DIY: How to get a 175w MH ballast and Mogul socket for under $50!..pic heavy - Page 2

PaulErik · #26 10/26/2007, 12:54 AM

It is not a recommended combination (a mercury vapor ballast with a metal halide lamp). That setup will run into problems with a metal halide bulb.

Wrassemeister · #27 10/26/2007, 02:22 AM

well that is an easier explanation :-)

rustybucket145 · #28 10/26/2007, 09:32 AM

Much better! I was getting crosseyed there for a minute

On someone's question on the enclosure for the ballast. I used a Military Metal Ammo box i had sitting around. works great!

I bought my MH ballasts at the Local Electrical supply house for roughly $50/ea DIY'd a Lumenarc type reflector and used the ammo box to house the ballasts. All in all after bulb purchase and wiring supplies I ended up with a pretty slick lighting setup for under $150. By no means is it free or cheap, but it's much better than paying full price for a fixture, and you learn a little in the process

cannarella · #29 10/26/2007, 09:32 AM

PaulErik do you do lighitng specifications for building projects?

Corndork2 · #30 10/26/2007, 10:12 AM

I have used this ballast to sucessfully fire two or three different kinds of bulbs. I also ran them for over 3 months. They did have a harder time initiallt striking their arc, probaly because there is no cap, but they did work fine, and work for as long as I needed them before I tore my setup down.

cannarella · #31 10/26/2007, 10:28 AM

3 months is fine but who has been running them for 3+ years? If it is not designed for a MH lamp I would hesitant to use it. You can find used multi-tap real MH ballasts with capacitors and a mogul socket for the price you paid for that fixture and they will work reliably for years.

sdheath · #32 10/26/2007, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cannarella
You can find used multi-tap real MH ballasts with capacitors and a mogul socket for the price you paid for that fixture and they will work reliably for years.

I've been looking and the cheapest I've found is about double that. Where can you buy a ballast, cap and socket for $29?

AquariaOCD · #33 10/26/2007, 10:58 AM

If the ballast is the same, and the only difference is the capacitor, the obvious constructive question in MY feeble mind would be "where to get the capacitor and how to wire it in?" instead of debating the fact of what is going to happen to the bulbs in the long run without it.

Corndork, could we get a good pic of the label on the ballast? I think you are off to a good start!

AquariaOCD · #34 10/26/2007, 10:58 AM

double post

cannarella · #35 10/26/2007, 11:00 AM

Look on clubs web sites. I have about 10 175W MH ballasts and new mogul sockets that I usually let go for under $30. Be resourceful. I saw a 400W MH ballast new on Ebay for $10.

sdheath · #36 10/26/2007, 11:03 AM

Ah, I missed th eword "used" when I read your post.

cannarella · #37 10/26/2007, 11:19 AM

No problem. Good luck.

peregrinus · #38 10/26/2007, 11:36 AM

I did this same thing about 2 years ago. bought 4 of those setups and gutted them. i used a 20 k bulb in one of them as a test. and all worked fine for a month or so and after that it would not fireup the bulb but i put th MV bulb back in and it worked fine also the 20k bulb in MH worked fine. do you think the ballest would not fire it any more because it weakened it?

peregrinus · #39 10/26/2007, 11:44 AM

also i used an old computer case for the encoluser.. worked great..

wooden_reefer · #40 10/26/2007, 12:40 PM

I think the magnetic ballast is not energy efficient.

May be an obsolete technology.

Does an electronic ballast save 5 cents a day?

cannarella · #41 10/26/2007, 12:52 PM

Electronic ballasts are coming along but they are more expensive. My company is not using them much b/c when there is a voltage drop they lose the arc where a magnetic just keeps on going. When you look at it MH are actually more efficient then most other lighting methods. I know BeanAnimal posted some report a while ago about the efficiencies of different light sources. You can do an experiment by measuring the current going into the ballast of each when firing the same lamp. I think magnetic ballasts are going to be around for a while. It is tried and true and it works well.

wooden_reefer · #42 10/26/2007, 01:07 PM

I think the price of e ballast has dropped quite a bit.

I can't vouch for the cheap one I just bought, though. Not yet.

Time, just a couple more years, will tell.

wooden_reefer · #43 10/26/2007, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cannarella
My company is not using them much b/c when there is a voltage drop they lose the arc where a magnetic just keeps on going.

What causes the voltage to drop?

Is there too much load in one circuit?

cannarella · #44 10/26/2007, 03:02 PM

When I said voltage drop I was referring to the power company.

PaulErik · #45 10/26/2007, 03:19 PM

I do more product specifying and design for various lighting industries.

The voltage drop tolerance will vary greatly by ballast design. Generally some magnetic ballasts can tolerate a greater voltage drop before extinguishing the lamps arc. Electronic ballasts are however better at regulating lamp wattage over a wider range of voltage.

You can not add a capacitor to a mercury vapor HX ballast so it can start metal halide lamps. Metal halide lamps are not compatible with peaking capacitors. HX (High Reactance Autotransformer) is a type of ballast circuit and the only place you can add a capacitor is across the input power. This will only correct the power factor if a properly calculated capacitor is added. Adding a capacitor to the output side will cause more resistance, lowering the lamps operating current.

CWA (Constant Wattage Autotransformer) circuit type metal halide ballasts are designed to work together with a capacitor. The capacitor in a metal halide CWA ballast is only used for lamp regulation and power factor correction. The OCV is peaked to start the lamp.

cannarella · #46 10/26/2007, 03:22 PM

Spec Lithonia fixtures...

I like having a job... hehehe

H20ENG · #47 10/26/2007, 07:01 PM

Can, I have a building FULL of em

PaulErik,
Thanks, I've never heard ballast explnation before. So an M57 is not always an M57? Or is that simply a size or wattage code?

PaulErik · #48 10/26/2007, 07:17 PM

No a M57 ballast is always a M57 ballast. M57 is the ANSI standard for probe start 175-watt metal halide lamps and ballasts. The ANSI standards assure electrical compatibility between products. Ballasts and lamps are always made to a standard and should be matched by ANSI codes or another standard.

The ANSI standard lists the electrical properties and some physical/size data (for light bulbs). When matching lamps and ballasts you should match standards and not wattage.

H20ENG · #49 10/26/2007, 07:22 PM

Ok, so the OP is calling it an M57 when it is NOT an M57. Thanks

PaulErik · #50 10/26/2007, 07:26 PM

Yes that is correct. The ballast he has is a H39 ballast which is only designed for mercury vapor 175-watt lamps.