Mutant Action Environment and Technology

LabBox Grower: Pocket hydroponic always online

Grow Micro Labs has developed and is preparing to produce LabBox Grower, the smallest box of growth in the world is completely automated. Works with hydroponic drip system that waters and delivers nutrients and is illuminated by high-brightness LEDs, to provide a micro grow all you need to grow.

Images taken from Pocket Grow

This technology is the basis of Micro Grow Project, which aims to create a community to take forward a collaborative experiment that promotes the study and dissemination of technologies and organic farming techniques for growing small-scale.

The microprocessor is the brain of LabBox PICAXE 14M to automate the irrigation cycles, times and temperatures of ambient light.
This control system is preprogrammed with three different patterns of light (24 hours, 18/6 hours 12/12), a temperature control default to maintain 24 ° C and the irrigation cycles of 4 times a day. If you know the programming language BASIC, you can reprogram the PICAXE to do just about anything you want.

LabBox settings can be controlled and monitored by installing the LabBox Server software on a PC connected via serial cable to LabBox Grower. It will be online so you can manage each operating parameter using the browser, or iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.

The LabBox Server is enabled to communicate via Twitter so you can receive regular updates on its Twitter account for:

• current temperature
• status lights, pump and fan
• alarm depletion reservoir
• alarm temperature is too high

These technical specifications of LabBox Grower:

• Grow Box - Width: 13.72 cm Height: 13.21 cm Depth: 3.66 cm
• Container Grow Box Width - Width: 15.24 cm Height: 13.97 cm Depth: 4.45 cm
• Reservoir capacity: 15 ml.
• Blue LED Wavelength: 470nm
• Red LED Wavelength: 630nm
• Microprocessor: 14 PICAXE
• Power supply: 12V @ 1 Amp

Grow Micro Labs plans to begin sales of the Grower LabBox for January 15, 2011, so when the product is still in prototype phase. On site pocketgrow.com , from which I have information and images in this article, you can subscribe to a newsletter to keep updated on developments in the project.

The project seems very original and interesting, particularly the ability to manage the hardware via the Internet, though, for its small size, the Grower LabBox seems more a toy than a real tool for experimentation. I read on the site that is also a trial version of PRO LabBox Grower larger.
In my judgment it would be interesting if you develop a better control of lighting that also allows different levels of light intensity between red and blue LEDs. I see a picture (last) panel LEDs that were also included white LEDs are not mentioned in the specifications, will be a prototype of LabBox PRO?
Pending the evolution of the project echoes some images from the site pocketgrow.com

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