DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

[dattack]

Hello, I currently have a 60 gallon tank with T8 light bulbs with a ballast with a high ballast factor of over 1.  My plants are growing well but I would like to cut my lights into 3 bulbs instead of 5.

Also, I recently started a reef tank and was investigating some lighting options and I stumble upon this experiment from reefers in Canada.  It appears that you can overdrive T8 even more in which case it could be comparable to power compacts with the right ballast.

Check it out.
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48133

 

[ronrca]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

This is going to work great. In my hood I have right now 6 30W t8's which amounts to around 2w/g. That is about medium light but there are some plants that I cant grow. By using this method, I can get up to 4w/g, which it high-very high light. Im sure excited. I actually tried one ballast already and it worked. I will be soon getting more.

 

[ronrca]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

After about a month of trying this method, I must say that it seems to work. The lighting I had before was around medium and some plants did not do to good (high light plants). Now those plants are growing. I have 2-4 lamp ballasts overdriving 2 tubes and 1-2 lamp ballast overdriving 1 tube. I might add more but I will see. Thanks Dattack for finding this. It solved my lighting problem.  *thumbsupsmiley* *twirlysmiley*

 

[dattack]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

I was wondering when you fired them up did you notice if your tank was brighter?  

 

[ronrca]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

Yes! The 2 tubes that are being driven by 4 lamp ballast you can hardly look straight at.

 

[aznpanther98]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

i finally tried this but with the thicker bulbs i think they're t12 or something anyways it's on a 30gal and using one 20watt bulb what i did insteadof useing one ballasti had two they wre froma pair of 20 watt lights used on a 55gal tank but the person i got them from upgraded hislights to 4ft ones wellanyways the ballasts were built into the plug itself so i just wired them together and hooked it up to one 20watt bulb(i also have 2 screw-in cf bulbs from homedepot) and when i plugged on in it looked normal and them plugged the second one in and u can tell the difference it even made the tank look cleaner before this it looked kinda incandessent but now i like it more maybe i'll add another overdrived bulb in to get better growth on my plants ;D

 

[equinom]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

I was reading FAMA and there is an article that describes how using an IceCap 430 or 660 electronic ballast really increases the wattage:  normally 32-watt lamps tested out at 88 watts per lamp.  with a drop off of 17.8% after 10 months.  The author believes that if a fan had been installed in the hood.  
Here is my confusion.  The article is titled "A Much Less Expensive But Equally Effective Alternative to Power Compacts".  I'm asuming the cost savings is on the lamps.
But to use the cheaper lamps, you have to use IceCap ballasts, that run $150?  I guess I am missing the point.... Can someone explain???

 

[aznpanther98]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

i dunno much about icecaps except they're pretty expensive but worth it from what i hear but i think it means cheaper to replace bulbs and easier to get ur hands on regular flouresents than pc bulbs
i'mno expert on this but i've looked into pc bulbs for my plant tank and well seems costly so did the homedepot version with the screw in pc bulbs and one 20 watt flourescent thats powered by two ballasts i dunno how much output it's giving in that i'm still confused about doing the math i suck at it lol but ii'm getting beter plant growth now my hornwort are growing faster and the sunset hygophilia is doing better with more pink on the top algea seems to be cut back thanks to my otos and sae's

 

[dattack]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

WIth the icecap ballasts, one can overdrive 6500K bulbs which are only $6 or so.  With power compacts, the bulbs can cost anywhere from $20-40.  I believe that's the saving one is talking about.

The cheapest VHO setup sold is at www.hellolights.com which is already preassembled and contains waterproof endcaps.  It can run 2 to 4 bulbs.  It is essentially the same as icecaps except that the icecaps are dimmable.  The VHO runs around $130.  With the icecap, one has to buy the harness set with endcaps which can run then about $200.

Hellolights also have a $10 discount with purchase over $50.

 

[ronrca]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

I still think overdriving fluorescent ballast are still the cheapest. My set up includes 6 - 36" fluorescent fixtures/tubes, and 4 electronic ballasts all for $130. Total wattage output is around 480W. A 400W MH fixture is around $315. Quite a difference. Even the 4 lamp 36" VHO retro kit is around $160. The big difference is that I pay $3-4 per tube and the VHO tubes are around $23. Thats a big difference.

I love my fluorescents now. I have no problems with low light anymore. Plants grow like crazy.  *thumbsupsmiley*

 

[aznpanther98]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

once i get off my lazy butt and finally build a hood i'm planning on putting more overdrived lights to replace the cf screwin lights i got in there now but i wanna know is does the overdrived lights change the wattage output? i dunno if i'm right but since two ballasts are hooked up is it doubled?
i don't wanna put to much lights or not enough
will two or three of these bbulbs be enough? i got a 30 gal and i want some ground plants to grow mine hasn't done well

 

[dattack]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

Overdriving the bulb means you will get increase wattage because the current (amp) is increased.  One doesn't necessarily have to hook two ballast to one fluorescent bulb.  If you buy the ballast at home depot REL-4P32, you can see that it has four leads for 4 fluorescent tubes.  You can used 4 leads for one bulb thus overdriving it 4x or use 2 leads to overdrive 2x.  I believe the article states that if you use 4 leads, a 32 Watt bulb will hit somewhere around 80 Watts.  You might shorten lamp life, but you do get the higher output.

Just be safe with your wiring and you might consider dabbing some silicone in wiring where you want it to be moisture proof.

 

[aznpanther98]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

well moisture'snot gonna be a problem b/ci'm thining about building sortaa compartment for the lightts and have glass or plexiglass to keep it getting wet i do use silicone on the wireing i have set up on my lights right now i already got a mild shock messing with electricity once not a fun feelin lol maybe ill go with the two light setup i'm really not liking my homedepot lights i got right now to yellowish but with just one of my overdrived light it made a difference
i'm gonna be going with the 24" bulbs b/c the length of my tank is only 30"
i'm not sure about the ballast u were talkin about but i've seen a ballast it's for 1 20watt bulb would those be good to use too? i'll check out the other ballast next time i goto homedepot
thanks

 

[dattack]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

You have to look at that reefcentral link.  The ballast runs four 32 watt bulbs and cost around $18 at home depot.  No point in buying one ballast that only runs one 20 watter.

That is the ballast at home depot has more juice at 4x32 W or 128W while yours is only 20 W.

 

[ronrca]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

Just hold on before going and buying any sort of ballast. The ballast must, and I say again MUST be an electronic ballast. Any other ballast will not work especially not magnetic ballasts. How to tell the difference? Well, it will say "electronic ballast" on the ballast and also instead of having 8 wires on one side for a 4 lamp ballast (meaning two wires to connect to one side of a tube), there is only 4 wires on one side (I hope Im not confusing anyone). When I went to Home Depot, there did not have any "electronic ballasts". I had to look elsewhere. Electronic ballasts will be a little more expensive than magnetic ones. If unsure, ask because any other ballasts will not work and again I repeat myself, will not work!. I tried it already.

How overdriving an electronic ballast works is that in normal operation, the ballast limits available power to the tube therefore making it energy efficient for use. By making more power available to the tube, the tube will use as much power as it wants. Therefore, you do not get 4x the power out of the tube because the tube does not use the much power.

 

[aznpanther98]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

are the ballast in those ac plugs electronic? u know the kind of plugs that are large and always covering up two plug outlets, well i used those and they seem fine?
i took apart one of those plugs that came with my old nintendo when i was bored and liked taking things apart hehe well it looked like a mangnetic ballast anyways i just wanted to knowwhat kind are they?

 

[ronrca]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

Im not sure that I understand the question. Sorry. "Are the ballast in those ac plugs electronic?" What I think you are asking is the whether the adapter plugins have a ballast. No, actually not a ballast. It is refered to as a transformer but it is similar to a ballast. All the transformer does is 'convert' the 120V to another voltage like 12V for example.

 

[aznpanther98]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

i guess they are transformers, my lights just have the ac adpters 1-20watt bulb and a starter i don't have much expierience in things like this but i'm learning
my overdrived light has been running fine for about a week now and plants are showing improvements but i noticed that the bulb is somewhat hot before the overdrive setup it was warm but it feels hot enough that u can't hold it no longer than a few seconds
i just checked the plugs and they are

Radionic industries inc.
cat. #wp452
listed for 13 14 15 20 22 watt single bulb

i have two wired to my light does that help any better?

the one i was talking about from homedepot was small bit bigger than a golf ball it was on the shelf with other ballasts and labled somthing like 20watt single bulb ballast  i'm not sure if it said magnetic or electronic

 

[tjbray]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

I've got a 72 gallon bow front that I'm setting up as a planted tank, and am hoping that you guys can help me with some questions...
The tank is 48" X 18" (at the center) X 24"; how many overdriven lights should I run on this?  I've found all the stuff at our local Home Depot (ARRR ARRR ARRR!), except the 6500 lumen T8's.  They have Sylvania 4100 T8's listed at 4100 lumens.  Does this make a difference?  If so, I'll start combing the lighting stores.

I'm going to be running a 48" UV light as well, not overdriven, to accent some colors on the fish (also some ultrabrite red and blue LED's as 'night lites,' but they put out almost no heat).  Would you recommend putting cooling fans in my wooden DIY canopy?  The reflectors are aluminum flashing.

Once this is all done, maybe I can talk my wife into a LARGER tank!

Thanks All!

 

[dattack]

Re: DIY overdrived T8.  More power, less bulbs.

Hey Tj, you might find that if you can't find good T8's for cheap in your area, then it might not be worth it.  I could find the T8 in the 5000K range only.

I have to modified this thread that I started by saying that you can get the workhorse ballast 7 for only $30 which can run/overdrive the T8 bulbs.  It has a maximum capacity of 220 Watts.

Check out the Workhorse 7 which can help you run either T8, T12, HO, VHO, or even power compacts.  I get it here locally for $33.  It can run 4 bulbs for you rather than you spending on 2-4 ballast at HD for $40-$80.
So this ballast is flexible and can pretty much run anything.
You can contact Todd at

CA ELECTRIC SUPPLY (LONG BEACH)
562-426-3311
LONG BEACH, CA

He will get these for you if you need.