DIY remote HPS ballast for CMH bulb

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pecker88

Anyone have pics of a DIY HID/HPS ballast setup they made?
 
I just purchased 2 of these HPS ballast: GE63066.
I'm going to run a 400W ceramic metal halide bulb: GE93295
I called GE and confirmed compatibility between ballast and bulb.
 
Im trying to decide if I should mount the ballast atop a 19" wing reflector?
or
Mount the ballast to the concrete basement wall, then cord to power, and cord to 19" reflector?
 
Max distance between ballast and reflector/bulb can be 10 ft.
 
Curious what others have done.
 
Why am I going this route? Cost. All other out-of-box CMH systems were atleast $180 each. One of these units comes to $115.
 
$47 ballast (new ebay)
$40 CMH bulb (1000bulbs.com)
$27 19" wing refector + rope hangers (ebay)
 
 
most people i see put all their ballasts on a wall and just have wires running to the hoods..
i think people keep them separate because ballasts lose efficiency the hotter they get, and a reflector can get pretty warm.
 
Be careful with that CMH bulb, it's NOT open rated and should not be ran in a wing reflector or any open reflector.  You'll need a fully enclosed air cooled hood to run that bulb.  Closed rated bulbs do not have protective jackets and have been known to cause fires when bursting.  Those bulbs were used a long time ago and have been phased out by much better open rated 315w CMH bulbs.  That's why they are so cheap.  
 
You would be much better off just buying standard 400W MH/HPS bulbs that are open rated and can be ran in wing reflectors.  We build our own 315w CMH setups, but only the wing reflector you have can be used to build a proper CMH setup that is open rated.  Phillips only makes 240v CMH ballasts and the sockets are based on the new PGZX18 socket, not standard mogul sockets.
 
I haven't ordered reflector or bulb yet, can you recommend a set that's compatible with hps ANSI s51 ballast?

Thanks for the info. I do not want to burn our brand new house down.
 
You won't be able to run CMH bulbs with that ballast. New CMH bulbs operate at low frequencies so when combined with high frequency traditional ballasts they will actually shake and burst after a few days.

You'll need to look at the specs of the ballast to see what bulbs it can run. Some older ballasts can't run both MH and HPS. I'll look over the spec sheet and see what would work.
 
Ignite said:
You won't be able to run CMH bulbs with that ballast. New CMH bulbs operate at low frequencies so when combined with high frequency traditional ballasts they will actually shake and burst after a few days.

You'll need to look at the specs of the ballast to see what bulbs it can run. Some older ballasts can't run both MH and HPS. I'll look over the spec sheet and see what would work.
Click to expand...
how about the ANSI S51 HPS bulbs listed here?
 
pecker88 said:
how about the ANSI S51 HPS bulbs listed here?
Click to expand...
 
How familiar are you with lighting and dealing with ballasts?  You're going to need to put those ballasts in a shielded case to keep them from causing a ton of interference for not only you, but your neighbors as well.  Running those things completely open in a neighborhood will probably get the cable, phone, and power company knocking on your door.  That ballast says it has a minimum voltage of 240v, but then mentions 120v wiring options with caps.
 
I'm going to be completely honest here...I would ebay the ballast and just buy 400W digital ballasts.  You'll spend $100 per ballast but it will be well worth it in the end.  You're going to need starting capacitors, cases, and fans to keep them cool.  You'll need whip cords for the socket or adapter.  You'll easily spend twice that amount before you're done.  
 
315w CMH setups are $600 brand new.  You can build one or convert an existing system for about $350, if you have a hood.  Traditional HPS/MH systems are relatively cheap now so beating commercial prices is going to be hard.  DIY doesn't always equal cheaper.
 
Ignite said:
 
How familiar are you with lighting and dealing with ballasts?  You're going to need to put those ballasts in a shielded case to keep them from causing a ton of interference for not only you, but your neighbors as well.  Running those things completely open in a neighborhood will probably get the cable, phone, and power company knocking on your door.  That ballast says it has a minimum voltage of 240v, but then mentions 120v wiring options with caps.
 
I'm going to be completely honest here...I would ebay the ballast and just buy 400W digital ballasts.  You'll spend $100 per ballast but it will be well worth it in the end.  You're going to need starting capacitors, cases, and fans to keep them cool.  You'll need whip cords for the socket or adapter.  You'll easily spend twice that amount before you're done.  
 
315w CMH setups are $600 brand new.  You can build one or convert an existing system for about $350, if you have a hood.  Traditional HPS/MH systems are relatively cheap now so beating commercial prices is going to be hard.  DIY doesn't always equal cheaper.
Click to expand...
 
thanks again for all your help; I ordered an Apollo 400w chepo digital HPS/MH ballast, reflector, hanger kit from ebay.
I'm pretty familiar with electric systems and would have not had issues installing this, I really enjoy these projects and learning.
But, i the end it's just too risky, fire, heat, ect..
 
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