by Glen Baker.

Lighting tracks used for moving metal halide lights regularly along a track for hydroponics are easily obtainable from some lighting and hydroponic stores. It provides a very good way of being able to use less lights, but more intense ones, over a tank and avoiding light directional growth of the colonies. The following idea / diagram is a simple and cheaper version of that.

Diagram showing the principle of the light moving system.

Refinement of the water flow control for the light moving system, allowing finer control of the movement of the light across the tank.

Simplification of the light moving system, using only one pump. Return is faster, and pump has to be able to handle back pressure.

Another variation of the light moving system, using only one pump and much more flexiable and simplier to set up/operate.

Been thinking about ways to run the system from an airpump and came up with the following:

Another variation again on the light moving system, this time using an airpump to drive it.

The light would be dragged by the counterweight as injected air lightens the primary weight, then return as water refills the bottle through the straw when the timer cuts out the airpump. The secondary water column's not required, but could help make the turn-around transition smoother and be more forgiving of not quite perfect counterbalance weighting. Speed could be controlled by the size volume of 'coke bottle', power of airpump, or more likely by simply bleeding off air through the valved air line (the other purpose of which is to vent air from the bottle so water can enter it).

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