1. Tangerino

    Tangerino New Member

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    Creating a light bulb to support plant growth

    Discussion in 'Research' started by Tangerino, May 25, 2017.

    Can you help me with (very) simple steps of how I could make a daylight bulb which would support plant growth without real natural light?

    I have an electricity source but can't work out what parts I'd need to make such a bulb. I'm thinking a list of equipment and simple steps of how to put it together - just enough to sound credible.

    Also wondering, with the right wiring etc, could a vegetable be used to power a regular bulb to be like a torch? Like those science kits you get for kids - anyone know how long that would last? Please tell me if that's a crazy idea!

    Thank you
     
  2. newjerseyrunner

    newjerseyrunner Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    Sompact florescent light bulbs prodece the required light for photosynthesis. I have a garden in a small room in my house that I transplant in and out each season and most of its logout comes from a set of bulbs.

    I've also known plenty of people who've grown weed this way.
     
  3. Walking Dog

    Walking Dog Active Member

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    An incandescent bulb is a thin tungsten wire inside a glass jar, oxygen deprived. Create a vacuum or fill the jar with an inert gas, such as nitrogen. The electrical current flowing through the wire makes the wire glow white-hot. This is not efficient in terms of energy versus light, as much of the energy released is heat. Fluorescent lights are better for plants because they cover the light spectrum used by plants and don't generate as much heat. The problem with fluorescent lights - you need a ballast to regulate current flow and to provide high voltage. You also need a supply of fluorescent gas such as mercury vapor, argon, xenon, or neon. This is a technology beyond your basic survivalist tinkerer. The incandescent bulb would be the easiest to make, and it would work both alternating and direct current.

    Parts: tungsten wire, glass jar with lid, epoxy to seal the holes for the wires, and either a vacuum pump, or a nitrogen gas generator. Google nitrogen gas generator for instructions. Good luck, you mad scientist you.
     
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  4. amerrigan

    amerrigan Active Member

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  5. joe sixpak

    joe sixpak Banned

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    They already make those bulbs. Research how they build them and what they do. You won't be making any at home.
    No vegetable is going to power a bulb like a torch.
     
  6. Tangerino

    Tangerino New Member

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    Not actually planning to make one at home, just need to be able to refer to how they work without looking an idiot, and also know what parts I can have my people run out of to force them to go and find more!
     
  7. joe sixpak

    joe sixpak Banned

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    I am a registered engineer with a specialty in electronics and i have no idea how you can make them at home.
    You cannot buy parts for them.
    You buy finished manufactured bulbs.
    Home depot sells them cheap.
    I used to use the long flourescent ones to cover a table full of plants we start in the winter to put out in the spring.
    You can buy smaller ones which some people use for health or sleep reasons.
     
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  8. QueenOfPlants

    QueenOfPlants Definitely a hominid

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    I would recommend LED lamps. Need less energy and have high output.
    Parts needed: Circuit board, LEDs, soldering tools and other circuit board tools (band drill, wire), maybe resistors (depends on voltage source), voltage source.
    You can send your protagonists on a hunt to scavenge LEDs, because they need many.
    And then you need somebody to connect those LEDs (they are probably different kinds) so that each of them gets the voltage they need. For that you need the right resistors.


    For the veggie torch: Again I recommend LEDs.
    The trick for veggie/fruit batteries is not the fruit, it's the electrodes. The fruit only provide the electrolyte. You could even use a box/bottle of salt water or acidic solution for that.

    Now, to find a agood combination for electrodes, you need to look up in the galvanic series. I would recommend using easy to find metals: Copper, Iron, Aluminum, Chrome, Magnesium, Zinc, Tin and look whether or not you find a suitable combination.
    To power 1 small standard LED you need around 2 Volts. You can switch several fruit in series to add their voltage. You can switch the LEDs in parallel to power several of them.
    They need around 10mA to start glowing and around 20mA to glow with maximum brightness.
    I have no clue whether you can produce that with a fruit/veggie battery. You'd need to research that.
    Keep in mind the electrodes are slowly used up in the process, so your lamp will not work indefinitely long.
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2017
  9. TWErvin2

    TWErvin2 Contributor Contributor

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    This may be a little off topic, but for my turtles, I need to use bulbs that provide UVA and UVB within the light emitted. The varying spectrum would be necessary for plants. I know that in my classroom, there are very few plants that thrive with simple fluorescent bulbs.
     

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