Here's what I do .... any comments?

[spacebomb]

no bro im so sorry for the fuked up info i gave you. do not risk the possible fire man cos that ,might,happen. again.sorry for ,assuming, damn:( im mad at my self like mate.theres nowt u can say to make me feel worse eh man....shit:(

 

[spacebomb]

:-) i gave him that go ahead basikly i feel shan.might have a ken full of babies. thanks tho sea:-) ur a bad girl in a good way eh:-).

No worries, space. Hell, I've overdriven bulbs in a big way, I'm a bad girl.

 

[Animal Chin]

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/difference-b-t-hps-ballasts-mh-ballasts.10816/

 

[spacebomb]

dont be fuking about with ballasts mate eh.wtf? unless your a TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED SPARKY.taking ignitors n shit out! i know you wouldnt do that crazy arsed shit eh bro.safety,safetr,comes 1,st eh man.

 

[TheTommyK]

Ballast #1

Ballast #2

anyone have any further opinions .... these both came from Poll lights (the kind that light up parking lots ...)

if not .... what is a reasonable price to pay for a ballast that would power two 600W bulbs (I would upgrade) I have reflectors and bulb fixtures ....

 

[HL Gunn]

View attachment 317454Ballast #1

View attachment 317455
Ballast #2

anyone have any further opinions .... these both came from Poll lights (the kind that light up parking lots ...)

if not .... what is a reasonable price to pay for a ballast that would power two 600 bulbs (I would upgrade) I have reflectors and bulb fixtures ....

Most all experienced growers and electricians would recommend you not use those ballasts. You can get a new 600 digital ballast for around $100 on Ebay. That's super cheap with all things consider, such as safety security and the value of the product whether personal or for trade.

 

[TheTommyK]

good stuff .... thanks for the info!!! my local hydro store sells used gear ... I will try them too.

 

[Cort]

craigslist. All kinds of good gear for dirt cheap.

I agree with others, dont run bulbs your ballast isnt made for. Good way to burn your house down.

 

[TheTommyK]

Thanks all .... sounds like sound advice.

 

[TheTommyK]

Here is the flower room ready to go

 

[TheTommyK]

here are the girls today.
Starting from the Left:
1st row No training no fim
2nd Row Just LST
3rd row Strong plant LST and FIMed
4th Row Weaker plant LST and FIMed

 

[Swany]

Hey Tommy - if it's not too late, thehydrosource on ebay has some stellar deals on ballasts. I bought a bulb from them yesterday to check out their service and can let you know if it all goes well.

Also - if your veg is still as it was in the first pictures, and you plan to continue using the fluorescent fixtures, you could upgrade them to T8 pretty simply. In the picture they look like T12 (thick bulb). T8's will put out more light (medium thick bulb) for the same power, or even a bit less power. T5's are best (thin bulb) but you'll pay more for the whole fixture than just upgrading the T12 fixtures you have. If you're interested say so and I'll detail how to upgrade.

 

[TheTommyK]

Thanks swany .... i will check it out.
I am in the middle of acquiring the means to purchase the lighting upgrades I could benefit from in my rearranged rooms. thanks for the tips on the bulbs ..... what do I need to do?

 

[Swany]

Thanks swany .... i will check it out.
I am in the middle of acquiring the means to purchase the lighting upgrades I could benefit from in my rearranged rooms. thanks for the tips on the bulbs ..... what do I need to do?

Just caught this, and it's way late. I worked on putting electrical in a clients room for 5 hours after work. I will post instructions tomorrow. Or I guess later today ;-}

 

[Swany]

So a T12 fixture can be converted to a T8 fixture pretty easy. All you have to do is change the ballast.

There are three kinds of electronic ballast for fluorescent tube lights (I can not make the link work for some reason, look up electronic ballast on wikipedia for more info) - you will be using an Instant Start ballast, the fixture will be left on for long periods with few on off cycles.

Unplug your T12 fixture, take the bulbs out, and open the case. The black thing with the wires coming out is the ballast. You simply cut the wires, take the old ballast out, put in the new ballast with the same screws, then strip and connect the wires with wire nuts. The ballast will have a wiring diagram on it. If it looks to complicated when you open the fixture let me know and I can take some pictures to post.

Again - I can not cut and paste a link - weird. goto 1000bulbs.com and look up part number BG-GE232MVN. This is an example of the right instant start (2) lamp ballast for you. A good hardware store may have them, or an electrical supply place will have them.

Like I said, if this kind a project is outside you're realm of experience I can post pics. I have an old fixture I can update to show you. It might sound complicated if you have not done it, but everything is color coded in the fixture - easy piesy.

 

[TheTommyK]

In my real life I am in the automotive design biz..... So I am mech inclined....

 

[Swany]

Sweet! I studied auto tech in college, but after 18 months of starting out at the bottom I had had enough. Always dreamed of wearing the white coat and working on the trick machines or just making them myself. Did build up a '65 Mustang coupe and fastback plus a '69 Bronco. If all this goes successfully I'm going to build another '65 or '66 with an electric motor ;-}

The light's a piece of cake then. There are lots of turorials on youtube also. took me awhile to think of that ;-}

 

[TheTommyK]

'68 scj is one of my fav rides!!!
The accomplishment I am most proud of is spending a year and a half working in Italy for Ferrari..... On the F1 team!!!!! (pats himself on the back)

 

[Swany]

'68 scj is one of my fav rides!!!
The accomplishment I am most proud of is spending a year and a half working in Italy for Ferrari..... On the F1 team!!!!! (pats himself on the back)

Sheep Dip! Let me help you out with that patting ;-} Veeerry few people get to that storied place. Closest I got to such things was working for a grass roots racing club (NASA) for a couple years as the Chief Steward and I never even got to sit in a Ferrari, only watch the occasional one lap or walk by it on pit lane. Up front and personal with an F1 must have been mind blowing. Congrats!

 

[Swany]

Oh yea - the Ebay seller I talked about earlier was a good experience. Bulb was well packaged and came quicker that promised. I'm going to use them in the future, in case it helps in your purchasing.