- Thread starter
- #201
maxximus
New Member
Have we got a pool going on this yet?
I got a dollar that says this is not going to happen.
Cheers,
Maxx
I got a dollar that says this is not going to happen.
Cheers,
Maxx
DIY Rotary Garden Omega Garden Volksgarden Rotogro GIgrow Bonsia Bpod Odessy etc
- Thread starter maxximus
- Start date
Have we got a pool going on this yet?
I got a dollar that says this is not going to happen.
Cheers,
Maxx
I'm with max on this one!
I'll take that bet
What was it Wesly Snipes said in passenger 57?
Always bet on (err) Green
What was it Wesly Snipes said in passenger 57?
Always bet on (err) Green
Well I hope he finishes, or someone else pulls it off. I'm going to build one after the holidays, but I need to know where to find a good quiet motor for it.
I also need to find a website to purchase the metal bars and straps/pieces to build a stand or cage of some sort and 4 little rubber coated bearings or pulley wheels for the big wheel sit on as it rotates, about 1/2" wide and maybe an inch or two in diameter.
If anyone has any ideas or links, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm just not that good with The Google I guess. And if I can decide on a single idea and create I digital drawing, I'll try to post pics to show you guys what I'm trying to do. But I think it would be better to just build the damn thing, fill it up and take some pictures that blow your mind.
Also, would aeroponics work with rotary systems if you could some how secure the plants and not get any leakage when they're upside down? Maybe short PVC tubes for each plant that open and shut to spray the roots when they're at the bottom and then close to keep them dark and 100% humid, or somehow have sprayers installed in the PVC tubes? McGeyver would probably use some springs, duct tape and the natural force of gravity to turn some cleaver levers. But I just don't know, maybe rockwool is the best way to go... But wouldn't aeroponics be better than using a medium like rockwool if there was a a choice? Aeroponics works better in other flat and vertical systems right? Shouldn't the same be true for rotary system too?
Sorry for the lengthy post, but please chime in if you have any ideas. And all you looky-loo's out there should sign up and pitch in too.
I also need to find a website to purchase the metal bars and straps/pieces to build a stand or cage of some sort and 4 little rubber coated bearings or pulley wheels for the big wheel sit on as it rotates, about 1/2" wide and maybe an inch or two in diameter.
If anyone has any ideas or links, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm just not that good with The Google I guess. And if I can decide on a single idea and create I digital drawing, I'll try to post pics to show you guys what I'm trying to do. But I think it would be better to just build the damn thing, fill it up and take some pictures that blow your mind.
Also, would aeroponics work with rotary systems if you could some how secure the plants and not get any leakage when they're upside down? Maybe short PVC tubes for each plant that open and shut to spray the roots when they're at the bottom and then close to keep them dark and 100% humid, or somehow have sprayers installed in the PVC tubes? McGeyver would probably use some springs, duct tape and the natural force of gravity to turn some cleaver levers. But I just don't know, maybe rockwool is the best way to go... But wouldn't aeroponics be better than using a medium like rockwool if there was a a choice? Aeroponics works better in other flat and vertical systems right? Shouldn't the same be true for rotary system too?
Sorry for the lengthy post, but please chime in if you have any ideas. And all you looky-loo's out there should sign up and pitch in too.
steezy
New Member
ahhh!!! i am going to finish!! eventually!!! i just landed in colorado. i had hinted at that in earlier post. i moved from no mmj in missouri, to LEGAL mmj in colorado...
sorry i havent been on and i know this project is going way slow. blah blah blah...
to you leo amen on two notes... mcgeyver would have had this thing built no problem at all... and i dont know either. im sure my machine isnt perfect. im confident this way will work but i can always improve. it is my first. and most definitely is not the last.
ive been in the mountains for 2 days... i have 1 priority and thats employment. so i might not be on for awhile.
but as a famous robot once said,
" I'll be back. "
steezy
New Member
Man talk about a dead thread...
well for anyone that cares I've been talking to some local growers. It seems the next step for me is to just finish the wheel and start using it. easier said than done of course. construction is on indefinite hold until i get paid once or twice. so to keep/spark some of your interest I'm going to post a paper i wrote for school. its obviously about the wheel so have a look. let me preface this with telling you that i wrote it in a day or two, and without much heart so sorry if its completely dry. I received an A on the paper and yes it was 101... and at a community college. haha...
The Wheel-O'-Juana.
The Wheel-O'-Juana is a hydroponic rotary growing machine. The name and description of the machine may make it sound very complicated but really it's quite the contrary. It utilizes very simple growing techniques and basic science to yield more product. The machine is basically a wheel that is 6 feet in diameter and spins at around one revolution per hour. Plants are on the interior of the wheel and grow toward the center axis, where the light source is. This is all spun via gears and a windshield wiper motor but hydroponics and gravitropism are the ideas that are the power behind the Wheel-O'-Juana. The Wheel-O'-Juana is the best rotary growing machine available today.
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. "How can this be done?" you ask. Well plants need the nutrients that are found in the soil, they obtain the nutrients via water. The water runs through the soil gathering nutrients and is then absorbed through the plant's root system. In order to eliminate the soil you purchase nutrient concentrate, mix it with water at a certain ratio then use that to water the plants. Because the water is so full of nutrients, the plants do not need to be watered more then twice a day. Hydroponics eliminates the soil entirely but the root system still needs a medium to grow in so it can support the weight of the plant. The Wheel-O'-Juana uses Rockwool, this is a combination of rock and sand. It is melted and then spun to create a nearly perfect growing medium. The process is very similar to that of making cotton candy. The Rockwool absorbs and holds water very well and for lengthy amount of time (Hydro). The Wheel-O'-Juana uses a hydroponic style called ebb and flow. This means the Rockwool growing medium is placed in a container that can only hold so much water. When the plants are watered, the cross tube that holds the water will fill to a certain point and then begin to overflow. When the wheel rotates to a certain point the water in the cross tube will begin to drain. This needs to happen because many hydroponic systems can cause root rot. Root rot is when the plant's root system is too moist. This can be very detrimental to the plant. This specific style of hydroponics is one of the most popular because it is so effective.
Gravitropism is a science that can be dated back to 1806 (Sengbusch). It says that when a plant's orientation is altered the root system will experience positive gravitropism and the stem will show negative gravitropism. In laymen terms: when you turn a plant upside down the root will grow towards gravity and the rest will grow away from it. Think of when a tree is knocked down in a storm but doesn't die. The main trunk will begin to grow up away from the earth. This is all done by a chemical in the plant called Auxin, which promotes faster growth where it is released. When the plant is laid on it's side Auxin is released on the downward face of the root system thus causing the downward side to grow at a faster rate then the top. The opposite happens in the rest of the plant. Auxin is released in the upward facing side of the plant encouraging plant growth. This chemical is released and begins altering the plant within 15 minutes (Mulkey). The Wheel-O'-Juana rotates at one revolution per hour. When a plant is at the 9 o'clock position the chemical Auxin is being released on the upward facing side of the stem, then when it rotates to the 3 o'clock position it is being released on the opposite side of the plant. The rotation of the plants so slowly ensures that the chemical is effectively released on both sides of the plant. The plants could also be spun ninety degrees in the cross tube to be sure all sides of the plant will receive Auxin.
The Wheel-O'-Juana is better; It is better than any other rotary growing system on the market. This is so for several reasons: it is d.i.y. (so it is much cheaper), it can hold bigger plants, it doesn't cause stretching, and it is easily adapted to other types of hydroponic styles.
So long as you are confident with some basic power tools and have time for a weekend project then you can save as much as four and a half thousand dollars. Other similar systems cost as much as five thousand to buy. You would might think that they come ready to go out of the box and they almost are, but there is still some assembly required. The Wheel-O'-Juana, for the most part, can be constructed out of basic materials found at any common hardware store or lumberyard such as Lowes or Home Depot. Certain pieces of the Wheel-O'-Juana, like the bearings and motor, should be ordered online, you could sacrifice the cheaper price of these items for local stores but it might double the cost of the Wheel-O'-Juana.
Currently the most comparable rotary grow system to the Wheel-O'-Juana, would be the Volksgarden made by Omega grow. It has an outer diameter of four feet (Volksgarden). This would be fine for tomatoes or lettuce, but to grow a marijuana plant it is just not sufficient. The Wheel-O'-Juana has an outer diameter of 6 feet. This allows almost an entire foot more of growing space inside of the wheel which is much more suitable for a marijuana plant.
Often times when growing indoors the light source is place too far away from the plant, this will cause stretching. Stretching is when the plant grows vertically at a more rapid pace than it should. This results in a smaller yield or end crop. To solve this issue the Wheel-O'-Juana uses an adjustable distance system to place the plants closer to the light source when at a much younger age. Currently no other rotary grow system has a solution to the stretching issue.
One of my favorite parts about the Wheel-O'-Juana is that it is easily adapted to almost any other style of hydroponics. In theory one wouldn't even have to use the hydroponic growing style. One could place soil in the cross tubes instead of the Rockwool growing medium. Other styles could be used, such as fogponics. This is similar to the ebb and flow style but instead of using nutrient rich water you would use nutrient rich fog. This style of hydroponics is new but is beginning to be recognized as the best of all of the styles because the plants show a much faster growth rate.
The Wheel-O'-Juana has many applications in common life. It would be just as effective when used to grow tomatoes or any other vegetable. You could easily grow marijuana and sell it for profit using the Wheel-O'-Juana.
In the unlikely event of a zombie attack you would need 3 basic things, food, water, and shelter. The Wheel-O'-Juana could provide one of those basic needs. It could easily be used to grow a combination of vegetables to help sustain life. The Wheel-O'-Juana would be especially useful in a zombie attack because it would be used inside!
You could profit very much from the Wheel-O'-Juana if you were to grow marijuana. You could do two basic things: grow to sell to permit carriers, or grow to sell wholesale quantities to dispensaries. Growing to sell to permit carriers would be much more profitable obviously but entails lots of liabilities and worry. Selling wholesale quantities is a fairly easy process but it may take time to develop a solid relationship with the dispensaries.
It's easy to see that the Wheel-O'-Juana is an amazing machine with so many benefits when compared to its competitors. It could have many applications in anyone's life, but the best part of the machine is that it's based on simple science and very little technology. I look forward to the next decade to see what the future holds for medicinal marijuana. I hope that my generation will be known for ending the prohibition of one of the most useful plants in the world.
Works cited
Hydro, Professor. "Using Rockwool." Simply Hydroponics. 29 Nov. 2009. Simply Hydroponics - Growing Medium3
Mulkey, Timothy. "Modification of Gravitropic Sensitivity of Roots." March 1991. 29 Nov. 2009.
Sengbusch, Peter. "Geotropism or Gravitropism." Botany Online: Growth Movements. 28 Nov. 2009. Botany online: Growth Movements - Geotropism or Gravitropism
"Volksgarden." Omegagarden. 28 Nov. 2009. Omega Garden
well for anyone that cares I've been talking to some local growers. It seems the next step for me is to just finish the wheel and start using it. easier said than done of course. construction is on indefinite hold until i get paid once or twice. so to keep/spark some of your interest I'm going to post a paper i wrote for school. its obviously about the wheel so have a look. let me preface this with telling you that i wrote it in a day or two, and without much heart so sorry if its completely dry. I received an A on the paper and yes it was 101... and at a community college. haha...
The Wheel-O'-Juana.
The Wheel-O'-Juana is a hydroponic rotary growing machine. The name and description of the machine may make it sound very complicated but really it's quite the contrary. It utilizes very simple growing techniques and basic science to yield more product. The machine is basically a wheel that is 6 feet in diameter and spins at around one revolution per hour. Plants are on the interior of the wheel and grow toward the center axis, where the light source is. This is all spun via gears and a windshield wiper motor but hydroponics and gravitropism are the ideas that are the power behind the Wheel-O'-Juana. The Wheel-O'-Juana is the best rotary growing machine available today.
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. "How can this be done?" you ask. Well plants need the nutrients that are found in the soil, they obtain the nutrients via water. The water runs through the soil gathering nutrients and is then absorbed through the plant's root system. In order to eliminate the soil you purchase nutrient concentrate, mix it with water at a certain ratio then use that to water the plants. Because the water is so full of nutrients, the plants do not need to be watered more then twice a day. Hydroponics eliminates the soil entirely but the root system still needs a medium to grow in so it can support the weight of the plant. The Wheel-O'-Juana uses Rockwool, this is a combination of rock and sand. It is melted and then spun to create a nearly perfect growing medium. The process is very similar to that of making cotton candy. The Rockwool absorbs and holds water very well and for lengthy amount of time (Hydro). The Wheel-O'-Juana uses a hydroponic style called ebb and flow. This means the Rockwool growing medium is placed in a container that can only hold so much water. When the plants are watered, the cross tube that holds the water will fill to a certain point and then begin to overflow. When the wheel rotates to a certain point the water in the cross tube will begin to drain. This needs to happen because many hydroponic systems can cause root rot. Root rot is when the plant's root system is too moist. This can be very detrimental to the plant. This specific style of hydroponics is one of the most popular because it is so effective.
Gravitropism is a science that can be dated back to 1806 (Sengbusch). It says that when a plant's orientation is altered the root system will experience positive gravitropism and the stem will show negative gravitropism. In laymen terms: when you turn a plant upside down the root will grow towards gravity and the rest will grow away from it. Think of when a tree is knocked down in a storm but doesn't die. The main trunk will begin to grow up away from the earth. This is all done by a chemical in the plant called Auxin, which promotes faster growth where it is released. When the plant is laid on it's side Auxin is released on the downward face of the root system thus causing the downward side to grow at a faster rate then the top. The opposite happens in the rest of the plant. Auxin is released in the upward facing side of the plant encouraging plant growth. This chemical is released and begins altering the plant within 15 minutes (Mulkey). The Wheel-O'-Juana rotates at one revolution per hour. When a plant is at the 9 o'clock position the chemical Auxin is being released on the upward facing side of the stem, then when it rotates to the 3 o'clock position it is being released on the opposite side of the plant. The rotation of the plants so slowly ensures that the chemical is effectively released on both sides of the plant. The plants could also be spun ninety degrees in the cross tube to be sure all sides of the plant will receive Auxin.
The Wheel-O'-Juana is better; It is better than any other rotary growing system on the market. This is so for several reasons: it is d.i.y. (so it is much cheaper), it can hold bigger plants, it doesn't cause stretching, and it is easily adapted to other types of hydroponic styles.
So long as you are confident with some basic power tools and have time for a weekend project then you can save as much as four and a half thousand dollars. Other similar systems cost as much as five thousand to buy. You would might think that they come ready to go out of the box and they almost are, but there is still some assembly required. The Wheel-O'-Juana, for the most part, can be constructed out of basic materials found at any common hardware store or lumberyard such as Lowes or Home Depot. Certain pieces of the Wheel-O'-Juana, like the bearings and motor, should be ordered online, you could sacrifice the cheaper price of these items for local stores but it might double the cost of the Wheel-O'-Juana.
Currently the most comparable rotary grow system to the Wheel-O'-Juana, would be the Volksgarden made by Omega grow. It has an outer diameter of four feet (Volksgarden). This would be fine for tomatoes or lettuce, but to grow a marijuana plant it is just not sufficient. The Wheel-O'-Juana has an outer diameter of 6 feet. This allows almost an entire foot more of growing space inside of the wheel which is much more suitable for a marijuana plant.
Often times when growing indoors the light source is place too far away from the plant, this will cause stretching. Stretching is when the plant grows vertically at a more rapid pace than it should. This results in a smaller yield or end crop. To solve this issue the Wheel-O'-Juana uses an adjustable distance system to place the plants closer to the light source when at a much younger age. Currently no other rotary grow system has a solution to the stretching issue.
One of my favorite parts about the Wheel-O'-Juana is that it is easily adapted to almost any other style of hydroponics. In theory one wouldn't even have to use the hydroponic growing style. One could place soil in the cross tubes instead of the Rockwool growing medium. Other styles could be used, such as fogponics. This is similar to the ebb and flow style but instead of using nutrient rich water you would use nutrient rich fog. This style of hydroponics is new but is beginning to be recognized as the best of all of the styles because the plants show a much faster growth rate.
The Wheel-O'-Juana has many applications in common life. It would be just as effective when used to grow tomatoes or any other vegetable. You could easily grow marijuana and sell it for profit using the Wheel-O'-Juana.
In the unlikely event of a zombie attack you would need 3 basic things, food, water, and shelter. The Wheel-O'-Juana could provide one of those basic needs. It could easily be used to grow a combination of vegetables to help sustain life. The Wheel-O'-Juana would be especially useful in a zombie attack because it would be used inside!
You could profit very much from the Wheel-O'-Juana if you were to grow marijuana. You could do two basic things: grow to sell to permit carriers, or grow to sell wholesale quantities to dispensaries. Growing to sell to permit carriers would be much more profitable obviously but entails lots of liabilities and worry. Selling wholesale quantities is a fairly easy process but it may take time to develop a solid relationship with the dispensaries.
It's easy to see that the Wheel-O'-Juana is an amazing machine with so many benefits when compared to its competitors. It could have many applications in anyone's life, but the best part of the machine is that it's based on simple science and very little technology. I look forward to the next decade to see what the future holds for medicinal marijuana. I hope that my generation will be known for ending the prohibition of one of the most useful plants in the world.
Works cited
Hydro, Professor. "Using Rockwool." Simply Hydroponics. 29 Nov. 2009. Simply Hydroponics - Growing Medium3
Mulkey, Timothy. "Modification of Gravitropic Sensitivity of Roots." March 1991. 29 Nov. 2009.
Sengbusch, Peter. "Geotropism or Gravitropism." Botany Online: Growth Movements. 28 Nov. 2009. Botany online: Growth Movements - Geotropism or Gravitropism
"Volksgarden." Omegagarden. 28 Nov. 2009. Omega Garden
Steezy, donate some blood or get a credit card bro!
Back to the motor... I NEED to find a motor that works, can someone help please??? I just want to find The Perfect Motor, even if it's a little more money, I just don't know what to get or where to get it. So if someone that owns a VG or a rotary garden or just knows anything about electric motors could throw me a bone here, it would be greatly appreciated. What should I search for if I'm looking for a quiet motor that can slowly rotate a Wheel 'O Juana with enough power? I need to find something that can be adjusted though, 1-10 rotations an hour to test different speeds.
Anyone have an idea???
Back to the motor... I NEED to find a motor that works, can someone help please??? I just want to find The Perfect Motor, even if it's a little more money, I just don't know what to get or where to get it. So if someone that owns a VG or a rotary garden or just knows anything about electric motors could throw me a bone here, it would be greatly appreciated. What should I search for if I'm looking for a quiet motor that can slowly rotate a Wheel 'O Juana with enough power? I need to find something that can be adjusted though, 1-10 rotations an hour to test different speeds.
Anyone have an idea???
steezy
New Member
to aj12, i didnt say they used a windshield wiper motor i said i am going to.
windshield wiper motor. thats what i plan on using...
almost completely silent.high torque, long life. low power intake. low rpm, easy to replace.
very cost effective.
I plan on throwing mine onto a dimmer switch box, the kind you install for a wall switch in your house to dim your lights. that way i can regulate the speed a little easier...
this looks ghetto cause i just wanted to show you an idea... the final product will have a cog on the cross beam too, and will have a chain and maybe another gear to drop the speed even more...
windshield wiper motor. thats what i plan on using...
almost completely silent.high torque, long life. low power intake. low rpm, easy to replace.
very cost effective.
I plan on throwing mine onto a dimmer switch box, the kind you install for a wall switch in your house to dim your lights. that way i can regulate the speed a little easier...
this looks ghetto cause i just wanted to show you an idea... the final product will have a cog on the cross beam too, and will have a chain and maybe another gear to drop the speed even more...
Very creative, I like it. But I'm pretty illiterate when it comes to electricity and wiring, I would have no idea how to connect a cord to a windshield wiper motor so that it can plug into a wall, let alone figure out the right size gears to get the speed I want.
I do have a couple dimmers that I got from my local hydroshop for my inline fans that were about $25 each, they'll work perfect for anything with a plug. You might want to just buy one of those.
I do have a couple dimmers that I got from my local hydroshop for my inline fans that were about $25 each, they'll work perfect for anything with a plug. You might want to just buy one of those.
It's been a little too quiet in here... How are things coming along?
Does anyone know of a good LED light for a rotary system? I want to use LED instead of HPS, does anyone have any ideas? I've been looking around extensively and I've only found this water-cooled LED light called the TI SmartBar.
If you have any ideas, PLEASE let me know.
Does anyone know of a good LED light for a rotary system? I want to use LED instead of HPS, does anyone have any ideas? I've been looking around extensively and I've only found this water-cooled LED light called the TI SmartBar.
If you have any ideas, PLEASE let me know.
steezy
New Member
hey i dont have internet at home right now so thats my excuse for being quiet. i did get a job so in a paycheck or two ill buy some more supplies and keep building.
as far as led lighting goes i have no clue. i was actually thinking of making that another diy project of mine...
i dont know what else to say.
as far as led lighting goes i have no clue. i was actually thinking of making that another diy project of mine...
i dont know what else to say.
We're still watching, hope you pull this off
steezy
New Member
Hola! So......
I got a Job.
Then I got another job.
So now I have TWO jobs...
At one, I'm a corporate coffee barista.
At the other, I sell Medicine.
Let me emphasize, MEDICINE...
So wait until I get another paycheck and THEN I'll be building again.
I hope you all haven't lost faith.
It may sound strange but I really believe in this machine.
It's a sort of pride I guess.
Btw, If you didn't catch that, I sell marijuana legally in a dispensary.
AND!
I'll continue to type in this manor because I find it to be a much more dramatic style than other traditional paragraphical methods.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Ahahahaha.
I AM medicated.
I got a Job.
Then I got another job.
So now I have TWO jobs...
At one, I'm a corporate coffee barista.
At the other, I sell Medicine.
Let me emphasize, MEDICINE...
So wait until I get another paycheck and THEN I'll be building again.
I hope you all haven't lost faith.
It may sound strange but I really believe in this machine.
It's a sort of pride I guess.
Btw, If you didn't catch that, I sell marijuana legally in a dispensary.
AND!
I'll continue to type in this manor because I find it to be a much more dramatic style than other traditional paragraphical methods.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Ahahahaha.
I AM medicated.
Good to see you steezy, I've got faith you're going to see this through.
Glad to see you posting; I'm still waiting to see your creation
Glad to see you posting; I'm still waiting to see your creation
steezy
New Member
Woohoo!!! I think I'm going to be a caregiver for a couple of patients sooner than later.
I'll prob get some clones and start growing them...
build the wheel...
then put the clones into the wheel!!!
Genius!
I'll prob get some clones and start growing them...
build the wheel...
then put the clones into the wheel!!!
Genius!
I think I'm going to give a DIY rotary grow a whirl myself. I work in a carpet cleaning and water damage restoration business and we use large wheel like reel's to roll up our vacuum hoses. That being said we are getting a new unit and truck and my boss has offered to give me one of these large "wheels". The wheel looks like this
It's steel and I'm going to modify it to make it wider and to allow it to accomadate a light and motor as well as plant sites. That being said I think it has a much greater diameter than a volksgarden. Could any of you be so kind as to give me some volksgarden specs? Also what do you guys think of this idea or suggest, etc, etc
It's steel and I'm going to modify it to make it wider and to allow it to accomadate a light and motor as well as plant sites. That being said I think it has a much greater diameter than a volksgarden. Could any of you be so kind as to give me some volksgarden specs? Also what do you guys think of this idea or suggest, etc, etc
looks great. . . an increased size would be a huge benefit.
good luck
the volks is very tight. 19" from inside wall to the tube which air cools the light.
looks like you'll have to drill out something at the center to snake in some electricity for the light.
also you'll have to do something about the inner cross bars to let the light shine 360, otherwise might as well run a flat garden.
the diameter of the wheel is 42", and the cubes stick out another 6" so its like 48" full.
it rotates about once every 45 minutes. . . this is the supposed sweet spot, but i'm not entirely convinced.
RW is a bitch, if you can design an alternate feeding solution or medium, IMHO, do that shit!
as far as diameter goes, i think, the bigger the better, till about 10'. then it would get harder to light.
a sliding system like the one on the first page seems awesome, but for a first try, i'd KISS.
good luck
the volks is very tight. 19" from inside wall to the tube which air cools the light.
looks like you'll have to drill out something at the center to snake in some electricity for the light.
also you'll have to do something about the inner cross bars to let the light shine 360, otherwise might as well run a flat garden.
the diameter of the wheel is 42", and the cubes stick out another 6" so its like 48" full.
it rotates about once every 45 minutes. . . this is the supposed sweet spot, but i'm not entirely convinced.
RW is a bitch, if you can design an alternate feeding solution or medium, IMHO, do that shit!
as far as diameter goes, i think, the bigger the better, till about 10'. then it would get harder to light.
a sliding system like the one on the first page seems awesome, but for a first try, i'd KISS.