here is my 200 watt lamp i use to veg from seed untill ready to flower it cost less than £5 to produce & it works a treat.
the only thing that will cost abit thats if u dont get them free are the energy saving bulbs.
this is the 2nd 1 i've done so i thought i'd share it with every 1 on this forum who's on a budget.

here's what u need & u can get all these items from wilkinsons.

1 foil roasting tray £1
4xbuld holders 39p each = £1.56p
5mtr of 2 core electric cable £1.69p

total £4.25p

So thats 4 x 10w lights = 200w?
Just making sure you realise or you might think something is seriously wrong with your grow.
I plan on attempting something like this but with 10 x 30w lights, 5 in each reflector. If i make anything cool i'll be sure you share some instructions

Yup - that's a 40W lamp you've made there - might be OK for rooting cuts/keeping a mum or cracking seeds.

what power are those bulbs?
I did a similar one with an old box & 6 bulbs. 4 red & 2 blue. 118w.
Ended up as the only light but worked out ok

Iv`e just up graded from 200 watt enviro for a 250w metal halide for vegging.

I made myself a DIY light, 120W for about £3. I had a thread up explaining it, but it got deleted, and i'm not authorised to view the reason why

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

It would have been deleted because what you show there is strictly for seriously cash-strapped techies who are really confident with their soldering etc. it's pointlessly risky.

If it was me doing something so radical, I would have left off the covers and let the ballasts breathe.

hi barry.. this thread been etad?

Like the way u've hooked up the bulbs there m8..
U got some kinda reflector solution in mind? U really need to focus as much of ur usable light down
to ur plants.
The way u've rigged that makes me think of having 2 or 3 runs like that.
I was surprised by the amount of heat just 6 made. They were in holders & I don't know if that makes
a difference but the heat did generate around them.
Anyhoo... looking 4ward to seeing some Greenery...
All the best with it

Thanks, i realise your trying to help I did consider removing the covers, but they are going to be used to mount them to the reflector. It's not exactly pointlessly risky, the point is as you already stated, its for the seriously cash strapped. If i could afford a fancy setup, i'd just go buy some smoke rather than growing it myself
Each setup is 120w, so i was planning to have 4 of them giving 480w with some very even light coverage for a scrog. Bulbs are 29p for 6 so i have a shit load of spares. Lights have a diode in them so even if you do wire them backwards nothing bad happens Only risk is in a short or touching a live wire, which is why they are going to be seperated and insulated.

Anybody else have any more useful tips / suggestions?

Sure i asked this already?.. mabey i was gonna but fell off the board?..
Are u a sparky Barry?
Sure there was something else too...
mmmm?
Strange

ah sussed it...
I'm mad... ignore me