Truu's electrical help thread.

Howdy folks.

This thread will be dedicated to any of your electrical needs. Whether it be a question about your growing setup, or if you just need help around the house. I have many years of electrical experience in residential, commercial, and industrial fields.

Just ask your question as detailed as possible, throw in some pics if needed. The more info I can get, the better I can understand what you need. It is also a good idea to let me know if you are from over seas, for I am not lol.

 

[Don Fulano]

Hey truu, thanks for the reply, i wired it black to black, red and yellow wires to black and white wire, it should have worked, i guess ill just trya different brand,
Df

 

[Buzzbait]

Hello Truu. and thanks for being here. Could you please help me trouble shoot a 400watt ballast. I have a 120v Sunlight Supply dual 400watt ballast. the Hps side is working fine. The metal halide side isn't firing. It has been about 4 years since this ballast was last used. I remembered having replaced the 24 micro farad cap once during the last use. What I have done so far to try and troubleshoot it. 1st. I tried a different bulb 2 different times. no luck. 2nd. inspected all wiring, all looks good. 3rd. inspected 24mf cap, no signs of metal case enlarging and all seems good. 4th. took meter reading across cap in ohms scale, the meter read .718 Meg ohm with meter leads switched it read the same .718Meg ohms. 5th measured voltage at socket. measured 274volts. ac. there is no igniter in the metal halide circuit just the transformer and the capacitor. Could you tell me what else I might try. Thanks BB

 

[Truu]

Need some more questions answered before I can give you a good answer. First, is it a magnetic ballast? Second, what is the cap original rating? If its less than 24mf then it could be a bad cap.

And another thing. You said your ballast is rated for 120v? And your 5th step you measured 274v? Could be your voltage.

 

[Buzzbait]

Thank you for the reply. It is a magnetic ballast, the original ratting of the capacitor is 24 mf. I an not sure what it is reading however. The input voltage is 120volts I have no idea what the output voltage should be, but I did read 274v. I didn't know if the ballast transformer stepped up the voltage or not. I have ordered a capacitor meter today so I will be able to know for sure if the cap is bad or not in a couple of days. Again thanks for the reply. The pic of your plant is awesome!! I hope to be growing my first auto show soon and if it looks half as good as yours I will be a happy camper.

 

[Truu]

Have you tried a new bulb? My only guess would be capacitor or bulb. Maybe double check to make sure wiring on ballast is correct? Thank you she was a beaut.

 

[Chupaxuxas]

Hello Truu, before asking anything thanks for the amazing help that you are giving to us all.
Well, I have a simple question but seeing as I am a newbie when it comes to eletricity, what do I really need to get this fan connected to a power source?
http://kaya.es/1377-4786-thickbox/extractor-intractor-sunon.jpg
The specifications are here.
http://www.soselectronic.com/?str=3...sunon-dp200a-2123xsl-dp200a-2123xsl-gn#tabs-2
I've posted the picture because the place where I'm getting the fan from comes with that cable included. What else do I need?

 

[Truu]

You're welcome chupa. Well I cant give you a very good answer on your fan. I personally think that the only way to make that fan work is to connect it to a PC power supply, not a wall outlet. Most computer fans Ive dealt with have a positive and negative chord coming off them. What I do is take an old 12v cell phone charger and use it to power the fan.

Seeing as how that fan operates at 230v, that pretty much tells me its got to get its power from some sort of transformer or power supply.

 

[Oxykontinkush]

Quick question for you brother, My grow op sits out back in the shed. I have no expirence when it comes to electricity, how hard would it be to run a wire back there to get power to the shed? I live in a mobile home and it looks like somoene ran a wire to it before but it was cut. Personally i'd rather just use an extension cord. What would be the best cord for me? I am running a 600 watt hps, a 20 watt commercial air pump and a 6" inline fan for the cooltube on the light. Isnt it more expensive to run an extension cord than it would be to just wire it?

 

[Mindzeye]

You're welcome chupa. Well I cant give you a very good answer on your fan. I personally think that the only way to make that fan work is to connect it to a PC power supply, not a wall outlet. Most computer fans Ive dealt with have a positive and negative chord coming off them. What I do is take an old 12v cell phone charger and use it to power the fan.

Seeing as how that fan operates at 230v, that pretty much tells me its got to get its power from some sort of transformer or power supply.

Hey Truu, nice to see you helping others that need it! Just remember if Chupa is in a European country most likely the power from the wall is 230V 50hz. He might not need a transformer to run that fan.

I use a similar fan in my closet only it is 120v 60hz standard for USA, I just bought a 2 prong extension cord and cut the outlet off it and then connected it to the two wires coming off the fan, polarity doesnt matter with those fans.

 

[Chupaxuxas]

Yeah you're right, I just needed a male to put at the end of the fan cable