halogen to MH DIY?

[crashedin0]

wasnt there a way to use a halogen light and wire it up to a mh lamp ?
it was something lik 500 watt halo equal 150 watt Mh CUZ of the 5 inch sive or wut not

 

[scsinet]

I've actually seen this done in pictures on the web. Unfortunately, I can't remember where.
In theory, this should work if you can get the bulb to fit. A halogen bulb almost certainly puts off more heat than a MH, so heat should not be an issue. I need need to stress that I haven't ever tried this, but this is how I would try it.
The thing you need to worry about is the strike voltage. MH ballasts pulse the bulb at about 1500 or so volts to "strike" the arc in the tube. The wiring in regular halogen fixtures is doubtfully rated for that. You may need to take the fixture apart and replace the 300 or 600 volt rated wire with 1000 volt wire, or slip extra insulation (silicon NOT PLASTIC air line hose will work, most likely) over the wires all the way back to the end holders.
BTW, what does "sive or wut not" mean?

 

[nytrillium]

Deffinately... I planned on doing this for my tank after i built my new stand. SCSInet is right though... if you have ever looked on the inside of those halogen fixtures, the gauge of wire is probably close to 18-20 and that is WAAAAY to thin for the power that a MH bulb needs. So, you could just go to the shack and get some 10 gauge braided wire to be safe and rewire the sockets. The sockets are identical so that isnt a problem. Maybe replace the reflector with a more reflective one. Hook up the Ballast to an outlet for the shop light to plug into, and presto-chango, you have a DIY halide fixture.

Just be sure that when you buy the bulbs that they are 5 inches long... There are many bulbs out there that are 5.5 inches that will not work in a halogen fixture. (on ebizzle)
Good luck.

 

[scsinet]

I should reiterate that ordinary wire will not do. You need to pay close attention to the voltage rating of the wire. 16 AWG wire will be more than big enough for any MH bulb. Those fixtures come with 18 ga wire, which might work okay for a smaller bulb. I don't know what wattage those bulbs are, but if they are 175 watt or less, you'll be fine. If you are replacing anyway though, use 16 ga wire.
Even the biggest bulbs for aquarium use only draw 400 watts, and you can safely run 1,325 watts over 16 AWG wire. More important is that you must have wire that is rated for at least 1000 volts. If you use too low of a rated wire, eventually if not immediately the insulation will break down during strike up and you risk hurting yourself (badly), blowing your ballast and/or your bulb. Using a halogen fixture is SUCH a cheap way of doing it compared to buying a commercially made pendant, you might as well drop the few extra bucks to get the right wire. 1000 volt wire won't be at Radio shack. A home improvement store might have 14 ga wire rated at this, but I know Newark carries it. 9 bucks for a 100 feet. Not bad.
1000 Volt Hook Up Wire

 

[squidd]

I've done a couple threads on this, but here's a review on the 500 halogen to 150 MH conversion I did awhile back...
There is a picture on there with a 500 halogen base and a 150 MH base....if you look closely, the wires are the same "gauge" , but the Mh is a multi strand wire while the halogen uses single strand copper...that's where you get the differing voltage carrying capacity..
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/188781/metal-halide-diy-fixture

 

[crashedin0]

i was thinking of taking it apart to do it in a canapy or sumthing thank so the ballest will work just run new wires and the bulb ? :thinking:

 

[nytrillium]

Not sure what your asking here but, yes you can just go to HD or lowes and pick up a cheap shop light, swap out the wire in it and connect it to a MH ballast and you have yourself a DIY halide setup. The advantage of the shop lights is that the casings are rated for damp environments and the lens is sealed to the cast housing preventing moisture from getting to the halide bulb.

 

[crashedin0]

ok so do i need a MH ballest or not
i bout wire rated for 1000 volts today so do i just re wire or do i need the ballest
i will get the mh light through mail when im done wiring things up

 

[scsinet]

All Metal Halide lights need a ballast.
MH bulbs come in two flavors.. Probe Start and Pulse Start. I can't remember exactly which is interchangeable with which, but I know that double ended bulbs are pulse start so you must have a pulse start ballast to drive them.
The ballast I'd buy is the Icecap 150w MH ballast. It will drive any 150w bulb, pulse or probe start so if you upgrade to a 150w SE fixture down the road, it'll run that too. They're around $125.
DO NOT try to buy a bigger ballast to provide upgrade room down the road. The ballast and bulb must match wattages. If you try to drive a 150 watt bulb with a 250 or 400 watt ballast, you'll wreck your equipment.
No matter what you buy, make sure you get a ballast that works with your bulb. Most MFRs or aquarium dealers can tell you what common ballasts will work with what bulb.

 

[nytrillium]

Here is a link to a Halide cross reference guide that will tell you what bulb will run on what ballast. The bulbs and ballasts are rated with an ansi rating (M-102, M-81, M58 etc.)
http://www.aquarium-lighting-guide.c...al-halide-ansi

 

[crashedin0]

ok got it now thanks guys last one what bulbs fit 150 watt double ended 5 inch right

 

[nytrillium]

The 5 inch halide bulbs will fit the halogen sockets. Be careful ordering online though because some of the bulbs you can find on Ebizzle are 5.5 inches and will not fit.