Guest cbo December 6, 2002 Share December 6, 2002 I was able to get some pictures of the first HQI DIY project. The ballasts where received from prevyet, thanks for making this possible. This is the first light, it is using an outdoor 500W halogen fixture from Home Depot, from which I removed the socket and installed the 150W deluxe HQI socket from Hellolights. This is the only fixture I came across which the deluxe socket fit in. It is a large fixture and was made to screw into an outdoor duplex box, like a floodlight would. However, it does not have special UV glass, but most experts seem to feel that regular tempered glass does fine for absorbing UV. The ballast box is just twisted or wirenutted together for testing , I will solder and clean it up this weekend. I will post the pictures in the gallary section, please post comments here if there are any. I dont know why, it just seems good to keep the discussion together. It is really bright, I dragged the wife down to gaze at my engineering marvel, she said and I quote "turn that d*mn thing off so I can look at it, it sure is bright". It is the ushio 20k 150W HQI bulb. cbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier December 6, 2002 Share December 6, 2002 Shweet! Now I want to see how you'll mount it in a hood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cbo December 6, 2002 Share December 6, 2002 actually mounting is fairly easy. The outdoor duplex box which the fixture is mounted to has four tabs on the bottom which I will screw to the top of the hood. This will have the effect of the light extending down towards the water. If I had your web skills larry I am sure I could include a nifty diagram in this post. I have not mounted the tabs on the box yet so you dont see them in the first picture but there is one at each corner. cbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg December 6, 2002 Share December 6, 2002 Want to give a cost breakdown (include an estimated price for a ballast if one were to buy it new). Love the tool box enclosure (if that is what it is). Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cbo December 6, 2002 Share December 6, 2002 real quick estimate on costs. 150W 20k HQI Bulb at hellolights.....$75, the 20k radium is only $59 now. tool box for ballast case at sears......$8.00 lamp enclosure from Home Depot(HD).......$9.90 Outdoor duplex box and cover from HD......~$5.00 Extension cords for power and lamp connection at HD....$10 Maybe prevyet can include an actual cost for the ballast, but I would guess around $40? For a total of about $150 including the bulb and estimated ballast cost. cbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cbo December 6, 2002 Share December 6, 2002 screwed up editing the first time, sorry. cbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind December 6, 2002 Share December 6, 2002 Light looks great! I did notice something missing on a few of your wires. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scott324 December 6, 2002 Share December 6, 2002 Michael, There is a thread on RC saying the 150W Advance HQI ballast is 115 through your local electrical supply store. A normal ballast (m58) cost around 40-50. HTH, you may be able to get the HQI cheaper if you hagel with them. I think I have a used one around somewhere. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cbo December 7, 2002 Share December 7, 2002 $115 for the ballast, I have to be alot nicer to prevyet now. I had figured that an electronic ballast that will fire the 150 HQI bulb is ~$120 and the coil ballasts are usually alot cheaper. I guess I would recommend people buy the LN or Blueline ballast then. Prevyet, is it possible to buy these advance ballasts cheaper somehow? Also, prevyet, I had just twisted the wires together to test everything before I finished the enclosure. I soldered and electrical taped the box lastnight. I assume that is what you where refering to as "missing from my wires?". If it was something else let me know. cbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cbo December 19, 2002 Share December 19, 2002 I just wanted to add an update. I wired up the second fixture last night and it worked much better than the first. This fixture is the $19 worklight from Home Depot (HD). It has a large tempered UV filter glass face and a much deeper housing, which was designed to extend bulb life by lowering the temp. Anyway the cheaper lamp holders from Hellolights fit perfectly in the housing and mounting the light could not be easier. The light has a handle which attaches with a wingnut, and it is perfectly balanced under this handle. So I drilled a 1 inch hole in the shelf above the tank and fed the handle through, the light hangs perfectly above the tank. I will post some pictures tonight, but I was really pleased with how the fixture turned out, the worklight already has a wired plug on it and so really looks great. cbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier December 19, 2002 Share December 19, 2002 Sounds great Chris. Looking forward to seeing the pics. Is this also a 150w 20000k on one of Prevet's ballasts? BTW, that ballast is not an electric one right? Also, I heard that the tar ballast is actually better for the HQI setup than the electric; where am I wrong (said in voice of O'Reilley). You know this subject will come-up at January's meeting :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cbo December 19, 2002 Share December 19, 2002 The bulb I got for this one is one of the AB 10000k 150W HQI's from Hellolights, they where on sale for $72 I think it was. Yes it is on the ballasts I got from prevyet and they are not electronic they are Advance ballasts: HX-HPF Autotransformer Ballast Cat#-71A5480 I also read that the coil ballasts are superior for HQI, but I look forward to finding out more at the jan. meeting too. cbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg February 24, 2003 Share February 24, 2003 OK I am now undertaking this endeavor to rig up a light for my soon to be 25 gallon anenome tank. I have the ballast, bulb, and socket (the expensive one from hellolights). I made a wooden hood last night, but need to find something to mount up the bulb so it is behind glass. Upon home depot shopping, I found a Reagent 500W halogen fixture that I thought would work- smaller profile and cheaper than what cbo used. I took it apart, and unfortunately the inside bulb holder is cast in the aluminum casing. I was reading about people breaking these off to fit the holder into, but not sure how well that will go... and people said that it puts the bulb real close to the glass, which concerns me a bit. If these pieces were not in there at all, and it was flat in that region, it would be about perfect- though still will take some mods to actually put it into the wooden canopy. At this point am seriously considering a reefoptix III fixture (just the fixture with the reflector and socket can be picked up for $105, and a $4 female cord to wire into the ballast) and selling the bulb holder and returning the halogen. Price difference is about $60, though for the potential headache.... The red shop light that cbo used is rather big for the hood I designed and I'm not certain that be more heavy duty socket will fit in it. Any suggestions of other alternatives? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cbo February 24, 2003 Share February 24, 2003 Michael, If you look at the pictures of the DIY HQI fixture I posted on Dec. 6 you can see the regent fixture I mounted the Deluxe HQI bracket in. This was my first iteration at the DIY HQI, It was more difficult for me to mount since I did not have a hood for it. If you are interested in the unit I posted the pictures of on Dec. 6, let me know as I am not using it. THe deluxe bulb holders are certainly nicer than the standard ones. The fixture I am talking about here is white, not the red one I switched too. If you decide to do it yourself, I just broke off the 'tabs' that the old bracket was mounted to and smoothed it out using my dremel, then screwed the deluxe bracket in. The bulbs closer to the glass than with the red fixture, but I think this one produces better spread. The only reasons I am not using it is as follows: 1. The glass did not specifically say UF Filter, the way I am hooking it up a lot of light is visible in the room. 2. was harder to mount than the red fixture for my use. cbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg February 24, 2003 Share February 24, 2003 Hmmm- OK I guess I will risk the $14 and bust up the reagent one I have at home. Thanks Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg February 25, 2003 Share February 25, 2003 Alright- first night on working on modifying this went real well. I didn't know that aluminum is so easy to break up. I have only a little grinding to do with the dremel, which I will undertake tonight. I'm wondering if I shouldn't pop a few holes in there though to dissapate some of the heat though. In the hood, I think this is going to be pretty easy to mount in, with a 3/4" hole in the top of the hood to put the arm of the fixture through. It is already threaded on the end, so securing it is pretty easy. Will need to drill a hole for wires to exit the housing though so that I can run them out the back. In all, this is much easier than I thought it was going to be. Thanks for the words of encouragement Chris. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier February 25, 2003 Share February 25, 2003 Mike, before you drill extra holes in the fixture consider this rumor or maybe not I heard; "The bulbs are supposed to burn hot inside the fixture fot best performance". You'd use a fan to keep the heat down inside your hood. You'd want 2nd opinions on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 25, 2003 Share February 25, 2003 The quartz arc-tube of an HID lamp can get up to 1000*C(1832*F)-from Osram's catalog. I don't think the hole will help much nor hurt the operation of the lamp itself. It would benefit the insulation of the wires inclosed in the luminaire the most as they are more than likely only rated at 250*C(482*F) which is the min. for UL listing in that type of fixture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg February 25, 2003 Share February 25, 2003 I don't think it will be a problem of the bulb not being able to get hot enough. The reefoptix III reflectors are ventilated, and these gave the best performance for DE bulbs from sanjays talk. I'm sure they will still run plenty hot. I already am planning on a fan in the canopy. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg February 27, 2003 Share February 27, 2003 Well, I spent last night with dremel in hand- man I love this christmas present my father in law gave me- I was able to really smooth it out and clean it up nice without much effort (I did go through one cutting disk- if you use one of these, always wear safety glasses!). I drilled 2 small holes to hold the bracket in place, and secured the reflector to the bar that holds the 2 ends of the socket. A few snips of the reflector to fit over the ceramic ends, and it is all set to go. I also made some new holes for the lamp wires, as I am going to use the adjustable post on the housing to mount it in the top of the hood, but want the cords to go out the back. I must say, I am real pleased with how this has turned out. Ballast to work on on Saturday or so- I want to take one of the 400W ballasts out of my pfo fixture, and replace it with the hqi fixture. To do so means my lights over the corals will be out of commission for a little while. Michael Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier February 27, 2003 Share February 27, 2003 Have you guys determined what the spread pattern is? Should the fixture be mounted perpendicular or parallel to the front of the tank. For example, the spiderlight reflector for a mogul bulb and copycats are supposed to be mounted perpendicular and the PFO parallel is supposed to be mounted parallel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg February 27, 2003 Share February 27, 2003 From the design, I think it should be perpendicular- from looking at the diagrams that came with the light- this tank is only 13 inches front to back, and 21 inches wide, so I don't think in my case it will matter much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg March 3, 2003 Share March 3, 2003 Case for ballast- Here is what I might use for a case for the ballast. http://www.mpja.com/productview.asp?product=8514+LM Would it help at all to pop a heat sink on top? 5-3/8" X 2-1/16" HEAT SINK FOXCONN http://www.mpja.com/viewallpict.asp?dept=109&main= They have them inexpensively. They also have fans such as this one, that seems quiet and fairly powerful- http://www.mpja.com/productview.asp?product=14018+FN Some one at RC mentioned that they are 30dB, which is really quiet. Oh yeah- I finished wiring up the fixture and almost done with the canopy. I fired the bulb and it is sweet. I did notice that the tool box case hums though. I didn't burn it long to see if it would quiet down as it warmed up though. Thoughts on any of the above appreciated. Photos to follow some time this week. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier March 3, 2003 Share March 3, 2003 Which bulb did you end-out using and is there any supplementation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg March 3, 2003 Share March 3, 2003 I have a 20K ushio bulb. I am going to use a 27W PC actinic in the fixture though probably only before and towards the end of the light cycle. From looking at the bulb it is pretty blue. It is the bulb I won at the last meeting that was donated by premium. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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