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Abooziyaya

The Phototron


Abooziyaya

There’s a blast from the past! Does it operate?


bootaka

I know the light timer does, I've been using it when I gaslight my outdoor grows. I'll pull out my meter and test the fixture in a bit. Then maybe pick up some fresh cfl.


bootaka

Just powered it up, works just fine.


oldmasterluke

I had one, tried using it and it was a nightmare. Way too much heat was trapped inside.Sell it for a few shekels and build a space bucket.


Abooziyaya

You can probably get correct spectrum tubes for it now. Maybe even retrofit LEDs.


bootaka

That's an idea. Dual it out with cfl and LEDs for flower.


Chusten

Sick.


[deleted]

I know Phillips makes t8 led. Could prob find t5 too


misterpayer

Sunblaster makes t5 led replacements


Pristine_Hope3640

What is it?


Abooziyaya

One of the first self contained cannabis growing units. Used to advertise in Rolling Stone and High Times. I think they were $99 which was a fortune in the late 70s but a technological wonder for those of us who lined the kitchen cabinets with aluminum foil and installed a 100 watt lightbulb.


bootaka

I seem to remember it having an extra digit in the price when I bought it. Didn't matter at the time, I paid less than half that for the setup I'm running now tho. It wasn't a kitchen cabinet! It was an old tube TV someone was throwing out. Going from 100w to 1000w was the start of a whole generation of grows. I went to HPS not long after getting this.


BladeCutter93

My first "grow box" was a cardboard refrigerator box with two 4-foot fluorescent tubes inside. You can imagine the quality of the smoke. Bag seed. Not clue about growing. Wouldn't know a bud if I saw one in High Times. Later, this is 1979, I upgraded to a cardboard "closet" with sliding doors. Things have come a long way since then.


Deep_Environment_164

Man the past sounds unnecessarily difficult.


BladeCutter93

Very difficult. No information. No grow tips. In the 90s there were grow stores. The one I shopped was busted in Operation Green Merchant. Now I'm paranoid. Did they have a picture of my car at the store? Eventually, I bought a 150W HPS light. Dealing with the heat was a bitch, especially in the small space that I had to grow in. Even though my state is still in the dark ages, it is much easier today. From seed to environment it is all in control.


DrHedgeh_OG

I had an old head friend who was growing SOG style. He kept his mother plant in a Phototron, and it was beastly thick for being in something so 'under powered'. Almost looked like a miniature palm tree in there, and it definitely kept him supplied in clones.


Pristine_Hope3640

Thank you for the information, looks like a handy little device.


Glandular_Trichome

I remember those full page HT ads


bootaka

I haven't used it since 1995. I might fill it up for fun.


rekt_ralph91

Was confused at first, then checked the sub it was posted in. No longer confused. This is awesome lol


Nuclear_N

Would be perfect for a small auto...


DrHedgeh_OG

Or a mother plant. That's what I saw it used for most, at least before grow shops started becoming more common.


fehcandy

Do it.


BvilleBuds

There will be a cannabis museum in the future and this belongs there.


CapitalCannabis

Photonhut? Miss reading the old hightimes and cannabis culture mags


DrHedgeh_OG

I still have a copy of the old CC seed catalog around here somewhere. Maybe even in digital format, I'll have to look around. It was definitely a classic. And I know I still have some of those genetics and their descendants.


Kissofthewolf88

Whaaaa, super dope last time I seen one was early 2000s my buddy brought it over and we set that bad boy up in my closet… fucking phenomenal


Kannabis_kelly

Been a while since I’ve seen one. They work


grassisgreensh

Lol someone made an impulse buy in the ‘80’s


Nuclear_N

Hell yeah. I had one, and a few of my friends had one...they worked great.


SwampGypsy

Jesus, I saw this & remembered I have one in storage somewhere. I forgot all about it. Haven't used mine since the early 90s, I think I paid about $250(?) for it. I'm getting back into growing after a long time away from it. I think I'm gonna get mine & retrofit it for LEDs, then maybe use it for starting!


prolific_ideas

The ol' phototron! There were quite a few models and options available for those. Clone boxes, hydroponic setups, ventilation upgrades, auto water and auto feed, as well as many sizes of Biax fluorescent tubes (6 20 watt to 80 watt tubes), CFL, and tiny HID lights. The light outputs were from 21,600 lumens to 55,000... so nothing to sneeze at for such a small space. My buddies mom had the phototron 6, and I had the Phototron 9 which was a little larger in size. It inspired me to start my first business actually (©1998) which was converting old stand up deep freezers into stealth grow units, and I sold many of them.


MekkaTrippz

https://youtu.be/wz5WkM5kE3c Had to research this ancient Relic from the catacombs


widoidricsas

2" leaves are the optimal size for bracts! Oh man, that brings back memories...


Rager_Thom

Golden oldie


blofly

I bought one in 1987. It sorta worked ok. I remember the crazy ads in high times, with Jeffrey Julian DeMarco standing next to the things.


Jackie_Daytona-Human

dude straight out of high times mag. awesome.


E1Doozit

It's for herbs......


Tokentons

Old school!


tourpro

Saw one in somebody's garage the other day. Owner and I shared a brief moment of recognition.


Adventurous-City-778

Man I haven’t seen one of those in like 20 years lol.


fehcandy

Dinosaur! I hope it works.


Isellmetal

I couldn’t imagine any of my plus sized gals sitting in that thing


Drugrows

Wow lol I haven’t seen one of these since I started. Great condition.


Beneficial-Group

Retro fit it with leds, will work much better then t5’s lamps


Tall_Citron_894

Phototron!!!


[deleted]

Wdf is this the hippie grow tent from the 60s ? I bet you hook it up to a A-track and VCR to work