ethosoner

OK, so there has been suggestion that I create a journal detailing my attempt to assemble an (incomplete) HPS light kit... and since I am pretty sure I introducted 1000bulbs.com here, I am creating a journal to help those who need help now and those who may follow.
Note: my HPS light kit is "incomplete" in that if only a ballast and bulb are ordered, more is required for the light to be operational. What is needed follows.

If you ordered a ballast and bulb from 1000bulbs.com, the bare minimum that you need are a socket (in my case a mogul socket), at least 14 gauge wire (or better, of course ), a "male" plug set, and about 8 wire nuts (a plastic cap that screws onto wire connections to protect you from them and them from the you and the outside --> do not use tape for wire connections!). For the wire, you may use an extension cord or if you buy some, make sure it is rated to at least 15 amps and 1500 watts (14 gauge); this wire will work for ballasts up to and including 1000w's.

Anyways, I have attached (I hope!) a picture of the ballast itself because the first thing I will address is the wiring. There are a few things you should notice as we get started...

Coming out of the ballast, there is a wire that should be labelled "120 volts." There are three other wires, labelled "208 volts," "240 volts," and "277 volts." Most houses in the US use voltages of 120v. If this is your case, keep the "120 volts" wire separate from the other 3 and tape those together. If not, do the same thing but keep out the corresponding voltage (your house's voltage will be one of those 4). You WILL NOT need the 3 other wires during the rest of the process. Notice on the bottom left of the included picture that there are 3 wires (looped over to save space) taped together; these are the 3 wires you WILL NOT need.

Around the middle-bottom of the picture, there are two wires taped together. I have isolated these to help me remember what I am doing. These two wires are the "120 volts" wire and the "com" wire. These will connect to the power cord. Whe connecting the power cord, cut it to the proper/required length and splice it until the green, white and black wires show. White goes with the "com," and black with "120 volts." I have not done this step yet because I don't have my power cord and plug yet. The green wire of the power cord will be addressed later.

In the top right corner is the ignitor (the 3 wires connected to it are the only ones which one needs to mess with to use the light). And to the left (the bigger white thing) is the capacitator. The two wires connected to it are already set so they are not to be touched!

More to come in a little while. Sorry it might be wordy and there may be some spelling issues...

Feel free to post questions, suggestions or comments. Thanks!

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Ethos1
Grow #1

ethosoner

Sorry, forgot to attach the pic! Here it is.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Ethos1
Grow #1

ethosoner

I should add that although not "necessary," it's a good idea to keep the following things in mind to complete the HPS setup...

1) Reflector hood (many of these come with a built-in socket so make sure you know what you are doing, or plan ahead.)

2) Ballast housing (I am probably going to house my ballast in a wood box.)

Since I'm short on cash, I might build my own reflector hood, in which case I will include the details later in the journal.

Also, I would like to give full credit to the creator of this site. Although 1000bulbs.com ballasts are a little different and trickier (no colored wires), this site made it possible for me to understand what I am doing. Anyways, the real test will come later when I actually have all my materials and can see if my light works or not...

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Ethos1
Grow #1

R3K

This should be very helpful for allot of people... These are not only good for someone looking for a cheaper solution vs. the full kits... but also good for people to customize their lighting systems.

Tip: Use and Old army/military metal ammo box to house the ballast. You can easily cut holes in its metal shell with a hole saw and put grommets in to run your wires through. With handles on top it allows you to convenient way to carry your system. Hope it helps

mr. hyde

i think i'm with ya so far. you're doing good, wordy is good in this case i think. as much detail and description as possible is what this thread is all about i hope.

ethosoner

Hey people, thanks for stoppin' by with your suggestions/comments... The meaning of the first entry in this journal was to try and simplify the setup. To the average person, it probably looks intimidating since there are 9 wires... but in reality, you only have to deal with 4 wires, the other ones are either not needed (the other "volts,") or already set (the 2 capacitator wires). I will explain the last wire you don't need to touch probably tonight when I have more time... if I understand correctly, the actual wiring isn't very complicated now so hopefully I can make some physical progress soon!

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Ethos1
Grow #1

KenKessey

I loved these guys!

Unfortunatly I visited their site yesterday and they now have a hort. section. Cover blown, I'm too paranoid to get anything from a co that sells specifically to growers less I can walk in the door and pay cash...what a drag.

lilbuddie

ummm... nope you didnt. sorry to bust your bubble

there is also...
http://www.growrooms.com/ballast/

there are 2 more which i cant remember or find right now all very helpful


It is 100% advised to put that ballast in a case! one wrong move and you could start a fire or kill yourself


Most smashing idea though
What about wiring up the mogul? got picts with that?
And what is 120V and what color is that? what is a 'com'?

i am jump in too far ahead?
sorry, proceed at your pace


oh that site is affliated with a big lighting distribution setup. they do sell complete system but they also sell parts for every other kinda light imaginable.

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Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope
Pass the Roots and Hit the Culture
Catagory 5 Survivor

ethosoner

Well there was no bubble to bust... I just assumed but anyways, I know I did recommend 1000bulbs.com to people and they went and bought stuff so now I am trying to help them through it.


The growrooms.com link is the exact same text and images as the link I included above... it doesn't matter where you access it from since it's the same.


Thanks for the warning, I have been planning on getting my ballast a case since the beginning anyways, so for whoever else reads this, it is definitely safer to get a case/pod for your ballast. There was a post before about using an old ammo can...



If you looked at my first picture, you would see that all of the wires are white. They ARE NOT color coded. To identify what wire is what, you have to look on the wire itself. The name is repeatedly printed along the length of the wire (I would include a pic for example but you have no idea how hard it is to get a digicam to focus on a single wire + the flash was screwing everything up anyways... bottom line is I couldn't get a clear pic that would provide any guidance). That's how you identify what wire is what.

I don't know what a "com" is but as long as there is no power connected to the ballast and you connect the "com" wire to the right thing, it shouldn't matter what its technical definition is. This is an assembly journal, not an explanation of what everything does because quite frankly I have no idea what everything does. What I do know is that if done correctly, the light will work, and that's my goal. You could post questions here tho and maybe someone else will know the answer to your question if you're lucky.

I haven't bought my mogul socket yet but when I do the details of that wiring will also be included. Late.

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Ethos1
Grow #1

ethosoner

It just occured to me that it would useful at the end of this journal to add up all the money I used to put together my HPS and then compare that to other setup prices... should be interesting. Anyways, for the bulb, ballast and shipping it was $89.58. I figure the socket will cost me between $12 and $25 (based on prices seen online) and I already have a heavy-duty extension cord to use. The ballast housing shouldn't be very steep (you should be able to find something to put it in, I've heard a thick-walled wood box works fine or of course there is the ammo case idea which probably won't cost too much either) The hood reflector might cost a bundle tho... we'll see.

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Ethos1
Grow #1