diy ballast enclosure?

Is there anything I could mount a DIY ballast kit in that would only require a screwdriver and not a drill or hole punch? Something I can buy at walmart or homedepot or lowes? Not cheap just trying to keep it simple. Maybe wishful thinking.

Old pc case?

do the rails attach to the mother board holes or how do the components mount inside with only a screwdriver?

if you are trying to keep it simple, you should maybe buy a basic drill and bits because they are real problem solvers . i can't imagine going through life without one.

I mounted my ballast in an old PC power supply case. Just gutted it and put the components in. pretty simple. if the enclosure ends up being to hot I left the factory fan in it that I can hook up to force vent the case.

huggie, that is perfect, what size ballast did you mount?

csharper said:

Is there anything I could mount a DIY ballast kit in that would only require a screwdriver and not a drill or hole punch? Something I can buy at walmart or homedepot or lowes? Not cheap just trying to keep it simple. Maybe wishful thinking.

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I suppose that it all depends on how imaginative you are. Off-hand I can't think of anything you might be able to use that would satisfy your requirements. Unless you have access to someone who has old, used ballasts they either aren't using or are going to dispose of that you can cannibalize, or a freind who works for a ballast manufacturer, you are going to have to do some handywork somewhere along the line. Short of that, you could buy the manufactured assembly at anywhere from 25% more to twice as much. That being said, I agree wholeheartedly with green_grow, everyone should own SOME hand tools, and the knowledge to use them, to do a minimal of repair/manufacture for what one needs and, unless one has an abundance of money, it pays for itself many times over. Not to mention the satisfaction one gets from doing the job on one's own. I suppose what I am saying is that I believe that everyone should be a bit self-sufficient. Why else are we growing our own weed?



My bread pan ballast box. I made two of them and used bullet disconnects in parallel for the fans to one AC adapter. They BARELY get warm and I am NO metal worker OR an electrician. But I do follow directions well. Just ask my wife. :kitty:

Namaste, mess

If you aren't going to buy tools, and try to build things, then DIY is not for you.
They sell these items for folks who would rather not own a drill.
And if you are not cheap, then you must be lazy? I guess I don't understand...

lol guys, so I'll buy a drill, take it easy. Maybe someone can answer a simple question: what does it take for a drill to go throw steel like that breadbox or a cpu power supply - does it come down to the bit or the hp of the drill or both? Would I be able to buy a drill that won't work on metal?

Love the breadbox enclosure too btw, giving me some good ideas.

OK, now that you are thinking, and wanting to actually do some DIY, then I will be of more help.

You can buy ammo boxes on the internet for cheap. Many will use these for their ballast boxes, but it does require you drill holes for the electrical cord grips.
The drill bits for this size hole are not cheap. And yes, you can buy bits that are for wood only, or are so cheap they won't work.

I suggest taking a look at a real electrical enclosure (NEMA 1) for the job. They are cheap, and have hole knockouts already in place. These knockouts are almost cut through holes in the sides of the box that you can punch out the rest of the way when you need.
These holes are sized for the correct romex or similar cord grips that will be needed.
You can get the right grips at Lowes, HomeDePot, etc...
You may be able to find these boxes at Lowes too, but you can also get them online...
http://web6.automationdirect.com/ad...crew_Cover_Wall_Mount_/Painted_with_Knockouts
(a 4x4x4 screw lid NEMA 1 enclosure w/knockouts is ~ $7.00USD)

Your ballast guts really do not need to be bolted into the enclosure if you aren't going to move it much. But if you want, for a bit more money you can find NEMA one boxes that also have a mounting plate on the inside. This plate stands off the inside back a bit and gives you something to screw to inside the box.

You will need two extension cords for the whole job. One for the ballast, and one for the light fixture. I would buy the largest, and shortest, 3 prong grounded cords I could find for cheap. (be sure not to short yourself length on the one for the light though)

csharper said:

lol guys, so I'll buy a drill, take it easy. Maybe someone can answer a simple question: what does it take for a drill to go throw steel like that breadbox or a cpu power supply - does it come down to the bit or the hp of the drill or both? Would I be able to buy a drill that won't work on metal?

Love the breadbox enclosure too btw, giving me some good ideas.

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My apologies, csharper. I did not mean to imply that you HAD to do the work yourself or that I thought any less of you if you didn't. I only meant that if you wanted to adapt something to your applications, a BIT of custom work would probably be necessary.

But all that aside, yes, the pans and the power supply boxes are thin and malleable metals. Thin enough to be easily drilled, or cut with "aviation" snips. By the way, for all intents and purposes, a drill is just a drill, but bits can be job specific, i.e. bits for drilling wood or masonry/stone, etc. and drills come in, for general use, two flavors, 3/8's inch and 1/2 inch. But, that only tells you the maximum width of the shank of the bit it will accept. A 3/8's drill is what most people get for general household work. For your box, I suggest a 3/8's inch drill, an assortment of bits [also, look for the biggest diameter 3/8's bit you can buy(for the holes for the power cords)], rubber/plastic grommets (for your power cords), and an eight or ten inch halfmoon file. A file will be necessary to get rid of the burr's created by the drilling and halfmoon because you may have to enlarge (a pushing/twisting motion) the hole (if you can't find a bit big enough) for the power cords, 1/2 inch long, or so, bolts with nuts and washers, and above all...PATIENCE. I hope this helps and if you like I can work out a tutorial (lol...of a sort) for you and post it here. Good luck and I hope you find that DIY projects are something you enjoy rather than "work" to be avoided or intimidated by. But, just so you know, it isn't for everyone. That is why there are companies and individuals out there that do the work for you...and charge accordingly. Either way, I, for one, think no less of anyone who decides NOT to do so.

Namaste, mess

wow you guys have volunteered just about everything I need to know - awesome!

1) I should be able to find cord grips or rubber grommets at one of Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart right?

2) Don't chastise me for asking this if its a dumb question, as I have done basic wiring before but only as instructed... anyway is it OK to use one power cable for a ballast and a 120VAC fan? I.E. could I wire the fan and ballast hot wires to the incoming hot and the same for the neutrals? Or are you only supposed to do a one-to-one wiring... Obviously I would use the right size connectors/wire for this, but is it OK or preferable to just use two power cables? I don't see how it would be different than plugging two things into a wall socket right? Would I have to match the VAC exactly or could I have say a 115VAC ballast + 120VAC fan attached to a low gauge power cord? Or is it also the same as plugging both into a wall socket?

BTW, I am not going to do anything I am not 110% sure is safe, so I don't need that lecture I wired the ballast plug onto my sockets and also wired my duct fans, I know, "big deal", but all that stuff has been working great for a year, so I am not a total newbie.

thanks for all your help!

In the U.S., most electrical stuff is designed to run on 110-125vac. This is because the voltage coming out of the wall differs from area to area and time to time. The electrical appliance is designed to use whatever voltage is coming out of a wall, so don't sweat it if your appliances don't have the exact same voltage written on them.

Your question seems to be can you hardwire the ballast and fan rather than use plugs and receptacles. The answer is yes - assuming you make all the connections properly. However, you might consider that when you have trouble with a fan or a ballast it will be in the middle of a grow and do you really want to dick around with electrical connections at that time or do you want to quickly replace the faulty equipment and get on with your grow. Hardwiring has its place, so do plugs and receptacles.

PC

OK so just to confirm, it is safe for me to do this:

csharper said:

OK so just to confirm, it is safe for me to do this:

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Before answering yea or nay, I would ask you this, if you needed access to the inside of your ballast box, would it involve detaching the fan from the lid or would the lid kind of hang there with the fan still attached? If yes, I would offer this, use a short (one foot or so) piece of cord with a male plug and wire it to the fan and use a short (three to six foot) extension cord for power. However, a 12v computer fan will do the job very well. I haven't measured the temps, but both of mine (two .12mA fans connected to a 9v, .30 mA adaptor) are easily less than five degrees in excess of room ambient. Either way, a disconnect will allow you to attach the fan to the lid, yet allow for easy access inside or relocation of the ballast box itself. As to your question, CAN you? Yes. SHOULD you? That is something only you can answer.

Namaste, mess