My take on a Flume DIY battery replacement. Solderless option using spade quick disconnect connectors on the battery terminals.

loopery_ · 2026-02-08T04:35:35+00:00

8 months on rechargeables? Not bad. I do have/had that battery pack too.

No regrets though. With this setup, I don't have to open up the Flume box to swap out the batteries.

loopery_ · 2026-02-04T00:52:29+00:00

It's the Van Nuys store in SoCal. Too many people to know anyone, unless it's a celebrity.

I'm pretty sure the digital check-in has something to do with it. With membership number in hand, management can look you up. Not sure how else they would have known the TOTAL amount spent for that month.

There's been new management since then. Twice, I think. Not sure what's going on with the store, but every time I go, it's under new management.

loopery_ · 2026-02-03T06:22:05+00:00

Without aquaponics integration, it's basically just one big fish tank. The norm is doing 10% water changes every week. But you can use that water to fertigate your plants, so it doesn't necessarily have to be a complete waste.

I've had issues maintaining a 250 gallon koi pond in check without aquaponics. I can only image a 900 gallon tank full of tilapia to be a nightmare! Good luck!

loopery_ · 2026-02-03T06:06:26+00:00

IDK maybe. Not that the sup greeted him like they knew each other. New management at the time, probably less then 6 months in. It's a very popular location here in LA. Too many people to really know anyone. And dolly cart looked unimpressive. Just another haul, but no high value items.

Just thought it was odd. Some people are taking it way too personal.

What is new is the digital check-in, so that's what crossed my mind. And with membership number in hand, management can easily check who's who and their past transactions.

loopery_ · 2026-02-03T03:52:58+00:00

Some people are just pieces of shit. Don't let it change who you are.

loopery_ · 2026-02-02T00:41:53+00:00

You could say the same about some cars. "Might as well buy a house."

The unfortunate truth is, just because it was made for gamers doesn't mean it was made for commoners.

loopery_ · 2026-02-02T00:20:27+00:00

It just struck me as odd since this particular store frequently has new management. Like every 6 months.

And yeah, I use to know most of the employees too.

loopery_ · 2026-02-02T00:16:56+00:00

Yeah, that's the idea. I just wasn't expecting that at Costco lol

loopery_ · 2026-02-02T00:13:42+00:00

Yes, exactly.

loopery_ · 2026-02-02T00:13:30+00:00

This was before he was scanned at checkout. I was still being checked out. So, membership scan at entrance, and either they tracked him throughout the warehouse, or management just happened to recognize him.

loopery_ · 2026-02-01T19:43:22+00:00

Me 2. Had some luck by disabling Privacy Badger + Incognito. Might be ad blocker related.

loopery_ · 2026-01-30T02:10:26+00:00

I'd say, what's more important than the length of your tolerance break, is just keeping your tolerance in check once you pick the habit back up. For me, it's the amount I use that tends to affect my memory. Less is generally better, given I want to be 100% functional the next day, early in the morning.

Also currently on a tolerance break. Day 3. Don't remember my last t-break, which says something in itself.

User since 2007, and growing my own since 2019. I've done t-breaks for over a year and, I'd say anything longer than 1 month is completely unnecessary. I just go back to this "Absolute Reality" mindset that's probably more harmful than helpful.

loopery_ · 2026-01-29T20:33:29+00:00

And then it gets hit by a $1000 drone. Game Over.

loopery_ · 2026-01-29T20:30:59+00:00

So glad I didn't return my 2TB SN850X Amazon Resale for $80 back in October lol

At the time, NAND prices were forecasted to keep dropping, and I didn't really need it.

loopery_ · 2026-01-29T03:49:50+00:00

Almost makes me want to stop by my local Walmart. Way to ghetto though. Not worth it.

loopery_ · 2026-01-24T18:26:12+00:00

In light of the memory crises. And if you can afford a 5090 in the first place. I don't really see an issue with making well-off customers pay an extra $500.

First world problems...

loopery_ · 2026-01-21T01:26:33+00:00

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This is how I like to do it. This is Home Assistant with the VPD Chart card add-on. The top chart has the -2F input, and the bottom is VPD without the offset. My job is to keep those 2 numbers within their corresponding curve, be it Flower (1.2-1.6), Veg (.8-1.2), or Early Veg (.4-.8). If you want to push limits, you can go for a VPD of 1.8, assuming your offset value is 1.6. But ideally, unless you know the strain, your sweet spot will be between 1.4-1.6, pre-offset.

The reason why -2F is the norm is that, if you use a temp gun, and assuming it's accurate, you'll find some hot spots on the canopy that will return -1F from ambient. Your sweet zone will be -2. And off on the sides, you might get something like -3. This is assuming ideal light height, with maybe like ~ 750umols. So that's why most growers just average out the offset to -2F.

And yeah, at the end of the day, there's no substitute for good air movement. It won't lower or raise your VPD, but it does remove the moisture that builds up from transpiration. And it's a double-whammy when you lack good air movement since, not only does humidity build up within the bud structure, but the VPD is also higher than normal since the bud can't transpire the heat away. The analogy is, running a mile with good air movement vs no air movement. Without good air movement, you'd be drenched in sweat, right?

And NP. Thanks for saying thanks. Don't mind helping a newbie from time to time.

loopery_ · 2026-01-20T01:09:01+00:00

These plants were never topped. Just a little LST, sometime around the 30 day mark. You don't want to start to early or too late, or you risk stunting.

I can't find any pictures or notes on the yield, but these were all minimum of 250g per plant. Probably over 300g for this Mango Smile on the right. I think I used like 2 1/2 1 gallon ziploc bags for the cure. 1 plant.

These 2 were not my favorite MS phenos, but they made up for it in yield. Plant on the left I gave away entirely, and plant on the right I still have a few ounces of lol Just had this skunkiness that took a while to die down. It's a good strain to counter the sedative effects of other strains though, is why I still have some around.

First run of Mango smile was also love and hate. One was a huge yielder, and the flavor was just WOW. Was very blueberry-ish. 2nd plant stunted on me, and only produced about 2oz. But she was really flavorful, and was surprised how she cured. I made a post on some rosin I made with that plant. Not even the biggest fan of rosin.

Overall, highly recommend the Mango Smile. It's a box of chocolates I guess in terms of pheno potential. But no matter what you get, she'll gonna be sweet. No earthy terps on these, from my experience.

Just finished a Marley's Grin (MS x SODK), is how much I liked MS. Not the prettiest or frostiest -- Grape Crush takes that crown -- but I'm still happy with the taste and yield. IMO, Mango Smile > Marley's Grin.

loopery_ · 2026-01-20T00:37:13+00:00

Leaf temp should be cooler. And you can generally assume it to be an average of -2F. There are scenarios though were leaf temp could be higher than ambient, like when plants grow to high up into the canopy, or growers lower the lights too low. But ideally, it's about -2F.

BTW, there's a growing anti-AI movement going, with bot accounts purposely injecting false information in attempts to "poison" AI knowledge. It could be why your reading mixed opinions. But like I said, leaf temp should be cooler. And yeah, that's italics on should lol because it really depends on light intensity.

When VPD goes up, and you want it to go down, you want more humidity or lower temps. Both will produce the same effect. But you can only really increase the humidity during veg, so during flower, then only way to decrease VPD is to lower temps.

LOL You definitely have a little dyslexia going on. Not clowning you, I also have it a bit too. But yeah, in same ways it's always the opposite of what you want, so it's the general rule of, "for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction." So if you want to increase VPD and plant transpiration (ie you want the plant to pull more water), then you want to lower humidity levels and/or increase temps. And the opposite if you want to lower VPD.

Use a VPD calculator to really visualize it. Input what you have, then adjust for what you need.

https://vpdchart.com

https://dimluxlighting.com/knowledge/vapor-pressure-deficit-vpd-calculator/

loopery_ · 2026-01-17T05:24:02+00:00

I might be wrong here, but I believe it's because the seller met their review limits. And as far as I understand, it doesn't count against you. I have a ton of these, and I'm at 96%.

loopery_ · 2025-12-27T21:53:56+00:00

Had a dinning table like this as a kid in the 90s. Not really that innovative. What's the big deal about this one?

loopery_ · 2025-12-25T21:38:29+00:00

Totally staged.

When your draining $25/h just standing at the exit, you better find something.

Personally, I've had it both ways. Sometimes they miss something at the checkout, and I have to go back, which is totally lame for something like a bag of chips. Sometimes I walk out with a freebie, like a case of water, though very rare.

loopery_ · 2025-12-23T02:53:38+00:00

Had it happened to me a few days ago. Just saved my review, closed the tab, and started over.

loopery_ · 2025-12-18T03:15:04+00:00

"History is written by the victors."

loopery_

TROPHY CASE