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- Dec 24, 2016
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Could you post a photo of the ballast please? Wanted to know if it can take a 240v supply.
TIA
TIA
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I hope Today or tomorrowCould you post a photo of the ballast please? Wanted to know if it can take a 240v supply.
TIA
I can see that happening with the bulb holders, they have a soft GUM coating. Disassembly of the fixture is not recommended unless you have time and are familiar with lighting fixtures, the ballast is tightly packed and screwed into the recess away from the bulbs, the aluminum housing is actually a two piece extrusion and you need to slide appart to get at the ballast, more work than i want to do so I am going to splice my wires. To be honest I'm not that impressed with certain components of the build, the ballast -wires-sockets are good but the fixture end caps are flimsy sheet metal , granted they will be encapsulated with the conector platesI also saw a post somewhere about the bulb holders fusing with the bulbs after a month’s use. The guy was running them at 7hrs / photoperiod. Going to try and look for thread.
I can see that happening with the bulb holders, they have a soft GUM coating. Disassembly of the fixture is not recommended unless you have time and are familiar with lighting fixtures, the ballast is tightly packed and screwed into the recess away from the bulbs, the aluminum housing is actually a two piece extrusion and you need to slide appart to get at the ballast, more work than i want to do so I am going to splice my wires. To be honest I'm not that impressed with certain components of the build, the ballast -wires-sockets are good but the fixture end caps are flimsy sheet metal , granted they will be encapsulated with the conector plates
but even those fasteners are sheet metal screws and I can see long term problems when servicing becomes necessary, I am Tapping the extrusion to accept #4-40 stainless screws by 1.25" and should be plenty to handle anything I throw at it. Those of you purchasing the 61" x 24" should be concerned with this as you will most likely have a lot of weight with the addition of LED'S. I questioned the holders when i was disassembling and you just confirmed my suspicion on that. The last concern is No Salt Shield over the bulbs or are mine missing? the extrusion has the slot to accept the plastic/acrylic, 1 good splash on a hot bulb and my tank is full of glass and Hazardous compounds and salt water is going degrade the reflectors and the metal ballast over time.
I understand this is a economy fixture/solution WITH bonus led brackets but the bulb shield is a MUST! on any salt fixture.
Agreed, I know other fluorescent fixtures are wide open and cooling is a issue so i guess its change out bulbs before they get brittleNo shields come with the fixture. Unless we can somehow pull an Aquaman and tell fishes to not splash water around, the only remedy would be to raise the fixture to a “comfortable” height - say 10 to 12inches? Then again, light spillage would be a pain....
There was one on the reddit reef tank sub about it yesterday.I also saw a post somewhere about the bulb holders fusing with the bulbs after a month’s use. The guy was running them at 7hrs / photoperiod. Going to try and look for thread.
I have only heard from one customer on this and I checked with the supplier. We have been running them for months and have not seen this concern. I checked with the supplier and they tell me the coating is good for 160°C before melting. Lamps are usually 70° - 80°C.There was one on the reddit reef tank sub about it yesterday.
Dave, I must say you gave some thought into the bulb holders and sockets, the added rubber to protect the bulbs was an added touch, so thanks and I hope it's just a random thing. I do however think the cross braces need stronger/longer fasteners or more.I have only heard from one customer on this and I checked with the supplier. We have been running them for months and have not seen this concern. I checked with the supplier and they tell me the coating is good for 160°C before melting. Lamps are usually 70° - 80°C.
If it becomes a concern we may change to metal only.
Please share the link if you have it.
Thanks.
Dave, I must say you gave some thought into the bulb holders and sockets, the added rubber to protect the bulbs was an added touch, so thanks and I hope it's just a random thing. I do however think the cross braces need stronger/longer fasteners or more.
FYI the 4-40's i'm using is slightly undersized for the extrusion, a better fit would be a #5-40 but that is such a difficult size to get taps and fasteners I went with long #4's and a metric equivalent could be a better option.
@Kyl & @Mac Galinato if you could find the article and post I would be much obliged
@AquaticLifeProducts after starting this mod I see the need for a better Premium fixture on this platform, with switches a single cord and splash guards and that would mean cooling as well. I'm sure you seen the BRS video on cooling t5"s,This is awesome!!! I just picked up this hybrid setup and agree wire management and bulb control needs this upgrade!
the end plates that connect the two fixtures, just 2 screws each end,although i just realized the led mounting brackets will help with separation and stability.When you mention cross braces do you mean the end plates or the LED mounting brackets? Just want to make sure I understand which part.
Appreciate the suggestions.
Blocked at work, but I think it was just a picture at /r/reeftank either yesterday or the day before. I'll check to see if it's there in a couple of hours.@Kyl & @Mac Galinato if you could find the article and post I would be much obliged
@AquaticLifeProducts after starting this mod I see the need for a better Premium fixture on this platform, with switches a single cord and splash guards and that would mean cooling as well. I'm sure you seen the BRS video on cooling t5"s,
I Know I would pay 500 for a quality fixture that hits all the points and accepts LED integration.
the end plates that connect the two fixtures, just 2 screws each end,although i just realized the led mounting brackets will help with separation and stability.