someone like me to see how other people have stuff set up and how they work and succeed in growing. On the other hand it's extremely frustrating because now all I want to do is tear down everything I've done so far and start over! LOL.

I really like your setup! I'm also curious about the bucket system you have there. Is that a "purchased system" or is it just something of your own design that you pieced together with parts here and there?

Last edited by txice; 01-19-2010 at 12:11 PM.
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  #16  
Old 01-19-2010, 06:44 PM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Quote:
On the other hand it's extremely frustrating because now all I want to do is tear down everything I've done so far and start over! LOL.
Even if you do start all over, a few months later you will probably want to start over again. Like a kid in a candy store, no matter how good the piece of candy you have is there always seems to be a better piece in the next jar. That's fine if you can afford the whole candy store. The feeling like starting over only means that you have learned quite a bit about how hydroponic systems work, and you see improvements you could make. Great things to keep in mind for the next system. Although for me there never seems to be an end to improvements I can make, in my quest for function and low cost hydroponic systems. I have plans to build about 15 different hydroponic systems, and have no doubt that I would be able to make improvements to everyone of them in a few months of watching them work (even designs I've already done).

Even though it's not what I am likely to do, starting out on a small scale to learn from it is the best thing to do. Nobody wants to spend a lot of money to build a large scale operation just to find out all the the things they need to do to get it to work the way they thought it would. If I had the money I would spend every hour of every day building and running hydroponic systems, as well as learning from it all for the next systems. The hard part for me is the funds, deciding what I can do within the funds I have. The frustrating part is not having the funds to do all I want to do.

I like watercatwn6535nd setup and am most interested in the lighting, although I would have a couple of concerns about it. Like the setup would work well for tall plants, I would want it adjustable for plants that grow wider than tall. Also, with so many lights (and from another post I believe they are over driven lights) I would be concerned with the cost to run them. Things I would want to look into before I built something like it, or I may be wanting to start over myself. I believe I could grow that many plants indoors using no electricity, just the cost of setting it up. The growtronix system looks like a great system, but not necessary unless you have a large operation to control. Just the base unit alone runs about a grand, and with the extra sensors and controllers you could easily be up to 2 grand. I can build the small scale hydroponics farm I want with 2 grand.

The hydroponic system the plants are in themselves looks to be a store bought system (although I could be wrong) and although it looks to work fine I have a few concerns there also. Some of it just may not be covered in the video, but I have some concerns about the root zone with the combination growing medium and dangling roots. As well as the single spout water delivery to the plants. Also some of those plants would get way to big for the system unless they were small variety's like the tomato's. I would easily be able to build something quite similar myself, but I would probably make some changes to it, and how it functions.
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  #17  
Old 01-19-2010, 10:06 PM
watercatwn6535nd watercatwn6535nd is offline
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Default sunrise finally in the grow room

what country is my grow room in? sunrises at 5 51 pm sunsets 18 hours later? probably the moon.

If i were building a new system I would use that 2 liter bottle method on pvc plastic. spray paint it all black and drop net pots in the 2 litter bottels so i could keep the roots trimmed up so they dont clog the drain hole. then i would put it my garage with lights over it and if i was worried about the power bill grow lettuces and low food and light plants. lettuce will grow to 50f i think. then i would build it wheels and roll it out into the yard through the garage door in the summer time. one extension cord will run one fish tank pump and one pond pump with drippers on each plant. have the whole system at the bottom dump inot a 30 gallon tote from the home stores for $20. i thik i may just build this come spring.

cheap easy fast light weight a couple guys could carry a big system or you could make it in sections that hook together with hydro farm hose like in my videos for my room. wouldnt take much to do a dozen rows 20 foot long and would last for years.

elevated off the ground to stay away fom that nasty dirty earth and hang all your fruits in bags next to the plants or build some trellis set up.

no bending over!

I think i have attached a screen shot of my grow room climate?
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  #18  
Old 01-20-2010, 08:17 PM
txice txice is offline
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Yeah I hear ya. I have definately learned a lot in the short time I've been doing this and would definately like to change some things. For example, I like my tub design with everything being enclosed in it, but I've come to learn that I would probably prefer setups that had the reservour seperate from the plant container. As my pepper plants are getting larget I'm finding it more of a hassle to do nute changes and solution tests in the systems. I would love to be able to try and design an entire room from scratch such that I had a central reservour location easily accessible for changes/tests. A single method to cool/chill the water in the reservours, and then the ability to move the solution to and from these reservours to the respective systems....what ever they might be. An unlimited money supply would probably make this task much easier...but alas I don't have that. I want to expand/improve my setup I have now, but I don't want to keep doing it peicemeal and end up with a bigger mess to fix than what I already have now.
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Old 01-20-2010, 08:22 PM
txice txice is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by watercatwn6535nd View Post
If i were building a new system I would use that 2 liter bottle method on pvc plastic.
I actually find it quite interesting to see this. Are you not happy with your current system I take it? Just out of curiosity have you thought about maybe doing up a video like the ones you have detailing the plants you're growing but instead giving an overview of how your system is setup and runs? In a couple of your videos I noticed quick glancing shots of what looks like a small white box at the end of one of your plant rows....is that a chiller?

EDIT: Attached a screen cap of the part of your video I was talking about.
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Last edited by txice; 01-20-2010 at 08:27 PM.
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  #20  
Old 01-20-2010, 08:31 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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You might try this kit here, you can build any size Ebb & Flow you want to.

Ebb & Flow Control Kit

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