Re: [APD] Need guidance with DIY compact fluorescents -- or - Eclipsing the Original Design

["Brian Wagener" <brian at shoptalkforums_com>]

Thanks for the info.

I decided to go with the Custom SeaLife retrofit since I found a place
that would swap out the Ultra-Actinic for a standard 10,000K bulb.  This
is a 32W power compact, and is about 13", is this a non-standard size
since I only see the ones from CSL.  I don't know if the 10,000K is
optimal, but I will live with it for a while.

And thanks for your warnings about heat in the hood, I will make sure I
add some cooling before I install the lights.  I will also go ahead and
buy a remote thermometer so I can measure the temp inside the hood.

Thanks,
Brian


S. Hieber said:
> Saying that ballasts "detects" the wattage requirements of
> a bulb is a bit too anthropomorhic for my tastes. The
> ballast will develop a certin voltage across the bulb,
> depending on how the plasma in the bulb reacts to the
> ballast and vice versa. The resistance of the bulb is a
> function of design but varies as it heats up -- its very
> high when the bulb is cold and as it heats up is lowers
> until the resistance is very low and the bulb burns up.
> Luckily, with the right the ballast, the current is in
> limited supply, it can only provide a certain amount of
> current to the bulb and that, if it's the right ballast,
> keeps the bulb lit but prevents it from "flaming out." The
> wattage rating on a bulb only tells you the wattage udner
> operation with a specific ballast.
>
> You could try to fit some compact fluorescents (as oposed
> to power compacts) under the 12, they're the most compact
> fluorescent bulbs in length. But the Eclipse hood wasn't
> meant to handle the higher heat -- remember that roughly
> 65% of the bulb wattage, on the proper ballast, is going to
> be shed as heat -- as you up the wattage, you up the heat.
>
> The Eclipse hood will start to warp over time if you don't
> keep the hood from overheating.  Overheating an Eclipse
> hood with too much lighting is an easily if not cheaply
> repeatable experiment.
>
> A 36 watt Power Compact will just fit in an Eclipse 12 hood
> (it mesures 16 18" inches including the socket) and you can
> run it off of a Fulham Workhorse 5 or Workhorse 3 ballast
> -- follow the wiring diagrams at the fulham website or
> follow the directions from AH Supply. [A Longhorse is the
> same ballast as the Workhorse, just physically longer and
> narrower.] On a Workhorse 3 the 36 watt bulb will be
> slightly overdriven but not enough to notice or make much
> diff. I don't think an AH Supply reflector will fit inside
> the existing hood splash cover -- not without some serious
> trimming. And you would need to add more ventilation holes
> into the the hood and provide ventilation in the splash
> hood so that air can convect in and then out the top vents
> -- I think you'd need fans.
>
> I have an example of an retrofitted Eclipse 12: I fit an AH
> Supply pair of 13 watt lights in an Eclipse 12. I drilled
> about 20 ventilation intake holes (1/8") in the sides of
> the splash cover and put 4 outlet vents (the kind AHS
> supplies) in the cover. When the lights are running, the
> air at the outlet vents reigisters 89-90 degrees F but the
> tank doesn't heat up from the lights.
>
> I kept the original white plastic "reflector" plate, which
> inititally started to warp diirectly over the filament
> portions of the bulbs. I put a small square of aluminum
> flashing material between the bulb and the white plastic
> but only ove the filaments. That solved that problem. I
> covered the white platic with "silvered" mylar film. This
> brought a slight increase in refelcted light reaching the
> water. I had some 3M spray adhesive on hand so that's what
> I used to adhere the mylar to the reflector plate. It's
> held up very nicely -- no peeling, flaking, burning,
> warping, or bubbling.
>
> Higher wattage, such as a 36 watt bulb on a Workhorse 3 or
> 5 ballast would require a bit more imagination to deal with
> the heat, but it probably could be done. Perhaps mounting
> one or two 2" tubeaxial fans, the kind made for personal
> computer CPUs would do the trick. You'd need a a wallwart
> that puts out 12V DC (which probably means one rated for
> about 9VDC) to run the fan(s).
>
> But I doubt that there's any plant that I could grow in
> this tank with the 2 13 watt bulbs for want of light
> --other limitations might hold me back, but not the amount
> of light. I prefer the remote ballasts -- all of the top of
> the 12 hood lifts and I wouldn't want any ballast weight
> there.
>
> If you're listening, Jay, this tank turned out to be worth
> every penny I over bid on it ;-),including the cost and the
> fun of the light conversion.
>
> Scott H.
> --- Brian Wagener <brian at shoptalkforums_com> wrote:
>> I have a freshwater planted Eclipse 12 that I want to
>> upgrade the lighting
>> for.  I have been looking around, and can't find exactly
>> what I want.
>> Custom Sealife has a retrofit but it only comes with a
>> marine bulb, and AH
>> supply's kit doesn't work for me either because I would
>> rather have a
>> single remote ballast that I can hide, instead of 2 big
>> white
>> transformers.
>>
>> I found the ballast I want to use, the fulham Longhorse 3
>> which is good
>> for 64w.  The problem I am having is what bulbs to use.
>> I would like to
>> have at least 30w.  And with only 17"x3"x3" there isn't
>> much room.  I went
>> looking on the GE, and Osram websites, and couldn't find
>> anything I could
>> use with a high enough temperature.  Does anyone have any
>> recommendations
>> for either a 14" 32W, or a 2x18W 6" bulb?
>>
>> Also I see listed a 28/32W bulb.  If the ballast like the
>> longhorse
>> detects the bulb wattage, would this bulb run at 28 or
>> 32W?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Brian
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
>> http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/aquatic-plants
>
>
> =====
> S. Hieber
>
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