electric130
11/10/2006, 03:42 PM
So you want a 250w DE or "HQI" setup, but don't like the pricetag the proper M80 or "HQI" ballasts bring such as $181 for a single PFO HQI ballast or $150 for a Blue Wave III. Well, this setup will save you a little money:
$90 - M80 250w "HQI" ballast from Hello Lights (http://www.hellolights.com/25hadmam80ba.html)
$3.75 - Grounded Power Cord from Hello Lights (http://www.hellolights.com/grpoco.html) (possibly cheaper other places)
$16 - 8"x8"x4" NEMA1 Enclosure (box) from Lowe's
$9 - 9ft black, 3-prong, 16ga extension cord from Lowes
That's right about $120. So this will save you $30 over the BWIII or $60 over the PFO HQI ballast. while it's not a huge savings, it's also a lot more fun building it than just opening up a box and pluging something in. Maybe that's just me? :eek1:
or you could go with a 3 light setup:
$270 - 3 M80 ballasts from Hellolights
$11.25 - 3 grounded cords from Hellolights
$34.50 - 12"x18"x6" NEMA1 enclosure from Automation Direct (http://web6.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Enclosures/Metal/NEMA_1/Screw_Cover_Wall_Mount_/Painted_with_Knockouts/SC121806)
$27 - 3 9ft Black extenstion cords from Lowe's
that's $342.75 for a 3 ballast 250w HQI setup versus $370 for a BWIII and a BWVII setup or $525 for a single and dual PFO HQI ballast (MY GOD!!!!! )
clearly your biggest savings would be if you were to upgrade your system one ballast at a time. not everyone will do that so this setup isn't for everyone. it's mainly for the people that want to save a little while taking on a simple project for fun. of course, you could save even more by not even buying an enclosure and just mounting the ballast and components to a piece of wood or metal. as long as you maintain the grounding integrity, and keep an eye on the heat once everything's set up, there's no problem with this. so then your savings could be anywhere from $45 on up.
so here's the setup i just made:
Outside
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/10832HQI_3.JPG
Whole Setup:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/10832HQI_1.JPG
I used the 9ft extension cord to go to the lights. rather than buying some other connector, i used the exsisting 3-prong. however, since this could be confused as a standard power connector, i painted the end of it white to distinguish it. if you wanted to be extra careful, you could label it as well.
Close-Up of Case:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/10832HQI_2.JPG
the white tube is the capacitor, the black thing at the top is the ignitor, and of course the massive, heavy thing at the bottom is the ballast core. again, you can see the lighting connector painted white.
this project is not for everyone since you're playing around with electricity and it can be dangerous. that said, it's an easy and fun project. the wiring diagram is on the sticker on top of the ballast, so there's no way to mess that up. have fun and feel free to ask questions.
$90 - M80 250w "HQI" ballast from Hello Lights (http://www.hellolights.com/25hadmam80ba.html)
$3.75 - Grounded Power Cord from Hello Lights (http://www.hellolights.com/grpoco.html) (possibly cheaper other places)
$16 - 8"x8"x4" NEMA1 Enclosure (box) from Lowe's
$9 - 9ft black, 3-prong, 16ga extension cord from Lowes
That's right about $120. So this will save you $30 over the BWIII or $60 over the PFO HQI ballast. while it's not a huge savings, it's also a lot more fun building it than just opening up a box and pluging something in. Maybe that's just me? :eek1:
or you could go with a 3 light setup:
$270 - 3 M80 ballasts from Hellolights
$11.25 - 3 grounded cords from Hellolights
$34.50 - 12"x18"x6" NEMA1 enclosure from Automation Direct (http://web6.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Enclosures/Metal/NEMA_1/Screw_Cover_Wall_Mount_/Painted_with_Knockouts/SC121806)
$27 - 3 9ft Black extenstion cords from Lowe's
that's $342.75 for a 3 ballast 250w HQI setup versus $370 for a BWIII and a BWVII setup or $525 for a single and dual PFO HQI ballast (MY GOD!!!!! )
clearly your biggest savings would be if you were to upgrade your system one ballast at a time. not everyone will do that so this setup isn't for everyone. it's mainly for the people that want to save a little while taking on a simple project for fun. of course, you could save even more by not even buying an enclosure and just mounting the ballast and components to a piece of wood or metal. as long as you maintain the grounding integrity, and keep an eye on the heat once everything's set up, there's no problem with this. so then your savings could be anywhere from $45 on up.
so here's the setup i just made:
Outside
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/10832HQI_3.JPG
Whole Setup:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/10832HQI_1.JPG
I used the 9ft extension cord to go to the lights. rather than buying some other connector, i used the exsisting 3-prong. however, since this could be confused as a standard power connector, i painted the end of it white to distinguish it. if you wanted to be extra careful, you could label it as well.
Close-Up of Case:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/10832HQI_2.JPG
the white tube is the capacitor, the black thing at the top is the ignitor, and of course the massive, heavy thing at the bottom is the ballast core. again, you can see the lighting connector painted white.
this project is not for everyone since you're playing around with electricity and it can be dangerous. that said, it's an easy and fun project. the wiring diagram is on the sticker on top of the ballast, so there's no way to mess that up. have fun and feel free to ask questions.