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cosmik debris
Member
http://www.etlin.com/product_details.asp?sectioncat=Compact%20Fluorescent%20Lampholders%20Accessories
This is a manufacturer's site where you can get the part numbers for whatever type you need (single side mount, plastic, metal, etc.). Most electrical supply houses carry them, but they are available on-line as well. The link has pictures so its pretty easy to figure out.
This is a manufacturer's site where you can get the part numbers for whatever type you need (single side mount, plastic, metal, etc.). Most electrical supply houses carry them, but they are available on-line as well. The link has pictures so its pretty easy to figure out.
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City Twin
Member
$200 a 4x8 is about what I came up with, picked up a hunnert miles away.
Was thinking about a circline or flat 4 as a top light in the honey box sketch ups. Could run my 70w hps. Would really prefer to have a little CMH in there though. HP lamp would increase fan needs probably so it could be a budget trade off between top light and 4 side tubes vs. Closer to the Can with 6 to 8 tubes and extra cab work.
( where’s that old stop sign anyway? Could use the template just about now )
Was thinking about a circline or flat 4 as a top light in the honey box sketch ups. Could run my 70w hps. Would really prefer to have a little CMH in there though. HP lamp would increase fan needs probably so it could be a budget trade off between top light and 4 side tubes vs. Closer to the Can with 6 to 8 tubes and extra cab work.
( where’s that old stop sign anyway? Could use the template just about now )
I am in the process of putting together a new fixture, and was curious if anyone had tried over-driving PL-L lamps. By overdriving, I mean driving the lamp with more power than what it is designed for, rather than the usage earlier in the thread where the poster talked about running 4 lamps rather than three on a Workhorse 8. I was thinking of driving 2 lamps off of each Workhorse 8. I know this is pretty common practice with T12 and T8's, but I don't recall ever reading about anyone doing it with PL-L's.
cosmik debris
Member
Since the basic idea remains constant between the Biax and the linears, I would expect the results to pretty much mirror as well. You're still using a ballast to condition the incoming power before it gets sent to the lamp where its exciting phosphors. I think you'll probably experience the same drawbacks as well. That being significantly shorter lamp life and more heat. I haven't tested and metered the outputs yet myself (just got some new metering gear) but if under-driving alters the lamps spectrum I would imagine that over driving would also.
That's not to say that it's a bad thing, only that you may not produce the desired results. For example, if under-driving a 55w. biax rated at an output of 3500 K results in an actual output centered in the 2800K range, I would imagine that other than the reduced intensity - it may actually produce more of the spectrum that the plants like. Conversely over-driving that same lamp might push the temperature range higher as well and leave you putting more energy into wave lengths that, while not necessarily bad, are still not exactly what the plant responds best to.
Since fluoros, and the biax lamps in particular, seem to share a fairly broad spectrum output regardless of their rated temperature range, there are probably incalculable combinations that will grow/flower plants. As to a comprehensive guide for which lamp and ballast combination produces the stankest bud or highest biomass per watt, etc. I think we should form a non-profit think tank and apply for sum'a dat gubmint grant money. Just think of the energy we could save.
Yobama did say that he wanted us to go green didn't he? (Lyin' sack a shit, mutha...sorry, my bipolar started kickin' in).
More seriously, I'm thinkin' that over-driving would only pose a potential benefit where you just had no more space available for properly tuned/matched high ballast factor ballasts and lamps and energy efficiency is of no concern. There is another issue that might make this even more problematic with Biax tubes, and that would be the heat and the effects of restrike from the tube itself - as well as from your reflector. The way it was explained to me (by a lighting engineer - which I by no means am) the light that leaves the inner faces of a biax tube will have a certain amount that will directly collide with the adjoining leg of the same lamp. This increases the lamp's temperature just as the bounce back light from the reflector or material behind the lamp does. There is a minimal amount involved since little light is directed on the same exact axis as the center of the other lamp leg, but it does have an effect on operating temperatures nonetheless. I can't quantify that effect 'cuz I'm just startin' to screw around with bending my own reflectors. I bought a Chinese laser IR gun and a couple of different light meters to try out different reflector shapes (bat-wing, parabola, hyperbola, etc.) but I'm still tryin' to tweak my metal rolling skills (it ain't as easy as it looks on East Coast Choppers).
Just out'a curiosity, what's your motivation for tryin' this approach? Already have the WH 8's but don't have room for more lamps? I'm just starting to really work with the Advance high factor ballasts and I can say that there is a very noticeable difference. They run cooler and use less energy through the watt meter than my WH's for one, and again - their output is supposedly tuned to the lamps so my color temps should be what I paid for. How this all effects plant development I'll have to wait and see. I have a bud in another state that's gonna do a blind A-B comparison for me but that's gonna take a little while.
Ultimately over-driving may turn out to be the shit, depending on your grow. I'm tryin' to optimize for a Red Eyed Jeti, micro bud-cicle, perpetual SOG that isn't as hard to penetrate as say somebody goin' the High-Pod route with one large bean stalk. You would think that the over-drive would give ya better penetration along with the increased output, so either way it still sounds like it's worth burnin' a few tubes on. Good luck! Cool idea.
Just thought of sumthin' else. There's a company called Icecap that makes real high end ballasts for reef aquariums that are a serious challenge to light. They do a lot with HO (High Output) lamps and you might get some more insight from them or their website.
That's not to say that it's a bad thing, only that you may not produce the desired results. For example, if under-driving a 55w. biax rated at an output of 3500 K results in an actual output centered in the 2800K range, I would imagine that other than the reduced intensity - it may actually produce more of the spectrum that the plants like. Conversely over-driving that same lamp might push the temperature range higher as well and leave you putting more energy into wave lengths that, while not necessarily bad, are still not exactly what the plant responds best to.
Since fluoros, and the biax lamps in particular, seem to share a fairly broad spectrum output regardless of their rated temperature range, there are probably incalculable combinations that will grow/flower plants. As to a comprehensive guide for which lamp and ballast combination produces the stankest bud or highest biomass per watt, etc. I think we should form a non-profit think tank and apply for sum'a dat gubmint grant money. Just think of the energy we could save.
Yobama did say that he wanted us to go green didn't he? (Lyin' sack a shit, mutha...sorry, my bipolar started kickin' in).
More seriously, I'm thinkin' that over-driving would only pose a potential benefit where you just had no more space available for properly tuned/matched high ballast factor ballasts and lamps and energy efficiency is of no concern. There is another issue that might make this even more problematic with Biax tubes, and that would be the heat and the effects of restrike from the tube itself - as well as from your reflector. The way it was explained to me (by a lighting engineer - which I by no means am) the light that leaves the inner faces of a biax tube will have a certain amount that will directly collide with the adjoining leg of the same lamp. This increases the lamp's temperature just as the bounce back light from the reflector or material behind the lamp does. There is a minimal amount involved since little light is directed on the same exact axis as the center of the other lamp leg, but it does have an effect on operating temperatures nonetheless. I can't quantify that effect 'cuz I'm just startin' to screw around with bending my own reflectors. I bought a Chinese laser IR gun and a couple of different light meters to try out different reflector shapes (bat-wing, parabola, hyperbola, etc.) but I'm still tryin' to tweak my metal rolling skills (it ain't as easy as it looks on East Coast Choppers).
Just out'a curiosity, what's your motivation for tryin' this approach? Already have the WH 8's but don't have room for more lamps? I'm just starting to really work with the Advance high factor ballasts and I can say that there is a very noticeable difference. They run cooler and use less energy through the watt meter than my WH's for one, and again - their output is supposedly tuned to the lamps so my color temps should be what I paid for. How this all effects plant development I'll have to wait and see. I have a bud in another state that's gonna do a blind A-B comparison for me but that's gonna take a little while.
Ultimately over-driving may turn out to be the shit, depending on your grow. I'm tryin' to optimize for a Red Eyed Jeti, micro bud-cicle, perpetual SOG that isn't as hard to penetrate as say somebody goin' the High-Pod route with one large bean stalk. You would think that the over-drive would give ya better penetration along with the increased output, so either way it still sounds like it's worth burnin' a few tubes on. Good luck! Cool idea.
Just thought of sumthin' else. There's a company called Icecap that makes real high end ballasts for reef aquariums that are a serious challenge to light. They do a lot with HO (High Output) lamps and you might get some more insight from them or their website.
M
Milhouse
Just thought I would throw up a few pics of my latest PL-L grow that was recently completed. Grown under 440w PL-L lights, cab is 48"w x 24"D x 36"H. 3 gallon squat air pots. Scott's Professional Hydroponic Special + Calcium Nitrate for nutes. I dont weigh anything since its for personal use.
The strain is Dutchgrown Seeds - Magenta99 @ 53 days 12/12
The strain is Dutchgrown Seeds - Magenta99 @ 53 days 12/12
M
Milhouse
Here is another strain that is wrapping up
Strain is Dutchgrown Seeds - DTC99 f2 @ 57 days 12/12, approx 7-10 days left
Strain is Dutchgrown Seeds - DTC99 f2 @ 57 days 12/12, approx 7-10 days left
i am pretty sure the workhorse 8 automatically adjusts to the bulb wattage.i could not find the post by someone on here where it gives more detail .my bulbs do not look like they are any brighter when running 3 instead of 4.
I don't think that simply dropping one lead does the trick - it has to be connected to the lamp so that the power from both leads will drive it. The normal connection is for a jumper to be in place from the hot lead to the other contact on the lamp. From what I have seen on over-driving, a hot lead would be connected to each of the contacts and the jumper would be removed.
M
Milhouse
Thought I would drop a few shots of my PL-L flowered DTC99 F2 by Dutchgrown Seeds. She turned out to be a monster!!!
Harvested @ approx 68 days 12/12
Harvested @ approx 68 days 12/12
Can someone help me with a problem I'm having? I'm searching for a new ballast to run my 3 40 watt pll lamps, and decided to go with the workhorse 5 ballast.
Now my question is, are all workhorse 5 ballasts the same? (Except for input voltage and power factor)
I found this one on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Fulham-10266-...ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1310437649&sr=1-2
It says it operates 1-2 lamps
The workhorse 5 ballast on 1000bulbs says it operates up to 4 lamps.
I'd like to go with the one from amazon because it's cheaper, but I can't find any information that says it will operate more than 2 lamps.
Any information you guys or girls can give me will be appreciated. Hopefully someone with a little technical knowledge can shed some light and put my mind at ease to make ordering it a little less painful.
Now my question is, are all workhorse 5 ballasts the same? (Except for input voltage and power factor)
I found this one on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Fulham-10266-...ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1310437649&sr=1-2
It says it operates 1-2 lamps
The workhorse 5 ballast on 1000bulbs says it operates up to 4 lamps.
I'd like to go with the one from amazon because it's cheaper, but I can't find any information that says it will operate more than 2 lamps.
Any information you guys or girls can give me will be appreciated. Hopefully someone with a little technical knowledge can shed some light and put my mind at ease to make ordering it a little less painful.
No, they are not. According to the people at AH Supply, the WHCG5 model (the one at Amazon) is optimized for the linear type T8 and T12 lamps. The CG in the model number denotes "Commercial Grade". The WH5 model is supposed to have a much higher ballast factor when used with the PL-L lamps.
cosmik debris
Member
What he said. When in doubt contact a sales rep at AH or 1000bulbs to get the full skinny. I've dealt with both and they have very knowledgeable and helpful folks working there. Amazon I can't speak to, but I've never found anything there that I couldn't get cheaper from one of these guys.
Read up on the ballast and power factors before ya plunk your money down. You really do get what you pay for. I haven't found any real "bargains" in quality spec ballasts. Generally if you want better performance and rated outputs, there are no magical shortcuts that allow a cheap ballast and lamp combination to out perform the better and more expensive ones.
Read up on the ballast and power factors before ya plunk your money down. You really do get what you pay for. I haven't found any real "bargains" in quality spec ballasts. Generally if you want better performance and rated outputs, there are no magical shortcuts that allow a cheap ballast and lamp combination to out perform the better and more expensive ones.
Milhouse.... Ive seen your grows and the buds look killer.
Do you have any pictures of your cab? I want to use PL-L lights but Im not sure how to arrange them in my grow area.
I will be using 8-9 pll bulbs and was wondering if there was a ballast to light up more than 3x55w pll?
My Flower space will have 5 lights for a total of 275w
Veg and cloning area will have 2-3 pll bulbs
^ I will need a seperate ballast for each chamber right? The ballast seem to be the only expensive part and seems somewhat confusing..... Ive grown with screw in CFL's with success and PLL's seem to be the next best option.
Do you have any pictures of your cab? I want to use PL-L lights but Im not sure how to arrange them in my grow area.
I will be using 8-9 pll bulbs and was wondering if there was a ballast to light up more than 3x55w pll?
My Flower space will have 5 lights for a total of 275w
Veg and cloning area will have 2-3 pll bulbs
^ I will need a seperate ballast for each chamber right? The ballast seem to be the only expensive part and seems somewhat confusing..... Ive grown with screw in CFL's with success and PLL's seem to be the next best option.
The fulham workhorse 8 is rated for 3x55 or 4x50. Some people have used 4x55 on it with no issues, but it isn't recommended by the manufacturer. They're about $40.
To run 5x55w you're gonna need at least 2 ballasts for flowering and one for veg. (~$120 worth of ballasts all told.)
Yes. You need a ballast for each chamber because they will be on and off at different times.
Personally, since you're already gonna have to buy 3 ballasts any way you slice it, I'd go ahead and max them all out since the bulbs themselves are relatively inexpensive. I mean, you can buy a ballast that is only rated for 2x55w but it's not gonna be much cheaper than the one that can handle 4, ya know?
8x50w (or 55w) in flower and 4x50 (or 55w) in veg.
Check out Tilt's PLL cab. He's running his PLLs vertically and pulls an ounce a week perpetually.
You could put 4 vertically in the corners and 4 horizontally on the ceiling. Or you could space them all out and run them all vertically. (That way you grow 2ft tall plants that have light hitting the whole length of the plant.)
M
Milhouse
Might go with the 36w and just use more of them. not sure on the length of the 36w.
I think that I would use 55w lamps end-to-end (they are roughly 22" long), and do 3 rows of them. That would give you a total of 330 watts (55 watts per sq ft), which is what I have used in a similar space with good results (30"x30" tent w/ (6) 55w lamps side-by-side). You could group the three lamps on each end on separate ballasts, and switch them independently so that you could use one end of the space at a time when the plants were small.
