Metal Halide Ballests???

[cafero702]

i found many pendadnt fixures of MH's but alot does not say unclude ballesets.
I need a balest right?? box thing in the cord line right?? what does it do?
any help?

 

[hurt]

Yes, you must have a ballast to fire a MH lamp, or fluorescent bulb. The ballast is what limits the current in the circuit. Basically, it powers your lights, without a ballast-you have nothing.
Here are my three, top is an IceCap 660 for my actinics, and the bottom two are each IceCap electronic 250 watt MH ballasts.

 

[scsinet]

Keep in mind that ballasts aren't usually all open like Hurt's ballasts, with the wires exposed like that. His picture is a DIY solution, but it does illustrate clearly the different types of ballasts out there.
You can buy commercially made ballasts where everything is enclosed in a metal box with connectors for your power cord and lights.