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OrchidBox climate controlled terrariums... What do you all think about this?

  • Thread starter Nh43de
  • Start date
I've been working on something like this for a while and dreaming of it in since I started growing CPs some ten odd years ago.

Just curious. What do you think about these? They're climate controlled, smart wi-fi enabled terrariums.

OrchidBox.us
 
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seems kinda small....unless you are growing smaller cp's/orchids then perfect.
 
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Agreed, couldnt grow neps in this for very long. Im curious what the price is on these.
 
Would need a lot more info than what is listed on the website but some random thoughts, keeping in mind I've build 1-2 dozen terrariums over the years in various sizes.

Wifi is useless, complete waste of money imo, they should be spending that money somewhere else or just reducing the price. Same with lumen/lux sensors, since they only measure visual spectrums and don't read the red/blue spectrums that plants need, well these sensors are mainly for us and not the plants. Humidity gauges are also a tricky one, the cheap ones don't work well and the ones that do work you have to pay for.

At $220-290 for a 2.5g tank that may or may not contain the thermoelectric chillers listed as optional I wish them the best of luck as that price point seems WAY to high for something like this. But I'm not aware of another product like this so, there is that.

Scrap the camera also, I'm not after a tablet with my growing space. Just a waste of design and construction costs that are already to high. Spend that money on frog proofing the largest one and go after the frog crowd along with the orchid/CP crowd.

Over the past 10 years or so I've watched a few of these companies try to start up and none have made it into production, Orchidarium? was the last one I recall actually producing products. Hopefully they will get something out into production that is useful for us.
 
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Orchidariums are no more.
 
Why do orchids need wifi?

thats like giving your yard a car.
 
Why do orchids need wifi?

thats like giving your yard a car.
That's a pretty common occurrence on the outskirts of town... ;)
 
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If you mow your lawn and find a car.........
 
Seems to have lots of bells and whistles but they aren't necessary to successfully growing orchids or carnivores. If you're a gadget fetishist I guess that would be something to blow your money on. But it's really not nearly enough space for much of a collection especially if it's going to have any plants that are not micro / mini species.
 
  • #10
Seems like all features that would be desired by a tropical plant grower are covered. The major issue as other have noted is size. The largest option 20" x 12" x 19" should be the smallest option available.

I would offer two sizes and really create a nice presentation for those two sizes. Some of the digital renderings of the prototypes are really nice, so that looks like the path the product is going. So 2 options would be best call smaller one OrchidBox and the larger size NepenthesBox and adjust the kit includes with those to cater towards each genus. Price point is going to have to be $600 or less, doubt anyone on this forum would spend that amount.

There should also be an a la carte option to build your own setup and have the customers supply the terrarium to cut down on costs for both sides. The company can offer kits that fit terrariums in certain ranges. The core build-your-own kit would come with the main component/brain for the system and the sensors, and then the customer could add lighting, watering system, fans, LED, etc.

On the marketing side, there should be case studies on the site, I see that start of some of that already. Proven cultivation of plants in the genus that are difficult and require extra attention. Could even give growers in the community full kits for half-price and ask them to give you feedback and a possible testimonial and pictured for the site.

@Nem, I am thinking you are being facetious with your comment, the WiFi option is remarkable. The OrchidBox connects to the WiFi in ones home or office, and then all the parameters of the system can be access via the iOS App and/or Mobile Site. You would be able to control and monitor your system remotely. I have explored this possibility and built solutions to this a few time, this is a great offering, but might be ahead of its time in a way.

I have also done the web cam route a few times with grow setups, and i can agree, that it is a little unnecessarily. The only purpose it served was to ensure that the environment was running properly, misting, humidifier coming on, and helped me prevent a flood for a mister breaking.

One final note is I do not see a way to control humidity, well I am sure there is a parameter for humidity, but it probably turns on the misting system. This is not a good way to control humidity. Plants will likely root out and if they are constantly being misted to raise the humidity. Obviously there is a full system working in unison here, so this may work fine.

Send me a message Nate if you want to discuss further...
 
  • #11
i was curious what a larger automated system would cost.

http://www.acmeorchidarium.com/home.html

these systems are larger, and so is the price at 4k!

they use ecozone controllers. pretty robust controllers that a few of my chamelon buddies used years ago.
 
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  • #13
Honestly...you can make one for a bit lower. The controllers and all that jazz might cost you a bit, but I think the price is a bit too high inspite of all those bells and whistles. Just search for deals and the exoterra big tanks are pretty nice ones that can be retrofitted to get all the functionality u need.
 
  • #14
I might actually look into one of these haha

ive been trying to see exactly how their "cooling" system works. Very interested in that componet. Its the one piece of the puzzle that i would love to have more info about.
 
  • #15
Now that you point that out I'm curious as well. According to their "how they work" page it's an evaporative cooler, but that seems to be, like all evaporative coolers, limited by the external air temp and humidity.
 
  • #16
ive been trying to see exactly how their "cooling" system works. Very interested in that componet. Its the one piece of the puzzle that i would love to have more info about.

I actually have emailed the seller of more information on this just yesterday, still waiting for a reply :) I also contacted him by phone earlier and he explained its an evaporative system capable of drops in temperatures to the mid fifties every night (WOW). I was skeptical until I read another customers testimonial saying he's achieved these lows with the system he purchased. In addition, while contacting the seller, he said that he has also moved towards thermoelectric cooling for more consistant results. I know the system seems very expensive and I know I can probably do it by looking for the different parts... but with that magnificent look and temperature drop capability to match.... Is SO DAMN tempting haha :)
 
  • #17
I was thinking the same thing about the wifi. Probably for remote controlling from your average smart-phone, but if that is all you are after, you could probably buy separate gadgets at a fraction of the cost.

Though they are apparently still working out the kinks in it, last x-mas, my husband bought me a device called a Quirky Spotter, which is supposed to monitor temps, noise, motion, etc, and send alerts to your phone. If they every work out all the kinks, it would be a good gadget. But a malfunctioning gadget like that will give you more panic attacks than peace of mind. When we called them to tell them we were having issues, they told us they were aware it did not work as advertised.... practically selling prototypes. (link below)

Assuming they could make something like that actually work, in conjunction with phone-controlled outlets to run various devices (they do exist), you could rig something similar yourself.







http://www.quirky.com/shop/609
 
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  • #18
Hey guys,

After a lot of consideration, we finally decided to condense what we were working on and release a version that much more universal.

We would love to hear what you all think.

You can see more information at https://orchidbox.io/

Capture.jpg
 
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