DIY HPS Ballast

gotdamunchies

gotdamunchies

Well-Known Member
looks like a good deal if ya dont electrocute yourself putting it together:mrgreen:

Just kidding, thanks for the link though, never saw that before when i was surfin their site, think thats the way to go....btw, they are real easy to hook up if ya dont have any experience:blsmoke:
 
creeder

creeder

Well-Known Member
Good post as I have been wondering the same thing. The only thing you don't get is the ballast box but who cares the price is good though. I think im going to try it unless I hear diffrent.
 
S

Stoney Burke

Active Member
I am a DIYer. This looks interesting. I think a man could build a box to put it in and install a computer fan to keep it cool.
 
Endoe

Endoe

Well-Known Member
A computer fan will not be enough to keep this cool. The box that all this will need to go in will also need heat sinks and should be made out of aluminum to help even more with the cooling.
 
ultranyte

ultranyte

New Member
just find a small metal box to put the ballast in and keep yourself safe from it. Like an old computer case, anything all metal
and the wiring is pretty idiot proof, theres just 4 or 5 connections usually
 
greenleafhigh

greenleafhigh

Well-Known Member
its not going to be heat like the light gives of but it wuld just be heat that you dont want building up in you ballest it can take time offf itslife i would just point a an down on it to take the heat out
 
P@ssw0rd

P@ssw0rd

New Member
Excellent suggestion OpenDNS wish i had thought of that myself and my fear of deadly invisible forces. Tony at HTG is super helpfull to im sur ehe will help you all he can
 
jimmyspaz

jimmyspaz

Well-Known Member
Oh they get warm alright, but if there is air flow around them it is not a problem. I just checked the temp of one , directly on top of the transformer the temp is 44C/110F. If you trust your wiring skills and don't have idiots in your grow room you do not need a ballast box. I just wire them up open on a board allowing air to circulate around the Transformers. Just make sure there are no exposed contacts as they are live. (all those extra wires on the trans. must be wirenutted seperately). Good luck, looks like a good deal, I paid $200.00 Cdn for the same thing at the hydro shop.
 
fat sam

fat sam

Well-Known Member
there is quite a bit of heat generated by those things, not as much as the bulb but a good amount regardless, dont mount it on wood becxause it will dry the wood out and then you risk the dreaded fire, i would look at some pre fab ones and get an idea of how they go together, once you put it in a box a computer fan will work good to get some air flow
 
D

dirtyoz

Well-Known Member
I just built the same thing using an S51 HPS 400W ballast kit. I mounted it in a steel junction box 8L x 8W x 6H. At first I fired it up without the lid on. Using one of those laser pointing heat guns it registered 190*F on top of the ballast itself. So I got an axial computer type fan (I think its like 122mm) and mounted it to the 8 x 8 lid after cutting a 5 inch hole. I also punched 3, 1" holes per side of the J-Box way down low. So 12 total. The fan and ballast both run on 120 volt ac power so the fan wires made up to the ballast wires so they both come on at the same time. Now the temps are 103* F.
Yes, the fans are very effective.
 
OregonMeds

OregonMeds

Well-Known Member
A trick to really keeping them cool, sandwitch the ballasts between more metal so that there is more surface area for a fan to cool. Or bolt or glue large pc cpu coolers with fans to them.

These are my two 150w ballasts in this picture below.

Before this mod the little computer fans weren't enough at all and you could not touch them for more than a second. After, both are barely warm at all and you could keep your nuts on it all day long it's that cool.
That is just with this 80mm pc fan.
 

Attachments

You must log in or register to reply here.
Top