Science DIY lighting

Kazzy

Active Member
It's time for science projects to start here at school, and my topic is if and how color temperature (kelvin) affects the growth of plants. I couldn't think of any other kind of light that offers the diversity of spectrum and color temp. that reef lighting does, so I decided to use it. I will be using flourescent bulbs and will be making my own hoods(I will have 3 different setups) because I am trying to get into the science fair. I am not totally sure what length of bulbs I will be using, but I was wondering if anyone here knows where I could get as small and cheap of flourescent bulbs as possible. I am going to ask the LFS manager if he could special order some but it would be nice to have a backup. Any articles on DIY hoods would help a lot too.

Thanks in advance!
 

XBwlr

Well-Known Member
Well, I work at GE - Circleville, Ohio Lamp Plant
We make all types of flourescent lamps... except for T-5.
There's a bunch of colors... SP30, SP35, SP41, SP65. Then you have the Chroma 50's, DayLights, WarmWhites, CoolWhites, PlantGrow, and AquaGlow.

The numbers represent what kelvin range the lamps are. The SP30, would be in the 3000k range, and so on. The lower the number, the redder the bulb. It's not a true red, but when you put a 30 next to a 65 you can definately see the difference.

I've worked there for over 10 years and still haven't found out what that SP stands for.

A cheap fixture... I'd go to Lowes or HomeDepot and get a cheap shop light. It's nothing fancy, and they come in several different sizes.
 

cioutlaw

Well-Known Member
Well, I work at GE - Circleville, Ohio Lamp Plant
We make all types of flourescent lamps... except for T-5.
There's a bunch of colors... SP30, SP35, SP41, SP65. Then you have the Chroma 50's, DayLights, WarmWhites, CoolWhites, PlantGrow, and AquaGlow.

The numbers represent what kelvin range the lamps are. The SP30, would be in the 3000k range, and so on. The lower the number, the redder the bulb. It's not a true red, but when you put a 30 next to a 65 you can definately see the difference.

I've worked there for over 10 years and still haven't found out what that SP stands for.

A cheap fixture... I'd go to Lowes or HomeDepot and get a cheap shop light. It's nothing fancy, and they come in several different sizes.


SP is for a spotlight style bulb. FL is a flood & there are others but I dont remember them. I think its how the reflector in the bulb is designed.
 

XBwlr

Well-Known Member
There's no reflector in our bulbs.
We use a glass bulb coated with phosphors.
Once the bulb goes through the coating process, it's sealed with mounts, then ran through the exhaust, baser, the season rack, then finally the packer.

SP and FL, might be used on incandescent lamps... but for different things.

Ours have a monogram which looks something like this...
F48T12SP41
F=Flourescent 48=Length in inches T12=Size in 8ths of an inch SP41=Color
 

cioutlaw

Well-Known Member
There's no reflector in our bulbs.
We use a glass bulb coated with phosphors.
Once the bulb goes through the coating process, it's sealed with mounts, then ran through the exhaust, baser, the season rack, then finally the packer.

SP and FL, might be used on incandescent lamps... but for different things.

Ours have a monogram which looks something like this...
F48T12SP41
F=Flourescent 48=Length in inches T12=Size in 8ths of an inch SP41=Color

Ok...I know a lot of part #s start with FL & SP & thats what it stands for. Yours starts with F so that must mean flourescent like you said, I didnt realize what type bulb we were talking about I guess. Maybe the SP is for spectrum?
 

XBwlr

Well-Known Member
"SP is for spectrum?"

Hmmm... could be.

I've asked a lot of people there, some with 30+ years, and they don't know. Maybe I'll have to ask the plant manager.


LOL
We're making thousands, if not millions of lamps a year, and no one knows what that SP is for.
 

Kazzy

Active Member
Well, I work at GE - Circleville, Ohio Lamp Plant
We make all types of flourescent lamps... except for T-5.
There's a bunch of colors... SP30, SP35, SP41, SP65. Then you have the Chroma 50's, DayLights, WarmWhites, CoolWhites, PlantGrow, and AquaGlow.

The numbers represent what kelvin range the lamps are. The SP30, would be in the 3000k range, and so on. The lower the number, the redder the bulb. It's not a true red, but when you put a 30 next to a 65 you can definately see the difference.

I've worked there for over 10 years and still haven't found out what that SP stands for.

A cheap fixture... I'd go to Lowes or HomeDepot and get a cheap shop light. It's nothing fancy, and they come in several different sizes.
I went to a "Meet the Mentor" science thing at Union Station this morning and now have plans for what I will do. But as for lighting, my control group will have one of those special plant lights that have the same wavelength and all that as the sun. The rest will be under flourescents. I will need an actinic bulb so the other bulbs should be as small as actinics can get. Does anyone know the smallest size actinics are made in?
 

XBwlr

Well-Known Member
I've got a 9 watt actinic on my 2 1/5 gallon. I don't know the length of it, but I know it's smaller than 9".
 

Kazzy

Active Member
Okay. I made a schematic of what my setup will be. There will be 4 of these: 1 control with the plant light, and 3 other ones with fluorescent bulbs with different color temperatures. Oh yeah, and the word after copy and before box is "paper."
 

Attachments

  • schematic3.jpg
    schematic3.jpg
    26.3 KB · Views: 64

XBwlr

Well-Known Member
That's the light I have on my 2 1/2 gallon. :)

Looks like you get 3 color ranges for your test.
Congrats!

You're going to keep us posted on this test, aren't you?
 
Top