How To: $70 DIY Metal Halide

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nemo_66

Guest
56K warning! sorry, forgot to put it in the title, if a mod would be kind enough to do that for me, that would be great!
hello everyone. this is going to be a how to make a 70 watt metal halide for around $70, more or less. im going to make this write up as clear as possible, since most of the ones on google are now outdated, the most current being 3-4 months old. this is very simple, and even the most electrically challenged person can pull it off, like myself.
so, i made this around 78 dollars, but it can be around 100 if you use the more expensive ushio bulb.
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for the actions you decide to take upon trying to make your own DIY Metal Halide. Any damage, loss, or injury caused by this DIY is entirely upon you. Do this at your own risk.
ok, saying that, this is my first time wiring anything up, and i was able to do it without killing myself, so that means its pretty easy.
Equipment Needed:
*Ballast
*Grounded Cord. Extension cord works fine
*Bulb
*Fixture. (Brinks Security Light 300w halogen)
*Electrical Tape OR Wire Caps
*Toggle switch(optional)
*Project Box (optional)
Tools Needed
*Screwdriver (flat and Philips)
*Electrical Screwdriver (optional)
*Drill bits
*Sharp Scissors OR Sharp knife
Ok, on with the pictures and instructions...
here is everything laid out. as you can see, i am using a brinks 300w halogen fixture from walmart. it was only around 10 bucks. you can use any halogen fixture you like though, but it must be 300 or 500 watts. if its not, then the sockets wont work. the ballast is from ballast wise dot com. shippings is a little slow, but its a nice small ballast for only 40 dollars shipped!

here is the E jay bulb, 14k. only 25 shipped, or you can get an ushio for around 60 bucks. i didnt know if this was going to work, so i stuck with the cheaper one, but once its time is over, i'll be getting an ushio. the color is quite nice too.
the toggle switch is from HD, and it was like, 3 or 4 dollars. its completely optional, but i wanted a way to turn the halide on and off without unplugging it. i got the biggest project box from radio shaq since i over estimated the size of the ballast, but i think one step smaller wouldve been enough. its only like 5-6 dollars, so no big deal. and the ballast again...

close blurry picture of the ballast and toggle switch...

ballast in the project box, just to see if it would fit. as you can see, i have plenty of room left over...

e jay metal halide box.

toggle switch installed on the project box. looks good to me.
i used a 1/4 inch drill bit to drill a hole, but it was to small, so i made it bigger by just rotating the drill bit in the hole... or you could just use a 1/2 inch drill bit...maybe. %%
 
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nemo_66

Guest
another pic of it installed.

the back side.

close blurry pic...

next, drill two holes on the side of the project box. the holes can really be anywhere really, but i decide to do both on one side, but my original plan was to do one on one side, and the other on the opposite side...

another picture of the two holes. also, just make the holes big enough to fit the cord through, otherwise it will be too loose, and the cord could get disconnected.

here is the extension cord i used. just cut off one side to go to the socket. the rest was used to go to the bulb from the ballast. sorry, not pics of that...

now i was expecting a ground wire coming out of the ballast, but there wasnt. so i did my research, and it seems to me that you have to use a screw and bolt and to bolt the wire onto one of the mounting holes on the ballast. sorry, no pics of that either, as it was a PITA to get it done.
here you can see the wire that will be going into the outlet getting connected. white goes to white, black on black, and green is ground. white is connected here...

another pic of it. as you can see, i used wire caps for the wires going to the outlet, since the toggle switch is on the lid, if i ever have to take the lid off, i'll be able to easily disconnect the wires, rather than taking off the tape.

outlet is all wired. the toggle switch needs to be wired on the black wire ONLY. the black wire from the extension cord goes to one of the black wires on the toggle switch. the other black wire from the toggle switch goes to the black wire on the ballast. thats it.

another pic of the toggle switch wiring...
 
N

nemo_66

Guest
everything in the box is wired. the two red wires need to go to the bulb. it doesnt matter which wire the red one gets connected too, as long as you dont connect it to the ground. ground this wire the same as the other one...

the tips of the extension cord i used to go to the fixture...

the wires coming out of the fixture

the fixture itself. i think i saw one it silver too. i wish i had gotten that one, but oh well.

end of the fixture with a hole i drilled so the wires could come out of the mounting thing, since i will be mounting this as it shows on the box. you could just drill holes on the top and hang it like a pendant too. as you see, the wires coming out of the fixture are short. this is because i cut them. DONT do this, as you will need long wires to connect it through the hole. i kicked myself for not realizing this sooner.

another pic of the hole...

finished.

i'll post up some pics of it running too, once i get it mounted on sunday. if anyone wants pics earlier, i'll just run it on the floor.
if you guys are confused by anything, feel free to ask or pm. i can also post a video of all the wiring if the demand is high enough, but not a video of the whole DIY assembly.
i hope this was helpful to someone on here. btw, this is going over a 5.5 gallon. you can see my build thread here. https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=360508
 
greenreefer

greenreefer

Active Member
very nice DIY. Do you know if that fixture can be used with a higher watage bulb like a 150 or a 250 if the ballast was swapped out?
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Very nice writeup!
I would encourage your readers to be sure they ground the system properly, by attaching all ground wires together inside the ballast enclosure and to a pigtail bolted to the frame of the ballast.
A few holes in the ballast enclosure (or a grounded metal box) would also be a good idea to reduce heat buildup.
 
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nemo_66

Guest
yes, i believe you can use a 150 watt bulb, but you must have the right ballast, like you stated. also, i think you might need to modify the sockets to make the bulb fit, but im still unsure of it.
and yes, please do ground your wires properly. its very important.
and thanks for the complements.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
I think the 150 and the 70 use the same socket. Once you go beyond that the socket style changes entirely.
Not sure I'd use the 150 on this little fixture though... heat may be an issue. Perhaps the larger 500w halogen floods would be a better choice.
 
gateway

gateway

New Member
Great Post! Just thought I would share my dual 150 watt version of this setup. I used the same Brinks fixtures, but had to cut the socket bracket so it would accept the wider 150 watt bulb and notch the reflector a little bit. I also went with Ballastwise electronic ballasts, just the larger 150 watt units. You will also notice that I added two small 12 volt fans to each pendant in a push pull setup to reduce heat. I leave these lights on 8 hours a day and the fixtures stay cool to the touch. Here they are hanging over my tank:

Close up of the fixture. Notice the fans and how I suspended the fixture:

Cut socket bracket so it would accept the 150w bulb and had to drill new mounting holes:

Completed pendant with 150w bulb installed. Had to notch the reflector to clear the ceramic sockets:

I used a PC extension cord for the lights (male ends on pendants, female on ballasts) and molex connectors for the fans:

Close up of one of the cooling fans:

Ballastwise ballast:

Molex quick disconnect connectors for the fans in each pendant:

Full tank Shot:
 
mantisman51

mantisman51

Active Member
I got lucky and paid $80 for a new 250w MH unit, like new and including shipping, on the "bay". I had to pay for the bulb, but it is a self-contained unit with 2-6" fans and the glass cover was still in the plastic film. The guy dropped a small flower pot on the box and put a 1" (less than a 1/16" deep) ding in the side case and it was guaranteed for a year, like normal. I've been thinking of trying something like this for my 125g reef. The smaller size-75-150w seem to cost more than the larger ones.
 
N

nemo_66

Guest
thats cool Gateway. im also in the process of putting in a quick disconnect on mine too, and making a diy pendant...
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
If you haven't found them, stayonline.com is a great source for those connectors.
They are called IEC 320 connectors, male is C14, Female is C13.
 
glowingjap

glowingjap

New Member
I saw something similar to this and almost coo-ed my pants, and went right into buy one. I realized this could be too good to be true and so I researched it. The reason this "metal halide" is so cheap is because it is incorrectly labeled. You've bought a halogen light not a metal halide and although this does put out a lot of light, it isn't anywhere near as efficient as a real metal halide light. Google "Halogen vs Halide."
It even says halogen on the bulb box, also notice halogen bulbs have a kind of long coil going through it vs a metal halide has a little silver orb in the middle of it. Pretty sure that orb is filled with mercury and other halides, something like that.
Forgot to mention that halogen lights don't provide much of the needed spectrum for coral. So although you may see some success, from what I've read, you will use more wattage from these lights but it's less efficient and your light spectrum is severely limited.
These lights are the same ones you can get at Home Depot for ~$45 those tripod construction lights, and at a much cheaper price than yall are paying for a much nicer looking unit.
Something similar to this
http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans-Worklights/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5Zaqn9/R-100655355/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
My dad got a similar one on sale for $45 which had two lights on it. Each light had a 150w and 250w, I believe, of these halogen bulbs. The thing that throws you off is the unit itself, as well as the bulb, call it "metal halide." Point is don't believe it. Google pictures of halide bulbs and halogen bulbs to see for yourself.
 
reefkprz

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by glowingjap
http:///forum/post/3182012
I saw something similar to this and almost coo-ed my pants, and went right into buy one. I realized this could be too good to be true and so I researched it. The reason this "metal halide" is so cheap is because it is incorrectly labeled. You've bought a halogen light not a metal halide and although this does put out a lot of light, it isn't anywhere near as efficient as a real metal halide light. Google "Halogen vs Halide."
It even says halogen on the bulb box, also notice halogen bulbs have a kind of long coil going through it vs a metal halide has a little silver orb in the middle of it. Pretty sure that orb is filled with mercury and other halides, something like that.
Forgot to mention that halogen lights don't provide much of the needed spectrum for coral. So although you may see some success, from what I've read, you will use more wattage from these lights but it's less efficient and your light spectrum is severely limited.
he modified the light From a halogen TO a metal halide.....by adding the correct ballast and rewiring it.
 
cjcoopertag

cjcoopertag

Member
So you are telling me that the double end sockets that are used in a Halogen Security light fixture are the same double end sockets that are used for MH double end bulbs? So I was looking at the 500Watt fixture and wondering in anyone new what MH bulb can be used there?
 
chrisnif

chrisnif

Member
This looks way awesome. I have a couple ballast i'm putting together into fixtures and may end up doing this. Only thing is, I thought i read somewhere that for HQI you needed to have an HQI specific ballast not just any old MH ballast as there are some differences. If someone could verify. The ballastwise ballast seems to be a standard electronic MH ballast not an HQI specific, so I guess i need to research more.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Originally Posted by cjcoopertag
http:///forum/post/3182074
So you are telling me that the double end sockets that are used in a Halogen Security light fixture are the same double end sockets that are used for MH double end bulbs? So I was looking at the 500Watt fixture and wondering in anyone new what MH bulb can be used there?
Yes, this is correct. 70w and 150w double ended halide lamps are dimensionally compatible with 300/500w halogen sockets.
Halogen sockets are NOT compatible with 250 or 400w halide lamps however.
This post was a DIY halide fixture, using an off the shelf halogen fixture to provide the lampholder. A ballast was added, along with taking out the halogen lamp that comes with the fixture and replacing it with the appropriate halide lamp.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Originally Posted by calbert0
http:///forum/post/3182082
So the halogen socket will run/fit the HQI bulb with no problem? or did i miss something?
Yes, but only with a ballast added. You can't simply drop a halide lamp into a halogen fixture and expect it to work without the ballast.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Originally Posted by Chrisnif
http:///forum/post/3182270
This looks way awesome. I have a couple ballast i'm putting together into fixtures and may end up doing this. Only thing is, I thought i read somewhere that for HQI you needed to have an HQI specific ballast not just any old MH ballast as there are some differences. If someone could verify. The ballastwise ballast seems to be a standard electronic MH ballast not an HQI specific, so I guess i need to research more.
To break it down in a bit more detail... there are three flavors of halide ballasts out there. Probe start, pulse start, and HQI.
Probe start ballasts will operate probe start lamps only. The only probe start lamps are mogul base, single ended lamps.
Pulse start ballasts will operate pulse start (mogul base, single ended) lamps, and probe start lamps.
HQI ballasts will operate ANY single ended, mogul base lamp (of matching wattage of course), and will also operate double ended lamps.
Pulse start ballasts will sometimes operate double ended lamps, but not reliabily, and the lamps are less likely to ignite consistently as they age with this setup.
 
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