Back to Compact Fluorescent / Power Compacts, with electronic ballasts.
Also it would be good to find these traffic lights with 660nm red
bulbs and a slim form factor.

Thinking about 24W lamps with the 2G11 base, straight four pin, where
the blue marine lamps are available, then the notion is about getting
an actual electronic ballast for them, with the aquarium outfits saying
$40 and the magnetic ballasts being around $4. So, there are ballasts
for $31, and they run two 24W twin CF/PC apiece, at high frequency.
So, three of those is around a hundred dollars, and then figuring those
out is a deal, with getting locking lamp bases and hanging them
vertically from clips and having an open roofdeck. Then that can be
emplaced and start things and then the red LED accent lighting in the
centers and maybe with the trainlight come in later. The Blue RV
lights look good for a 475nm or so, which is kind of high, and they
describe 425nm violet LEDs, but not in the cheap clusters.

There is some question about phototropism, but as the blue light will
be equally spaced around the polygon, that should be OK.

Manufacturing the LED arrays:

broad spectrum light arrays, various
surface mount technology
cooling pipe, outlet to external heat sink, high temp. superconductor
modular power supplies

hydroponics and pots

want to be able to lift out the plants to prune them and so forth.
should be able to scaffold over for tie-downs.

nutrient reservoir(s) are compact in tank. consider having a rich
nutrient and a plain water nutrient, or ionized water.

so then there is a pump which pumps for a short time to fill either
each of the pots separately or together. That might involve a
distributor, eg a five way tap where the pump has enough power to run
each of them but not so much as to overflow and spray about. Then the
drain is a trickle drain right through to the holes in the
reservoir(s). It would be good to have one pump and two reservoirs, if
a clean reservoir is to be used, but that is not so important, with the
nutrient solution being changed every couple of weeks, and to plain
water at the end. So, there should be an outlet so the pump pumps the
water right out of the tank, and as well the reservoir should be
fillable from a spout at the tank edge. So, that involves some valves
on the line.

The pump and light timers will be part of the controls board. The pump
timer will basically have to start and stop the pumps. If the pump can
run dry and needs no prime, that is good. Otherwise it needs to be
timed carefully to stay primed and not run dry. It would be good to
have an inline pump, so then it would not actually be submerged in the
nutrient solution. There could be a ... water level sensor.

Maybe it is better to just use a drainback and set the pots on an open
drain tray, and then, the pump is to fill the tray, and then the drain
back is supposed to allow it to run basically continuously, and then
it's not run continuously.

without a pump, then I'm looking at some kind of manual pump.

It might be simpler to just grow in dirt, and water sometimes. The
pots can just be on a rack, watered daily to filling and then they
drain right out, and then reclaim the nutrient solution from the bottom
of the tank.

Then, the bottom of the tank just fills with the nutrient solution.
That is not so good if the reflective material covers the inside of the
tank walls. However, a rack in an open container might work just as
well. In that way, then, there would still be a requirement for a
siphon of sorts, which is what lungs are for. The siphon could be
primed and then plugged into the distributor, but that's complicated.
The rack could be raised and lowered into the bath, but that would
jostle the plants. If the scaffold is connected to the rack, that's
ok. As well, then the rack can be lifted out. So, the rack can be a
scaffold, and it is just raised and lowered into the bath once a day or
so. Then, the bath need be only as deep as the pots, and the pots fit
into the rack somehow. The rack could be just wire tied together, or
that would be pretty good.

CO2 generation - in the later stages of plant growth, after during
vegetative state the stomata are developed, then CO2 dosing starts.

Then, it would be a kind of weekly schedule, starting from germination
and going through as above.

So, the rack is a scaffold, and basically it is used to dunk into the
nutrients.

Then, I'd still want a imer for the lights. There's one timer for the
CF ballasts, and another for the DC LEDs, because I haven't seen a dual
timer. Then, there's the notion of having separate light circuits for
separate light times. If the actinics have so much blue light, then
maybe all the LEDs will be Red, and then it will be simple.

Put the tank on a base, then it will be easier to siphon out.

So, then I get some chili seeds and start growing. Start with the
reservoir and rack, and trellis. Get some pots and grow media, and
some nutrients. Get the CF bulbs, and set up that. Germinate the
chilis, then get them going.

One problem might be humidity, don't want it to be too humid. That
involves the ventilation, just get a DC fan and run it with the LEDs,
and maybe full time.

So, a parts list in order is something along the lines of:

mylar, lightproofing, lid, cover

reservoir

tubing

rack, scaffold

pots

power board

fan, fan power supply.

ballasts
bulbs
connectors
wires
power supply
timer

LEDs
LED clusters
power supply
timer

Those 24w compact fluorescents are looking pretty good, but it seems as
well that it might be much cheaper to just run cheap magnetic ballasts
and so forth, but having high power fluorescents or even a compact
fluorescent with integral ballast might be just easier. Yet, high
light output is key for this kind of thing. For example, 3 of the
ballasts can run 3 or 6 of those lamps, and that would be around $200.
Yet, with a hanger off the lid, then those could be much cheaper, as
anyways they will be reflected. Hanging off of the lid is one thing,
and another. Basically it involves a dropped reflective ceiling for
the fixture mount, and that should be ventilated itself. Then, it can
be lifted, but that involves complex cabling of some sort or tie and
clip or something along those lines.

Yet, I want the three 24w PC CF lights. So, that involves three
ballasts, to drive each equally, argh, and later six bulbs with the
same ballasts.

6 x 2G11 endcap
12 x lamp clip, maybe some rubber bands for the clips
3 x all-electronic high power factor high-frequency ballast
wiring

Then, they go on the walls. The LEDs will also be on the walls, with
the mongo train light on the top, or a reflective cone that is made
from mylar sheeted with a lock bolt to tent the roof. Having the roof
open allows the consideration of alternative lighting options.

square pin / straight pin, currently in the air

Then, the CF lights will be on vertical "inserts" of lath or something
similar, then they need to be attached correctly. Get the 3100K bulbs.

Then, about the LED systems, they will be the afterburner for the
thing. There are available lots of blue, Deep Blue, and then Orange
and then Red LEDs. I would get an orange LED traffic light that would
be good. Might as well just go with Luxeons.

Royal Blue Luxeon Stars...
http://www.luxeonstar.com/item.php?i...rtno=LXHL-LR3C
@455 = Chlorophyll b secondary peak
The 1W emitters are on sale at futureestore.com @2.41, prob. forever

B.G. Micro 's Illuminator printed circuit boards.

Consider using the illuminator boards, then getting a hold of a bunch
of cheapish LEDs, and then having panels for: Blue a and B,
Phytochrome A and B , Orange, and so on, Far Red and Violet, and then
figure out where that should be set up.