Teach me about metal halide...

[jugg2]

Hey guys, thinking about building my own MH worklight, but I am a little confused about the balasts. Obviously I want it to be 120V input, but are all ballasts the same output voltage?

I will probably put a fan or two onboard to keep everything cool as well, but is there anything else I should know?

Thanks!

jugg2

 

[superjoe83]

well, to start off, what wattage do you want to run?

i would go with a electronic ballast if possible, they warm up quicker and can restart a bulb much faster than a standard magnetic ballast, the ballast must match your bulb specs, for example you cant use a 400w ballast on a 150w bulb (well, it will light the bulb, but it will be severely overdriving it and probably cause the arc tube to explode). you shouldn't need a fan, metal halide does not put out as much heat as halogen in the same wattage

 

[jugg2]

I guess I forgot to mention what wattage I want to run, sorry.

I'm thinking 400 watts.

 

[superjoe83]

probably the cheapest 400w setup would be a pulse start magnetic ballast

like these:

http://www.1000bulbs.com/400-Watt-Pulse-Start-Ballast/28113/

http://www.1000bulbs.com/400-Watt-Pulse-Start-Metal-Halide-Bulbs/32992/

 

[jugg2]

Very nice! I like the way that company makes it easy to pair a ballast with a bulb. I think I will have to get a different bulb though, because I want to run it in a horizontal position.

Thanks a lot superjoe!

 

[blasterman]

Good people at 1000bulbs. They'll help you pick things out and verify compatibility if you e-mail them.

Too bad MH bulbs typically come in absurdly low CRI values. After awhile low CRI MH can get a bit fatiguing.

I wonder how much these cost and where you can find them:

http://www.venturelighting.com/NaturalWhite/NaturalWhite_home.html

 

[jugg2]

If I went with a non-pulse bulb would this setup work?

Bulb: http://www.1000bulbs.com/Shatter-Resistant-Metal-Halide-HID-Light-Bulbs/6326/

Ballast: http://www.1000bulbs.com/400-Watt-Metal-Halide-Ballast/32380/

Socket: http://www.1000bulbs.com/HID-Sockets/995/

 

[brickbat]

Bulb: http://www.1000bulbs.com/Shatter-Resistant-Metal-Halide-HID-Light-Bulbs/6326/

...like Blaster said - Nasty CRI.

What are you planning to light up with this setup? If you plan to spend much time in the area, I'd highly recommend going with CMH (Ceramic Metal Halide) lamps. Look for a 320 W lamp, such as this:

http://www.nam.lighting.philips.com...df?PHPSESSID=c93ba221477cfd20b0eda3280e152177

GE and Sylvania have similar lamps...

Also, If you're not in a hurry, troll ebay for a while - you'll find it a lot cheaper than a lamp distributer.

 

[jugg2]

I wouldn't mind a high CRI bulb, but the low CRI won't make that much of a difference for my use I think. It will just be a general use portable floodlight. I seriously considered high preassure sodium, but I figured I would at least go with MH for a little better color even though HPS is more efficient.

 

[brickbat]

You'll like this better, and it's cheaper...

http://cgi.ebay.com/SYLVANIA-METALA...ptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

'doh, but it's base up only.. so sad... The Powerball is one of the best CMH lamps out there...

 

[blasterman]

Yeah....that does suck.

Killer deal for that CMH.

 

[jugg2]

Alright guys, I ordered the setup I posted above. I would have liked a high CRI, but I'm not too concerned about it. I will post some pics once I get this thing built and fired up!

 

[jugg2]

Alright guys, I got all my stuff in the mail and I am about to go to Home Depot to pick up some various hardware to assemble the light. Hopefully I will have it up and running tonight or tomorrow. I will put some pics up as soon as it is finished!

 

[ponygt65]

Alright guys, I got all my stuff in the mail and I am about to go to Home Depot to pick up some various hardware to assemble the light. Hopefully I will have it up and running tonight or tomorrow. I will put some pics up as soon as it is finished!

What is the mounting height of this 'fixture'?

 

[jugg2]

It is portable. Similar idea to those 500 watt halogen floodlights you can buy at wal mart or home depot.

 

[ponygt65]

It is portable. Similar idea to those 500 watt halogen floodlights you can buy at wal mart or home depot.

Just use it with caution. The UV output of MH's is high. Not to mention they get VERY hot.

Also, make sure the lamp is covered. I've seen some serious blow outs in those things. I personally don't trust the 'shatter proof' ones, but that's me.

 

[65535]

I wash watching a show called timewarp the other day. a thin PET coating or similar can stop a 9 foot long 2x4 (maybe it was a 4x4) moving 20mph into a pain of glass.

 

[ponygt65]

I wash watching a show called timewarp the other day. a thin PET coating or similar can stop a 9 foot long 2x4 (maybe it was a 4x4) moving 20mph into a pain of glass.

I'm not saying that it doesn't work, I was just giving my personal opinion. I didn't mean to indicate they are junk or wouldn't work. I've just seen too many HID's blow out and what they can do..Tis all. I've seen 3/8" thick glass break as a result of a low wattage (less than 175) having a blow out.