cpu fan running off a 250watt ballast

[sharkbait9]

Ok real quick. I have decided to mod out a odyssea light fixture. They are pretty much a knock off of coralife fixtures. The one thing I don't like about the odyssea fixture is 4 cords to operate everything.
I took apart my coralife fixture and it appears the internal fan is hard wired right to the cord coming in from the ballast.
I can not find a converter or anything prior, straight off the ballast. How is that possible?
If I hard wire the fan to the ballast wires wouldn’t it burn up?
I have to rewire the ballast cords anyway since they do not use a ground wire in the fixture. I have to order an ice cap ballast and change out the cord that goes to the fixture and the quick disconnect from the fixture. Simple on that end since they use 250 volt 18gauge CPU plugs and monitor plugs as QD.
Any help on this part of the mod would be great since I’m going to put together a step by step “mod your Odyssea light fixture” with direction and pics.
Thanks DIY-ers

 

[scsinet]

Have you looked inside the ballast enclosure itself?
What I am understanding from what you are saying is that the fan is wired in parallel with the halide lamp. I can't imagine this scenario. Halide lamps operate at near line voltage (usually about 130v). However, they require a high voltage kick to strike the arc, usually about 4kV, which would destroy any fan.
It's possible that the fan is a 120v fan (they do make 120v fans that look just like the "computer fans") that is wired in parallel with the INPUT to the ballast and not the OUTPUT? Have you looked closely?

 

[krazy302]

I also have ripped apart a oddessa mh light and used it as a retro kit..the fans that are in the halide fixtures are 110v fans wired in at the feed side not the ballest output side.. all you have to do is wire that fan back into the plug side(outlet)..If I remember right they are wired in near the pc ballasts inside the fixture, not the mh ballast which have there own boxes.

 

[sharkbait9]

On the odyssea fixture, the fans are set up to plugged into an outlet with rocker type on/off switch. I took down my coralife and current USA 250 fixtures and tore them apart re-inspected the fan set ups. from what is looks like the fan is hard wired to the black and white wires coming from the ballast cord. The cord is only a three lead cord to boot with the green screwed to the fixture.
The current fixture fan set up is hooked to a rocker switch/power cord too.
So i'm going to have to pull the coralife ballast apart and see if they use some sort of inverter or something. That still would not make sense since the ballast is a single cord and that still has to fire off the bulb.
How disappointing this could be..... everything is an easy and cheap to replace but to have the fans come on with the MH without having to plug the fans into an outlet with a timer would suck.
I mean odyssey really made it super easy to replace the knock off crap with name brand ballast and what not.
So far replaced the white no frills ballast with sun pac 96 watt CF Panasonic square pin and looking for a deal on 250 watt ice cap or coralvue ballast now

 

[camanuch]

as for the fans if you wire it right to the white, black, and green side (input side) that will operate the fan when the power is sent to the ballast. the one plug will be the plug for both the ballast and the fan. all you are doing is avoiding a plug this way. i work for CONEDISON in ny so i know a little something about electricity.lol. just rewire the fan to the input side not output. will blow up fan and melt it. if any questions i will draw diagram and post.

 

[camanuch]

as for the fans if you wire it right to the white, black, and green side (input side) that will operate the fan when the power is sent to the ballast. the one plug will be the plug for both the ballast and the fan. all you are doing is avoiding a plug this way. i work for CONEDISON in ny so i know a little something about electricity.lol. just rewire the fan to the input side not output. will blow up fan and melt it. if any questions i will draw diagram and post.

 

[sharkbait9]

Originally Posted by camanuch
http:///forum/post/2527373
as for the fans if you wire it right to the white, black, and green side (input side) that will operate the fan when the power is sent to the ballast. the one plug will be the plug for both the ballast and the fan. all you are doing is avoiding a plug this way. i work for CONEDISON in ny so i know a little something about electricity.lol. just rewire the fan to the input side not output. will blow up fan and melt it. if any questions i will draw diagram and post.

no clue what your saying. Say it so a three year old would get it. Draw me a picture.

 

[scsinet]

He's saying the same thing that was already said (twice).
The fan HAS to be on the input side of the ballast, not the output.

 

[camanuch]

this is as simple as it gets

 

[sharkbait9]

ok ok ok, gee wiz. i said tell me like i'm three not stupid

I wanted to make sure that i was understanding what was going on.
So I guess if this was 150 watt system you could hard wire the fan to the ballast then? Not having to worry about the fan burning?
but on a 250 that first fire of the ballast would melt the fan and the continual electric would keep the fan burning.

 

[sharkbait9]

oh so wait the new fan i got, same size only has the two black wires. I will assume if i conect the wrong wires it will just spin in reverse? do i have to worry about that?
No pos or neg on the fan.

 

[scsinet]

If it's a 120v fan, then it'll spin the same way no matter whcih way the wires are connected.
Just connect one wire to black and one to white from teh power cord and you're good to go.

 

[camanuch]

that is considered a single phoase fan. like said can be hooked up either way. as for the 250W fan you still need to do b4 ballast. no matter what.

 

[sharkbait9]

ok thank you very much people.