grams per watt

[urgr8estfear]

OK. I simpe as I can explain it:

2 pins each of the tube, both a positive and a negative.
The other side is its mirror image.
So you got - and + on one side, + and - on the other.
The cathode (one side of the tube) and anode (its mirror image) alternate.

You got that?

[urgr8estfear]

You could call both sides of the tubes a cathode.
Only then one cathode would be a whole lot more negative then the other side.
That's why I prefer to call it anode, else you would ask me why there is energy transfer from cathode to cathode.

The wires in your power outlet are not + and -.
One is phase (brown) and the other is null (blue).
One alternates between -220/-110 and +220/+110 and the other is 0.

So for the tubes, there really isn't a + and - either. Just in relation to each other.

And what on earth is a douchebag anyway?

[up4anything]

Originally Posted by urgr8estfear

OK. I simpe as I can explain it:

2 pins each of the tube, both a positive and a negative.
The other side is its mirror image.
So you got - and + on one side, + and - on the other.
The cathode (one side of the tube) and anode (its mirror image) alternate.

You got that?

perfect. that's exactly what I was asking. Each PIN on the left side is + and the other -. Each pin on the right end is a - and a +.

So, now that we have that sorted, back to waht you were saying: when you place these into a shoplight fixture (let's assume it holds two bulbs), you want to make sure each cathode is next to each other and each anode is next to each other correct?

[up4anything]

Originally Posted by urgr8estfear

And what on earth is a douchebag anyway?

Litterally, or slang?

[urgr8estfear]

Originally Posted by up4anything

perfect. that's exactly what I was asking. Each PIN on the left side is + and the other -. Each pin on the right end is a - and a +.

So, now that we have that sorted, back to waht you were saying: when you place these into a shoplight fixture (let's assume it holds two bulbs), you want to make sure each cathode is next to each other and each anode is next to each other correct?

Uhhhhh,

Theory:

This + and - stuff is to help you and others understand.
In reality, there are no - and + pins.
This is AC power. Alternating current also imples alternating voltage, since the resistance can't go negative.(V=IR)
Only null on one pin(wire) and phase -X volts to +X volts on the other.
Tubes with this issue (non-CFL) have a marking on one side of the tube.
On both sides of the tubes there are round metal parts to seal off the glass airtight.
On one side of these metal parts there is a little dent in the metal which seems to serve no electrical or mechanical purpose.
This 'dent' is there for you.
This 'dent' is suppose to face outwards so you see it when mounting the tubes.
If you do so, both tubes will have proper polarity.

Practice:

Dent outwards : GOOD!!!
Dent inwards : BAD!!!

[up4anything]

that's why none of this made sense to me. thanks for the heads-up on the dent thing.

[kimba]

I have come out of lurking just so I can respond to this thread.

I have worked with fluorescent lighting extensively and never heard of this "polarity" issue.
The second pin on each end is part of a starting circuit.
Some commercial outdoor grade fluoros have only one pin on each end.

I'm not trying to start shit, but I think this information is incorrect.

[Joint]

Originally Posted by kimba

I have come out of lurking just so I can respond to this thread.

I have worked with fluorescent lighting extensively and never heard of this "polarity" issue.
The second pin on each end is part of a starting circuit.
Some commercial outdoor grade fluoros have only one pin on each end.

I'm not trying to start shit, but I think this information is incorrect.

Welcome to GC!

You'll find a lot of bullshitters here, because on the Internet, no one checks facts. I myself have no idea who's right, I'm not trying to call one of you a bullshitter.

I have a feeling looking up info on flouro tubes on Wikipedia would solve this debate, but since it's not my 'issue' I'm not even going to bother to look, but maybe those who are interested should check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_lamp

Back to the orig issue: grams per watt.

I can recall reading on this website that had a tool for calculating grow costs, that it said getting a half-gram per watt was pretty damn good. Not the *best* possible, but a newbie or inexperienced grower might have some difficulty getting 0.5 g/w. However, even Mr Green's (he has a video out on how to grow your own hydro) setup of 400W HPS would get him about quarter lb per harvest, and that comes out to about 0.3 g/w. This is more in tune with what I got when I grew.

So it seems to me, that getting even 1 g/w is doing fantastic, and even more than that is almost impossible. Advanced Nutrients promises 2lbs per 1000W light (and supposedly you can achieve it using their products... check out Urban Grow show), which is like 0.9 g/w, which is still under 1. So for 2 or 2.5? I don't think it's possible.

[urgr8estfear]

Don't let my username confuse you people.
I'm not here to scare people.
For the record, the wikipedia link confirms my story for as far as they go into the details.

But YES back to the original topic. Grams per Watt.

I have no experience there yet (coming quick) but what i read its a bit like this :

Sux0R n00B : dead plant 0 grams per Watt.
n00B (me) : hoping for 0.5 grams per Watt.
Average Joe : 1 gram per Watt.
Ubergrower Jack : >2 grams per Watt.

[kimba]

Yeah, seeing gpw in the title is what got my attention.
I have recently gotten back into indoor again. Back in the old days I would usually pull almost(but not quite) a half pound from a 400 watt HPS in soil. It was usually just shy of 0.5 gpw. Of course I have a tendency to be impatient so I probably could have increased this by vegging a little longer.

I now have a 600w digital HPS and about 3 weeks of flowering left. If what they say about digital is true then I should see more than 0.5 gpw. I would be happy with that.

For sheer yield you just can't beat the sun and a good patch of ground.

Also, strain will have a lot to do with it. I had an outdoor plant give over a pound, but the quality wasn't what I hoped for. Another strain growing right next to it had less than half a pound but was sweet tasting and much more potent.

Here's some math:
600w digital and A/C pulling about 300kWh per month at $.10 per kWh for 3 months = $90. Add some $ for nutes and other assorted expenses. Say as much as $150.

Now if I can get 300 grams from this setup thats $.50 per gram!
On a good day I can get some mexican schwagg for that price, but my shit is way better. Decent kind will cost you $3 or $4 around here, and my shit is better than most of that too.

Even if you get really low gpw you will come out ahead.

Wow...I have gone so long without posting and now I can't shut up....

Let's see some more gpw numbers, and be honest now.

[up4anything]

My last "cabinet" grow was 8 plants under a 400W and each averaged about 3oz (dry). Let's just call it 2.5oz a plant. 2.5 oz x 28g/oz (roughly) = 70 grams/plant. 70 grams x 8 plants = 560 grams. 560g / 400W = 1.4g

I'm not even a real "dedicated" grower either. I just set the stuff up and, more or less, let it fly on auto-pilot. But 1g/W is easily attainable.

[urgr8estfear]

Originally Posted by kimba

.....I now have a 600w digital HPS and about 3 weeks of flowering left. If what they say about digital is true then I should see more than 0.5 gpw.......

LOL A digital light bulb. Sounds like you have been smoking too much.
Digital refers too semi-conductor technology on DC power. HPS = HPS.
The only 'digital' bulb I know of is a LED.

I am clueless to what it is you mean.

[up4anything]

Originally Posted by urgr8estfear

LOL A digital light bulb. Sounds like you have been smoking too much.
Digital refers too semi-conductor technology on DC power. HPS = HPS.
The only 'digital' bulb I know of is a LED.

I am clueless to what it is you mean.

maybe you've been smoking too much and not keeping up with the latest growing technology. He's referring to a digital ballast. And HPS does NOT = HPS. There are many differnt types of ballasts and many different types of bulbs that are all HPS and will give you drastically different results.