Modifying a CFL..

CaptainStoner

Hi all. I'm in the process of constructing my first cab to grow in. I've decided on CFLs for my lights throughout, but heat is going to be an issue as it gets VERY warm in the room the cab has to be in.

I've been thinking about remote ballasting my CFLs - I'm good at soldering so this should be no problem. Is there any guides anyone knows of to do this? The only sticking point I have is I have no idea what kind of power is going from the ballast to the tube (20-27w cfls) so I have no idea what kind of cable would be best to fit between the two.

Has anyone done this? or know what kind of cable I should be using?

driving me mad as it's holding up my grow

Many thanks for any help

Gonetripping

I'd been posting about the same thing - perhaps you may be interested if you missed it before.

http://www.greenpassion.org/f22/requ...ast-cfls-5904/

Common feedback seems to be

- more work than it's worth
- safety issue
- less efficent than other devices

Good luck - keep us updated on what you end up doing!

whitetrash6

sounds like way to much trouble to me! id invest the time it takes to tear all them bulbs apart and build u a good exhaust for that heat problem.

CaptainStoner

Yeah i hear that. The safety issue isn't present for me. I do have some training in electronics so know how to keep stuff like that safe - For example, it's safer to have all that sensitive electronics away from areas of high humidity like a growcab. The toxic gases inside only leak out if you break the glass, which i ain't gonna do. It will also keep the bulbs alive longer, as it's the ballast that goes on them in my experience, usually caused by heat which will not be an issue in a box with a fan. Know what you're saying on the work thing too but its literally 1 minute of soldering per bulb.

This cab is too small, in the wrong location, and needs to be too quiet to run a ruck or RVK. I've been laughed at for saying this before, but i know how to make the right PC type (120mm) fans suck well through a carbon filter(will probably do a guide on this eventually), enough to keep the plants happy anyway, whilst being inaudible at a distance of a foot. Not so sure about the heat though. I'd rather have it out of the box entirely, just makes so many things easier. i'm going to look around on a few electronicy geek type forums to find out how much power is going to the tube on a typical CFL of around my wattage, then I can pull the right cable out of my vast collection of random wires, and do the job. The worry is not so much the running power but the starting power. it isn't going to be anymore than the rating of the bulb during runtime but could be anything at startup.

Gonetripping, just read your thread, could you send me that link to that other guide cuz i had a look and couldn't find it.. cheers matey

AJ

jangel

Sounds like you and gonetripping should get together on this. And that you know how to keep this safe. Good.

ANY OTHER PERSON READING THIS POST PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!!!

THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD ONLY BE DONE BY A TECH PERSON WITH THE PROPER SKILLS.

PLEASE stay safe!!! IF You do not have these skills

LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!!!!!

Peace.

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Life,
j-angel


My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware

My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS

Cloning a Flowering Plant My Little Grow Blueberry

CaptainStoner

As a trained electronic tech, and general engineer I agree wholeheartedly with the above post.

It's easy to look at a job like this and think "ohh this is easy just a bit of soldering" like i do, but the fact is you're messing about with serious power there. A short or problem in the wrong place can cause electrocution, or more likely, fire. Especially with the humidity (water - not good) in a growcab. I posted this thread because when I did my training, fluorescent lighting was not part of it. We were taught how to wire them up but not a great deal about the bulbs. Hence i do not know what kind of power is in that particular part of the lamp, and this is very important as a cable when pushed beyond its limits will get warm, melt its insulation, and set fire to anything near it which is combustible, or just short circuit = boom.

A friend of mine illustrated electrical safety recently. He's done plenty with the sockets in his house, wiring plugs etc so is not a noob for electrics. He was trying to repair an extension cable which had a break in the wire at one end. Thinking he'd unplugged it, he got his (thankfully rubberised handle) cutters and chopped the other end off. The resultant electrical flash fused all three wires within the cable together, fused the blades of the cutters together, and literally BLEW a big hole in the rather thick, toughened steel blades. We're talking at least a 4mm hole. This power potential is in the mains electrical system in all houses, all the time. His house has the same RCD circuit breaker (good) breaker box (fusebox replacement) I have. RCD's are better than fuses but still have some delay to their action.

Even a trained individual such as myself can make mistakes, or just have a bad luck day. To do something like this without the relevant training is just inviting disaster.

Take care and be safe everyone. Have a nice day, too :D

AJ

whitetrash6

altho id like to see this tastefuly done with lots of pictures!

jangel

I just don't want to ever here of some young 18 old kid trying this and getting fried. It could happen so please

BEWARE!!! THIS IS DANGEROUS!!!

__________________
Life,
j-angel


My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware

My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS

Cloning a Flowering Plant My Little Grow Blueberry

CaptainStoner

that's probably why there isn't a lot of guides out there on how to do it. I know it's been done, lots, but people wouldn't want the responsibility of having someone die because of their guide.

The reason i'm after this is because it gets really hot in the room my grow will be in, during the height of summer. It's about that time now in the UK and it seems we aren't having a hugely hot summer. I may not even bother with this myself, on reflection because of the cool summer we're having. A much easier mod is just to whack a fan blowing over the lights, which I can do. It gets hot enough in here to need an air con (yes, even in the UK) as the sun shines directly through the large window for 90% of the day. Ain't got one though.

What I would advise people to do, before they do any growing, regardless of lights used, mods they're doing etc, to get at least some basic electrical training first. Not sure about other countries but here in the UK local education authorities run basic courses at weekends, or one night a week in some things, basic wiring being one of them. You're going to have to do at least some wiring up, doing a grow unless you happen to know a trusted sparky. It's just plain ol common sense.

I also recommend those plug in RCD circuit breaker/surge protectors that you can buy. They detect faults and (usually) break the circuit before anything happens. Also wise is to keep a smoke alarm close to the grow. I'm going to position one within inches of the extraction outlet on the cabinet. I also have a couple of little dry powder fire extinguishers in the house as one of the people i live with is REALLY paranoid about electrical stuff.. I call him "plug" as he goes around the house often, late at night, unplugging everything which I have to say IMO is unnecessary and really gets on my nerves. Luckily he don't come in my part of the house doing that. The fire extinguishers are nice to know they're there though. I recommend at least one. There have been comments flying around that the fire services seem to find more grows than the cops do.

I'm rambling on a bit because as i'm typing this, i'm trying to decide whether or not to post a guide on the remote ballast CFL mod. I've stripped a couple of old, dead bulbs down in preparation for this, and one cheap new one.. they're all slightly different in the way the ballasts are wired to the bullbs so it may not be a whole lot of use to anyone. My GE bulbs i'm planning to use, for example, have a little wire coil for this join. Seen others with wire. Hmm. I'll give it some thought.. not sure i want possible injuries/burnt grows/deaths on my hands.. and a disclaimer won't do for me..

If i ever get one done i'll probably post a pic or two but i'll have to decide on whether i do a guide or not.

the.fatman.cometh

Hey is that what ya do? Are ya a sparky?

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