DIY HPS Ballast

ganji2 said:

What kind of heat am I going to be expecting? I've never had an HPS before..

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Alright bro, first off did you already purchase all of that stuff? (reflector, bulbs, etc...)
If you did already, you may want to consider refunding it. What is your spending limit? How much did you spend on your equipment so far? I purchased a 400watt complete setup with bulbs, Metal Halide & High Pressure Sodium. This setup also came with a great reflector and ballast with aluminum housing. Fins for cooling also. I got all of this for under $200.00 including shipping and handling!!! If you are interested, go to Amazon.com and look around. Hope this helps, DJ.

Otherwise check out www.ballastkit.com. I got a 150 watt hps kit off their, been good for two grows so far. I used some hanger pieces to make a bracket, and then used it to hang the ballast. It gets warm, but it's open, with a fan going in the room, so it's not too bad.

Can anyone post a picture of the label of the "ballast"/transformers included in 600w + ballast "kits" ?
More exactly, what are the specifications of the magnetic coils included in lighting "ballasts" (not 'ballasts' that are housed in aluminum heatsinks including the capacitor & ignitors for hps' but the actual coil itself)??

Thanks

Put my lamp setup together from components I bought from an industrial lighting supplier. Not difficult - just follow the wiring diagram printed on the ballast. Hell of a lot cheaper than a grow shop.

Looks good.. keep the fire department number on speed dial!

It is a good deal.
FYI you need to forget about those wire nuts they give you.
Soldering is the only way to go. and after you solder use heat shrinks to seal the wires.
And it definitely needs to have a grounded enclosure. but all this can be done at little costs.

Could you not point the ducting off the extractor onto the ballast to cool it down?