Metal Halide lighting for $100.

[DEADFISH1]

has anyone made one of these?
see web page: http://www.rpi.edu/dept/union/aquarium/public_html/DIY_MH.html

if so did it work and were you successful in finding that 71A3802 mercury vapor ballast, and also did you find that the mercury vapor ballast causes your Iwaski metal halide to burn bluer(that would be a good thing of course)?

One thing that I’ve noticed is that the pricing seems to be a little low for the current market, I’m wondering how old this info is.

 

[myreef]

I am in the process of doing this now. I have the ballast and just waiting on the reflector. I should wire it by the end of the week. RickO, on this board, built his a few weeks ago. He did not have MH before, so he likes the change a lot. I will try to remember to find this thread again when I complete the project.

 

[Mabu]

Please keep us posted on the progress of this. I'm very interested.

 

[Modo]

Deadfish -

I am in the process of putting one of these together, also. The plans are very straight forward and simple. The catch is this only works for the Iwasaki 6500K bulb, either the 250w or 400w.

I enjoy DIY projects and customizing my gear for my tank. I will be constructing a hood and reflector around the lights. I'm doing this more for the enjoyment of DIY than to save $$$.

Safety is always factor that comes with ANY lighting system when mixing H2O and Electricity. I have a little faith in my abilities.

Here is alot of discussion and different links to information on products to gather etc...
http://www.reefs.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=000353
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26062

The website: http://www.rpi.edu/dept/union/aquarium/public_html/DIY_MH.html

[ July 17, 2001: Message edited by: Modo ]

 

[DEADFISH1]

here's a thread and some info from reef central:
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=7129

bjmumy say's:

"Here's what I have into my lighting setup so far:

2 x 250W Advance MV ballast from Graybar model number 71A3802: $23 each
2 x metal enclosures on clearance from HD: $3 each
2 x SpiderLight reflectors with sockets: $40 each
1 x 250W Iwasaki (new from eBay): $40
1 x 250W Iwasaki from PA (will get this soon): $60

So by the time I'm all done, my 2x250W 6500k Iwasaki setup with SpiderLights is going to be $232.

It's hard to judge, but so far I like the MV ballasts. They have no capacitors so they use more current to start, but use a little less power to fire the bulb, take up little space (w/ no capacitor), and the bulb definitely looks more blue to me on a MV ballast."

bjmumy say's:
"Actually the only difference with not using capacitors is the extra juice it takes to start the bulb comes from the wall rather than from a capacitor which has stored up energy. So there is no worry that the bulbs will blow or anything. In fact, the bulbs are supposed to last longer on the MV ballasts. EYE says you should only use MV ballasts since the Iwasakis are actually MV bulbs. So the MV ballasts is what they were designed to run on and they supposedly run brighter, bluer, and longer on a MV ballast (time will tell if that's true). The disadvantage is that I am locked into the Iwasaki. I can't use any bulb but. Given their price and PAR though, I'm ok with that. I got the ballasts from Graybar. They have stores in most major cities. Their web address is www.graybar.com. They don't sell over the internet, but they will ship. They only sell to companies, so you'll have to pretend it's for work. My enclosures are 6x4x4". They allow plenty of breathing room around the ballasts, yet are nice and compact."

 

[AWD]

Hello everyone,

Look, you are all making a big deal out of nothing. Unless you are completely incompetent, you can do this. I did it in all about 15 minutes. I didn't go with the mercury vapor ballast though, The metal halide ballast cost less($45). The wiring is the same, and the light looks great. The Iwasaki is made for Mercury Vapor ballast, but the ballast is less efficient. If you don't think you can do it, then don't! It's your money.

 

[DEADFISH1]

cool thanks Modo, I did find another place, Crawford Electric
10502 King williams Drive
972-869-3633
but their a little higher, $32.57
I'll go with Total Electronics for $24.70
much better.

thanks again.

 

[DEADFISH1]

geeeze, I called Grainger but they don't carry it in stock, so then I called Advance Transformer Co. the ones who make this transformer, they said that they have 90 of them in there distribution center in my area but of course I have to go through a distributor like Grainger to get it, so I call Grainger back and tell them there’s 90 of them practically across the street, they still said that they have to have it in stock in order to sell it but of course they have one that’s similar that they can sell me for much more.
I bet if I was to tell them that I want 90 of them that they would change their toon, you think?
I’ll try another supplier so stay tuned.

 

[DEADFISH1]

Total Electronics is actually called Total Lighting Products, the rest of the info is the same.
I talked to Kenneth, he has already received a ton of orders, before I could even finish saying transformer he said "for your fish tank?", it's amazing how powerful the Internet can be.

 

[whirley]

How much would it be to ship such an item?
Just a guestamate. I'm thinking about it now...

whirley

 

[Len]

The company I work for sells wire nuts to Total Lighting Products. Small world

So I guess I HIGHLY endorse DIY metal halides then

Keep buying from TLP, particularly wire nuts to connect those ballasts!

I have no shame.

[ July 17, 2001: Message edited by: Leonard ]

 

[Modo]

Deadfish-

READ through the Reefcentral thread I posted earlier.

Here it is again... http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26062&perpage=25&pagenumber=3

We discussed the same problem we had here in Dallas and there is a Phone#, part# and prices for the 2 different ballasts in Plano. Ask for Kenneth, he knows what you're after.

 

[Modo]

Oh and another thing. This place only orders once a week on Friday mornings. So, be sure to get it in the pool before then.

Let us know how it goes. I'm building on the hood next week and won't wire anything until it's put together.

 

[johnny1]

Hey everyone,

I wrote that article there on RPI's webpage... I'm glad to see some people are getting a good use out of it!

Here's was the two 250W Iwasakis with the MV ballasts look like over my 150g 6' tank...

Nick

 

[6_line]

Johnny,
whereabouts did you mount the lights--one on each side and empty in the center? I want to use perhaps 1 of these setups when I do my 125, but I'm not sure how I'll configure the lighting.....

 

[liquid]

The info on that page is less than a month old. There was a large thread on ReefCentral about a month ago that spawned that webpage and currently there's a large thread about it on ReefCentral in the DIY forum. Info's recent.

hth

liquid

 

[whirley]

I wrestled with this idea for quite a long time. My conclusion was to pay the extra $60, for safety sake.

$100 DIY vs $160 Retro...umm..$160 I know
that it will work and be SAFE.

Of course, getting those occasional short term shocks would bring some excitement durring the day.

whirley

 

[myreef]

OK, I, with the help of RickO, wired my ballast this past weekend. Even put in a toggle switch for an on/off feature. They instructions are for the 3802, so if you get the 3572 like I did, follow the instructions on the web page and don't forget to wire in the capacitor. I bought a pre-wired 6 foot extension cord and cut off one end to wire to the ballast. I also, bought the mogul socket from PA already wired, so the other end just had to be wired to the ballast. Only took about 10 minutes or so to wire it. Good luck...it is not hard at all. Just follow the instructions and you should be fine.