-
ICMag with help from Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest in November! You can check it here. Prizes are seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!
Growroom Electricity and Wiring
- Thread starter Phillthy
- Start date
I've never used a Quantum, and don't know what their features are. Many flips for electronic ballast applications include a function to kill the power to the ballast during the flip (cold flip) rather than keeping it energized during the flip (hot flip). This would be based on a timer, though, and wouldn't take care of your situation.
It shouldn't be overly difficult to bypass the flip by moving the ballast output directly to the lamp connections.
It appears from the diagram that the incoming power connection would be to the bottom of the power relay. It's contrary to electrical convention - the top of a device should be the hot side and the bottom for the switched load, but.....
The black wire from your cord will go to the terminal below the black wire on the relay, the white wire to the terminal beneath the red, and the ground connection to the grounding terminal on the lower right. Neutrals shouldn't be switched, but without rewiring your controller, that is how it can be made to work.
Their instructions aren't much help when they don't show what your controller really looks like, are they?
The black from your cord will attach to the far left terminal that has the black wire from the controller attached. Your incoming white wire will go to the middle terminal with the gray wire attached, and the green wire from your cord to the far right with the green wire.
It's a basic 120/240 light controller to operate up ton4 lights from 1 box. Instead of me using half of 4 outlets with 4 timers, it's easier to take 1 socket, wire it to the controller, then pull my light needs from that.
I understand.
Are the needed connections clear to you now? Holler back if I can be of more help.
Yes, I do have a light controller that shuts off the power to the ballast before the flip then waits ten minutes (flip takes place) than light controller turns back on.
I would directly put the ballast to those lights from the one side of the flip box but I do not have anymore power other than the power box at the moment.
Is my only concern, a shortened ballast life? or am I waiting for a fire?
Or should I find another way? no matter what.
Starting today when I saw your post that it wasn't good to do I just unplugged that ballast while the other side of the flip was on. It might of been 5 hrs of no load attached. Would that be OK?
Or should I set my alarm and wake my ass up and just unplug it when it flips till I get my last room done?
My understanding of it, which is basically limited to "don't do it" is that the high voltage circuitry can be damaged by running it without a load attached. It's probably similar to modern electronic ignitions - it used to be common practice to check an ignition by pulling a spark plug wire and arcing it to ground. That's been out of favor for years because of potential damage to the circuitry.
There should be no fire danger involved, just potential damage to the ballast.
Parallel Lamp Wiring?
Parallel Lamp Wiring?
Please indulge my madness, is this theoretically possible:
150w Magnetic ballast, suitable capacitor, 2x parallel wired 70w CMH lamps and igniters?
I understand that 2 70w lamps may not present the same load as a single 150w lamp.
Would a combination of a 70w and a 50w lamp work? Even if slightly under driven.
I forget the term but I read discharge lamps have different resistance
properties to filament bulbs.
So, is it electrically safe? No one seems to want to commit to the answer.
Are there not industrial set-ups that run multiple lamps from a giant ballast?
Parallel Lamp Wiring?
Please indulge my madness, is this theoretically possible:
150w Magnetic ballast, suitable capacitor, 2x parallel wired 70w CMH lamps and igniters?
I understand that 2 70w lamps may not present the same load as a single 150w lamp.
Would a combination of a 70w and a 50w lamp work? Even if slightly under driven.
I forget the term but I read discharge lamps have different resistance
properties to filament bulbs.
So, is it electrically safe? No one seems to want to commit to the answer.
Are there not industrial set-ups that run multiple lamps from a giant ballast?
I wouldn't. I don't think igniters will work right in parallel & 1 might not fire both lamps. Dunno if the operating voltage is right, either.The reason nobody can offer a definitive answer is that they're not willing to do the homework.
This is an interesting lower power system-
http://www.metalhalideshop.com/3881...tore=mhs_eng&gclid=CPaQmorXisICFQGoaQodchoAvg
The lamp is not open fixture rated.
This open fixture rated lamp is built to run on core & coil 175w MH ballasts-
https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/59294/MHS-411074.html
I have no idea if it is theoretically possible or not.
As Jhhnn mentioned, it is doubtful that you could come up with an igniter that would simultaneously ignite two lamps, and if one failed to ignite, then the circuit falls completely out of it's theoretical balance and could dangerously overdrive the lamp that lit.
Electrically safe? With proper fusing, it should be electrically safe in that the wiring wouldn't melt down, the ballast shouldn't short out, etc. However, the lamp that lit could easily explode.....
In 30+ years of being a head electrician in industrial plants, I have never seen, heard, or read of running multiple lamps from a single ballast. Fixtures that utilize two lamps are fairly common in parking lot applications, but in my experience, they invariably use two ballasts.
As Jhhnn mentioned, it is doubtful that you could come up with an igniter that would simultaneously ignite two lamps, and if one failed to ignite, then the circuit falls completely out of it's theoretical balance and could dangerously overdrive the lamp that lit.
Electrically safe? With proper fusing, it should be electrically safe in that the wiring wouldn't melt down, the ballast shouldn't short out, etc. However, the lamp that lit could easily explode.....
In 30+ years of being a head electrician in industrial plants, I have never seen, heard, or read of running multiple lamps from a single ballast. Fixtures that utilize two lamps are fairly common in parking lot applications, but in my experience, they invariably use two ballasts.
Hey Rives hope you are doing well in 2017 ! I'm back with another question for you .
I would like to have 2 70 pint dehumidifiers controlled by a 2 separate contractors with a120v coil to plug into my light controller That has a high temp shut off . Each dehumidifier has its own 15amp 120 circuit.
Can I use a 30 amp 2 pole contactor for each one ? 30amp contactors seem more Available for me around here .
Thank you for reading
I would like to have 2 70 pint dehumidifiers controlled by a 2 separate contractors with a120v coil to plug into my light controller That has a high temp shut off . Each dehumidifier has its own 15amp 120 circuit.
Can I use a 30 amp 2 pole contactor for each one ? 30amp contactors seem more Available for me around here .
Thank you for reading
Thanks, eebbnflow, and the same to you!
30a contactors will be fine - you can go larger than the circuit protection, but not smaller. You don't need the double pole version for 120v circuits - only the hot leg needs to be switched. In my case, I have standardized on the double pole 40a units because it allows me to have one type of spare around.
If you want to go mail order rather than a local supplier, the vendor below has excellent pricing -
https://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Home/Home
If you want both circuits to switch at the same time, you could run them through a single contactor. It would be a good idea to make a note that the contactor is fed by two circuits. You could also use a double pole breaker so that the tie bar would shut off both circuits at once.
beanja
Member
Why did you want 2 separate contactors? The one 2pole would be easier to control and like rives said have a 2pole15 in panel feeding dehumidifiers. The neutrals would get twisted together and each hot would go on a terminal on contactors .The light controller could control the single coil ... either way will work just save U a little money on buying 1 contactor and installion fees.
Hey Rives I posted this in the design forum but I think I'll try here .
I have a fan speed dial controller I'd like to use to slow down the fans on a 2 fan coil unit to make the fans quieter I don't need them full blast anyway . I tested it and it does work to what I was looking for . Is this ok for safety ?
The fan motor is a : Fasco 1/15hp , 1550rpm , 2.1A , model : JA2R258N#
I tried researching to see if the Motor was brushless or not . .
I have a fan speed dial controller I'd like to use to slow down the fans on a 2 fan coil unit to make the fans quieter I don't need them full blast anyway . I tested it and it does work to what I was looking for . Is this ok for safety ?
The fan motor is a : Fasco 1/15hp , 1550rpm , 2.1A , model : JA2R258N#
I tried researching to see if the Motor was brushless or not . .
