Need electrically minded to help

flricordia

flricordia

Active Member
I have a Maxkor electronic 250wt ballast with dimmer. I am trying to find some way of putting the dimmer on an automatic cycle so when the light fires up the dimmer will increase throughout the day automatically and then decrease again before lights out. Anyone know of something that would do this? Any ideas?
 
flricordia

flricordia

Active Member
Originally Posted by buckster71
Is that an autodimmer or a manual one?
One plug off the ballast right?
PONDER...PONDER...
Manual.
 
flricordia

flricordia

Active Member
Originally Posted by b bauer
did that come with the ballast or did you add it?
It is stock. ballasts are not made anymore unfortunatly.
 
buckster71

buckster71

Member
The problem I have is that the ballast will probably need to be feed 120 VAC to work effectively. THe Dimmer works off the output I am assuming here.
I can't make out the output voltage. I have a 250 W at home and don't know off the top of my head what the output voltage is. Is it 220 VAC?
 
buckster71

buckster71

Member
I would think that the output lead would have to be rewired to make an auto dimmer.
Unless you could train a monkey to turn it to full 12:00 LOL.
 
flricordia

flricordia

Active Member
Originally Posted by buckster71
The problem I have is that the ballast will probably need to be feed 120 VAC to work effectively. THe Dimmer works off the output I am assuming here.
I can't make out the output voltage. I have a 250 W at home and don't know off the top of my head what the output voltage is. Is it 220 VAC?
120. I have it working right now. I have it turned down when the light comes on and when I get home from work I increase it and before lights out I turn it out. The corals are responding to it. I have never seen such growth and color. All my yumas started putting out babies.
The trouble is that I am not always home on time and some nights not hoime at all though rare because of the bird thing. But it is a hassel to have to manually change it.
Ballast says:
Maxkor Digital Electronic Ballast 250W MH
Made in Canada High Performance Soft Start Low Harmonics
Line V: 120-220 VAC
Line C: 2.10 A
Line P: 250 W
P.F. 0.99%
T.H.D ,6%
Min. Start Temp:20C
Thermal Protection 90C
Crest Factor 1.41
Pre-Dimm 0%
Then over at the dimmer knob has a + and -
 
buckster71

buckster71

Member
You could buy Two 220 VAC timers, which I think are available such as for a hot water heater.
1 Timer = dimmed
2 Timer = full
What might be harder to find is a 220 VAC dimmer. Basically, I would run the output power through the timers (however, they would only time when powered...which is why I would have to leave the ballast on). I don't really like that idea, but it is necessary to run the timers, unless you can find a timers that can run off of seperate power like 120 VAC
I run the power wires the timer power and the line contacts on the timer. One timer would feed into a 220 VAC dimmer to whatever level you desire.
I believe that you have a 4 pin wire off that output right? Or is it a regular cord? All it is a 220VAC circuit with a neutral and a ground and two hot wires I believe.
The wires to your lights would be on teh line side of one timer and the other side of the dimmer switch.
I'm starting to think the trained monkey might be easier...LOL!
But that is probably how I would do it.
 
buckster71

buckster71

Member
I was wondering if you needed special bulbs for that..?
I was kind of thinking that myself...but he says his corals love it!
 
flricordia

flricordia

Active Member
I had also wondered if it would affect the bulbs, maybe shorten the life of it, but the way the corals are reating I figure even if they jsut last 6 months it would be worth it. I imagine they would last longer though. maxkor was very reputable at the time they were in business form what I understand and made great ballasts.
The light the bulb puts out at low is almost an actinic and brightens when turning the rheostate up.
 
buckster71

buckster71

Member
Hmmm...
I wonder if they are a specially designed ballast? Maybe you couldn't do it with a regular ballast?
However, I might just add some more lights to mine now that you've opened up my mind to this. I just have MH's.
 
mojo46825

mojo46825

Member
The manual dimmer is a potentiometer. u wont be able to just rewired it to a couple of times. basically what this is, it a variable resistor. This help change the voltage in a circuit or the amperage. V=IR. Voltage is equal to amps times restance. P=IV P power (watts) is equal to amps times Voltage. Simple algebra. Example P power or watts 120watt light bulb at 120 volts equals one aamp. p 120w=I*120v solve for I and you get 1. Ok thats basic electricity. As far as you manual adjustment. The only thing I could suggest is to figure out if the output is voltage or current sensitive. Then you could possibly get a amplifier car or maybe a small PLC (programmable logic controller) with an analog output and program it to ramp the output up and down off a series of timers. It a bit complex. I vote for the monkey!
 
flricordia

flricordia

Active Member
Originally Posted by mojo46825
The manual dimmer is a potentiometer. u wont be able to just rewired it to a couple of times. basically what this is, it a variable resistor. This help change the voltage in a circuit or the amperage. V=IR. Voltage is equal to amps times restance. P=IV P power (watts) is equal to amps times Voltage. Simple algebra. Example P power or watts 120watt light bulb at 120 volts equals one aamp. p 120w=I*120v solve for I and you get 1. Ok thats basic electricity. As far as you manual adjustment. The only thing I could suggest is to figure out if the output is voltage or current sensitive. Then you could possibly get a amplifier car or maybe a small PLC (programmable logic controller) with an analog output and program it to ramp the output up and down off a series of timers. It a bit complex. I vote for the monkey!
After trying to understand what you just said, I think the monkey is already here turning it up and down.
 
buckster71

buckster71

Member
Great...now we are into SLC500's.
That is just crazy. Not to mention if you go with an analog output card, how pray tell are you going to control it with anything that isn't 4-20mA or 0-10 vdc programmable? Let's see what we can add to do that?
http://www.grameyer.com.br/PDF/GRT7TH4_en.pdf
Hmmm...dimmer switch --- variable resistor?
Maybe I can market this...PLC controlled aquariums...just add about 5,000 to the cost

NOw if you control voltage you control amperage, you control amperage you control voltage...Neither of which is constant except for the resistance load of the bulbs themselves. I say that it is voltage changing, which in turn changes your amperage...unless the resistance changes.
 
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