Anyone make their own lights before?

[Guest]

Hey guys,i need some serious help.Im planning on starting an indoor grow,but first i need some lights,i live in a state where,metal halides,hp's and lights of those sorts are hard to come by,unless i buy over the internet.What i would like to know is...1.can i just take a 70 watt hps bulb and stick it in a 70 w socket for an incandescent lightbulb?

 

[DocLeaf]

Hey guys,i need some serious help.Im planning on starting an indoor grow,but first i need some lights,i live in a state where,metal halides,hp's and lights of those sorts are hard to come by,unless i buy over the internet.What i would like to know is...1.is it possible to build your own light,2.could i just buy a bulb like a hps and put it in a socket like the ones for regular lightbulbs,3.how would i go about making my own light?

Hmmm,,, questions tend to make questions...

Are you for real? Is this the breeder Dr. Greenthumb?
In which case are you taking the piss? sorry to be so blunt!
contact Phillips!

making light bulbs isn't exactly the easiest thing to do,,,, different bulbs run on different amps/watt/hertz... stuff like that... making your own bulb is liable to burn your (or someone else's) house down... lol

much safer and easier to buy a unit designed for horticultural use...

what are you smoking? (i n i want some) :wink:

peace dude
dLeaf

 

[mtnjohn]

what you want is a high pressure sodium ballast kit...a socket..... and a bulb

you will have to wire it and supply your own reflector

for the parts try....1000bulbs.com
mj

oh yea...you cant just screw an h.i.d. bulb into a regular lamp socket
wont work

also you should do a search for h. i. d. lighting so you will be more informed
about the subject of which you speak.

 

[DocLeaf]

oh yeah, sorry, sure you can buy the parts on-line :wink:

 

[jojajico]

this is a weird question. just buy your setup online. you would have to do that to get the parts anyway so why not just buy your HID light ballast, bulb, reflecotr ect online. your plan doesnt make sense....

 

[Maj.PotHead]

i live in a state where,metal halides,hp's and lights of those sorts are hard to come by

fluro's and cfl's would be a non electrician's best bet if the color spectrum of the bulb is good them your set
for veg you want cool or daylight they run 5000k - 6500k blueish in color
for flower soft or warm have a color of 2700k - 3000k reddish
you could alternate the bulbs 1 blue 1 red for a more ballanced color spectrum many many great grows have been done with this type of lighting. the lighting is much closer then the MH or HPS the heat is nothing like the HID lighting. i veg with cfl's and love it get mad mad growth but i flower with a 400w hps but if i had to i would use fluros and cfls and just rock n roll buddy lol

 

[jojajico]

what is wrong with going online and buying a HID light setup. it would be cheaper and easy.

 

[Guest]

Doc.....i dont think your sorry,or you wouldnt of been so blunt,I wanted to know if i could take an hps bulb and screw it into a light socket,without it blowing up.thats what i meant by building your own light.And as stated before i have MY own house.If you guy's gotta problem with the title of the thread,then give nept a lil p.m and let him know how you feel about it,cuz he gave me the title name.Yeah i know i can order online,but the trouble is finding a reliable internet source in my area.I asked a question,if you gotta be blunt,be blunt in someone elses thread.TY to the rest who actually posted some helpful information.later everyone..........EDIT.......and no i am not a breeder.

 

[hogwild]

the answer to your question is no you cannot simply put a high intensity discharge bulb into a standard light socket. HID bulbs need a special ballast, capacitor, and ignitor in some cases. and always a mogul base ( the socket to screw the bulb into). All of those parts depend on the type of setup you wish to build. I hope this helps you with your question. With that id recommend purchasing bulbs and an HID ballast online if you want anything over 250 watts. Anything under 250 you will find at home depot lowes etc. 75s 150s and 250s, sometimes even 400 depending on your area. Buy an hid setup online, you will thank yourself, no matter how inconvenient it is.

 

[Guest]

TY hogwild,you answered my question the best,thats exactly what i was lookin for.I didnt want to buy on-line,because i dont know who to trust.I guess ill have to order online tho,its ok its just gonna take me more time to get my room going,but i guess paitence is key,ty to everyone except,some that will remain namless.stay safe and irie,peace

 

[mtnjohn]

if you go down to your local electrical supply house..they will have what you want
ballast kit , socket and bulb

then you'll have to buy or fabricate a reflector
mj

again 1000bulbs.com is a great online source

 

[DocLeaf]

Doc.....i dont think your sorry,or you wouldnt of been so blunt

You're right.

I would be sorry if someone burnt their house down trying to fit a MH bulb into 60w light fitting... !
It is dangerous to start trying to make electrical sockets do stuff that they weren't designed to do! Point!

I n I care about the youth reading this thread foremost

Your on-line name is also that of a 'breeder' which perplexed me further.

peace out
dLeaf

 

[Guest]

at 1000 bulbs you will have to wire the system yourself,it may be a challenge for some folks, but if you look at the job one wire at a time, and connect it up,and then go to the next wire and attach it ....it makes it simple.

I am meaning,dont sit there and look at a dozen wires and scratch your head in confusion, they are no problems getting a kit online,there sold by the hundreds everyday.

 

[Uncle Jesse]

DIY from OG 150 watt HPS Conversion.

DIY from OG 150 watt HPS Conversion.

This Was on OG and Uses a Regent securiy light (dusk to dawn) HPS
Removing the light sensor boxing up the ballast so you can Plug it into 110/ac.
timer or what ever.

Sorry About picture quality.

I only post this to show yes it can be done, BUT IT WOULD BE MUCH SAFER
TO BUY A LIGHT/BALLAST ALL READY WIRED AND THATS WHAT I RECOMEND !

BE SAFE NOT SORRY !
NOTE: I WILL PROBABLY DELETE THESE PICTURES ! SHORTLY.
save these to your pc and use picture /fax viewer to make them larger.

 

[Guest]

I think mtnjohn gave you the perfect advice,but only if you have a bit of electrical/mechanical knowledge.My first set-up was all 400 watt put together with items from my local electrical supply.I think I can remember most of what I used.First the ballast kit of course,many ballast kits contain the lamp,some dont.No ballast kits contain a socket that and the reflector/hood are about the only things you cant get at the supply house.First the ballast kit.Then a 12" by 12" by 6" "sheet metal enclosure" to mount your ballast in.Its just an electrical term for a big junction box.Dont forget the 12" square cover for the box lol.Get a box with "prefabricated knockouts",these are different sized holes that can easily be punched out with a screwdriver to allow entrance for the power and lighting cords.Knock out about a half dozen other holes besides to ventilate your ballast.You'll want to use whats called SO or SJO cord for your power and lighting cords,these are black flexible cord just like you'd normally see on a device or appliance.Get SO cord first I think its cheaper,SJO is just rated for a different voltage either will do fine.For the power cord use 12/2 SO with ground,for the lampcord use 16/2 SO with ground.You'll need two romex connectors to secure lamp and power cords,SO connectors are way too expensive man romex connectors work just fine.You'll need a green ground screw to ground the sheet metal enclosure,thats very important.Its best to use nuts and bolts to secure the ballast inside the box,Dont use self-tapping screws and a cordless drill,its a lot easier but you want total mechanical continuity between the ballast and the enclosure.You dont want to get nailed touching the enclosure and you surely wont if its securely bonded to the metal box,all grounds are tied together,and come off the wirenutted ground wires with a single green wire wrapped clockwise around the ground screw and tightened well.Thats about all I can think of.Remember the socket does not come with a ballast kit nor a reflector/hood,but everything else basically is there

 

[Deft]

Based on the question I would just buy a pre built setup with reflector and all, or you can be like me and do the CFL thing heres a pic of what I have going now... kinda needs a real reflector!

 

[Guest]

ty for all your advice guys,http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=39099&page=5&pp=15..........thats a link to a type of grow i would like to do.After seeing that...i know it can be done.ty all for your information.jesse ty for the faq,but i allready seen that thread.I know what im gonna do now,but ty all who replyed.Edit go to 1st page in thread and youll see what im talking about

 

[NiteTiger]

If you check the top thread in my sig, I just recently assembled a 400 MH ballast kit. I purchased it from www.htgsupply.com, and the instructions were excellent. I didn't need them, but they were very detailed and step by step.

Only thing you'll need to buy is a power cord, however long length of wire you need for remote ballasting, to go from the ballast to the light socket. Also, an enclosure would be highly recommended, someone posted a link a few days ago, I'll see if I can track it down.

 

[arewhy]

I have made a few creative/ghetto setups to hold 6 CFL bulbs, but in the end I think I am just going to buy something premade and be done with it.

 

[Guest]

a product called WIRE MOLD , is bought in differant lengths, and you can add recepticials to it where ever you wish, it can be expensive sometimes and usually the recepticials dont come with a ground, you can find it in most big outlet stores, like lowes and home depo.

A photography shop should sell light bars, they come in differant lengths and have screw in outlets for bulbs, some have multiple toggle switches ,to operate each bulb as you wish.

But there's nothing wrong with a homemade set-up...