Running Into Some Trouble.. Help? - Micro Grows - International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums

stilleo · 11-13-2006, 09:00 AM

I am in the process of creating my grow cab and I ran into a couple problems and was hoping I can get some answers to a couple questions.

1. I currently have 2 23W fluoro lights to grow my plant untill I grow 2-3 nodes. Is that enough watts before I transfer it to my HPS lights?
2. My ballast seems to be making this buzzing noise and the light is not turning off. I checked and double checked the wiring but it seems like no juice is going into the light. I got it to work before but something went wrong... anyone know what COULD be the problem? (I know that it is difficult to tell what the problem is off that explaination but anything would help)
3. How many plants could I grow under a 100w HPS light in a 30"w x 24"h x 16"d?

Also, anyone know where a good place to find those desk lights that duggy uses in his box? I cant seem to find any fluoro's that will fit within 16". I have only seen the 2' fluoro shop lights and it wont fit.

DurbanPoison · 11-13-2006, 09:09 AM

Don't be afraid for the coil style compact floro bulbs. They certainly work.

1 - Yes those floros should suffice but you want to keep those bulbs nice and close - 2-3" away from the tops.

2 - Ballast is buzzing - that's unusual. Are you sure it's not the bulb? When my bulbs turn on they buzz briefly. Search for some DIY diagrams on wiring a remote ballast.

3 - How many plants in that space? Depends on your growing style. You could grow 1 plant doing a ScrOG and weave it around a screen to fill that whole area and switch to flower. That would be convenient - or maybe 2-4 plants using the same idea. ScrOG Example Example 2 Also - do a search for Sea of Green (SOG). Depends on what you want.

P.s. It's Nate Dogg that says that quote in your signature.

stilleo · 11-13-2006, 10:14 AM

Hey durban, thanks for the quick response. It isn't the bulb because I have two 100 hps lights and I tested both bulbs and they both work perfectly. I tried to rewire it and it still isnt giving juice to the bulb. Any other suggestions? I went through the ballast guides throughout the forums and it seems that my ballast is wired correctly. Also, my fluoro's do not have a ballast... should I have one? It seems to be running fine and the fixture that I am running said that it has a 60W max output. With how many plants I am going to grow, I decided 2 plants under a scrog screen would work well with my limited space.

DurbanPoison · 11-13-2006, 06:40 PM

High Stilleo -

I think you'll enjoy the ScrOG. The maintenance is a lot easier than most other LST methods.

Floros don't require a ballast. They generally have them built in. If your using the desktop long tube tyle floros, the ballast is inside the where the on/off switch is. The 60w max output fixture you have will certainly suffice for your needs.

Your real problem:

This ballast noise is a chin scratcher. Can you take some pictures and list the specs of your equipment? That might help. We'll see what we can find.

stilleo · 11-13-2006, 10:25 PM

Yeah I will have to find a digital camera to take pictures but will do it soon. Thanks durban.

DurbanPoison · 11-14-2006, 07:36 AM

Cool man. Post some pics and maybe I can give you my $.02 cents again.

stilleo · 11-20-2006, 06:05 AM

Hey durban I finally got a picture of my ballast. What do you think?

DurbanPoison · 11-20-2006, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stilleo

I got it to run but then it stopped when I tried it the next time.

First thing, i'm no electrician, but when troubleshooting anything you want to isolate the problem. Keep in mind that these high powered lights can take up to a minute to fire/start. If they've been on for a while and then it turns off, it may need to cool down for some time before you can turn it on again even if it has power it might not work. Now if you got it working once, that should mean that your wiring is connected correctly.

I remember you said you tried to re-wire it already. If so, did you use good/new/clean wire? Are you sure it isn't damaged? In most case with electrical that you get to work intermittantly, you have a short or a bad component.

I see a green wire there which is usually the ground. Is that connected to a piece of metal and grounded properly? It could be shorting out.

Where did you get the equipment? Was it new? Can you get new parts? Perhaps buy a new one?

You've already isolated the bulb to not being the culprit. So far we think it's not the wire. (Assuming your connections are all solid and the wire is definitely good.) That means it would have to be either your ballast or your ignitor.

I think thats about the best I can offer without being there. Sometimes wires get crossed too of course. If you happen to have a volt meter ($20 Radio Shack) you can test each wire to wire connection to see if it's shorting somewhere. Typically you put one test lead on each wire-to-wire connection and make sure it beeps and also from the initial positive to the end negative to see if it's making a complete circuit.

Good luck man

.

Ballast DIY
Diagram

Snider · 11-20-2006, 08:21 PM

Stilleo: post pics of your whole setup, including good pics of the CLFs.

I suppose what you pictured here is a transformer, that's why the buzz.

What is the voltage on your area? What is the voltage written on the lamps?

11-13-2006, 09:00 AM	#1
stilleo New Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 15	Running Into Some Trouble.. Help? I am in the process of creating my grow cab and I ran into a couple problems and was hoping I can get some answers to a couple questions. 1. I currently have 2 23W fluoro lights to grow my plant untill I grow 2-3 nodes. Is that enough watts before I transfer it to my HPS lights? 2. My ballast seems to be making this buzzing noise and the light is not turning off. I checked and double checked the wiring but it seems like no juice is going into the light. I got it to work before but something went wrong... anyone know what COULD be the problem? (I know that it is difficult to tell what the problem is off that explaination but anything would help) 3. How many plants could I grow under a 100w HPS light in a 30"w x 24"h x 16"d? Also, anyone know where a good place to find those desk lights that duggy uses in his box? I cant seem to find any fluoro's that will fit within 16". I have only seen the 2' fluoro shop lights and it wont fit.
	Quote

11-13-2006, 09:09 AM	#2
DurbanPoison Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: West U.S.A Posts: 548	Don't be afraid for the coil style compact floro bulbs. They certainly work. 1 - Yes those floros should suffice but you want to keep those bulbs nice and close - 2-3" away from the tops. 2 - Ballast is buzzing - that's unusual. Are you sure it's not the bulb? When my bulbs turn on they buzz briefly. Search for some DIY diagrams on wiring a remote ballast. 3 - How many plants in that space? Depends on your growing style. You could grow 1 plant doing a ScrOG and weave it around a screen to fill that whole area and switch to flower. That would be convenient - or maybe 2-4 plants using the same idea. ScrOG Example Example 2 Also - do a search for Sea of Green (SOG). Depends on what you want. P.s. It's Nate Dogg that says that quote in your signature. __________________ OG Refugee - durbanpoison05 - DIY Carbon Scrubber / Filter DIY Germ your Beans NGB Stealth Micro Grow Box Bonsai Moms Vortex Fan's - So cheap it's like Stealing! Super Cheap Combo ph/tds/ec/temp Meter! My NGB Stealth Grow Growing is a science - not an art. Last edited by DurbanPoison; 11-13-2006 at 09:32 AM..
	Quote

11-13-2006, 06:40 PM	#4
DurbanPoison Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: West U.S.A Posts: 548	High Stilleo - I think you'll enjoy the ScrOG. The maintenance is a lot easier than most other LST methods. Floros don't require a ballast. They generally have them built in. If your using the desktop long tube tyle floros, the ballast is inside the where the on/off switch is. The 60w max output fixture you have will certainly suffice for your needs. Your real problem: This ballast noise is a chin scratcher. Can you take some pictures and list the specs of your equipment? That might help. We'll see what we can find. __________________ OG Refugee - durbanpoison05 - DIY Carbon Scrubber / Filter DIY Germ your Beans NGB Stealth Micro Grow Box Bonsai Moms Vortex Fan's - So cheap it's like Stealing! Super Cheap Combo ph/tds/ec/temp Meter! My NGB Stealth Grow Growing is a science - not an art.
	Quote

11-14-2006, 07:36 AM	#6
DurbanPoison Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: West U.S.A Posts: 548	Cool man. Post some pics and maybe I can give you my $.02 cents again. __________________ OG Refugee - durbanpoison05 - DIY Carbon Scrubber / Filter DIY Germ your Beans NGB Stealth Micro Grow Box Bonsai Moms Vortex Fan's - So cheap it's like Stealing! Super Cheap Combo ph/tds/ec/temp Meter! My NGB Stealth Grow Growing is a science - not an art.
	Quote

11-13-2006, 10:14 AM	#3
stilleo New Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 15	Hey durban, thanks for the quick response. It isn't the bulb because I have two 100 hps lights and I tested both bulbs and they both work perfectly. I tried to rewire it and it still isnt giving juice to the bulb. Any other suggestions? I went through the ballast guides throughout the forums and it seems that my ballast is wired correctly. Also, my fluoro's do not have a ballast... should I have one? It seems to be running fine and the fixture that I am running said that it has a 60W max output. With how many plants I am going to grow, I decided 2 plants under a scrog screen would work well with my limited space.
	Quote

11-13-2006, 10:25 PM	#5
stilleo New Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 15	Yeah I will have to find a digital camera to take pictures but will do it soon. Thanks durban.
	Quote

11-20-2006, 06:05 AM	#7
stilleo New Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 15	Hey durban I finally got a picture of my ballast. What do you think?
	Quote

11-20-2006, 08:21 PM	#9
Snider Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 167	Stilleo: post pics of your whole setup, including good pics of the CLFs. I suppose what you pictured here is a transformer, that's why the buzz. What is the voltage on your area? What is the voltage written on the lamps?
	Quote