Hps ballast question

Hadez411

Hadez411

Well-Known Member
I was handed a home made light setup. I know it's bad news, but work with me here, it's free and for a mother plant in an area I'm not worried about burning down.

That said, it's a medium base 50w ballast for an hps bulb. It works with the 50w hps bulb that came in it. I'm dumb and naieve to hps however and thought I'd buy the biggest medium base hps bulb that I could. 100w hps is on its way... And I've realized my err with some reading.

So I'm asking myself two questions that I need help with:

1)Can these ballasts run the 100w lights with additional cooling? It says 120v and 1.1A, then the optional capcitor part I don't understand the significance of.

2)I have a second, identical 50w ballast. Can I macguyver them together to power a 100w hps bulb?

This is the 100w bulb:
https://www.amazon.ca/Sunlite-LU100-MED-100-Watt-Pressure/dp/B002X8F16K/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=100w+hps&qid=1552249804&s=gateway&sr=8-2

This is my ballast:
DSC_0439.JPG
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Hadez411 said:
I was handed a home made light setup. I know it's bad news, but work with me here, it's free and for a mother plant in an area I'm not worried about burning down.

That said, it's a medium base 50w ballast for an hps bulb. It works with the 50w hps bulb that came in it. I'm dumb and naieve to hps however and thought I'd buy the biggest medium base hps bulb that I could. 100w hps is on its way... And I've realized my err with some reading.

So I'm asking myself two questions that I need help with:

1)Can these ballasts run the 100w lights with additional cooling? It says 120v and 1.1A, then the optional capcitor part I don't understand the significance of.

2)I have a second, identical 50w ballast. Can I macguyver them together to power a 100w hps bulb?

This is the 100w bulb:
https://www.amazon.ca/Sunlite-LU100-MED-100-Watt-Pressure/dp/B002X8F16K/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=100w+hps&qid=1552249804&s=gateway&sr=8-2

This is my ballast:
View attachment 4297880
Click to expand...
Jesus Christ don't use that.
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Hadez411 said:
I was handed a home made light setup. I know it's bad news, but work with me here, it's free and for a mother plant in an area I'm not worried about burning down.

That said, it's a medium base 50w ballast for an hps bulb. It works with the 50w hps bulb that came in it. I'm dumb and naieve to hps however and thought I'd buy the biggest medium base hps bulb that I could. 100w hps is on its way... And I've realized my err with some reading.

So I'm asking myself two questions that I need help with:

1)Can these ballasts run the 100w lights with additional cooling? It says 120v and 1.1A, then the optional capcitor part I don't understand the significance of.

2)I have a second, identical 50w ballast. Can I macguyver them together to power a 100w hps bulb?

This is the 100w bulb:
https://www.amazon.ca/Sunlite-LU100-MED-100-Watt-Pressure/dp/B002X8F16K/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=100w+hps&qid=1552249804&s=gateway&sr=8-2

This is my ballast:
View attachment 4297880
Click to expand...
Buy a few screw in LEDs in 4000K color temp and you'll be so much better off. Much brighter better quality light too.
 
Hadez411

Hadez411

Well-Known Member
Oh I know.. It's ghetto AF. I just finished learning about and quoting an eb strip build. But they're back ordered by a month at least

Budget is next to 0 this year, time is pressing
 
Last edited:
CobKits

CobKits

Well-Known Member
those small hps bulbs are pretty inefficient to begin with, and yours is probably old

i know your budget is "next to zero" but you can literally go spend $20 on a 4-pack of 15W LED bulbs and outperform that

unless you live in a magical land where the electric bill never comes due
 
coreywebster

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
Hadez411 said:
Oh I know.. It's ghetto AF. I just finished learning about and quoting an eb strip build. But by they're back ordered by a month at least

Budget is next to 0 this year, time is pressing
Click to expand...
Where you at?
What space are you lighting?
 
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whytewidow

whytewidow

Well-Known Member
I wouldnt even plug that in. And no two ballasts can not run 1 bulb. And the "optional capacitor. Isnt optional at all. It needs it. There should be two caps. Well they look similar but they are different. One is a starter the other is the cap. Starters not needed for MH bulbs. But for hps. Back in the day I had an old ballast like that for a 400w. I put a switch inline on the starter to kick it out for mH then when flower came. Swapped to hps bulb. And flipped the switch to kick on the starter. I had interchangeable ballasts before any companies even made them.
 
Hadez411

Hadez411

Well-Known Member
I found some cobs that are cheaper and more efficient than eb strips and in stock! I'll toss this garbage, stick with my 250w hps and wait to get those
 
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