How to Use an Industrial Low Bay Light Fixture?

smoke and coke

Well-Known Member
would it be possible to make it remote and mount the socket into a aircooled hood and have it horizontal??
yes if you read the thread it will tell you how to do it.
here is a quick reflector i made with a medal halide fixture i made remote.


here is a cooltube i made with a socket from an HPS ballast.

 

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
I have 4 400W MH's I got when my work upgraded to T5's.They are Abolite recessed HID luminaire fixtures with Universal Lighting Technology multitap balast #M400MLTAC4M. I already rewired 1 and added a 12'cord for remote ballast. My problem is they have a capacitor like a HPS and I can get it to work with and without the cap wired in without any noticable difference in starting/noise/heat or performance.These were originally 277V and the cap has 277V cast in the side? Do I need the cap and if so do I need to get a 120V one? The wiring Dia. on the ballast has the cap inline on the hot side going to the bulb. If you need any more info let me know thanks in advance.
 

fabfun

New Member
are u sure that that isnt the ignitor some MH fixtures have a ignitor and a cap
u need a capacitor and u can get hps conversion bulbs for those when u flower
why dont u take a pic

I have 4 400W MH's I got when my work upgraded to T5's.They are Abolite recessed HID luminaire fixtures with Universal Lighting Technology multitap balast #M400MLTAC4M. I already rewired 1 and added a 12'cord for remote ballast. My problem is they have a capacitor like a HPS and I can get it to work with and without the cap wired in without any noticable difference in starting/noise/heat or performance.These were originally 277V and the cap has 277V cast in the side? Do I need the cap and if so do I need to get a 120V one? The wiring Dia. on the ballast has the cap inline on the hot side going to the bulb. If you need any more info let me know thanks in advance.
 

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
yeah it probably is an ignitor I forgot the capacitor is inside the ballast enclosure, been a month or so since I played with these. So now I'm curious why it starts the same when I take it completly out of the wiring circuit. I'll snap a few pics and try to get them up tonight. When I get setup for indoor I'll just get a HPS setup, right now I just want 1 of these to get a jump on some outdoor stuff in the spring.
 

fabfun

New Member
because most MH bulbs have the ignitor in the bulb
you dont have to buy a hps setup just get a hps conversion bulb when ready to flower
thats what i did
 

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
yeah I guess to start a conversion would work but from what I understand they dont quite have the same spectrum as a true hps. Eventually I'd like to have 1-2 400w mh for vegging 2-3 moms and 1 400 mh,1 400 hps and possibly a small UV for flowering a sog/scrog but right now the sun works:bigjoint:
 

streets

Well-Known Member
yeah I guess to start a conversion would work but from what I understand they dont quite have the same spectrum as a true hps. Eventually I'd like to have 1-2 400w mh for vegging 2-3 moms and 1 400 mh,1 400 hps and possibly a small UV for flowering a sog/scrog but right now the sun works:bigjoint:
that is true.. I have the warmest spectrum hortilux conversion 1k watt bulb... It has NOWHERE near the same spectrum tha my 600 w HPS... Hps is orange and the conversion is just like warm white
 

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
I have 4 400W MH's I got when my work upgraded to T5's.They are Abolite recessed HID luminaire fixtures with Universal Lighting Technology multitap balast #M400MLTAC4M. I already rewired 1 and added a 12'cord for remote ballast. My problem is they have a capacitor like a HPS and I can get it to work with and without the cap wired in without any noticable difference in starting/noise/heat or performance.These were originally 277V and the cap has 277V cast in the side? Do I need the cap and if so do I need to get a 120V one? The wiring Dia. on the ballast has the cap inline on the hot side going to the bulb. If you need any more info let me know thanks in advance.
Ok got around to taking pics. here's what I have, should I leave that piece I have marked in the picture wired in. Is that the probe start part? Like I said it runs the same with or without this? Do I need one rated for 120v? or will this one that was used on 277v work?

View attachment 1189142View attachment 1189143View attachment 1189144View attachment 1189145View attachment 1189146
 

smoke and coke

Well-Known Member
were these fixtured installed where you work? were they wired to 277volt or 120volt.

i take it you have tried these at home on 120 volt?

sometimes the manufacturer will use a multi tap ballast but ship the light prewired for 277volt and thats why one nameplate has 277v in the cat no.

at the junction box where you conect the power, only has a black and a white wire. in order to change the voltage tap you will have to open the fixture to access the tap wires for the ballast unless this was wired for 120volt already for you.

the part in question looks like a thermal overoad to protect the fixture from overheating.if you unhook this, then you should of had to conect the 2 wires together that you unhooked from the overload to make the light work. if your going to install this as recessed then i would leave the thermal overload hooked up. if not recessed then its not needed. but with that being said, a thermal overload is a safety feature, and i dont like to bypass safety features unless absolutely neccesary.

if this was a pulse start fixture, it seems you would see the letters PS in the model or cat no.

i tried to find this light at abolite and LSI industries but couldnt so they may not make it anymore. most of the older medal halide fixtures are replaced now with more energy efficient medal halide lights.
 

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
Thanks smoke and coke thats what I wanted to know I'll leave the overload in place. Yes they were wired 277@ my work, I rewired the ballast for 120 but then noticed that overload was marked 277v so I took it out,oh and I doubt I'm going to use the fixtures I might try making a 2/3 bulb refector.Rep+
 

captain chronizzle

Well-Known Member
You could have done like I do and stripped the wires with your teeth

sorry to be a dik, but using ur teeth to strip wire? do you chew through the casing as well? hate to see ur plumbing, or how you cut wood(probably just smash it with an ax). sounds like the move of a hack, or bonifide red-neck! god only gave me one set of teeth, i'd prefer to use them to eat. for ten dollars i can get a pair of wirestrippers, break em then go buy another, all day, over and over. pretty sure teeth only grow once. great advice from someone that boasts to be a pro. i think if ur trying to give advice, and claim to be a pro, u should act like a pro. sorry smoke n coke, just had to set it straight. waiting patiently for the next lesson. :clap:
reflecting on this, i was kinda ranting. sorry for acting like a fag.
 

unohu69

Well-Known Member
Thanx to this post, i scored me a older MH out of an old gym. Aded wire to make the ballast remote. now i have a 175w for free. Made a nice addition to the floros I was using, but temps have jumped. Im goin to look into building my own cool tube asap.
 

fabfun

New Member
Thanx to this post, i scored me a older MH out of an old gym. Aded wire to make the ballast remote. now i have a 175w for free. Made a nice addition to the floros I was using, but temps have jumped. Im goin to look into building my own cool tube asap.
good job and nice find
 

unohu69

Well-Known Member
ok, I been researching the cooltube idea. Finding a Glass tube 4" I.D. by 12-14" long is kinda difficult. They are there, just pricey. Im wondering what every bodys opinion on these clear pvc substitution? I would think with airflow the actual working temp shouldn't be all that high. Even at 100 deg F should be well under what the pvc can handle. so yeah take a look let me know what you think.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?sku=34153

http://atlanticscreen.thomasnet.com/item/clear-pvc-pipe/-fittings-and-visually-clear-flush-threaded-casing/pn-1887?&plpver=10&assetid=a1008
 

smoke and coke

Well-Known Member
have you tried e-bay for a bake-a-round-tube? pyrex doesnt make them anymore but sometimes you can pick them up for around 20 bucks.

this year i didnt even use the glass tube. i just left the socket and the plastic fitting on and connected the exhaust to the top and use the bulb in a vertical position.
 

unohu69

Well-Known Member
lol yes, i have looked into the bake a roll. The inside diameter is 3.5 inches. my bulb is 3 3/8, that doesnt leave alot of room for air circulation around the bulb. Im sure I can get a different bulb that is narrower, so that may be the option i choose.


I was mainly asking about the plastic to see if any one knew whether there was any problems with it blocking light spectrums, or overheating.

I would like to use a closed loop air cooling for the lights. After reading Prof MJ 45 day harvest thread, I was interested in his take on cooling the lights as much as possible to get them as close as possible to the plants. I would like to incorporate a vertical light system using the cool tube to allow the plants to grow close to the lighting.
 

powerslide

Well-Known Member
thought i should give this a bump i saw 8-10 of these 400w on craigs for 20bucks each too bad i already have good lights.
 
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