Electrical - flip flop diy question (relay?)

[east_side]

Hey! I would like to make my own flip flop light controler. I am very capable of electrical concept and wirering.

Question!

Can i flip from one bulb to the other with a relay and timer?

I was going to set this up but with a HPS ballast i know there's an ignitor and the word ingnitor kinda makes me doubt i can do it this easy! Does the ballast need to turn on at the same time ase the bulb so the "ignitor works?

Thanks

 

[whazzup]

With some ballasts you may have the problem that they won't re-strike. For magnetic ballasts this is not a problem, for electronic ballasts it is, as their circuitry is much more sensitive. You are creating a malfunction on purpose every time you switch.

Make sure that your contactor is 5 kV pulse approved and preferably use magnetic ballasts. I know many will vouch that they do it with electronic ballasts and have no problems, but believe me: it may shorten their lives.

 

[Hammerhead]

here you go. This will flip one ballest to work with 2 lights

 

[east_side]

Thanks guys! Sure is nice this info!!

 

[imnotcrazy]

Flip-Flop build from scratch :

http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=99252

 

[east_side]

Does anyone know how many AMPS runs to the bulb from the ballast? And is it at 120v or 240v from the ballast to the bulb?

Ill be putting DPDT Ice cube relays, does this sound right?

Thanks

 

[rives]

Does anyone know how many AMPS runs to the bulb from the ballast? And is it at 120v or 240v from the ballast to the bulb?

Ill be putting DPDT Ice cube relays, does this sound right?

Thanks

The lamp current varies with the type of lamp - look at the lamp specification sheet and it will tell you both the operating current and the lamp voltage. The voltage can range from under 100v to 400v. depending on the lamp design and the starting pulse can be several thousand volts. Ice cube relays have the contacts too close together for the voltages that are seen during lamp ignition. Normally the open-frame power relays are a better choice (like the one shown in HH's diagram above). The following link is to the best pricing that I've seen for them.

http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Relays_-z-_Timers/Electro-Mechanical_Relays/Power_Relays,_Open-Style,_40A_%28AD-PR40_Series%29/AD-PR40-2C-120A

 

[growshopfrank]

one little heads up
if using an open-frame relay bundle all the loose wire with a zip tie out of the way of the moving parts of the relay Ive seen a couple of examples where a wire managed to get between the contacts and cause a malfunction

if you want to flip digital ballasts they need to be powered down when switching lamps not a big deal at all just one more contactor and timer and done

 

[growshopfrank]

Does anyone know how many AMPS runs to the bulb from the ballast? And is it at 120v or 240v from the ballast to the bulb?

Ill be putting DPDT Ice cube relays, does this sound right?

Thanks

one hot start and the ice cube will be melted ,literally

 

[Hammerhead]

The relay needs to be mounted in a separate box to be code compliant. There very easy to make...I have never had one malfunction like that.

 

[wantaknow]

i have one that hides the electrical usage and is digital compatable,makes 6 into 12 whew it was costly but well worth the wait

 

[rives]

i have one that hides the electrical usage and is digital compatable,makes 6 into 12 whew it was costly but well worth the wait

Hides the electrical usage? I would have to see the details on that to believe it. If you are talking about from smart meters, I wouldn't want to bet my freedom on it.

 

[east_side]

i have one that hides the electrical usage and is digital compatable,makes 6 into 12 whew it was costly but well worth the wait

I'd like to know more about that! I hade a friend saying the same thing but his flip flop has 3 out of 6 on at a time in 1 room and would flip from one to the other, u save power but dosent push all the lumens needed!

 

[ginnz]

here you go. This will flip one ballest to work with 2 lights

View Image

awesome, but how would i hook the timer up if I were doing a 2 ballast/4 lamp flipper?

TIA,
Ginnz.

 

[whazzup]

i have one that hides the electrical usage and is digital compatable,makes 6 into 12 whew it was costly but well worth the wait

it's not the contactor that needs to be comp[atible with an electronic ballast, it is the ballast that should support the switching of the output signal.

I'm really interested in the Klingon technology that is used to hide the electrical usage

 

[LeeROI]

I'm sure the post meant avoiding the twelve hour per day power bump. My utility reads my meter every 15 minutes.

 

[rives]

I'm sure the post meant avoiding the twelve hour per day power bump. My utility reads my meter every 15 minutes.

I don't think that the interval between data transmissions really tells you much - it depends on how much memory is built into the meter for data storage prior to the transfer. The processors used in at least some smart meters are capable of sub-millisecond and sub-millivolt measurements, and both the resolution of the measurements and the polling intervals are dynamically adjustable by the utility.

 

[Green_science]

Look at MBB switches (make before break)

 

[killermoats]

Here's mine

Here's mine

I built mine a little different than the standard $25-$35 DPDT relay method as posted. I used a DPST for each bulb. They cost about $3 each for a 40a relay. I then tied the triggers into a 110v DPDT ($6) trigger relay. I am using digital ballasts and i'm sure that I am reducing the lifespan of them. But, reducing the upfront cost to double my light means I really don't care if I need to replace a ballast short of it's normal life span.



Sorry for the bad pic quality, Was taken from old phone when the build was half way wired up. Note I hard wired all my hoods into the unit.

One thing I did find is if one room has a bad bulb (or no bulb) the bulb on the other side gets hit hard and may burn out super quick. Not too sure about that but I think that may be the cause for one bulb failure. They were also cheap bulbs so who knows. will need to test later with high end bulbs.