150w HPS Club and Resource Guide......

[Count Krzysztof]

I remote ballasted my 'vapor tight' 150w a couple weeks ago. The glass cover and metal cage screw onto a metal disc which holds the socket. This disc is screwed onto the ballast box. You can take the ballast out of the box if you want, but I left mine in. You just run the power cord through the bottom (there's a hole where the box is supposed to be screwed onto a conduit), wire up the ballast, remove the disc with the mounted socket, and add wire between the ballast box and the socket.

I'll post a pic in the morning, but the lights are off right now.

 

[ReeferDan]

Yup the vapor tights seem even easier to dismantle and remote ballast than the regular 150w hps. I did two of em my first time in like an hour each. (wanted to do everything clean) you cant beat em for $20. I kept the half that housed the ballast and drilled a bunch of holes through the top to let the heat out. Just remember to run your wire through the top of the case before you wire it up, or you might need to redo it! haha I also ditched the little rubber gasket that goes inbetween the two halfs of the housings because i couldnt get that SOB to line up.




I even ended up using the base from the light to mount in my cab!


Good luck, follow sugarbear's guide and it will be pretty self explanitory to show you how to remote the ballast. YOu dont have a light sensor to take out so all you really need to do is extend the wires from the ballast to the socket, and wire a plug to plug into the wall on the power in side.

 

[frostynugs420]

wow, thanks everyone. i think ill order two of them mofo's for my next grow. i have cfl right now but for $20, this is one helluva deal.

 

[Pipedream]

Morning all.

Hey ReeferDan, is there a reason you mounted your lights vertically and not horizontally? Or am I looking at you picture wrong?

 

[abirdintheair]

exhaust fan help

exhaust fan help

my vent fan is really starting to get loud, and i think its because bathroom vent fans arent meant to run 12 straight hours for months straight. i have a 9 cu ft space inside a dresser, very tight, any ideas on a quiet remedy i can hook up to my 4" odoksok?

 

[Count Krzysztof]

The power cord goes up into the bottom (through the threaded conduit hole), and the ballast is attached to the top of the metal box. The cord coming out of the top is where the socket plugs into the ballast. I mounted mine vertically as well, because I didn't have anything to attach the bare socket to, and because the socket was already attached to a metal disc which could easily be screwed onto a wooden board.

 

[ReeferDan]

Morning all.

Hey ReeferDan, is there a reason you mounted your lights vertically and not horizontally? Or am I looking at you picture wrong?

I'm doing a "stadium style" grow, where i have the lights inbetween the plants, I rotate them once a week, in attempt to replicate northern farmer's thread, but in a micro style. I'll give this another go or two and if it doesnt work im going back to the drawing board.


I guess its a way to maximize the box that i had to work with, i can always switch the setup around now that i have all the parts, ive been thinking of switching the lights to horizontal setup and put them in cool tubes and do a scrog.







Plants arent shown raised up there, but they have been raised up since so they are closer to the sides of the lights... it would probably be easier to move the lights down though. I'm still playing with the setup, this is my second grow ever so ive still got a lot to learn about just growing and reading plants before i tweak the hell out of my setup!


I gotta give some credit to sugabear as well for the inspiration, i think this gives me the most potential in the space i had to work with, i still want to design a new cab though that will let me grow bigger plants. I think i could do a lot better with 2 150w hps lights.

 

[ReeferDan]

The power cord goes up into the bottom (through the threaded conduit hole), and the ballast is attached to the top of the metal box. The cord coming out of the top is where the socket plugs into the ballast. I mounted mine vertically as well, because I didn't have anything to attach the bare socket to, and because the socket was already attached to a metal disc which could easily be screwed onto a wooden board.

you should drill some holes in that case, i did and i can feel the heat coming out of them, the case still feels warm to the touch, i want to put some more holes in it and i have like 15 in each!

 

[ReeferDan]

Wow, check out the size difference of the plant i gave bushmaster to, about with about 3 weeks extra veg time. I cant believe the difference!!!
Sorry about the sideways pics again, i dont know how to fix that...








The fat bud on the right still has about 14-21 days to finish and fatten up!


Some people suggested that my problem might be that my plants are rootbound... they dont look too rootbound to me? (the soil is upside down btw... the top is the bottom of the container.)

 

[Count Krzysztof]

On my next run with the 150w, I may seek out a better ballast/ignitor enclosure from the local hardware store. If that fails, I'll definitely be drilling holes into the box.

For now, though, the combination of an unheated basement and an oscillating fan have reduced the heat of the ballast box enough that I doubt it will be a problem in the ~2-3 weeks left on these girls.

 

[Count Krzysztof]

I'm doing a "stadium style" grow, where i have the lights inbetween the plants, I rotate them once a week, in attempt to replicate northern farmer's thread, but in a micro style.

<snip>

I find the stadium grow style fascinating as well. My plants are in a somewhat similar layout, two girls trained in a half-circle along the rims of their pots, with the bulb hanging vertically between them. It's not a permanent layout, but it will stay that way until these girls finish.

 

[mikeraach]

Just finished making my 150W cab. It is 22" wide, 16" deep, and has 19" of usable height (with my fan box and height of cool tube subtracted).

Materials:
150w hps from econolight
colman replacement lantern glass
homemade reflector
8x8 louver
lasko fan in foam lined box (barely audible outside of closet)
2x120mm fans at 7v

Fully light proof (weatherstripping does wonders) and painted flat white in the interior.

Not pictured: my magnetic cabinet lock http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Magnetic-Ba...yZ117027QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I love it!! No need for the questions 'why is that locked....what you got in there?' but its totally locked. If someone did try to open and then ask just gonna say 'its not locked for a reason. nuff said'. But no one is going to go snooping in my room so I dont have to worry.

Also I remote ballasted that heater and put it outside the cabinet. I attatched an old heatsink I had from one of my computer builds to the ballast a 80mm fan on top of it. It was getting so hot it felt like it would melt carpet (and burn the finger for sure) but now with the heatsink its just warm.

The cabinet exhausts into a 16" tall carbon scrubber also not pictured because it is behind the cabinet. I had to section off the air flow in the back since the intake was right next to the exhaust and I was getting recirculated heat. Some cardboard to make a barrier and now things seem good.

One thing to note, despite all this airflow and heat shield my temps are still in the 90's. I just can't imagine that other people (especially without heat shields) say they have such low temps. The only thing I can figure is either my thermometer is inaccurate or producing bad numbers, or other people aren't testing their temps like I do.

I test by putting the thermometer as close to the light as a plant would get--4 inches or so. I use a fish tank thermometer that has the lead in the bottom so it sinks. I'm wondering if this lead mass (being black) is attracting excessive heat. However, even with the heat shield I still do feel radiant heat coming from the bulb as you would if you were standing in the sun. So then I started thinking about maybe some people are taking their temps in the shade (not direct light). I was about 86 when I did this. Sounds pretty good though since when the news reports temps they report temps not under the sun. So if a plant can grow when its 80-85 and the shade or 90-95 in the sun, sounds like I'm fine.

 

[sugabear_II]

I measure temps at the canopy level and yes it makes a huge difference if you are in the shade or in the light - especially with a black thermo. You want to measure air temp

What are your ambient temps in the closet?

I personally never put my cabinet in the closet because it created heat issues - the air must leave the closet or else over a period of time the air in the closet will be over heated.

Instead my cabinet was in the room near a wall with plenty of air to move around it. I also had central A/C so I could keep ambients where I wanted them.

-suga
p.s. in this pic you can see where my white thermo is mounted.

 

[mikeraach]

Ya it must just be the thermometer thing. I'll have to play some more not in the direct light.

As for the problem with heat being in my closet....When I made the divider for intake/exhaust I made it so the intake sucks from the right side of the cab. I'm using the fact that cool air stays low and hot air rises. So as the hot air from the scrubber exits, it should rise to the top of the closet, and the intake will be drawing its air from the bottom right of my closet. When I grew in my closet before I just left it cracked a few inches to allow air exchange. I figure with the hot air rising, and cool air being pulled in through the bottom it probably exchanges the air within the closet decently well. Obviously not as well as it being in an open room, but I dont have any room in my room to put this cab other than my closet.

 

[Hawaiian808]

I'm pretty sure it's your thermometer...do as Suga suggest. BTW, sorry for my absence 150 community. I see Pipe and Suga are still holding it down. Temps are starting to cool in my neck of the woods so time for a new cab setup (always tweaking it) and a grow. Seedlings just broke ground...pics to follow soon.

 

[DiscoDuck]

hey mikeraach, nice job with the fan box/muffler. I've got one of those Lasko fans. You're right, it's quiet and really moves the air.

 

[Hawaiian808]

Cab dimensions HxWxD. Top cab is 23"x24"x12", just right to house the DIY carbon "Mini" scrubber and 95 CFM blower fan in the lower compartment (vents flower cab below) and sprouting/veg area powered by that 55watt funky fluro with DIY batwing reflector...love this little light as it has a dimmer switch. 2300 but it does an amazing job with tight internodes on the keikis.

 

[Hawaiian808]

Flower cab dimensions HxWxD, 34"x24"x18". Powered by a digi 150 (regular base), placed in a modified reflector under a sheet of tempered glass. 2x 3" passive intakes at the back with a custom built roll out shelf. The back L corner of the glass has a notch cut out to allow the cab to vent as well as the hood & light combo. The best thing about this cab is you can be standing right next to it and not hear a thing...it's stealth.

 

[Hawaiian808]

Few more...

"On" with doors closed


Doors open


Another pic of 150 & reflector under glass


Back of cab


Rollin on casters

 

[The St.]

hawaiian, that cab is SICK man! nice clean job dude!